My IRN likes to bite me

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bryanvincent
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Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2013 8:14 pm

My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

Hi,

Marley is a 5 year old IRN that I adopted from its previous family. According to his previous owner, he plucks his feathers because they had no time in taming/interacting with him. Now he is in my custody, I really want to take care of him. However, he likes to bite me.

Examples
- When I play with him with his tennis ball, sometimes he attacks my fingers
- When I am in the computer and letting him play with himself he sometimes comes up to me just to bite me
- Sometimes when I give him his food from my fingers, he bites it

Is it too late for me to train him properly?
His behaviours may be permanent already due to the previous owners, what can I do?


*His crest is always up 80% of the time. It only goes down sometimes when I talk to him or give him his ball.
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

I gather the bird is caged inside the house probably in the living room. this is the method I used on my aviary bred IRN with get results
once you have accomplish this you will need to interact as much as possible with your bird. Feather Plucking is usually caused by Boredom and frustration and this is a very difficult Behaviour problem to cure. but it can be done
Day one: when the bird is in the cage, enter the room and go to the furthest point from the cage with the clicker in your hand. Approach the cage until the bird shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. Stop and just stand there and wait until the bird relaxes. Then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Wait two to three minutes, then approach the cage again until the bird shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. But make sure you get a little closer. Stop and just stand there until the bird relaxes then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Repeat this method until you are standing next to the cage. This will take about 15 minutes to do. Then walk away. Wait for around 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this method until you can walk up to the cage without the bird being scared. This could take 7 to 9 times. Once you have done this. With the clicker sit next to the cage and eat some food and have a spray of millet with you. When the bird shows interest and approaches you offer the millet and wait. When the bird takes some of the millet click the clicker once.
Once the bird gets use to taking the millet replace it with sunflower seeds. Feed the bird through the cage. This can be done in one day. Remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food.

Day two: start by feeding the bird through cage. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes then wait 20 to 30 minutes. Open the cage door and offer sunflower seeds at the cage entrance. Be patient and remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food. Do this for at least 7 to 8 times that day with 20 to 30 minutes breaks between.

Day three: open the cage door and get the bird to the entrance with some sunflower seeds and remember to click the clicker once every time the bird take food. Now instead of using sunflower seeds you go back to the spray of millet. With the clicker and millet in the same hand and with your other hand make it into a pistol. Focus the birds attention onto the millet and bring the pistol hand up very slowly to the feet of the bird. Your finger must be parallel to the perch and level with the bird's feet. Do not touch the bird. Don't remove your hand form this position. Now move the millet so it out of reach of the bird. The bird will have to step forward to get to the millet. Therefore stepping up onto finger. at first don't expect the bird to step up onto and/or stay on your finger at first and there is a possibility you could get bitten then again you might not. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes then wait 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this method again at least 7 to 8 times that day. You will need to continue doing this daily to reinforce the behaviour of stepping up.

Remember not to force the bird. The idea is to train the bird to do what you want without force.
after 3 to 6 months there is no valid reason to still get bitten or for the bird to be having panic attacks. if this is happening then you should re-evaluate your training methods. I think people who quote patience after months of training and are still getting bitten are deluding themselves.
Little Buttercup
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by Little Buttercup »

Is your bird a Ringneck? Ringnecks does'nt have crests.

Ash
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

bryanvicent
it might be an idea to look on the web to Identify your bird. the training method remains the same
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

Little Buttercup wrote:Is your bird a Ringneck? Ringnecks does'nt have crests.

Ash
Yes he is a ringneck, what I mean was his head(or hair) spikes up when he's mad. Im sorry, I just thought every parrots have crests.

zentoucan : thanks for the advice. Right now he is afraid of my fingers, but we're making progress... THANK YOU!
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

Glad to help Please give feedback
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

Upon reading about Marley, I came to a conclusion that he had such a depressive past. Right now, according to his body language he is "ALWAYS" mad every time he see me or anyone else. He does not play with his tennis ball anymore, he also spend most of his time in the cage chilling, eating, and/or planning to murder me (lol). Anyway, I always talk to him, give him sunflower seeds occasionally and mix it with his food. Hopefully he cool down someday.
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

So, here's the thing; I don't think your bird is angry, and certainly not all the time. He may have a habit of biting, which would probably be a learned habit. Fortunately, Ringnecks are smart enough to learn whatever you are smart enough to teach them, with regards to behaviour.

Can you give me a list of Marley's toys and foraging opportunities? How big is the cage, and what's in it? What is around the cage, in the same room, that he is exposed to? Does he pluck in your house?

Let's talk about that biting for a minute. Is it the vicious draw-blood and hang on type bite, or is it a quicker investigation type bite? Remember that your bird hasn't got as many ways as you have to check out the things around him. He can't interview you or Google you or consult a People Forum. He can put his beak on you, and this is a major way he investigates things in his world. He might also be a little fearful but interested at the same time. He may come to investigate you and still be scared or nervous. That could easily explain him coming to you and biting.

Another reason for biting might be what I like to *think of* as hormonal crankiness. When my bird starts to get a little hormonal, he is likely to get slightly offensive. We have a chat about it - I can't really explain this, just I give him some attention and physically demonstrate that I'm not going to be chased off or change how I act every day - and he quickly comes back into line. I guess this works because we already have a well established relationship, and I'm sure I'm doing things that somebody else could watch and identify.

Another thing about biting is that it seems to be self-rewarding. If the bird bites, say to get you to go away, and you don't leave, the bird did not get what he was after, but he still got to do something about your unacceptable being there. He took action, and got some physical feedback. For this reason I think you would be best served to prevent yourself getting bitten. Some advocate taking the bite with no reaction, which means you don't give feedback, but that just means the reinforcement doesn't come from you. So, learn to see the bite coming. Move out of the way. Block the bite with something else in the environment, even a piece of food. Maybe when that beak opens, stuff a tiny bit of food in there. This blocking the bite should be a graceful, gentle thing, not like tennis, but more like a dance. **One exception would be, if it is a gentler nibble and does not hurt you, you should allow it so he can satisfy his curiosity and answer whatever question he had when he went to investigate.**

Last, you can search this forum for information about biting. You're far from the first to have this complaint. Keep the faith.
-MissK
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

Thank you so much for the reply. I appreciate it!

His cage is a Triple Roof Parakeet Cage by Prevue given by his previous owner. When I got him, he only have his mirror and that was it. The next day, I bought him a tennis ball and 2 toys. He definitely likes his tennis ball but the 2 toys definitely scares him away. Maybe because it takes a definite amount of space and he's not comfortable around it, so I took it away. Around the cage is our furnace (i live in the basement) and my bed. He wasn't used to the noise of the furnace and the water going down the drain etc... but I can tell you right now, he is used to it. The plucking, I could not tell if he plucks because I do not see him doing that but there were 2 evidence that indicated that he plucked himself. The first one was, I saw his feather on the ground with blood on the roots while the second one it had no blood. On the side note, I bought a playground a couple weeks ago, placed it on top of his cage and I tend to put the ball there and some treats as well.

Marley is still quite aggressive, I always talk to him. However, when I talk to him, his crown(or whatever you guys call it) always raise up and his pupils dilate. In most instances, when I talk to him, he scratch his beak into his perch and bite the cage that seems like he is taking a chance to bite me. He only cools down when he plays with his ball. Regarding about bites, sometimes he hangs on and sometimes just a quick and hard bite even with a food in my fingers.

For the mean time, I took away his ball to analyze his behaviour without his favorite thing. Am I making it worst?

PS. He loves his image in the mirror
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

yes
Parrots are intelligent and have long memories. how would you feel if someone took away your favorite thing?.
always end any interaction with your bird on a positive note. I somewhat agree with Missk. learn to see the bite coming. The object is not to get bitten. But if you do don't put on a show. no jumping, yelling or crying because this feedback will encourage the bird to bite. well if the bird bites you and you jump around, yell or cry. the bird thinks "hey I just got a really good entertaining show when I bit you and I get an encore ever time I bite. that's why you ignore it, no feedback to the bird is better than bad feedback to the bird. it easy to say block the bite or put a piece of food in the birds beak. But birds are quick, very quick. it not tennis or a dance. it's about building trust and bonding with your bird.
AJPeter
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by AJPeter »

I will probably get the big stick from Zentoucan for saying this, l think telling Marley how much it hurts when he bites you even putting on a dispaly, would help. When Billie bit me l used to scream and whimper and she has not bitten me since 4th December, also walking out of the room will help Marley understand that it is unacceptable behaviour. I could never tell in advance when Billie was about to bite me but aftwards l relaize that l could have appproached her in a different way.
Listen to the advice the others are giving you because it is sound advice, pick a course of action that suits you and Marley and stick to it.
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

Hi Bryan,

Different people have different opinions on the mirror. Some people report removing the mirror helps. It may be unkind to take it away, since the bird is so attached, but it might be worth it for a little while, to see if there will be improvement. It is known that some birds attach to their mirror as if the mirror were a living friend. If that were the case, it could cause trouble for the human/bird relationship.

I get the feeling that the toys you offered may have been a bit too big for comfort. See if you can get some little objects for him that are made of a variety of materials and textures, and smaller than a golf ball. Parrots tend to appreciate different textures more than humans sometimes realize. Some of my bird's favourite little toys are cubes of wood, seashells, plastic beads, pieces of cardboard, jute cord, and bundles of dried straw/twigs. That last is hard to explain - it's not straw as is used for the garden or hay bales. It's more like the stuff used in a natural broom. I don't expect adding these toys to help the biting, but I believe your bird needs them, and it would be a kindness to provide them.

Another thing I think your bird is likely needing is some full spectrum lighting. Being in the basement, he's not getting real sunshine. Taking him to visit the sun would be a very good practice, and you should try to do that too. But, the easiest thing to do is set him up with some supplemental lighting. Get a light timer and research "full spectrum lighting for birds" to get started on that.

You should also take a moment to review Marley's sleep options and habits. He needs to have between 10 and 13 hours of quiet darkness for sleeping. His sleep schedule should be regular, same bedtime every night, and same amount of sleep every night. Pattern changes should be gradual, as happens in nature. He may have gotten used to the sounds of the furnace while awake, but it is still possible this disrupts his sleep. Sleep deprivation is troublesome for all of us, birds included.

I have a little concern over the bird being housed in the basement, with regards to gaseous output of the furnace, byproducts of combustion. Simply put, the air may be polluted in amounts that would not affect humans, but might affect the bird. I would make sure to place the cage, while not in a draft, in the area most likely to have an exchange of fresh air with areas outside the basement.

I Googled "triple roof parakeet cage by prevue" and I got this: http://www.wayfair.com/Prevue-Hendryx-T ... P1183.html The size is listed as 26"x14"x22.5". I also found this one: http://www.wayfair.com/Prevue-Hendryx-C ... P1193.html The size is listed as 24"x14"x24". Bryan, if you are using one of these cages, I really have to tell you I don't think either one is suitable for an Indian Ringneck Parakeet. They are too small, and the height of the roof is deceptive - your bird can't really use the space in those pointy bits. Now that he has come to live with you, he should upgrade to a proper cage. If you are using something different, please post a link to it online so we can have a look.

I'd also like you to review Marley's diet. You can do a forum search on how to best feed your Ringneck, and see if you get some ideas. It's great that you limit the sunflower seeds. What you do feed, however, is just as important as what you don't feed. If you read what others have experienced on the forum you may get some ideas of popular fresh vegetables and fruits, and ways to present them that the bird will accept.


The possibility that Marley plucked some feathers is fairly alarming. We cannot ask our birds why they pluck, and the source of the problem can be hard to identify. I do think Marley needs some improvements to his overall situation, and I've tried to make suggestions for you based on the information you gave me. I rather suspect your biting trouble may not be just about training. It's hard to really understand what's going on in someone else's life, and how things are functioning, without going for a visit. We can't do that here, so we just have to exchange as many details as we can, and hope there is a correct understanding. Regardless, I know the good people of the forum will help you all they can.
Last edited by MissK on Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
-MissK
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

Missk
Well said.
You see in pet shops and supermarket, packets of bird food that state complete bird food. All it consist of, is seed. This is not a normal Parrots diet. Parrots in the wild eat nuts, fruits, vegies. seeds, grains and apparently insects. Also at certain times of the year they land on the ground at a certain locations and eat a particular clay or soil. I understand there is certain minerals in the clay or soil that the birds need.

Feather plucking can have a range of causes. It's an unhappy bird that feather plucks. What makes for an unhappy bird, well it can be diet, stress, boredom, frustration, depression, loneliness and lack of sleep. Yes birds can suffer from these illness just like humans. It could be one or more of these causes and the more causes there is, the more difficult it is to treat. The only thing I can suggest is to have lots and lots and lots of trust and bonding interactions with Marley. If you are working. maybe take some Holidays and interact with Marley. I would probably leave Marley in the cage has this would be Marley's safe place at the moment. But if you can get Marley in and out of his cage without any negative impact on Marley. Then letting him out for a couple of hours would be good for him. if you can't then don't at this stage, letting him sit in a cage for 4 or 5 days won't hurt him, if there is plenty of interaction.

it's a slight modification of the method I use on for Bluey.
You will still need a clicker. This is for communication between you and Marley. Once you have accomplish this method you will need to continue interacting daily with your bird. you will also need to find Marley Favorite food and use this as a training treat only. This food doesn't become part of Marley's diet. I would put sunflower seeds, pine seeds, corn kernels, balls of millet in Marley's food bowl and see which one Marley eats first and use that food for training.

Step one: While Marley in the cage, enter the room and go to the furthest point from the cage with the clicker in your hand. Approach the cage until the Marley shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. Stop and just stand there and wait until the Marley relaxes. Then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Wait two to three minutes, then approach the cage again until the Marley shows signs of being alert and/or frighten. But make sure you get a little closer. Stop and just stand there until the Marley relaxes then click the clicker once and take two to three steps back. Repeat this method until you are standing next to the cage. This can take about 15 minutes to do. Then walk away. Wait for around 20 to 30 minutes and repeat this method until you can walk up to the cage without Marley being scared. This could take 7 to 9 times. Once you have done this. With the clicker sit next to the cage and eat some food and have a spray of millet with you. When the Marley shows interest and approaches you offer the millet and wait. When the Marley takes some of the millet click the clicker once.
Once the Marley gets use to taking the millet replace it with training treat. Feed the Marley through the cage. Remember to click the clicker once every time Marley take the training treat.

Step two: Feed the Marley through cage. Do this for 10 to 15 minutes then wait 20 to 30 minutes. Be patient and remember to click the clicker once every time Marley take food. Do this for at least 7 to 8 times that day with 20 to 30 minutes breaks between.
When Marley take the food gently consistently. I would keep repeating step two on a day to day to reinforce this behaviour before attempting any other type of training.

I would also put a small beside table near the cage and put some new chew toys on it so Marley can see them and become a custom to them. when Marley has become use to them. I would hang the toys on the outside of the cage. because at this time I wouldn't be putting my hand inside Marley's cage. Marley will most likely see it as a invasion of his territory and will bite and we need to keep Marley feeling safe in his cage.
zentoucan
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

it's really difficult to type with a Alexandrine crawling all over you
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

MissK: the second link is his cage. I am planning to buy a big playground or a bird stand for him. Most of the time he spends his time out of his cage.

Marley's diet is alright, I guess. Everyday, I give him veggies or fruits when I wake up.

zentoucan: I have a clicker that I used to train my girlfriend's dog. On my first use, he was annoyed by the sound, every after eating he tends to bite it but right now he is used to it.

He still bites out of nowhere. I just walk away when he attempts to bite me or my shirt. The cues that he gives before he bite is he will talk to his tennis ball and then attempt to bite me.
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

Say, when he talks to this tennis ball he doesn't, by chance, gesture with his wings, duck and lean, and dilate his eyes, does he? Might be a little clue there..... :lol:
-MissK
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

^^ yup that's right... that's what he do every time. Right now, he is very territorial. He's always ready to bite whenever I am near his place.
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

I'm going out on a limb to say he feels that is his tennis ball and you need to keep your hands off it. The actions described are in line with courting behaviour. You're messing with his girlfriend. After his seasonal hormonal time passes you may find him more willing to accept your hand near him in his territory, and more mellow in general.

I would really like to see you upgrade the cage for him. What you have really is not suitable. Give some more toys as well.
-MissK
bryanvincent
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by bryanvincent »

I agree, sometimes I even see him hump his tennis balls. When would be the "mating season" will be done?

I am researching about cages, however, I am planning just to buy or custom build an open aviary for him, so he would not be in the cage. Is this a good thing at all? I saw a lot of bird stand or aviary stand (whatever it is) on YouTube that catches my attention.

UPDATE: I got bitten in the face! LOL. When I talk to him, he jumps on to my chest then bites all the way up to my face. He got me this time. After so many attempts he finally succeeded.
kanundra
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by kanundra »

I've had a couple of face nips. He mostly likes to get my ear if I'm not paying attention. :)

Silly aren't they, keep doing what you're doing. He'll come around. I didn't think my Bobby would, but he has. :)
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

Well, Bryan, if you have a bird who bites and you let him near your face, you can expect a face bite. That's just how it is. Not sure how long the season will last. I have a pretty good relationship with my bird, and we take this in stride. Months, maybe?

Whatever improvements you can make to the cage will be wonderful. I would caution you that during your first year with the bird you are still adjusting to life with bird, and it is possible you may come around and decide bird is not for you. Nobody ever sees this coming; just take my word for it. Because of this, I think you have a responsibility to your bird to maintain him in an adoptable state. (Actually, I think we all have this responsibility for as long as we have our birds.)

How does that fit in with the cage? Well, some people who have not required their birds to spend a good bit of time in the cage have learned that the bird suddenly doesn't want to go in the cage or stay there quietly when a need arises. If you think about it, it makes sense. When we keep the bird in a large space, such as free with a playstand or in very big aviary, we allow their skill of living in a smaller confined area to lapse. Then if we suddenly try to cage them, we see they must be retrained to the cage. They can be a terror if you put them in a wrong cage and leave them there without the training. Just see other forum posts!

For this reason, I would suggest you put the bird in a normal, reasonably sized cage for a while. It will give you time to build your aviary without concern that your bird is suffering in the tiny cage all the while. Also, you will be able to use the playstand a lot, if you wish, but still let the bird have his suitable home. You're not going to live in that situation forever, and since you don't know what comes next, you will need to maintain flexibility in your bird.

If you are balking at the cost of a cage while you prepare your aviary, you can look for one that is cheap (as in, flimsy but less expensive) or used. For instance, here is a cage that would be acceptable for a while. It is 30"x18"x36" high, comes in black or white. http://stores.cageworld.com/flight-cage-w-stand-2484s/ In truth, 18" depth is a bit skimpy, but we're talking about a budget situation here. It's still an improvement over what you have. I own this cage in a shorter size, housing a Canary who is visiting my house for a while. The wire is thin, the handle on top is useless, and it is not really strong enough to support much weight on top (or hanging inside) without the wires deflecting. The grate is fixed in place and cannot come out for cleaning. It comes with the stand. But, it is pretty roomy for the cost.
-MissK
InTheAir
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by InTheAir »

Hi Bryan,
I may have misinterpreted your post, please excuse me if this is the case.
What do you mean by bird stand or aviary stand?
Did you mean a stand you can leave the bird on instead of a cage?

Regards,
Claire
mattcoffs
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by mattcoffs »

Birds are very switched on to body language.
You can't blame a bird for biting you if you don't see the signs - "he's had enough scratches" for example. This only comes with experience and trial and error, expect a few bites along the way.

Sometimes though, especially as you're not the initial carer, they may bite out of hormones, frustration, anger - he might have even developed this habit out of fun etc like others have said.

When my bird is aggressive or acting up for little reason i make a VERY obvious point of ignoring her. I will place her back in the cage and then refrain from looking at her, making any noise etc for 10 minutes or so. If i have to walk past the cage, i will make a very large exaggerated movement of craning my neck, back and head the opposite way. She hates it, and is nice as pie afterwards. In the bird world, if one's had enough of the other it will turn its back - i try to emulate this.

If she's being exceptionally bad, screaming for extended periods even after i have tried these techniques - i'll isolate her in my laundry by herself for 10 minutes.
Companion parrots hate to be alone, and it has worked for me.

I realise these are somewhat negative re-enforcements and aren't looked upon as successfully as positive re-enforcements (which others have mentioned earlier) but i found that doing both has worked for me and my female ringneck. For the most part, i have a pretty relaxed bird that is happy to hang out and get scratches all day if i would!
mattcoffs
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by mattcoffs »

Oh, one other thing too.
Did i read you live in a basement? Does it have windows? Make sure your bird gets plenty of natural light and some sun everyday.
This can have a huge impact on behaviour!
Little Buttercup
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by Little Buttercup »

mattcoffs wrote:Birds are very switched on to body language.
You can't blame a bird for biting you if you don't see the signs - "he's had enough scratches" for example. This only comes with experience and trial and error, expect a few bites along the way.

Sometimes though, especially as you're not the initial carer, they may bite out of hormones, frustration, anger - he might have even developed this habit out of fun etc like others have said.

When my bird is aggressive or acting up for little reason i make a VERY obvious point of ignoring her. I will place her back in the cage and then refrain from looking at her, making any noise etc for 10 minutes or so. If i have to walk past the cage, i will make a very large exaggerated movement of craning my neck, back and head the opposite way. She hates it, and is nice as pie afterwards. In the bird world, if one's had enough of the other it will turn its back - i try to emulate this.

If she's being exceptionally bad, screaming for extended periods even after i have tried these techniques - i'll isolate her in my laundry by herself for 10 minutes.
Companion parrots hate to be alone, and it has worked for me.

I realise these are somewhat negative re-enforcements and aren't looked upon as successfully as positive re-enforcements (which others have mentioned earlier) but i found that doing both has worked for me and my female ringneck. For the most part, i have a pretty relaxed bird that is happy to hang out and get scratches all day if i would!
matcoffs, have you figured out why is she screaming for extended periods? There should be a reason behind it. Isn't she bored? And you have to keep her busy to distract her from screaming. I know my birds will scream if they are feeling bored and will stop if I take their boredom away. And Kiwi will scream if I forget to fill his vine ball with treats in the morning.

Ash
mattcoffs
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by mattcoffs »

Hi Ash,

No it's not a recurring or often problem for us.

Usually if she does it's because Lorikeets are playing outside in the trees, sometimes if there's new people in the house, sometimes she's demanding my attention and i won't indulge her.

I don't believe it's good practise to indulge her and give her attention when she's screaming for it - it's only enabling her further.
mattcoffs
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by mattcoffs »

Little Buttercup wrote:And you have to keep her busy to distract her from screaming. I know my birds will scream if they are feeling bored and will stop if I take their boredom away.

Ash
So you're teaching your birds that they get what they want by screaming?
zentoucan
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Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:45 pm

Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by zentoucan »

the only time Delfin squawks loudly is when he is hungry which is perfectly understandable. After Delfin is fed. He will quietly play with his chew toys. My other half will let him out during the day. When I come home from work he will call out but its not loud. otherwise he just climbs all over me chirping and trying to steal the remote controls or my mobile phone. When Delfin gets tired, he put himself to bed. I achieved this through positive interactions with Delfin and also Bluey before his death. (still cranky with myself)

I agreed with mattcoffs. I would question a training method that encourages a bird to scream to get what it wants. Because the bird will scream to be let out, to have a toy, to have your undivided attention and whatever else it fancies. soon the bird will scream most of the time.
AJPeter
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by AJPeter »

Some people know and disagree with me but when Billie screamed l screamed in fact l had a whistle l blew when she screamed, and against all the best opinion when Billie bit me l whimpered and told her how much that hurt, she does not scream now and does not bite me either.
Little Buttercup
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by Little Buttercup »

mattcoffs wrote:
Little Buttercup wrote:And you have to keep her busy to distract her from screaming. I know my birds will scream if they are feeling bored and will stop if I take their boredom away.

Ash
So you're teaching your birds that they get what they want by screaming?
No, I am not teaching him to scream. I look at it this way, if I forget to give my baby food and he cries then I will give him food, then he will be happy. I removed the cause of his crying. It was my fault that he had to cry in the first place. So same with Kiwi, I know when I let him out in the morning he wants something to eat and I made him get in the habit of foraging for his breakfast, yet I don't fill his ball up! If he screams for no good reason I just ignore it, as I would do for my children, and in a minute or two he realizes and then makes the most cute sounds and immediately I turn to him and give him a treat. So I am not teaching him scream. Another example when he screams is, I open up the cage, then I see that there is something that need to be done in the birdroom, so I start fiddling around and he does'nt like it because that is not my usual time to do things in that room, so he starts screaming, I turn around and with a swift full arm movement point towards the kitchen and say OUT, and out he flies. The only reason I order him out is because my daughter is sleeping. If he screams in the birdroom during the day I just ignore it and carry on with what I have to do, and the scream would last just a minute or two followed by lovely noises.

Another example is, If the cat walks past the cage, I ignore that screaming. If my chicken comes close to the outdoor cage, I ignore it, but when the chicken jumps ontop of the cage and Kiwi screams I take the chicken off, as the chicken is invading his space.
And screaming is also not a recurring or often problem for me.

Ash
MissK
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Re: My IRN likes to bite me

Post by MissK »

So, how are things going with Bryan?










:?:
-MissK
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