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Post by stevie on Aug 24, 2015 7:59:37 GMT -5
So, I've had my beautiful girl for 3 months now (she's 9 months old) & while she's generally very gentle with my face, she is super aggressive when it comes to my hands, fingers and occasionally even my legs. I'm not too sure what to do & am scared that if I don't do something to deal with it now it'll get worse.
So far I've basically just tried tipping my finger when she nips so that she loses her balance, haven't had too much luck with that. She gets her 12 hours rest nightly (sometimes more if she decides to turn around in her happy hut and sleep in), has fresh fruit and veggies daily and is on pellets. I've started trying to train her and she's learnt to go back to her cage to go to the bathroom (she basically figured that out on her own because I got excited every time she went over the newspaper under her cage door xD) and I've taught her to step onto the cage door when I tap it + she comes when I call her now which is pretty awesome! I heard training would help with the biting but so far no luck.. Any help would be amazing!
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Post by aaron on Aug 24, 2015 12:00:18 GMT -5
Welcome to you and your little one! Under what kind of circumstances does the biting occur, typically?
It may take a while before any techniques you employ to try to discourage biting actually have an effect. In addition to dropping your hand to throw her off balance when she nips, you can also try simply putting her down when she bites and doing something else. Also, a stern look can be one of the most effective ways to communicate disapproval. Obviously it can be difficult, but try to react as little as possible when you get bitten, especially in terms of vocal responses to bites. Any sort of outburst can be found exciting by the bird and can have a counterproductive effect.
Otherwise it sounds like things are going quite well! If she is already coming when called at 9 months, you are doing very well. Our QP is 4 years old, and is only just now starting to be reliable at coming when I call her.
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Post by easttex on Aug 24, 2015 13:30:36 GMT -5
Like Aaron, I recommend that you put some serious thought into what is happening before and after the aggression. It's not natural behavior, and something has brought it about. Also, can you identify when it started? Were there any changes in her environment? Any changes in you? It may be a learned behavior now, but at some point she was trying to tell you something. The fact that she is gentle with your face makes it clear that she isn't trying to harm you.
When do the finger attacks happen? Is it any time you ask her to step up? When she is out and she steps up, is it only to be returned to her cage? How does she get to your legs? How do you respond to the aggression?
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Post by stevie on Aug 25, 2015 3:01:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies guys! it's been happening since I brought her home. It happens pretty randomly at times but others happen when I take her away from things that could be harmful if she chewed & what not (I try to distract her with a toy as well) and the odd tantrum about going back into her cage. I have her step up often because she seems to get excited over it now that she's learnt to say "step up". MOST of the time I don't think she's actually trying to hurt me, I just don't think she knows how hard is too hard  BUT it seems really aggressive sometimes.. she drew blood a few times. I'm not sure if this is related at all but she was in a pet shop for about 3 months before she came home with me & she was out of the cage A LOT so perhaps there were just too many people touching her/poking at her and it traumatized her or something? (just a thought) I'm not really sure what to do D: - as far as my legs go, it's usually when i'm sitting with them crossed & wearing shorts, she'll go all birdzilla on 'em xD but I think that's more trying to play with my leg hair than actually biting me.. haha >.> |
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Post by easttex on Aug 25, 2015 6:08:11 GMT -5
So you're in a position where you really can't determine what started it. If she was kept alone at the pet store from an early age, I would guess she never learned what was appropriate play. And who knows what else might have happened while she was there that caused her to be suspicious of hands. It sounds like you're doing the right things, but maybe you can make some adjustments. For example, when you're taking her away from a hazard, you might get a more favorable response if you use a favored treat instead of a toy. (It helps if you always have some handy.) I would start rewarding her pretty lavishly when she is behaving well, even if she is not doing anything in particular. This will help her to see your hand as friendly. If she bites when you offer her treats, put it between your thumb and forefinger, making a small target, and make her reach for it a bit. If she was out of her cage at the store a lot, she may bite to tell you she doesn't want to go back. It's good that you are having her step up a lot, and not just to go back to her cage. Keep rewarding the step up, even after you know she knows it, and try to make the return trip fun for her. I always take my grey on a side trip before putting her in her night cage, and it has really helped. As for the legs, well, I think I would just keep them covered until she starts learning what is appropriate behavior.  That just sounds potentially too painful to risk a bite. |
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Post by stevie on Aug 25, 2015 7:09:48 GMT -5
Oh good idea! I was just using millet as treats up until today.. I THOUGHT that she loved it until I gave her some treats I got earlier which she LOVED :3 I think I may have found my secret weapon when it comes to bribes ;D
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Post by aaron on Aug 25, 2015 8:59:40 GMT -5
When we got Cupcake, she had been at a pet store for 6 months. We definitely experienced a significant chunk of time in which it seemed like she just didn't know the strength of her own bite and had not developed the adequate experience necessary to deliver a controlled nip as a message rather than a painful bite. Over time, she has seemed to figure it out. At this point, it is extremely rare for her to bite in a way that hurts significantly, and even rarer for it to break the skin. I feel like stern eye contact after biting helped get the point across a lot. I'm not exactly sure how long it took, but it was many months before it really improved. At the time, in our inexperience, we were concerned it would never improve... but it did.
Incidentally, I actually feel like her time at the pet store was helpful for her on a personal level, as a captive parrot. My impression is that she had 6 months of a fairly boring but friendly environment-- Based on her personality, I would guess that the people were generally nice to her and she was rarely frightened by anyone, so as a result she learned to just sit contently during a very formative time of her life. I think it helps her deal with the time she spends alone at home while we are out, and even when we are home, she is generally very good at just chilling out peacefully when appropriate. I still would never buy from a pet store again, as I don't think it goes well most of the time for the birds... but it doesn't have to be bad, necessarily.
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BUT it seems really aggressive sometimes.. she drew blood a few times. I'm not sure if this is related at all but she was in a pet shop for about 3 months before she came home with me & she was out of the cage A LOT so perhaps there were just too many people touching her/poking at her and it traumatized her or something? (just a thought) I'm not really sure what to do D:
That just sounds potentially too painful to risk a bite.