tammi
Hatchling
Posts: 21 
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Post by tammi on Jul 14, 2014 13:12:01 GMT -5
Hi everyone. I'm new here, and new to Quakers, and hoping we're not doing something wrong to create this behavior, but our Quaker has gotten bitey lately.
A little background - About a month ago we adopted a cockatiel (Ollie) & Quaker (Chester) from a family on Craigslist. We were told that the family had lost interest in them, and they weren't getting much attention. They said Chester was now about 1 1/2 (adopted as a hand fed baby) and had previously learned a few words, but had not been interacted with lately, so wasn't saying them anymore (hello, and I love you). They had been caged together and we noticed that they were pulling each others' tails etc., so we separated them. Chester got the original cage, and Ollie was moved to a new cage. They stay in the same room together, and can see each other, but no longer live together.
Naturally, we expected it would take some time for them to get used to us, but Chester amazed us with his friendliness right off the bat, and he began to talk, learning his new name within the first week. He is a delightful little bird with all of his chattering. He has never trusted us enough to scratch his head, but will willingly step up and sit on your shoulder. He likes to preen you, nibbling on your ears or hair, or taking little bits of dry skin off of your lips etc.
For some reason about a week ago, he started getting territorial around his cage (which I now understand is quite common). He didn't want anyone putting their hand in there. Then he started biting unexpectedly. He'll be on your shoulder, doing his usual preening stuff, then BITE! It hurts. He's drawn blood a few times. It's strange because he acts like he wants to be held - if he's left on his perch, he'll pace and screech until you pick him up, but then shortly after he bites. And then after biting, he'll laugh and say "good boy". What a stinker! Lol.
When he bites, we usually put him back on his perch, but then he goes back to the pacing & screeching. My husband is still brave enough to hold him, but I feel bad that he's not getting the attention the other birds are. Should we keep trying to hold him, or just leave him alone for awhile? I'm not sure what to do. And what should we do when he does bite?
I'm happy to answer any questions or provide more info if it would help determine why he might be doing this.
Thank you!
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Post by msdani1981 on Jul 14, 2014 19:59:16 GMT -5
They sure can be little stinkers, can't they??? LOL I'd say keep him off your shoulder for awhile, until he stops the biting. Being on your shoulder is a privilege, not a right. When he bites, try not to react. I know it's hard but parrots are major drama kings/queens. Just keep doing what you are...calmly put him back on his perch or in his cage. Hopefully this helps a little bit, it sounds like you're doing just fine!  |
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Post by Caseysmom on Jul 14, 2014 21:32:56 GMT -5
I agree with Dani, you have to take the bite without a reaction, you can do that and do what you are doing saying calmly no bite and put him back on his cage. Maybe he just needs a little more time, you could try holding a treat for him when you take him out so his beak can work on that instead. Casey has never bitten me and she does like some people but she does try to bite others. One person who visited when she was young, ran in the house, went over to her cage and surprised her from behind to step up, she did and then bit hard, that person screamed and now still when she sees her she wants to bite her to get that reaction. Another way for them not to become cage aggressive is to switch up their cage every couple of weeks, moving the toys and perches around. Good luck, hope Chester turns back to his delightful self!
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tammi
Hatchling
Posts: 21
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Post by tammi on Jul 15, 2014 0:33:45 GMT -5
Thank you both! I haven't held him since yesterday, but my daughter did today, and had a good experience with him. He wanted back on his perch, so she took him back, he pooped and then wanted back up  She said the 2nd time, he got a bit nippy, so she put him back again. I think we'll try shortening the shoulder time, so that way he will hopefully end on a good note, while he's still behaving. I'm surprised he hasn't learned how to say ouch yet lol. Lately we haven't had to try to bring him out of the cage because he's been coming out and hanging on the door on his own. He seems ok with us picking him up off the door. He still gets to be a part of the action, downstairs with everyone, and I make sure to talk to him a lot, even though I haven't picked him up. Thanks again, I appreciate it! |
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Post by msdani1981 on Jul 15, 2014 6:59:28 GMT -5
I can't touch Chewy. He (I think "he" is a "she", actually) likes to talk to me, but will not let me touch him. Once in awhile he'll step up for me, but most of the time he wants to bite me.
Yesterday was horrible...he was mad about something, and every time I went in the bird room would fly onto my head and bite me. I finally got him toweled and stuffed (yes, stuffed...I was that mad at him) him into his cage. He wasn't hurt, don't worry...I carefully stuffed him in. LOL
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tammi
Hatchling
Posts: 21
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Post by tammi on Jul 15, 2014 12:00:05 GMT -5
Lol - you just have to do what you can to protect yourself  Chester isn't flying yet because the people clipped his wings right before we got him. Kinda makes me wonder what he will be capable of when they grow back! |
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Post by msdani1981 on Jul 15, 2014 12:36:28 GMT -5
I'm really considering taking my own advice and clipping him to give him an attitude adjustment. LOL
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Post by Jan and Shah on Jul 15, 2014 16:49:23 GMT -5
Shah bites all the time when he is hormonal or when he is mad (which is most of the time). My hands are covered in wounds. I have tried everything to get him to stop but it is just the way he is. In his eyes I do everything wrong so his way of making me take notice is to bite. I occasionally fall asleep when I have him out and I even get a bite for that - wakes me up very quickly.
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Post by easttex on Jul 16, 2014 13:59:25 GMT -5
I think you have advanced from the honeymoon period that many of us get when we first bring a parrot into the household. Congratulations, Chester feels more at home! I have an older Quaker who will not tolerate being touched. I know that the advice to not react to a bite is good, but it is also very, very hard to accomplish. For me, it is better to avoid the circumstances that I can reasonably foresee will lead to a bite. I would respect his wish to defend his territory within the cage, and let him decide when to come out. I also believe that Dani has it just right - the shoulder is a privilege to be earned. Chester may have started to incorporate it into his own territory, and I wouldn't allow him up there for the time being. |
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Post by Sharyn and Mr P on Jul 16, 2014 22:15:27 GMT -5
Mr P will go for weeks without chomping me, then, just when I think we are over it, he bites me for no reason. Here is what I have done to avoid being bitten. When I have to put Mr P back in his cage or bring him inside from his porch playstand, or whatever situation he is in that I know he will bite me, I use a spare perch! Is that cheating? Maybe? He can bite on the perch all he wants (and he does) but I'd rather that than my hand.
In the meantime, I try to reinforce ALL positive hand and arm time with cuddles or bird friendly snacks, whatever seems to be apppropriate. I NEVER give Mr P a treat without making him step up first, although I don't always reward him with treats after he steps up. Sometimes, if he wants to come over for cuddles, that is his reward. I also limit the amount of time I keep him sitting on me, making our interactions fairly short (no more than 30 mins tops usually) and try to always end them on a positive note.
Mr P does not have access to his cage the entire day, rather he sits on various playstands in different parts of the house all day long. His wings are clipped so he relies on me to transport him to wherever.
I do not let Mr P on my shoulder often. The last time I thought we had conquered the biting, he bit the h*ll out of my chin. It bled all over the place (face wounds tend to bleed worse than anything else) and it HURT. I am not good at not reacting although when he bites my hand I will say No bite in a calm voice and put him back in his cage, cover him and ignore him. It ticks him off but apparently not enough to quit biting me. I agree with Dani, shoulder time is a privilege, one that he has had taken away for awhile.
Every nite, before I put Mr P back in his cage, I give him his "yummies" dish, with sprouts and quinoa or something special for dinner. He looks forward to it, watches me prepare it, watches me put it in his cage, and is eager to step up so he can go back to his cage to eat it. This evening, when I went to get him off his stand, he was excited to be going back to his cage yet he bit me anyway. It didnt draw blood but it wasnt one of those "accidental" bites when they are latching onto your hand for balance. I still don't have clue why.
so, I guess my advice would be, make your interactions short, frequent spurts instead of long in duration, keep him off your shoulder if you don't trust him around your face and try to reward every positive interaction in some way, not necessarily food, maybe a trip to another playstand or part of the house. (of course, this won't work if your bird can fly by himself)
I'm pretty sure Mr P will continue to bite for no reason but I have managed to minimize it by trying to avoid situations in which I know I'm going to get chomped while using positive reinforcement for the times he doesnt bite me. He is WAY better than he was when I first got him, but yeah, I still get bitten.
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Post by biteybird on Jul 17, 2014 1:52:52 GMT -5
Our Bonnie is usually well-behaved, but with one friend (86yo male) she goes straight for his lip or ear every time with no provocation. We have to keep her in the cage when he's visiting. We can't work out what sets her off with him. A couple of times she has tried to peck my finger when I put red-coloured foods (e.g., capsicum, tomato, chilli) in her food tray), too.
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tammi
Hatchling
Posts: 21
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Post by tammi on Jul 17, 2014 15:00:26 GMT -5
After a few days' break I gave it a go this morning. He actually "quaked" when I came in to say good morning. He was excited already, so I tried not to get him too hyped up. He stepped right onto my finger & climbed up to my shoulder, full of chatter this morning. We had quite a conversation - then the grooming started - and of course a good bite. Oy. I found an interesting class locally "Creating a Positive Parrot Relationship" - we're signing up |
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Post by msdani1981 on Jul 17, 2014 15:25:25 GMT -5
Let us know how the class goes! That sounds great! |
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Post by Caseysmom on Jul 17, 2014 22:01:30 GMT -5
That's neat to have something like that to go to! Looking forward to updates!
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Post by biteybird on Jul 18, 2014 5:44:57 GMT -5
I watched the birdtricks.com videos and these guys looked very positive, and it looks like their training techniques would work. But I simply wouldn't be able to put in the daily time that it requires. They mention a 'training diet', which means that you withhold some of their food until a behaviour/training session to use as treats. But if you have a young bird you should not use the training diet, as they need their nutrients whilst growing up. The training diet is for adult birds, I think.
Good luck with the parrot class...we Aussies don't have much available in that regard over here (as far as I'm aware)!
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She said the 2nd time, he got a bit nippy, so she put him back again. I think we'll try shortening the shoulder time, so that way he will hopefully end on a good note, while he's still behaving. I'm surprised he hasn't learned how to say ouch yet lol. 
Chester isn't flying yet because the people clipped his wings right before we got him. Kinda makes me wonder what he will be capable of when they grow back!
