Biting: Need Help ASAP

[munch]

Big problems at home.

 

Took has always been a bit of a biter. She always bit my mom. For some reason, Took hates her. But now she flies on my mom and "chases" her around the house. Her bites often draw blood.

 

She bites me and my husband. The other night she gave my husband a real bite- a thick, blue welt over an inch in size and that was through a thick sweater. That was the last draw for my husband.

 

Until now we tried doing reducing this behavior with firm "Don't bite" and time in her cage. Obviously it hasn;t helped. Since that significant bite, my husband is starting to deal with her like our dog by yelling and physical dominance/threats. Everywhere I read about it this is the wrong way to deal with a CAG but that final bite was the last draw. I agree with him that her biting can't continue but don't know what else to offer as an alternative to his dog training since the parrot way hasn;t done squat.

 

My husband also wants to cut her wings. She has been flying for about a year. But he thinks that if we cut her wings at least she can't chase people around, we can easily lock her up, and simply being less mobile will reduce her opportunities to bite.

 

Honestly, i don't know what to do. i KNOW all of those ideas are WRONG and BAD for Took. But I don't have an alternative method of teaching her not to bite. This is becoming a major problem for Took and for my family life. I defend Took and its pissing off my mom and husband who have had enough.

[Greywings]

Take a deep breath and in this case a wing clip can help slow down her attacks, we call it an alti-tudue adjustment. It might help you to view some of Barbara Heidenreich's videos on understanding bird behavior and how to approach changing interactions to positive ones. Here is a link to her site and she has free stuff to watch & read. Avoiding the bite is the best approach.

Good Bird Inc.

 

www.goodbirdinc.com/

[Luvparrots]

Your zon is getting the reaction he wants from your family when he bites them. So when family/you react in a way that pleases your zon, he bites more to get his way more. I have a re-homed BF 4 year old Amazon and he is a biter. Not in a vicious way but frankly, I believe as a his way of touching me. I have had him for 1 1/2 years and it is a on going challenge to get him to stop nibbling my ears, my scalp whatever. He gets a lot of "no bites" but I never "punish" him. It is taking a long time but Louie does understand not to bite me. It just seems it is a habit for him and so I have to be patient and do my best not to put him in or let him get into situations where he can bite. That's the key to do my best not to put him in or let him get into situations where he can bite.

[Talon]

Great advice Luvparrots! My zon, Nilah is a biter at times as well. Mostly at nite or when I want her to step up at times she doesn't want to. I DO NOT pull away, I stand their and take it and tell her sternly NO! I DO know she is testing me...I wont let her win this ongoing battle, I know the day will come when she finally realizes her bites will not make me go away. When that day comes my fingers will be SOOOO happy!!

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Talon, I have alot to learn. I will admit to that. This site does help me. What I really don't understand, is why we don't work more with " behavior modification." Sunny, our rescue sunconure, we have all adapted to his needs. Training was possible, but NOT the best scenario. We worked it out. Kiki, our baby, was easy to train. Sophie, when she was two year old grey, had ALOT to learn. She did. Within six months, wrist status only,she was " biting the air"... saying NO! NO BITE! She got it. Was living on our shoulders ever since!

I think many of us get to be patient, and " wait", for them to make a decision. They never do! I am very much a believer in patience. It took Sophie a year to like her new cage! What can new parents do for their baby to adjust to change? Nancy

[judygram]

If there is a lot of drama to these biting sessions then no wonder he is doing it but I don't know if clipping the wings will solve anything, it will keep him from flying at her but I don't think it will stop the biting, we need an expert's advice here but Barbara Heidenreich's site is a good place to start.

[munch]

I order the Parrot Problem Solver from Heindenriech. And I got through just a little bit to my husband about how his negative attention towards is actually giving her the attention she is seeking and he needs to give her more positive attention. He doesn't give her enough so she is seeking out his attention. He understands this but gets so involved in whatever he is doing, he forgets about Took and then she comes over and demands his attention with a bite. I don't the situation to come down to "It's me or the bird."

 

Thank you everyone for your advice, patience with me, and non-judgement.

[Eshana]

No one will judge you, I think you've done just a fine job with your bird so far!

 

What sort of behavior does your mother display when Took is chasing her?

[judygram]

Maybe your Mother needs to put something on her head that will keep Took from chasing her for fear of the object, we have some members here who have had to put things up in places they don't want their bird to be like on door facings because they chew the woodwork, it sounds silly but it might work as a temporary fix until you get it all sorted.

[tracie]

I can tell you that I went through exactly the same thing when Chicken hit his terrible twos stage. It felt like nothing worked. I became fearful of him. My boyfriend had a similar aggressive "man" reaction as your husband. One day I decided that I would just ignore his bite and return him to his cage. When he would bite I would do my best to not react (terribly difficult) and put him away. I would let him out shower him with love while he was good and if he bit someone they were to be still and not react while I retrieved him and put him in his cage. He actually looked at us like we were nuts when we stopped reacting, I'm not kidding. It didn't take long with this method. He still has his moments, they all do, but nothing like it was. Unfortunately you all have to not react or it wont work. Sorry I have no advice on how to train the people you live with. The only option is to cage him when people are around that can't control themselves. Trust me though, this works.

Edited February 8, 2012 by tracie

[munch]

Looks like Took will be spending a lot of time in her cage.

 

 

My mom honestly doesn't do anything. She has been the best at not reacting (until lately bc she had enough). She would take it and say don;t bite and move away. Took will simply charge at her. It has gotten better between my mom and Took but still there--I think Took loves my mom bc Took calls her and when its time for me to take Took away from her, she actually tries to stay with my mom and runs away from me! But then- wham!- a hard bite. As for wearing something on our heads-- Took loves chewingour hats, especially when they are on our heads. And landing on a towel that's on my head after a shower. Maybe I should find those headbands with the antennas. But then, my mom loves Took (such a strange relationship) and loves when Took comes to her and calls her...until that big bite.

 

So here's another problem we have recently. Took realizes that when she bites (or we have to leave), its cage time for her. And she flies all around the house avoiding us so we can't get her to put her back in. This is actually the main reason my husband wants to clip her wings, so when its disipline time- we don;t look like fools chasing her around the house. She flies from the very top of her cage to the top of the fridge, two places I can;t easily reach her and then does the same thing back again. this drives me nuts. especially if I have to leave the house in a rush and can't get her. If I have time, after she tries that once, i stop and let her think its over- then i get her. Oh, please let this just be the terrible twos!

[Talon]

Talon, I have alot to learn. I will admit to that. This site does help me. What I really don't understand, is why we don't work more with " behavior modification." Sunny, our rescue sunconure, we have all adapted to his needs. Training was possible, but NOT the best scenario. We worked it out. Kiki, our baby, was easy to train. Sophie, when she was two year old grey, had ALOT to learn. She did. Within six months, wrist status only,she was " biting the air"... saying NO! NO BITE! She got it. Was living on our shoulders ever since!

I think many of us get to be patient, and " wait", for them to make a decision. They never do! I am very much a believer in patience. It took Sophie a year to like her new cage! What can new parents do for their baby to adjust to change? Nancy

 

Behaviour Modification is all fine & good. I believe most of us grey owners are able to, as you would say "train" them using it. But my amazonn has a stubborn streak in her, a very good memory, and not one to get distracted when she sets her mind to it! I know that her biting IS just a stage, she knows NOT to bite, she KNOWS what the word NO or Stop Biting means. I know this because all other times, she will stop her biting if told to do so, or not bite when we tell her No bites. It is bedtime where she tests me, she is young and prefers to let you know that she is still trying her boundaries, this too shall pass.

[MarcusCAG]

Munch, you seem to be in a similar boat with your Took that I felt like we were in with our Tybalt (IRN) the other day. Except that I realized part of his attack that left me in tears was my fault, I had carried a bowl into the birdroom. I don't know why, but he goes nuts over bottles, silverware, bowls... anything like that in my hand. My hubby and I were talking about clipping him and Beaker (Beaker's feathers grow in so fast, he can gain altitude a few weeks after--so I figured Tybalt wouldn't be too dissimilar, it's not like Marcus who's finally flighted now after about a year), but I haven't heard back from the groomer, and in the meanwhile I've ordered that book by Ms. Heindrich (sp?) and thought some more about things. Took might be going through her terrible twos, we missed that phase with Marcus as a re-home, but I read Ringnecks are similar and go through a stage called 'bluffing'. Everyone says to ride it out--but I cannot just 'ride out' the bites he gives me when he gets like that, he rips flesh off sometimes, and repeatedly so. So when I was calmed down, I realized it was the bowl, and I've been working with him again more patiently. So maybe it's a mix of hormones (or whatever) for your Took, and other things as well. I'm not sure if we still won't clip the greenies at least moderately (I read online that for Ringnecks a style of clip of just one or two feathers can take some of their 'cockiness' away) but for the time being, I'm just happy that particular issue has been put behind us. And, honestly, I would like to keep Tybalt flighted, he is so beautiful and capable in the air, I know he loves flying, and I don't know if he's ever been clipped before and how he might take it (Beaker is fine with it, he's been clipped a number of times, but I don't want to make Tybalt 'crack' because of it or something)... With you and your Took, it might take a bit more time to figure things out, too.

 

Just know I'm thinking of you guys, and know you aren't the only ones dealing with something similar (and I have a frustrated hubby who wanted to get 'dominant' for an evening, too, and it became an issue because I kept trying to remind him, they aren't dogs!). There is always a better way than the one, perhaps, that comes to mind first. I know you'll figure it out for your household, just as we will here.