Really need help with bluffing

[Miss_Original]

hi guys,

Well Harrison is about 3.5 months old now and Bluffing really badly. He has bitten me so hard i needed stitches on 2 seperate occasions!!! i know im supposed to ignore the behaviour but it is REALLY hard when he is tearing my skin to pieces. He is also attacking anything that is in front of him. i really want to do the right thing by him and persist through it but i cant go to work with stitches all over my hands.
Has anyones ringnecks ever bitten them so hard and does anyone know anything i can do to help at least soften the bites???
Please help i am desperate for answers.

[jimmyjack]

i was foolish enough to endure the bites, and still have scars along both thumbs. i suggest you dont - despite your best efforts, its impossible not to freak out and get your heartrate up when the blood starts to flow. plus the mess it makes.

try a good sturdy pair of gardening gloves, like the leather ones. that way he can plow in without gorging your flesh. maybe a distraction toy always at the ready aswell - a stick or even spaghetti he can tear into. i'd keep the sessions short aswell. only 10 mins at the most

[Miss_Original]

thank you,
i will try the gloves and a new distraction toy ( his old one is torn to shreds).
How long did the bluffing stage last with your ringneck???
i realise every bird is different just curious

[jimmyjack]

mine wasnt actually going through bluffing. she was a rescue bird and severely mistreated by her past owner, so im sorry i cant tell you about the duration - but i'll be where you are very soon! i have another little angel thats nearly 2 months

[jimmyjack]

i just read this exert from the bluffing page:

Keep in mind that this stage can last several days or weeks. Some get a severe case and it may last a few months. I’ll say it again and again, ignore any bluffing and you’ll get through this stage fine.

[ellieelectrons]

I'm not sure what you are experiencing is bluffing. can you describe what is happening when your bird bites you? Sorry to hear about the bites. Sounds awful!

[Melika]

I wouldn't endure the bites either. I would use a T-stand preferably, or gloves if needed. In my profession I can't have torn up hands!

It might not just be bluffing, but is it something to work through. I prefer to use a T-stand since if you wear gloves and the bird becomes used to the gloves, then he still won't be used to your hands. That is really up to you.

[Miss_Original]

Ellie he comes out of his cage fine but after about 5 mins he starts to grab anything thats infront of him ( mainly my hands ) when i put him on his stand he flies back over to me and bites my neck.......its like he is trying to attack me, if i put my hands near him his eyes pin and he throws himself at me. once he has let go he tries for another spot on my hands or arms or neck. i try not to let him get on my shoulders at the moment. he completely ignores my fiance and screeches when he is in his cage and im in the room. i want to clip his wings but he still isnt the best at landing and i want to give him the opportunity to learn that, im thinking another week and he will have it.

i will try the T stand and hopefully that will work

i love him to death and want him to have the best life im just worried ive done something wrong.

[ellieelectrons]

Oh dear, that sounds just awful! I'm terribly sorry. I wondered if it was because you were trying to get the bird to do something it didn't want to do - but it doesn't sound like that at all.

Others on the forum have had a similar problem & wingclipping seemed to fix it. Hopefully you can get them clipped soon.

The only other thing I can think of whilst he is flighted is trying to train him to fly to your hand on command. I've seen Barbara Heidenriech (a professional bird trainer) do this. So, if your bird launches at you when you haven't called him, you simply step aside & let them land somewhere else. This probably means that when your bird is out-of-cage, you are going to need to give it (almost) your undivided attention. As a consequence, it may mean shorter out-of-cage times until he learns - but this doesn't seem a completely inappropriate consequence of his behaviour to me. No one should have to put up with a bird launching @ them & then biting them as soon as they land.

Good luck. I hope the behaviour changes soon.

Others have described similar behaviours in this forum & wingclipping worked - so take heart.

Ellie.

[jimmyjack]

if he hasnt learnt to fly/land properly yet, i'd be considerably cautious about wing-clipping. though your situation sounds terrible (and i hope little salvadore doesnt go through this soon!) whilst learning to fly they develop important motor skills and coordination. by clipping their wings too early, it can cause them to become quite clumsy as they grow up.

i'd try ellies suggestions - maybe less time out of the cage and completely undivided attention will make him more excited (maybe excited isnt the right word! sounds like hes already pretty wound up) to spend time with you. but give that a go before clipping. at that age, youre right, he'll get flying and landing quite quickly, especially with a little practice.

good luck. really.

[SCB -SA]

You may think I am cruel but what i found worked for me, as my boy drew blood a good few times whilst bluffing, is if he attacked me once, i would pick him up and put him back on his cage and ignore him for a while, if he flew off and attacked me i would pick him up and put him back, but third time, i would put him in his cage and cover him for 5 min with a towel and i would explain to him clearly why i was doing it, as i belive they are fully aware they are being naughty and are testing you, after half an hour i would let him out again, and i would do the same thing, again, after 3 times he would then stage in his cage and stay covered for a small while. Just my personal way of how i dealt with it, he is the most awesome little man now, sweet as can be, just over a year old and just got his first black ring feathers,

[Miss_Original]

thanks for all the help guys.......he has nearly got the landing down so wing clipping wont be to far away but as i said i want to see him land properly a good few times before i clip.

im going to move his cage to a different spot in the house just to change it up a bit and maybe take him out of his comfort zone so he isnt territorial.

ill try covering the cage.......im willing to try anything at this point ( well anything thats safe for the bird )

[Miss_Original]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!

i moved Harrisons cage yesterday and didnt get him out to get used to it! Today i opened his cage door and let him come out himself.

He was out for about 5 minutes and i was waiting for the dreaded bites BUT.........10mins went by, then 15, then 20 and not a single nip!! He was out for about an hour when i went to pick him up and he grabbed my finger (it was a bite but nowhere near as hard as they have been ).

once i got the bite i put him straight back in the cage and he went and sulked in the corner, i ignored him for about half an hour ( i know it was killing me the hole time ) then i let him back out again. ANOTHER HOUR WITHOUT A BITE!!!!! i had to put him back in his cage as im about to start dinner and obviously dont want him flying around while im cooking.

Thank You Everyone for all the awesome tips!!!
Harrison says thank you aswell, he seems to be much happier ( that could be because he is chewing on some fruit right now lol )

P.S when i do clip Harry's wing do you guys recommend one or two??? ive heard different things about both so thought id ask the experts

[Melika]

Both wings. With just one wing clipped they are very unsteady and are more likely to injure themselves.

Good job!