Issac and Nipping

[Elvenking]

Okay...so sometimes a wild hair gets into Issac...he starts flying about getting all excited and getting into things. During this hyperactive state, he will think it's sometimes okay to nip at my ear. Like..land on my shoulder..nip at my ear and such and maybe fly off. I can hurt. This majorly annoys me to understate. I mean...it is all I can do to not get angry with him. If he lands and nips at my hand..I will just fling him up and he flys away. This happens when I have something he cannot have in most cases...it could hurt him to have it...otherwise i would happily give in. But what is with the fly by ear nip. Sometimes it hurts..and I get angry ideas. I cannot help it..this bird will not dominate me...I will not have it. So...tell me what to do? Because I cannot predict my actions if i get hurt.

 

I pay a ton of attention to him. Say tonight...I gave him treats...took good care of him..he was all happy. And then at some random time...he decides to get all rambunctious and nip at my ear...or bite at my hand. The occasions are rare..but when he does...I get super upset. and if it hurts...I can become enraged becasue i do nothing but care for his every need and if he bites me...I dont get it. It's not like I am invading his space and wondering why he is biting. I am going about my business and he just ups and bites my ear or something. WTF?

 

You all know I love my birdie...he is the sweetest little thing on the majority of occasions. The things I know are that you cannot punish them, and he is obviously trying to tell me something...but he has to know that biting me is not good. And if he ever clamped down and hurt me severely...I cannot tell you what would happen. So it scares me. All my love for my baby will not override a natural instinct to STOP what ever is hurting me by any means.

 

I live as an equal with Issac. I have to be careful not to make this seem like a huge deal about him...but he can seemingly turn on me at times...and pretend like he runs the show...and that just will not fly..so how do you deal with this in a Grey?

 

Incideantally...he is back to tucking his head into my neck..asking for scratches...and being a sweetheart. ???? If I had to describe it...I would say its like he is momentarily possesed by a demon.

 

Oh, he just put his head upside mine..and made a kiss noise. I have to think that he is not trying to hurt me....so what does it mean?

 

Damn....(okay so I keep adding to this post) lol...could he be....spoiled?? Like, if I am not giving him all the attention he thinks he deserves? Is it like that?

Edited August 12, 2010 by Elvenking

[Dave007]

Just about every parrot owner has had this happen in one form or another to a lesser or greater degree. Your bird is simply acting his age. He's extremely young and as time goes on, you'll be seeing different new things about him. Things you'll find nice and not so nice. Right now, you're seeing that he manuevers very well, can land very well and can get nippy at times for no reason at all. He's basically playing with you. He's not dominating you. The word *domination* is used much too often for so many things in which it doesn't apply. This is one of them. If you're not watching your bird while he's flying around he will do things to his play partner( you) just like you did when you were a kid. You should try to intercept him by having him land on your arm but in order for that to happen, you've gotta be watching him. That's basic training. Don't allow him on your shoulders anymore because he's showing that he's the type of bird that will eventually nip at an ear, maybe jewelry, collars on clothing etc when he gets older. He's showing signs that he's a *no shoulder bird*. There's plenty of birds here that fall into that catagory. All of the great things you do with and for him has nothing to do with what he's periodically doing and there's nothing you can do in the future that will stop him from playing this game if he's the type of bird that's he's inclined to be. He'll need to be given time outs and put into his cage when he gets to a point of when he bugs you out.

You're in that period of time where you need to be watchful when he's all over the place.

"""If he lands and nips at my hand..I will just fling him up and he flys away."""

That's not the right way to handle the situation. You're only acknowleging to him that he can fly. Instead of flinging him away, it's the time for a short stay in that cage. Any biting behavior needs to be addressed by breaking the bird's attention concerning what he's doing.

This is something you'll need to work on immediately because what he's doing will only intensify as he ages and your frustration and anger may increase and as you well know, you can't actually *punish* a bird as you can with a domestic animal. You're new with greys so it would be a good idea the check out the thread concerning Body Language which your bird will show in the future. Some people say to put the bird in a cage and give him the evil eye and say NO!! Well, it works and at other times it doesn't. Eventually, your bird will slow down but nipping at a person but your bird won't do it as often as soon as he realizes that * the thrill is gone* for him. That comes with age.

1---I pay a ton of attention to him. Say tonight...I gave him treats...took good care of him..he was all happy.*

2---i do nothing but care for his every need

 

None of what he's doing has anything to do with the above and it's always a big surprise to people who finally realize that no matter what fantastic things they do, a parrot will act like a parrot. It's part of owning a parrot. Just about everyone here has been bitten by their bird/birds at one time or another but it diminishes as a parrot ages unless there's specific underlying problems but right now, your very young, immature, playful bird is simply going through the process of feeling what it's like to be a parrot.

It's necessary that you learn these things because as you say, you're unpredictible as far as what you may do or how you'll react. It's not a good idea to have a short fuse with a wild animal such as a parrot.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Dave007

[Elvenking]

okay...so...to answer my own question...after much thought..I think i know what is going on here. I think he is used to me fawning over him. This beahvior never happens when i am totally engaged with the little guy. It's when i am concentrating on something else. So my guess is that he is a little miffed if I am not paying attention to him..and he feels like he has nothing else to do. LOL....and even an hour into putting that understanding to practice...boy is he his old sweet self.

 

Okay..so knowing it is an attention issue....anyones responses would be interesting. LOL...as of yet...I am talking to myself...but hey..I am answering back too.....uh ohh.

[Elvenking]

Okay Dave...you say...time in the cage Dave...and i really understand where you are going with that. But...when he gets in those moods...he is combative...and he will further attack if I try to take him to the cage...I am sure to get really messed up. LOL... So what do i do then?

[reggieroo]

Hey Stephen, I'm going through some strange stages & changes with Murphy. I think it is most definitely down to their age as when you post about an issue it always seems to something I'm just starting to go through with Murphy or similar as he's only a few weeks younger than Issac.

 

Murphy has been flying to my shoulder a lot lately while I'm sat on the PC & then nibbles my ear, mostly it tickles but sometimes it hurts a bit & makes me flinch. It doesn't feel like he's doing it in a mean way though, I wonder what he is trying to tell me.

Just now he did it while making sweet baby noises, wings hanging down, so I think he is trying to say "Dad I love you, give me tickle" When I don't take notice he nibbles a bit harder to get my attention.

 

I don't normally let him on my shoulder but Murphy has different ideas

[Aly~]

Sounds like your baby is a sour patch kid like mine! If you have ever seen the commercials for that candy you will know what I mean....First they are sour.....then they are sweet!!

 

I watched the cyclist one where the little candy guy paints a tunnel and the bike rider runs head into it and crashes...then the little candy guy walks out and hands him a band aid. I thought OMG that should be my Rebel pictured there!!

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB9yGZKoTjg

 

Rebel is also a no shoulder bird. I don't like her on me where I can't see her. The little rip would probably spend her time tying my hair in knots or something!!

 

Gotta Love em!!

[danmcq]

Dave is spot on and gave me and Kim help when Dayo was going through a similar stage and "All of a sudden" he became this crazy attack bird flying like a bat out of hell. This occurred about 2 years ago when Dayo was around 1 year old. It actually started around 10 months old and kept escalating until one day he flew straight to my wifes shoulder and BAM bit her cheek. You need to understand the significance of this because my wife is his cuddle muffin.

 

What instigated these episodes were a few things:

 

1. Not paying enough attention to him, when HE thought you should be.

2. Taking something away from him that was taboo, yet his cherished treasure he just stole.

3. Trying to remove him from something like a smoke detector he just flew to and wanted to disassemble it.

4. Basically anything he "Thought" was a reason to let you know he was not accepting what you are doing or just did.

5. Play flying and screaming like a pterodactyl, then out of nowhere decides it would be great fun to land in the middle of your back and pinch the middle back of your neck, then fly away before you could even react.

 

The bottom line of Dave’s advice was "Pay attention to where he is and when he starts flying at ALL times". Then when you know he's coming, shoo him away or try to have him target your arm. We employed this and it took weeks for change, but after remaining consistent it began gradually slowing down to only being a very rare event.

 

Trying to cage him, would have resulted in terrible bites and if we were successful, it just pissed him off more. Once released, the flying attack took place almost immediately. So it did not work for our grey.

Each grey is different and will respond differently to various ways you can try to discipline them. The "Hard Time" for Dayo is simply ignoring him. Cage time is a piece of cake, he will just go beat and tear his toys to hell until let out. Anyone experiencing these childish and I suspect "Normal" behavioral stages will need to find what type of negative feedback (NOT Punishment or hitting) gets the message across in a way that your bird will not wish that type of response to their play or test antics any longer.

[GoDiego]

Hi Elvenking, before getting Diego I did a lot of reading about letting a parrot onto the shoulder. This is what I can remember about what I read,

 

A parrot naturally becomes more territorial the older they get. They see our heads and faces as another parrot and so bond mainly on this part of our body. The rest of our body is purely a moving tree to them and when a parrot gets used to being on a shoulder it sees our body (His tree) as his territory. In the wild a parrot would defend their territory from any intruder or threat. They would then expect their mate to act the same and exhibit the same defensive postures. However, your head cannot act in the same way that a parrot can, unless you give your self an electric shock to make your hair stand on end and you have an amazing gift to pin your eyes ;P. All of a sudden the parrot gets frustrated by this and you then become part of the problem as he cannot defend your body (the tree) and your head (his mate) at the same time. So the parrot takes a swipe at his mate (your face) to make you fly away, so he can defend your body (his tree) until it is safe for you to fly back.

 

Sorry if the above sounded like a ramble, but what I was wondering was, is there anything that may be spooking Issac? It may not be something very big, but maybe he feels he should be letting you know that there is something around he is unsure about. When you don't respond, he then gets a little tougher with your ear as if to say, "Oi are you listening to me!! This is important!!!" Or has he started to feel like your body should only be his tree and he is trying to act the big man now that he is a little older and seeing how being macho gets him and so trying to get you to move to another tree?

 

I could be way off here with this but it was just a thought LOL.

[Birdnut]

Ouch, Stephen! Moussa isn't doing this type of thing (yet), so I can't offer anything from personal experience, but this reminds me a lot of the article that Jayd linked to in the thread about the phobic grey (can't seem to find that now).

 

In that article, the writer talked about how young male greys go through a stage where they play fight with other young greys and how that rough play built their confidence. If true, this does support the idea that this is a developmental stage they go through. Sounds like Issac may be interacting with you the way he would one of his young grey buddies in the wild.

 

Sounds like you are certainly getting some good advice from the others. I am noting all this and filing it away for future reference. That is one of the great things about this forum: we can learn from others experience (or at others expense)

 

I will note that my conures do this type of thing, and they tend to do it when I am busy and distracted and not paying attention to them, such as when I'm trying to clean in the bird room

[Elvenking]

Dave is spot on and gave me and Kim help when Dayo was going through a similar stage and "All of a sudden" he became this crazy attack bird flying like a bat out of hell. This occurred about 2 years ago when Dayo was around 1 year old. It actually started around 10 months old and kept escalating until one day he flew straight to my wifes shoulder and BAM bit her cheek. You need to understand the significance of this because my wife is his cuddle muffin.

 

What instigated these episodes were a few things:

 

1. Not paying enough attention to him, when HE thought you should be.

2. Taking something away from him that was taboo, yet his cherished treasure he just stole.

3. Trying to remove him from something like a smoke detector he just flew to and wanted to disassemble it.

4. Basically anything he "Thought" was a reason to let you know he was not accepting what you are doing or just did.

5. Play flying and screaming like a pterodactyl, then out of nowhere decides it would be great fun to land in the middle of your back and pinch the middle back of your neck, then fly away before you could even react.

 

The bottom line of Dave’s advice was "Pay attention to where he is and when he starts flying at ALL times". Then when you know he's coming, shoo him away or try to have him target your arm. We employed this and it took weeks for change, but after remaining consistent it began gradually slowing down to only being a very rare event.

 

Trying to cage him, would have resulted in terrible bites and if we were successful, it just pissed him off more. Once released, the flying attack took place almost immediately. So it did not work for our grey.

Each grey is different and will respond differently to various ways you can try to discipline them. The "Hard Time" for Dayo is simply ignoring him. Cage time is a piece of cake, he will just go beat and tear his toys to hell until let out. Anyone experiencing these childish and I suspect "Normal" behavioral stages will need to find what type of negative feedback (NOT Punishment or hitting) gets the message across in a way that your bird will not wish that type of response to their play or test antics any longer.

 

To all of your points:

 

1. Check

2. Check

3. Check

4. Check

5. Check

 

 

All of these, Issac does. So are you telling me he is like a spoiled lil child? LOL. He almost always acts up when I am not paying enough attention to him. And it's always around the same time of day...towards the end of daylight and early evening. It sounds like I have to do exactly what you have done. Both you and Dave give a lot of insigt as to what to do and you have had success. So I will start managing this behavior of his.

[Dave007]

First off, let's put some things to rest. Issac isn't phobic. That happens with older birds who've experienced many negative situations over a long period of time. Usually, the relationship with the owner had some serious ups and downs as the bird got much older. His bird is playing. No more, no less. With a very young bird, he's hasn't had the chance to develop phobias.

What's happening with his bird happens to countless young parrots. Hundreds of people who have this happen with their birds immediately start searching their minds and start thinking abiut the wonderful things they did with their bird from the time they brought the bird home. Eventually, when people don't get common sense answers to the problem, they start blaming themselves. Many people don't like hearing that their cuddly little sweetheart is now showing signs of being a parrot which is many cases involves nipping. Then what happens is that the person has to learn all about the next stage of the bird growing up. Some people think it's dominnation. Listen, a bird flies around and finally it's time to land. Does the bird intentionally go to the floor and nibble on shoes and socks? No, it simply flies around until there's a good landing spot. What better item to land on which is familar, secure, safe, comfortable?---A shoulder. What better place is there to nip at? An area that has nice soft ear lobes, a neck, clothing, jewelry? --A shoulder. Spooking Issac? I doubt it.Not what he just did but unintentional reactions to what an owner just did. It's called natural reflex actions to something that just happened to the person.

Spoiling the bird? Yes, Elvenking spoils the hell out of his bird. Is that bad? Absolutely not. A good parrot owner wants the best for his bird and goes overboard with the spoiling in treating and looking at his bird as the greatest invention since the lightbulb. Will Elvenking get nipped at in the future? Probably, but I guarantee you that he'll be much more aware of what the bird is doing now that he knows there was nothing personal on the bird's part that caused an attack. If he doesn't try to be more aware, I'll kick his ass. It's another part of the learning process between the owner and the bird. Will things that are done in the future to deter the bird from doing that have success instantly? I doubt it. It'll take a little time. Parrots are willful, especially young ones. Young birds find that learning how to be a parrot is much more alluring and attractive than worrying about deterence.

I've received very bad reactions and attitudes from people when it's time to tell them that shoulders are off limits. Not their wonderful cuddly sweet little birds!!! But eventually they see that it's the only way to go because there's no way to train a bird to get rid of that habit simply because that habit has to do with instinct. There is one way to stop it though--violence. I'm sure good parrot people don't wanna be violent to their birds.

So it's good to learn about things that are more logical and problems won't last as long as they were in the past.

[Elvenking]

Will Elvenking get nipped at in the future? Probably, but I guarantee you that he'll be much more aware of what the bird is doing now that he knows there was nothing personal on the bird's part that caused an attack. If he doesn't try to be more aware, I'll kick his ass.

 

LOL...I had to laugh when I read that. Certainly I will go on the best awareness regarding his child parrot behavior. It is quite obvious that Issac is trying to have fun in most of these cases. So would you say that when he is in a nippy mood, to just maybe shoo him away. Or make myself unlandable?

 

Like Dan said, sometimes they will be possessive, and you are not always able to take away an item without his protest that comes in the form of lashing out at your hand. Sometimes, I am able to calmly talk him off of it. What would you say the correct approach to take reagrding the 5 points that Dan raised?

 

I certainly don't expect instant success, and fortunately, I have not let this issue go very far. He has done this behavior on two occasions and that is when I had to bring it up. (I was wondering when I would have something to come here and ask about again...LOL)

 

The flying around calling out like a pterodactyl thing, I just stay out of his way. He is obviously getting his 'parrot' on and I stay clear. Like I said, i always respect his space and never forcefully invade.

 

Only the times where he actively seeks me out and push his boundries do I need to figure out how to giude him if you will.

[Aly~]

What exactly is the best way to keep your bird from climbing to your shoulder. When I say that Rebel is a no shoulder bird, I mean that when she does go up to my shoulder, I walk to her cage, lean down and make her step up to her perch, and she does. I won't reach up to get her because I know that she WILL bite me. She is a man's bird and that's just the way it is. She tollerates me, well, I guess because I'm the one there and feeding her. I have learned when I'm allowed to play with her and it's not often. I only have her step up when she puts her little foot up. She's asking and it's ok. Otherwise she lunges at me and tries to take a body part back with her. Now her Pappa can walk right up and scoop her off the floor or cage and pet her and love up on her and she's just as happy as can be.

 

So anyway.......How do you train them to not get on your shoulder??

[danmcq]

LOL!!!!! @

 

Originally Posted by Dave007

Will Elvenking get nipped at in the future? Probably, but I guarantee you that he'll be much more aware of what the bird is doing now that he knows there was nothing personal on the bird's part that caused an attack. If he doesn't try to be more aware, I'll kick his ass.""

 

Forget any little bites from Issac, worry about Dave and his response if his instructions are not followed. :p

 

Sorry Dave - I couldn't help it.

[Elvenking]

LOL!!!!! @

 

Originally Posted by Dave007

Will Elvenking get nipped at in the future? Probably, but I guarantee you that he'll be much more aware of what the bird is doing now that he knows there was nothing personal on the bird's part that caused an attack. If he doesn't try to be more aware, I'll kick his ass.""

 

Forget any little bites from Issac, worry about Dave and his response if his instructions are not followed. :p

 

Sorry Dave - I couldn't help it.

 

It adds a little personal touch I must say. LOL

 

So Dan how did you deal with each of the 5 points you mentioned in your earlier post. Can you give some detailed tips or examples? Thanks

[Birdnut]

First off, let's put some things to rest. Issac isn't phobic.

 

Oh dear, I fear I was misunderstood. I wasn't suggesting at all that Issac was phobic. I don't get that impression at all. Merely recalling the fact that the article I mentioned referred to young greys playing rough with each other at a certain stage in their life. What Elvenking describes sounds like a young grey feeling his oats!

 

Dave is so right on about not taking it personally! That was the first thing we had to get straight before we could work with any of our birds' behavior issues.

 

Am looking forward to more tips and information, as I am learning a lot from this thread!

[danmcq]

Hi Steve (SIC),

 

You asked how do I deal with the list of 5 things. Here you go:

 

1. Not paying enough attention to him, when HE thought you should be.

 

What I do: Pay attention!!!

 

2. Taking something away from him that was taboo, yet his cherished treasure he just stole.

 

What I do: I get the taboo item without taking a bite, which requires patience, timing and speed as Dayo does one of the best football shuffles, item moving from talon to beak and back to try and bite, fly somewhere with me slowly following so as not to add any drama, grab the item from his beak at just the right time, then prepare to duck, weave, watch for the fly around 180 to the back, and duck, weave and shoo away with my arms. I have become a ninja skill level in these moves executed so fast, they must be slowed to observe by the naked eye.

 

3. Trying to remove him from something like a smoke detector he just flew to and wanted to disassemble it.

 

What I do: I get "The stick" (perch) he flies away knowing resistance is futile, then I prepare for ninja moves once again as the inevitable flying attack will be "On".

 

4. Basically anything he "Thought" was a reason to let you know he was not accepting what you are doing or just did.

 

What I do: Depending on if this is going to be an event that MAY cause a footed or flighted attack, I watch appropriately for body language indicating what is going to be the method of attack (If any), I try change my position, in his view, by a diversion such as a treat, verbal "Good Boy" or other such positive way to interrupt his present concern and stop it before it happens. If that does not work, I go into ninja mode once again as I know it's coming.

 

5. Play flying and screaming like a pterodactyl, then out of no where decides it would be great fun to land in the middle of your back and pinch the middle back of your neck, then fly away before you could even react.

 

What I do: Try to become a wall flower, stay the hell out of the way, never lose sight of where he is and which direction he is going, prepare for ninja mode if necessary.

 

I must say though, these behaviors are almost nonexistent now. But, they do occur every once in a blue moon, so I never relax and think that he now has gotten with MY human program and will never revert back to that still wild instinct to to take care of business the "Grey Way" born out of African where it is just part of daily life in survival mode.

 

Wait, I here drums beating and battle cries ........

Edited August 12, 2010 by danmcq

[chelseaB]

Hey Stephen & all the others that have posted with similar problems, I too can commiserate with you all! Biscotti is doing just about exactly the same type behaviors for the same reasons listed. Lol, must be very normal young grey behavior. Biscotti has lost shoulder privleges for the very reason you are describing. Thanks, but my ears are already pierced! He is terrible if the phone rings & I answer it when he is out of his cage, he no longer has my undivided attention & he is letting me know! I get fly by head bombings & some times he will grab my hair in the back & swing off it like it's a rope vine!

And yes, getting him in the cage for time outs during these episodes leads to severe biting, he has drawn blood several times. So, I try the ignore or redirect practice & it mostly works UNLESS I get distracted & as Dan said I'm not paying attention to where he is flying & just what he is up to.

So, I guess we are all in this together I am so glad we can compare notes & reap the knowledge of the others who have been there, done that. Thank you all immensely.

[Elvenking]

Thanks Dan. I pay loads of attention to Issac, and naturally, he gets my attention when he is letting me know he wants it. Or I willset him off with something that keeps him busy.

 

Love the 'football shuffle' reference. They are shifty little guys and move fast when they want.

 

I also have a perch I use when i feel my hands might be put in jeapordy. He usually ends up flying away from it.

 

I will master ninja mode for sure.

[Dave007]

----------

Edited August 13, 2010 by Dave007

[danmcq]

I did not address one thing that Dayo also did that you Steve and Chelsea brought up in regards the shoulder.

 

I am just saying what we experienced as Dayo grew from baby, to crawling, to walking to running ( Human comparatives ) to flying to learning how much he could control his environment during the last 3 formative years.

 

He has been a shoulder bird since 12 weeks old. As any bird, if he became alarmed by someone or something, he would press against the side of the head and sometimes give a pressure bite, not painful but an indicator you should move or beware that he was uncomfortable. He would and still will do this in these cases and also if you are ignoring him for a long period of time like on the computer for an hour or two.

 

He then progressed at about 6 months old to inflicting a somewhat painful pinch to the ear, this was dealt with by a "No Bite", pushing sideways with the head at the same time. If he pinched again, he was shooed off the shoulder while saying "No Bite", not angrily, but as a stern voice.

 

When flying and shoulder landing started, the rules changed especially if we knew he was worked up. If he was excited over something, when he landed on the shoulder he was always facing a turned head so the ear was not available. If he started getting frisky, he was shooed off. This took consistancy, awareness of his mood and even feeling the pressure of his talons on the shoulder indicating if he was leaning in quickly, settled and not moving etc. This took a while to learn, but it tells tons when you can't see and you can quickly turn the head away in response.

 

He is still a shoulder bird and has gotten to where we do not worry about him at all. But, we NEVER let our gaurd down because you just never know.

 

I agree with Dave's and others comments regarding not allowing your bird on your shoulder if they display the behaviors I have talked about Dayo exhibiting. The only reason we continued to do so, was we felt it was manageable wit a very tiny itty bit chance we might have gotten a face or eye bite. It never happened, could at anytime with a shoulder bird even if they have been there for 10 years, but we take that risk.

 

Any continuing to let a bird on their shoulder after displaying the above behaviors should only do so with a lot of thought, proven good responses from your bird and not being surprised, maddened or blame the bird if it ever does occur. It is your choice, chose wisely and responsibly.

[Elvenking]

I am right on the same page with you Dan. I enjoy having him being able to come and get involved on what ever it is I am doing too much to just prohibit him. So I will attempt to manage it. I can get a pretty good reading on his moods enough to know when I am not going to let him sit on my shoulder. When the battle cries start...then it's a definite no. Lay low...and get the hell out of the way. LOL. He was just curling his head into my neck and rubbing his head up against my face. Both times he nipped at my ear, I knew he was in a different mood...he gets all twitchy and shifty...like hyper-aware. These Greys are certainly a unique experience.

Edited August 13, 2010 by Elvenking

[reggieroo]

Hi Steve (SIC),

 

You asked how do I deal with the list of 5 things. Here you go:

 

1. Not paying enough attention to him, when HE thought you should be.

 

What I do: Pay attention!!!

 

2. Taking something away from him that was taboo, yet his cherished treasure he just stole.

 

What I do: I get the taboo item without taking a bite, which requires patience, timing and speed as Dayo does one of the best football shuffles, item moving from talon to beak and back to try and bite, fly somewhere with me slowly following so as not to add any drama, grab the item from his beak at just the right time, then prepare to duck, weave, watch for the fly around 180 to the back, and duck, weave and shoo away with my arms. I have become a ninja skill level in these moves executed so fast, they must be slowed to observe by the naked eye.

 

3. Trying to remove him from something like a smoke detector he just flew to and wanted to disassemble it.

 

What I do: I get "The stick" (perch) he flies away knowing resistance is futile, then I prepare for ninja moves once again as the inevitable flying attack will be "On".

 

4. Basically anything he "Thought" was a reason to let you know he was not accepting what you are doing or just did.

 

What I do: Depending on if this is going to be an event that MAY cause a footed or flighted attack, I watch appropriately for body language indicating what is going to be the method of attack (If any), I try change my position, in his view, by a diversion such as a treat, verbal "Good Boy" or other such positive way to interrupt his present concern and stop it before it happens. If that does not work, I go into ninja mode once again as I know it's coming.

 

5. Play flying and screaming like a pterodactyl, then out of no where decides it would be great fun to land in the middle of your back and pinch the middle back of your neck, then fly away before you could even react.

 

What I do: Try to become a wall flower, stay the hell out of the way, never lose sight of where he is and which direction he is going, prepare for ninja mode if necessary.

 

I must say though, these behaviors are almost nonexistent now. But, they do occur every once in a blue moon, so I never relax and think that he now has gotten with MY human program and will never revert back to that still wild instinct to to take care of business the "Grey Way" born out of African where it is just part of daily life in survival mode.

 

Wait, I here drums beating and battle cries ........

 

Lot's of ninja training then Dan?

[Birdnut]

@Dan: Loved the play by play!!!

 

Could we get a video of some of these ninja moves? For educational purposes, only, of course. Moussa is 6 mos., so I figure I better start brushing up.

[Elvenking]

Well, I know it isn't saying too much, but Issac has been quite well behaved. He did get a little wild a couple days back and I just started talking to him and giving him things to play with, and he was fine. I find if I keep myself controlled and speak calmly, he rolls right along with that same mood. The trick is always having the tact to do this, no matter what else may be stressing you out. A lot tougher than it sounds at times, but certainly worth the product of being able to do it. Thanks for all the advice guys.