Close to Murdering My Bird

[Elvenking]

Now of course I am exaggerating. But...I am not sure what has gotten into Issac....but he has nipped my ear about 10 times this afternoon and drew blood once. He apparantly is upset about something. He is in his cage now being punished. What the heck, I hope he doesn't keep this up..because if I have to be afraid to have him out...that doesn't work for me.

Edited December 31, 2010 by Elvenking

[Dave007]

Welcome to the world of parrots. The honeymoon is over.

[Elvenking]

Welcome to the world of parrots. The honeymoon is over.

 

LOL...after a grueling 5 minutes in his cage. He is out again. I think maybe it was the fact that I was cleaning this afternoon and there are plenty of thing he can't have when I am doing that. I can't be sure. But he was being such a whack job.

[Elvenking]

I had gotten used to tilting my head whenever he gets in his acrobatic moods while I sit at the computer. He will go spinning on his ropes and making the loud battle cries and then land on my shoulder for a quick tweak. But he was damned persistant today. While I was vacuuming and such.

 

Now he is all about head scratches, beak rubs and being cute. Whatever. LOL.

Edited December 31, 2010 by Elvenking

[Dave007]

whack job?? He looked at you, relaxed and designed a plan of action. He then had the patience to hold back until the time was just right. He wanted to inflict damage without repurcutions. He looked for escape routes and realized the the worst he would have needed to suffer was a trip to his cage which he already was familar with. He knew your personality so he knew that he would be quickly paroled. SO, whack job? I think not. Was he successful? Completely.

[carolz7]

You should not complain about being bitten your beak is way too small. I have a greenwing that will just get into wanting to kill me, dont know what i did other than love him. Now that is a bite you need to see. Not too mention all those tiny pinches that end up looking like you are an abused person. Just thought i would put that out there. Have a happy new year with lots of bird loving and hopefully no killing, lol

[Elvenking]

Hahahaha. I am keeping an eye on my little parolee. He was certainly not relaxed. He was in one of those moods he gets in where he is flying around more than he sits. Like he was on a caffine rush of a bird kind. I am sure you are familiar. From the cage top, to the microwave...to the fridge....to the cabinet door that is open....to my shoulder...to the sink...back to the fridge...to the lamp.....to my ear....tweak.

[Elvenking]

You should not complain about being bitten your beak is way too small. I have a greenwing that will just get into wanting to kill me, dont know what i did other than love him. Now that is a bite you need to see. Not too mention all those tiny pinches that end up looking like you are an abused person. Just thought i would put that out there. Have a happy new year with lots of bird loving and hopefully no killing, lol

 

 

It is crazy the way they do that. It occurs to you, that since you love this bird, and you don't want to hurt him you are in a real pickle when they decide to go rogue on you. Try and catch them when they don't want to get caught. And oh, I would never want a macaw version of this activity.

[carolz7]

I started out with greys you have to own a macaw it is the cherry on the cake or whatever you want to call it. I know this is mostly a grey site so i dont want to get in trouble here going on and on about my macaw. I did spoil myself and got a blue and gold 6 months ago so far he is just the most adorable loving thing i have ever owned. Now if they could all just get along.

[Luvparrots]

So sorry, when Ana Grey gets a little bitey, I just tell her "that's not nice" and she calms down. So perhaps a good talking to will bring Issac in line, the murdering part not good to put in writing.... LOL!!!!

[Ray P]

Don`t worry Elvenking as they get older it gets better they can bite harder.

[Elvenking]

So sorry, when Ana Grey gets a little bitey, I just tell her "that's not nice" and she calms down. So perhaps a good talking to will bring Issac in line, the murdering part not good to put in writing.... LOL!!!!

 

I always talk to issad like he can understand everything I say. He is usually pretty predictable. He's happily preening away now like 'the demons' have left his soul. Lol.

[Buffy]

Echo is in her terrible twos so I know exactly how you feel. She nipped me hard a couple of weeks ago and I instantly yelled a horrible curse word at her before thinking. I am so careful what I say around them, so I am so worried that she will say that word, but so far so good. Overall, Echo is a very good bird. I call her my good child. I must admit, I am terrified as to what Thumper is going to be like. He is 7 months old now and is constantly into something, and already nips at me when I'm trying to get him to do something he doesn't want to do. I can't imagine what he is going to be like in a year. Luckily he is also my comedian. I often tell him that he is very lucky he makes me laugh so much!

[Elvenking]

Echo is in her terrible twos so I know exactly how you feel. She nipped me hard a couple of weeks ago and I instantly yelled a horrible curse word at her before thinking. I am so careful what I say around them, so I am so worried that she will say that word, but so far so good. Overall, Echo is a very good bird. I call her my good child. I must admit, I am terrified as to what Thumper is going to be like. He is 7 months old now and is constantly into something, and already nips at me when I'm trying to get him to do something he doesn't want to do. I can't imagine what he is going to be like in a year. Luckily he is also my comedian. I often tell him that he is very lucky he makes me laugh so much!

 

Lol...Issac provides tons of love and laughs for me. He has been a total angel. I am not new to the ear nipping. I am doing ninja moves when he gets in those wild moods. Today I was in a horrible mood too. So he may have picked up on that. Its any number of things. But I love him forever. Worry not...the murdering was metaphorical.

[HeatherStrella]

You've probably heard this before...AnnaBella loves when I react to one of her bites. If I do react, she flies to her swing and starts laughing. When I say "react" I mean that I let out a yelp or my body jumps from being startled. I TRY not to react but it's hard when it hurts. I started saying "NO!" with a mean look on my face....so, now sometimes when she bites, she'll say "NO!"...then she laughs. Gotta love 'em.

[katana600]

I don't mean to capitalize on your bloodied ear, but I have to say, I was thinking about laughing at the images it conjures up. Just while I was reading quietly to myself and starting to chuckle, Java started mocking my laugh from across the room. Surely, I didn't laugh out loud at Isaac's antics. It just reminds me of Dayo giving dear ol Dan the neck pinch when his is displeasing to Dayo. LOL. In all seriousness... for a minute, Steven, I am sorry he is sorely vexing you. But if we only had a video of this, maybe.... someday, just once.

[Birdnut]

Elvenking: Maybe what got into Isaac was that you were cleaning and not paying any attention to him. I know my nippy conures can be unmerciful when I am trying to clean or do some other work where my attention is focused somewhere else. And my cockatoo will sneak up on me when I'm busy and grab my glasses and fling them across the room. Glad to hear the threat of murder was metaphorical. LOL. But I sure do know that feeling.

[Morana]

My experience tells me, if he bites, you are doing something wrong. First make sure he has been bathed; stationed away from draft; played with that day; are you feeding him healthy food, lots of veggies, fruits; does he have a lot of toys which he enjoys playing with on regularly bases-mental stimulant is crucial for having a happy parrot; does he have enough uninterrupted sleep; fresh water for drinking;... If it is not about these basic needs maybe you are pushing him too far out from his comfort zone. IMO it is wise always to be aware of your birds body language. My Zak is extremely cranky when the weather is changing or when someone near him is angry or nervous. Pay attention on a breeding season-the hormones are making him a bit nuts.

These are the most common triggers.

 

Since I started to pay even closer attention to these factors, Zak became really good bird in a very short time. If he does something really bed he knows he will end up in the cage with no attention, for a while, and he never disobeys his punishment. In firm voice I tell him he did something bad- never give him satisfaction of screaming or making painful faces. At least try. Most important no flicking him on the beak (or anywhere else) - he must not learn punishment with agression because he will learn to use it himself toward you.

Afterwards, everything is back to normal.

 

Also I noticed something interesting.. my mother does not know how to set boundaries for Zak so he is constantly proving his dominance over her and pushing this limit further and further every time. He doesn't want to change his behavior because he knows there will be no consequences for his actions (when he is alone with her). He doesn't behave in this manner with anyone else (because no one lets him).

[Morana]

PS: If I know in some situations there may be higher chance he could bite, often I put him away-in cage or in another room just during this activity. I don't want him to associate these activities with going to the cage so I randomly choose how to distract him (in a positive way). If I want to put him in the cage, first I put inside the cage his favorite fruit, new toy or anything which could make him forget why he is going inside this time.. Sometimes I just say :"please be a good bird and go inside because I just need to do______ and then I will let you outside right away" and then he has patience for whatever I need to do.

[judygram]

Poor Stephen, I knew this day was coming as it has always been so sweet and nice with Issac so far, it couldn't last, finally the terrible twos show their face and Issac is somewhat not his usual sweet self, like Dave said the honeymoon is over, you finally have a real parrot.

[Elvenking]

Elvenking: Maybe what got into Isaac was that you were cleaning and not paying any attention to him. I know my nippy conures can be unmerciful when I am trying to clean or do some other work where my attention is focused somewhere else. And my cockatoo will sneak up on me when I'm busy and grab my glasses and fling them across the room. Glad to hear the threat of murder was metaphorical. LOL. But I sure do know that feeling.

 

Oh I am quite certain that this is it. He just got tired of me telling him no he can't bite the vacuum hose, no this and no that. Even though I am just trying to protect him from getting himself hurt...he sees it a denial for play time. For sure he just felt left out. Combine that with him being really energetic and wanting to play...and I am sure he was frustrated. He's been his normal self again.

[Elvenking]

My experience tells me, if he bites, you are doing something wrong. First make sure he has been bathed; stationed away from draft; played with that day; are you feeding him healthy food, lots of veggies, fruits; does he have a lot of toys which he enjoys playing with on regularly bases-mental stimulant is crucial for having a happy parrot; does he have enough uninterrupted sleep; fresh water for drinking;... If it is not about these basic needs maybe you are pushing him too far out from his comfort zone. IMO it is wise always to be aware of your birds body language. My Zak is extremely cranky when the weather is changing or when someone near him is angry or nervous. Pay attention on a breeding season-the hormones are making him a bit nuts.

These are the most common triggers.

 

Since I started to pay even closer attention to these factors, Zak became really good bird in a very short time. If he does something really bed he knows he will end up in the cage with no attention, for a while, and he never disobeys his punishment. In firm voice I tell him he did something bad- never give him satisfaction of screaming or making painful faces. At least try. Most important no flicking him on the beak (or anywhere else) - he must not learn punishment with agression because he will learn to use it himself toward you.

Afterwards, everything is back to normal.

 

Also I noticed something interesting.. my mother does not know how to set boundaries for Zak so he is constantly proving his dominance over her and pushing this limit further and further every time. He doesn't want to change his behavior because he knows there will be no consequences for his actions (when he is alone with her). He doesn't behave in this manner with anyone else (because no one lets him).

 

Firstly, I do my best on all of these fronts. I never flick or do anything of the sort to my bird. He is probably the most babied grey I know. Which makes issues like this harder to handle. Things like this usually coincide with something else going on. He is in the mood for tons of play and attention right at the moment I need to get something done. He gets more praise and love than I have ever made an effort to give another living being other than my daughter. (And that could be a close call). He has plenty of toys. It can be hard to keep them in fresh supply all the time for every moment of the day...but I am pretty creative.

 

Anyway, life is not perfect. I just have to grow concious of what needs to be done to keep him happy as much as possible when things get stressful. Nothing is ever going to be 100%. I also find...that the moment I tell someone about how wonderful my bird has been...that almost the day after...I have an incident. So I am going to not tell anyone about it again. LOL. It's like a jinx or something.

 

I also talk to him like he can understand every word I am saying. For example...I know I need 5 minutes to get him into his cage without incident. He will fly and fly and fly away. And I do not resist...I just talke to him and let it happen. Then at some point while verbally negotiating with him...he complies without any issue at all. I don;t get it...but he gives up.

 

Hang on...he is getting into the pine nuts......gotta go.

[Buffy]

I think I would be concerned if my fid never wanted to admonish or nip at me. In my opinion, it means they feel comfortable and safe enough to express their individuality. I think too many birds are sold to second owners because of this. True bird lovers have done their research and realize that this is going to happen no matter what food you feed them or what environmental barriers you control. I believe my Echo and Isaac are right about the same age. I look forward to Elvinking and I posting many similar laments over the next few years!

[Elvenking]

I think I would be concerned if my fid never wanted to admonish or nip at me. In my opinion, it means they feel comfortable and safe enough to express their individuality. I think too many birds are sold to second owners because of this. True bird lovers have done their research and realize that this is going to happen no matter what food you feed them or what environmental barriers you control. I believe my Echo and Isaac are right about the same age. I look forward to Elvinking and I posting many similar laments over the next few years!

 

This has much truth to it as well. As he goes right back to the ver very loving bird he can be at the greater portion of the time. He means no harm...he just absolutley get his point across. Lol.

[Elvenking]

My goodness...my baby has just been sitting on my shoulder....being the most loving thing on the planet. I have been laughing at how sweet. He is just rubbing his head all over my cheek and chin. Putting his head up for kisses. I am just in awe and heaven right now. They take you both ways for sure. I feel totally blessed at the moment.