biting parrot ? here is some ways to aviod this

[MadMax]

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