MadMax

hi,my grey max his age is about 11 ....would constantly bite me,chase me around the house( i had to jump on furniture to get away until he figured out how to climb the couch) he would dive bomb me and nip my neck and such. He was abused and only liked women. first thing I did was clip his wings .......second thing is I red up on clicker training which has worked well for me. I can now pick up max when he wants me to, but still get a Lil nip when putting max down...... every night when i go pee before bed he comes to the bars and sticks his beak out so i can give him a kiss and he will say "ni night" every once and awhile. it has been 2 months since I have been bitten bad enough for blood.the worst thing to do when getting bitten is to yell or jump around and make a big scene,this just makes biting fun for them. I will tell him "no biting bad" when he bites. I'm pretty sure the clicker is what has helped the most for me. we only had max for 2 years now I haven't had to deal with the terrible 2's with greys but I've had to deal with grey agression and have many scars to show for it

sorry its been awhile since last post heres some vids of max making the clicker sound for a pistachio im waiting for a new travel cage the first one i bought max didnt want anything to do with so hope fully the new one thats coming now he will take to

Hi my name is ray, and hopefully i may help you get bit less, by explaining some things and how i was able to not only touch but scratch the neck of an 8 to 10 yr old grey that didnt like men ( mind you before i was able to do this i would get bit and bleed almost every time and it hurts) if you find any of my info to be incorrect please feel free to let me know ( as in where or what you read so i may read it my self) and i will revise as needed Within the flock out in the wild african greys rarely bite, they usually fly off when threatened, scream at another grey, bite another grey usually not enuf to make the other bleed when they are fighting for flock positoning ,rarely when they get cornered in their nest... here is what you do not want to do 1. move fast toward your grey 2. corner your grey in their cage or any other place 3. attempting to proceed when your grey is Growling neck stretched and nervous looking Pinning Stooped (with other biting signs) Feather puffing Glaring greys learn to bite from us, usually when u get bit your going to do the crap i got bit dance, shaking your finger,saying ouch,crap,etc to a grey this is funny and entertaining... and is giving the grey the desired response it wants as in 1. not wanting to get touched 2. you backing off 3. his/her taking leadership of the flock by manipulation ok if you made it this far here is what i did... i bought my self a clicker ( dont buy an i click like i did they stink) the one i use is for dogs its called a star mark clicker then you want to read my post on clicker training (im sorry to make you jump around like this) use the clicker to give treats ( click the clicker once then give him/her a treat and yes i did this while max would lunge at me but eventually he stopped and took the treat.... if you cannot get that close with your grey then you need to get a chair and find a spot where you can sit close enuf to your grey where he/she doesnt freak and talk to your grey....then try to get closer....then a lil more closer.... this is going to take a lot of patience and time when doing this you do not want your eyes above or below your greys,when your eyes is above your grey he/she may feel threatened..... if your eye is below your greys he/she will feel like the flock leader... you need to have your eyes level to to your greys ( later on i will explain when its ok for you to have your eyes above your greys) you also do not want your grey on his/her cage or play stand above your eyes...when talking to a scared grey talk softly and do not stare straight at them thats what a predator animal does.... turn your head so he/she can only see one of your eyes....blink your eye often (while talking)this lets the grey know that your not a predator and may start blinking back at you ( this may be the making of a fun game)..... also bobb your head up and down with the blinking and talking ....( no i am not going to ask you to do this while on one legg) also note that its best to use a nuetral spot for training with the clicker if you cannot get close to your grey while he/she is on their cage.....remember the cage is their home and turf practice what ive said and dont rush or push too hard im not an expert but this is my experience so far i will be updating this when i can the clicker has brought max and me closer and hopefully the clicker will bring you and your grey closer we are not just training our grey but our self as well here is a short vid of max making the clicker sound Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/06/28 05:36<br><br>Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/07/02 18:03

my next move is going to be using the clicker to try to get max into his new travel cage.... i will post some vids of this, a first try vid and the end result vid....also now max is making the clicker noise to call me to him so i dunno at this point who is trainning whom<br><br>Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/06/27 15:09

i hope i didnt scare everyone away i promise in the next vid ill have a shirt on

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

hi, welcome to the forum......im new here as well i have a post on clicker training and will be posting updates on a regular basis you may want to check it out

heres a lil video of max after 1 day of clicker trainning...i got max to beak a popsicle stick in 1 day,,,, with the clicker tho i would suggest using the clicker to click when you give a treat for a week heres the video.... i almost forgot when i was leaving this morning max said buh bye dad, boy did that bring tears to my eyes Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/06/24 22:57<br><br>Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/06/24 22:58

i just started today and im impressed at how fast and eager max is to learn,mind you madmax hates men(me) and loves women(my girlfriend) max will run after me to bite me.....hes already knows when he sees the clicker hes gonna get a treat, he gets so excited.im glad that now instead of biting me he goes for the stick(popsicle stick) i was hoping to post video but max is easily distracted by the red light my recorder puts out when recording<br><br>Post edited by: MadMax, at: 2009/06/23 20:48

hi i just posted abit about clicker training/stick training you may find it helpful

hi all i dunno if this has been covered, im sure it has but im going to post madmaxes clicker training and possibly some video as well.my goal is to train max to come to me or my girlfriend as a flighted bird to start off madmax's last mom had him for 5 years,before that a truck driver owned max not much is known about the first year or few years of max's life.what is known is max only likes women and hates men.i'm male so i am going to try to get max to accept me if not trust me and share in this experience to everyone. here is some staring tips on clicker training....you will need a clicker or a ball point pen that clicks can be used. please read thru the entire steps note that im not doing step #6 my step#6 will be noted below. also max has never had any clicker training so now i have to associate the click with a treat for max and hopefully will be able to use the clicker for more advanced training like recall for flight step 1 Train your bird to touch or grab a popsicle stick. It's a simple and easy-to-remember move, and you can then use it to develop more complex commands. # Step 2 Click the clicker and give your bird a treat when you do. This doesn't have to be in conjunction with the particular trick or command, as you simply want the bird to associate the clicking noise with a treat. Repeat the process until the bird clearly understands the connection. # Step 3 Place the popsicle stick directly in front of the bird. When he touches it, press the clicker and give him a reward. Repeat the process several times, rewarding the bird each time he touches the stick or grabs it in his beak. # Step 4 Move the popsicle stick away from the bird, so that she has to move a bit to grab it. Continue the process, pressing the clicker whenever the bird touches or grabs the stick, rewarding her and moving the stick still further away whenever she seems to have made the connection. # Step 5 Refrain from using the clicker after the bird has gotten the hang of the command, unless he performs it specifically. For instance, stop using the clicker and the reward when the bird simply touches the stick. Use it only when he actively grabs it with his beak. # Step 6 Add more complicated permutations gradually, using the clicker and the popsicle stick in conjunction. For example, by moving the popsicle stick up and down, you can get the bird to bob her head up and down, or by turning it around her in a slow circle, you can get her to turn in circles. There are many possible commands, but you should select one and stick to it to avoid confusing the bird. # Step 7 Use the clicker each time until the bird clearly understands the connection to the most sophisticated version of the trick. For instance, once he has learned to bob his head up and down, do not reward him for just grasping the stick. Reward him only when he bobs his head up and down. note my step#6 i will be moving the stick further away from max in order to begin the basics of flight training which will be recall. keep in mind at this point you want your parrot to goto the stick without the click in order for him/het to recive a treat

from what ive read about chet and bird tricks.com is basically hes charging you for his learning and alot of his earlier cds are harmful....im sure some of his newer stuff is harmfull as well

thanks everyone for the welcome to here......heres all i know about MadMax the previous owner had max for 5 years... madmax would bite the previous owners husband and chase the previous owners husband into the bathroom.....before this MadMax was owned by a truck driver so not much info in this chapter of maxes life as for me when i try to pick max up i know im going to get bit ....max is such a sneak.....max will bend his head down and lift a foot up but thats just his ploy to bite me its obvious that madmax has been abused by a male, i also feel that by max being clipped (wings) he doesnt feel trusted or possibly max doesnt feel as confident as a flighted parrot... we plan on allowing max to grow out his feathers for flight.... i start recall training thursday,i plan on using a stick on the foor with a clicker aid and treats to teach max to goto the stick

im guessing this is where i say hi to everyone being new and all.....im here possibly looking for helpful tips that i may not be aware of in helping madmax not be mad anymore and to modify some of his bad behaviors , being a one person bird,biting me, chasing me to bite me...im not scared to be bitten as i have been bit many times by max ( and yes some have been bloody) starting wednesday or thursday the latest i will be doccumenting how and what i do to change MadMax