Gwen Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I really feel fortunate when it comes to bedtime w/ my birdies !!!! (Knock on wood !!) Little Gabby has never been a problem. She would go to bed at 6pm if were her choice. Even with the plant light on next to her she goes to her little hidey corner in the back of her cage & TV, Roscoe or myself don't phase her. Now Roscoe... Usually as the evening grows later, he starts to nod off on the top of his cage door. The same minute either the light goes off or the TV, he wil begin his, "Go to bed!!" every 30 seconds.... Repetitively, he is the King who tells Mommy & Daddy what to do. As soon as he sees us enter the bedroom door -- complete silence !!!! Never another peep until 8am the next morning Lately, he has been hanging around me on the floor and soaking up scritches. This has changed our bedtime routine slightly... Once in a while he will bend forward & bite my hand as I carry him back to his cage just to let me know he doesn't want to be put back. The other night it was so cute... he sort of didn't know quite what to do when I asked him to step up. He put his little head down like a snowplow & walked around in circles. It was hilarious... He did that 2 or 3 times for a minute before finally stepping up... Once he gets to his cage door he's right back on track & rubs his head on my hand, makes kissy sounds & I say quietly, It's time for night, night. Get in your cage. He 100% of the time complies... Sometimes I feel bad 'cause just for no reason my hubby teases him & will say "Get in your cage" !! No matter where he is or what he's doing, Roscoe gives Charlie a dirty look & goes in..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Oh boy, the battle of wills, can Penny come up with a new item every night to entice Nilah back into her cage for bedtime, time will tell, round one Penny, now on to round 2. That a riot Judy! Leave it to you to put some pressure on me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 This thread has been such a pleasure to me this morning. (Not the biting part for you Penny). Every home and every parrot is like starting all over again. I am enjoying how everyone in here has a unique way of problem solving. You are much more creative than you give yourself credit Penny, the pencil diversion was ingenious. We have scare bites and swipes here that are just instinct driven. I usually do tell them, don't bite and move them off my hand etc. But just once with each of our parrots, there was the leaning over and very intentional intense chomp. Something primal happened before I ever realized or thought it through, I just reached down and lightly pinched a toe with my fingernail and said "don't bite, it hurts". The surprise and shouting came from each of my parrots at the time and it broke the spell for the most part. Gilbert went through a few days of trying and succeeding to bite me and then would quickly hunch down like he was laying an egg just to cover his feet to make sure I didn't make that maneuver a second time. LOL. I can't imagine what you go through with Nilah, she is so smart and wants to be one step ahead of the game. That is soooo funny! I would love to see Gilbert squatting down to hide his feet!!! LOL I too have out of the blue gotten that primal CHOMP from each bird at least once where they cut you and draw blood! But hey, it goes along with the territory.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Soooooooooooooooo..... What is your strategy for tonight ???? I'll bet if Nilah likes pens so well that she'll fall for it again tonight !!! What does everyone else think ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Now that Penny is intent on finding a technique, Nilah is onto her. My vote is for tonight when Penny says it is bedtime, Nilah will fly to her cage step inside and ready herself for night-night without a fuss and then look up sweetly and and tell her good night. One of those "Well if that's what you want, all you had to do is say so" looks. LOL. Wonders and miracles are on my agenda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Wow! That scenario is a dream come true! So, tonight, I had to put the birds in their cages early around 6:15pm as I had to go teach Zumba. So my daughter just covered the up when she got home from work. I didn't get home until after 9pm so I was off the hook. Tonight, I work until 8:30Pm so she will probably be the one to put the to bed again. ( love the nights I work and she has to do it) But to tomorrow will be my night...ugh! Already planning my next strategy and treat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Penny: Keep those pens & pencils handy !! HAHAHAHAHA............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Tonight I was eating a banana when it was bedtime, I didn't say a word, just as Nilah was straining to get to my banana that I kept just out of beaks reach...........I told her to step up and she could have some, so as she was busy eating, I carried her towards her cage, as I got to the front hall, she stopped and looked, like she was wondering if I was going to put her to bed.........(damn smart bird!) so I asked her if she wanted so e more of my banana.....of course she did, she's an amazon! So off I went with the banana and her into her cage. HA!!!!!! That's 2 for me!!!! 0 for Nilah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Biting is not allowed! Your amazon needs to learn this! Behavior mod needs to be taught. My Amazon, would never chew. The one time I was shocked, waited for Kiki to bite me... she stopped... I knew she wouldn't bite me. She didn't. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 I don't ALLOW her to bite, she knows not too. She has a stubborn streak when it comes to bed time. Short of abusing her, you won't stop her if she decides your not getting the message and it is her last resort... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Excellent. Keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 0-2 !!!! Go team Penny !!!! Boy, do they keep you thinking to stay ahead.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Sometimes when I can tell Brutus (CAG) is going to bite if I ask him to step up, I use a small throw pillow against his legs and he steps up on that. Once he is on the pillow I carry him to his cage. Also, I like the idea of giving him a pencil, cork, cloths pin, etc. as a beak distractor. If you use the same sequence of events every night ending with a bite, you have to change it up because the response is, by now, automatic. Teaching step ups using a stick would be good for this situation too. My amazon was trained very well on step ups with a stick, so if I sense he is ornery, I use a stick rather than my hand. Watch Barbara's Heidentreich's videos on how to get started. It would be good to do this in the morning rather than close to bedtime. Good luck. I think team Penny will win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks all for caring about this ongoing battle. It is still a battle at bedtime with Nilah flying off when I get her close to her cage. I have to keep my other hand at her enough so she can't spread her wings enough to fly off. Some nights I have had to shut every light in the entire house off to get her in her cage, that always works, but it's a pain to run around and shut everything off. I continue to work at it and mostly focusing on breaking her routine of bite, step up, bite etc. I am making progress in changing out her routine. Moseying as I work 4 nights a week, I have been putting her in her cage a bit earlier, and then my daughter covers them while I am at work. I will keep you updated as things progress, but she absolutely does not want to be put to bed!!! Any other time, I have no problems putting her in her cage. Must be the darkness.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 In theory I would prefer not to use bribery to entice Gracie to behave, but I'd hate to endure a battle of will for bedtime. Treats have been a godsend for me==for better or worse, but I'd rather resort to that than get bitten. At the end of the day it seems a treat would result in a win-win sitution. I'm not sure how a treat for compliance would end up causing bigger problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 I will use whatever method I can to get Nilah to bed! I know it is only bedtime where she tries to battle our wills. The last few nights, I have had to turn ALL the lights and tv off and then she willingly steps up and I use the light on my cell phone when I get close to her cage so she can see to step off onto her perch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I always put a treat into Shadow's bowl if I need her to go into her cage. Never have a problem and she is always happy to comply. Don't think of it as bribery...it's nothing more than positive reinforcement for doing the right thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidsandfrats Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) Hi What I do is let them watch me put their favorite treats in their food dishes just before they go to bed so that they want to go in their cages because they know there are goodies for them. Edited January 30, 2012 by fidsandfrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hi What I do is let them watch me put their favorite treats in their food dishes just before they go to bed so that they want to go in their cages because they know there are goodies for them. Good Idea, I will have to try that tonight!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Okay, wanted to update my bedtime problems with Nilah. For the last couple of weeks, I have put in place the following routine......I put the others to bed first as she watches, (no avoiding that) then I turn off all the lights in the downstairs except the tv. When SHE knows dinner is over, cuddles are done, she flies onto the coat rack in the back hall next to the kitchen and waits and watches. All this time she is still sitting patiently........as I get closer to her, I hear her amazon hiss......her tail feathers are full out and she is attempting to bite although I don't get my hands close enough....I talk softly to her telling her I love her, and she's adorable and filling her little brain with loving adoring thoughts about how wonderful she is.... then as input my hand up, she attempts to bite as her tail is flared, but I keep it there just out of reach and ask her if she wants cuddles, of course she does, she's an amazon! She puts her head down and get head scritches for a short time. The I tell her to step up, it's bedtime, sometimes it's a battle, but she always does, and then as we are walking to the room with her cage in it, all the time I am using my other hand to distract her, she tries biting, but it is so light, she never really closed her beak on me. I continue to tell her no bits, no we don't bite mommy, and she let's me know she wants to, but doesntnt bite hard like she used to, just gentle open beak touches. So we are making progress, she is staring to listen and get this new routine down without biting!!!!! I am happy she's not biting, turning the lights off is a pain, but one step at a time, and I am thrilled she is realizing that biting at bedtime is not going to make her win!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malikah Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Congratulations on your progress! It's just a matter of time before trying to bite won't even be worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Bravo Penny, your perseverance is marvelous and I just know in the end bedtime will become more enjoyable for both of you! Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 When all our fids are out of their cage my wife or I will hide a treat in their cage so when it`s time to go back they look forward to going back. They always know there is something some place in their cage and they have to find it. We have done this for so long that all we have to say is back to your house and they will go on their own and all we have to do is close the door. This was easy with Cricket because food is her motiavating force. At first we let them see us put the treat in their cage so they new it was there, but now we just put the treat in the cage with out them seeing us and they just know it will be there so they always go back on their own. Always hide the treat because it`s fun to watch them hunt for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Only got one attempt at a bite tonight, and it was only a medium one! Woo hoo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Hooray! Good for you Penny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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