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Post by eunoia93 on Jun 19, 2015 10:01:53 GMT -5
Hey everyone, I recently brought home a two month old quaker parrot who is in the process of being weaned. He generally tolerates handling and likes some head/cheek/chin scratches. Just in the past two days or so he has begun to "bite" much harder.. not harder enough to really hurt but with noticeably more ferocity and force. I know young birds tend to use their beak to explore the world, I also know that quakers are known to become territorial around their enclosures, and of course sometimes birds just bite because they don't like what you're doing / what's going on etc.
So I mean.. I don't know if he is just playing and doesn't know my hand is not a toy.. or if he is fighting off my approach / interaction.. or if he is fighting me off from his area? He is only 2 months old and I've only had him for a few days, do quaker parrots become territorial in such a short time?
Whatever the reason is, I don't quite know how to react. I don't want him to bite at my hand even if he is playing (and like I said, it's got noticeably harder and more ferocious)and know I'm not supposed to try to "punish" him or react/make noise. Before he used to use his beak on my hand just to make sure it was secure before he stepped up.
If he is attacking my hand should I take that as a cue to leave him alone? But if I leave him alone and my reinforcing him getting rid of me by biting? On the other hand, If I don't leave him alone and let him bite at my hand am I just making him more fearful / angry at me by not getting a hint (and also reinforcing biting by not doing anything to stop/deter him)?
Please help!! What should I do? I just got him (no previous owners) so I want to make sure I'm not creating any behavioral problems!
Thanks
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Post by easttex on Jun 19, 2015 13:55:25 GMT -5
It does sound like he's trying to tell you something. Maybe it's the toddler "No!"  The very best thing you can do is to avoid the bite in the first place, which is easier said than done, of course. Is there something(s) that seem to precede his bite? Things like, he tolerates a scratch for 30 seconds and then bites, for example. If you put out your finger for him to step up and he doesn't do it and then bites, for another. If you can identify a pattern, you can stop what you're doing and head him off at the pass. Most of the time, our birds will give us signals before biting that are best to heed. I don't think it's a matter of spoiling them if you give in to their demands. If one of my birds chooses not to step up to come out of the cage, I feel I should respect that. Like us, they're happier when they have some control over their lives, and if we don't allow that, then they do learn to bite. |
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Post by jefahfah on Jun 21, 2015 9:27:16 GMT -5
Well first off you are going to have to take whatever pain there is. Don't let him know that biting you lets him get his way. Where does this happen? If it happens when you put your hand in his cage then stop it. Let him choose to come out of the cage to interact with you. If it is outside of the cage then whenever he is on your finger and gives you a little nip, give your finger a little wiggle up & down to throw him off balance. Quakers hate being off balance so he will quickly learn that biting means loosing his footing.
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Post by eunoia93 on Jun 21, 2015 19:54:54 GMT -5
Well first off you are going to have to take whatever pain there is. Don't let him know that biting you lets him get his way. Where does this happen? If it happens when you put your hand in his cage then stop it. Let him choose to come out of the cage to interact with you. If it is outside of the cage then whenever he is on your finger and gives you a little nip, give your finger a little wiggle up & down to throw him off balance. Quakers hate being off balance so he will quickly learn that biting means loosing his footing. Thank you both for your assistance! I'm really taking all of this advice in. Also the advice about not making him interact with me is really helpful! I really wasn't sure because both my boyfriend and the lady at the pet store are insistent that I keep "handling" him and touching him..seemingly in spite of whether the bird likes it not.. I was never so sure about that (I do want to interact with him but don't want to badger him when he doesn't want my attention) but have been given lots of conflicting advice. I've noticed that there are some somewhat rare moments in a day where he will not shy away from me and let he will let me scratch around his head and under his chin. A lot of other times though he will be biting at bars he is standing on or just sitting or moving about and if i put my fingers near him he shies away and goes to bite at me. So yeah, basically I don't really know what he thinks of me or what his motives are most of the time. If anyone has any insight from their own experience, please share! Generally speaking, should I let him determine when he wants to interact? At what times is it appropriate or necessary to not give in to him if ever? Also, sometimes I have to put him back in his cage from on top of the cage and he usually doesn't want to. He doesn't quite know the "step up" command yet although he does perch on my hands and I try to practice with him. When he doesn't want to step up but I need to put him back in, what do I do? I try to get him onto a handheld perch and then deposit him inside but often times he will cling to the top of his cage with his feet for his life and bites at the perch. |
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Post by eunoia93 on Jun 21, 2015 20:04:03 GMT -5
It does sound like he's trying to tell you something. Maybe it's the toddler "No!" The very best thing you can do is to avoid the bite in the first place, which is easier said than done, of course. Is there something(s) that seem to precede his bite? Things like, he tolerates a scratch for 30 seconds and then bites, for example. If you put out your finger for him to step up and he doesn't do it and then bites, for another. If you can identify a pattern, you can stop what you're doing and head him off at the pass. Most of the time, our birds will give us signals before biting that are best to heed. I don't think it's a matter of spoiling them if you give in to their demands. If one of my birds chooses not to step up to come out of the cage, I feel I should respect that. Like us, they're happier when they have some control over their lives, and if we don't allow that, then they do learn to bite. Thank you!!! What you said about letting him have some control really resonated with me. However, what do I do when I do need him to do something that he doesn't want to do? Like put him back inside his cage. I try to get him to move on his own and entice him onto my hand or a perch with foods he likes and know its important for him to step up on his own. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem super motivated by food as of yet. I don't want him to be annoyed or afraid of me. Any tips? |
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Post by easttex on Jun 22, 2015 5:36:14 GMT -5
There are always going to be times when we have to make them do things they'd rather not. For me, the key is to make those the exception and not the norm. You have to find little ways to make them want to do what you want them to do. I'd recommend that the first thing you do is teach him to step up and down consistently. Training with positive reinforcement is a great way to build a bond with a bird. If you're unsure of how to go about it, I really like Barbara Heidenreich's force free animal training, but there are others who are good. Just stick with positive reinforcement, and reinforce every tiny step toward the end goal. Take him to an unfamiliar area, keep the training sessions short, and do them at least several times a day. It's a little harder when you don't have a favorite food to reward them with, but praise or scratches work for some. It's important to keep reinforcing it after he has learned it. Once he will step up/down, make sure it is not always a negative for him. If he steps up only to be returned to his cage every time, he will "unlearn" all that good behavior you just taught him. Creating some sort of ritual that he can enjoy in between step up and and return to cage will help. When my grey started resisting going to her night cage in the evening, I began taking her on brief house tours, or talks in front of a mirror, or other minor activity, and once she knew she was going to do something she enjoyed, she was perfectly amenable to the last step up of the day. I do think it is best to let him come out of his cage on his own, but if you absolutely have to force him out, there is one technique that can help you avoid a bite. My Quaker Peppy was cage bound when I first got him and did not know the step up, and I eventually had to force him out. I offered my left hand low in front while bringing my right hand around behind him. The right hand distracted him enough that when I gently touched him on the abdomen with my left hand, he stepped up without biting. Likewise, if you absolutely have to force him to go back into his cage, gently place a light towel over him, pick him up and carefully put him inside, ensuring he doesn't get tangled up when you release him. Towel training is another good thing to work on, by the way. |
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Post by quakerfriend on Jun 26, 2015 14:37:36 GMT -5
Yes! I agree with easttex and I love Barbara Heidenreich haha. I went to one of her talks.
Basically the idea here is that if you keep forcing him into doing something he doesn't want to, he'll bite more and harder too - sort of like a "um..no thanks" progresses to a "NO!!!" If he REALLY doesn't want to come out, just accept he's in a bad mood and any interaction might just make him more cranky. Also, make sure you give him the same amount of attention now that you will continue to give him. A lot of people spend tons of time socializing and playing with a baby, but then leave the bird alone more when it becomes an adult. That can open up for bad behaviors, since he's confused why he's suddenly getting less attention.
Since he's still weaning, formula can be a powerful incentive. My parakeets also like kisses and that little "talking to a bird voice" I use. Food doesn't always have to be the reward.
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The very best thing you can do is to avoid the bite in the first place, which is easier said than done, of course. Is there something(s) that seem to precede his bite? Things like, he tolerates a scratch for 30 seconds and then bites, for example. If you put out your finger for him to step up and he doesn't do it and then bites, for another. If you can identify a pattern, you can stop what you're doing and head him off at the pass. 
