ImagoX

UPDATE: Dexter came out over the weekend and was very lovey. Didn't bite me at all for a change, and in fact was his usual cuddly self. He even regurgitated a bit when I was scratching him (just a little clear liquid), which is a first for him. I guess I just need to learn when to give him his space and back off when he has "that look" in his eye. Re: vet - He has not been in about 2 years. Where I live now there don't seem to be any good avian vets, and I always hate stuffing him in his travel cage. He also hasn't been clipped in a while - honestly, I was scared to take him to a vet or to the pet store where I like taking him for trimming because I was worried he'd chomp on someone.

What would you recommend I do to "work at it"? SO far I've seen lots confirming that this is a typical problem/challenge, but I'm still fuzzy on the best solution. Right now I'm just giving him space and not letting him out (his cage is in the living room and my office is in the ajoining dining room) and stopping by his cage whenever I get up to say a few words. If he comes over, I give him scritchies through the bars. Treats don't motivate him at all - he won't even eat fruit any more (he used to love grapes, now he just throws them on the cage floor). Thanks for the advice, all!

Those were great threads - thanks. Gives me hope that Dexter's just not gone bananas for good. Dealing with birds is HARD. I think I, like many people raised as childreon on a steady diet of "feel good" movies and stories where people befriend animals and where our most common house pets (dogs and cats) are generally mild-mannered and fast-maturing are simply not prepared for what it means to raise such a long-lived and strong-willed creature. I bought Dexter from a pet store where he was handled on a daily basis by not only a care-giver (employee) but also by a stream of strangers. A breeder at a bird show told me that this would help "socialize" the bird, and for the first year/1.5 years this definitely seemed to be the case, but it sounds like all I was really experiencing was a period of immaturity. Now that Dexter's personality is developing more, sounds like I just have to be patient and weather the storm. Boy is it hard though. I miss my formerly-loving bird!! :( <br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2009/09/25 17:24

I hear what you're saying but I don't get what he hopes to accomplish. Instead of coming out and having attention paid to him, he's stuck in his cage. I guess that's what he wants right now. I'll keep at it, but I'm not sure what I should be doing different. Won't paying MORE attention to him (from outside the cage) reinforce and reward the current bad behavior?

Yeah, I can talk quietly with Dexter from outside the cage and even scritch him through the bars and he seems to like it. He beaks me lightly when I do this but almost never bites. It's when I open the cage (something he used to LOVE and would call to me for) that the problem begins. before, he rushed right out and presented his head for scratching, and actually reached out for me to pick him up - now all he does is glare at me (I know his body language all too well). I guess that in the grand scheme of things a few months of attitude adjustment are no big deal given how long these birds live, but it's a real bummer. Dexter already won't let my girlfriend anywhere near him - he bites at her when she has to feed him for me and she's ready to just wash her hands of him. She loves how fun he is and how he talks and plays, but I think the biting has really turned her off to him. Now that he's biting ME I'm worried that he's just one of those antisocial grays you hear about sometimes, and honestly, I'm not sure of I WANT a pet that covers my entire living room with dust, nut shells and feathers on a daily basis that won't let me near him. <br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2009/09/25 16:02

Dexter is a 3-year old gray. Up until about a year ago it seemed like I was his "favorite" person - he let me take him out and touch him everywhere, never bit (only beaked me), etc. About a year ago he started acting really weird sometimes when I had him out - he would hunch forward with his wings held away from his body (mating behavior?) and he'd start quivering and making a kind of grunting noise. People here said to just ignore it unless if became aggressive so I did. We moved to a new house a few months ago and he seemed to adjust OK - he still let me take him out and touch him MOST of the time, but he'd started to bite. I put it down to the stress of the move and tried to not take it personal, and always tried talking to him softly even when he nipped me. As the weeks have gone by, he's biting me harder and harder. Today he actually drew blood from my hand - I could kind of tell from his facial expression/posture that I shouldn't let him have a finger but he actually grabbed the side of my hand and chomped. I admit I got annoyed and put him away. I know I shouldn't use the cage as "punishment", but I don't want him flapping around the house if I can't pick him up again. What do I do??? I'm home all day (I work from home) so I thought that being around all day would be great for us, but when I open his cage any more he won't even come out half the time - he just sits inside the door and glares out at me, and I'm honestly afraid to stuck my hand in of get bit. At this point of he flies off the cage he'll let me get him when he lands on the floor, but of he's perched half the time he'll just chomp me if I try and offer him a finger to step up. Help!!! I really love my bird but I'm starting to instinctively flinch when he beaks me which CAN'T be good, and honestly the charm's wearing thin since all he seems interested in any more is biting me. Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2009/09/24 21:48<br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2009/09/24 21:49

Amber wrote: ROTFLMAO...

"Have you tried STAPLES?" - Bill Murray - Scrooged. ((( Ducking )))... :lol:

PVC glue is basically the same as plastic model cement. It DOES contain toulene, which is toxic, but only until it cures - the toulene is there to slightly melt the plastic in the PVC, causing it to fuse. When the glue cures, the toulene evaporates. I'd glue the pieces together using the recommended LIGHT coating of glue and then wait 48-72 hours before allowing your Polly parrot to play on it. the best thing about this set-up is that if you later decide to swap out a part because it gets chewed or soiled, or want to make a modification, replacement PVC is super cheap - great idea! Great work!!<br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2008/07/10 21:21

The makers of WD-40 claim up, down and sideways that it's 100% nontoxic and could even be eaten straight form the can without harm (if you'd ever want to). But that's for humans... That said, I've used WD-40 on the cage hinges for years and my bird only limps around a *little bit* and seldom flies in circles. Seriously, just give it 10 minutes to evaporate before you put the bird back in the cage - the propellant goes away shortly,. leaving behind the very thin oil. The only thing I worry about with cooking oil is that it DOES evaporate and trap dirt and becomes sticky sludge over time - food grade mineral oil seems safest, ifyou distrust WD-40.<br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2008/07/10 21:14

Ick. Maybe you need to change the bird's name to "Vlad". I'd nip that in the bud, seriously.

You've tried the usual "put the bird in the bathroom on a suction-cup perch attached to the mirror while you shower" thing, then move the perch slowly towards the shower stall? It might take weeks, but I bet if you took it VERY slow he'd eventually adjust. How long did you stick to that technique before abandoning? I ask because it took Dexter about 3 weeks of being in the bathroom before he'd let me actually put him IN the shower stall, and I had to flick water on him with my hands for another few weeks before he weas comfortable enough to actually get directly sprayed...<br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2008/07/01 19:28

:: cheers :: Slow and steady wins the race! You da man! Erm... so to speak... :unsure: :evil:

I'd just start slacking off the communication. Just because you got the bird form them doesn't mean that it's THEIR bird. getting stressed about THEM is only going to make you more stressed when interacting with the bird, creating a feedback loop. Just take it slow and steady, talk in a comforting voice and don't work for too long at a time in a session and he'll be on your hand in no time. GOod luck!!

I agree with Pixie... I'd hate to lose Dexter that way. If there's a risk of having toes/nails bitten off, as well, then the risk seems too high to justify the benefits. I hear you - it does seem like they'd be happier flapping their way around the house, but not of they could get injured or lost... IMHO, at least.