Fear Aggression? Or just plotting my demise?

[bran]

I need some serious advice....

I got Cooper (my 11 year old CAG) a little over a year ago, from a couple that had just gotten married. The wife, was Cooper's second owner, and had owned him for three years. Before that he belonged to an elderly woman, that had him since birth. During the interview process I noticed that Cooper was extremely aggressive towards the husband in the house. The husband was in fact was not allowed in the same room with Cooper when out of his cage, otherwise he was the victim of being bullied out of the room. I look back and I think that the husband might not have been the nicest to Cooper, especially when his wife was not around. (:confused: red flag #1)

 

We went through an interview process, and actually I enjoyed the fact that it was so thorough. They wanted to make sure that we would be a good family for Cooper and I actually thought that showed a lot about how he was taken care of. He was taken to the vet annually, a DNA proven male, and very large for being a CAG.

 

I remember bringing him home, and asking the introduction questions here on Grey Forums, and the way to let him meet our TAG Dexter etc. I got so much positive feedback for adopting Cooper out of a home that no longer had time for him and so much of the advice was spot on. *Including the "honeymoon" phase that JudyGram pointed out, yep, should have listened to that one.*

You know how they say hind sight is 20/20, well looking back I see some flags that I didn't notice back then. In all of his photos, no matter where they were he was puffed up, and in aggression mode. At the time I was not familiar with the temperament of the CAG as opposed to the TAG.

 

Let's fast forward. Cooper now likes to use me as his chew toy. I have so many scars from his various attacks. They are not everyday, and not all the time... however they occur randomly and like a world war. I know parrots bite, and I am not a reactive person (always) when he bites. I have done the iron fist method, the wave back and forth... but I think I am more interested in why he is biting.

 

I try and be mindful of the energy that I bring to our interactions, and I have read several books about positive reinforcement. I allow him to choose his participation, and he will actually come out on his door when he wants to be picked up and taken to his play gym. Sometimes he just bites down, just because, and it isn't a pinch, it's a bare down, draw blood and not let go kind of bite. This has made me leery of trusting him, and interactions are short, and guarded. At times when I walk by his cage he gets defensive, and gets ready for actions, even with pinned eyes. We work on target training, and he doesn't like that either. I sit with him, read to him, praise him when he does something good, all the things that I have been told to do. He gets aggressive no matter what the activity, or where, and has gone as far as to try and chase my feet across the floor.

 

My main questions are; I read about fear aggression, is this what is going on? Does Cooper just hate me? :mad: Do you think that Cooper is harboring anger towards men in general? Are there any book that you could recommend? Should I look into finding Cooper a female owner?

 

I'm perplexed, tired of being gnawed on and rather frustrated. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.[/font]

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Wow! Tough questions! She definitely doesn't hate you personally, but would benefit with help from a behavior specialist. nancy

[Jayd]

Thank you, you have a long road ahead of you, patience and time is required, not a behavior specialist.Your Fid has a lot of baggage, and will only bring out a little at a time. It's very possible he had a male abuser, don't work on the past, only the future... Unlike a human, bird psychology isn't a proven subject, we have to treat each issue on it's on merit. A Grey hold on to his badage far longer then a humam, they don't cry, they just remember.. Don't use words or sentences [names] from his past, slowly remove his old toys and replace with new ones, but keep his old cage.Do a lot of talking read and sing to him. Find a new treat, something he isn't used to, just from you.. Here's something to read

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190309-A-note-on-Punishment-and-your-Parrot

 

Please believe me, time is a must..Be your own behavior specialist, every one here will help, don't give up.......

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Of course, never give up! My rescue Sunny, got a new cage, and we all " watched", his old cage, being sent to the dump. Sunny was included! Last time he bit anyone. Nancy

[chezron]

Wow, I feel your pain. I adopted an Amazon who especially loves men, Hispanic men. I think he likes me though, (even though I am a woman),in a quiet sort of way because i am consistent and kind in my energy. I also bring great food. I feel your frustration and I hope it works out for you. Is he stick trained at all? That has been our saving grace, as Pancho steps up readily with a stick, so biting is not an option. Hey, while i am thinking about it, do you take Cooper outside for sunshine? Doing that on a regular basis has really mellowed my guys out. You won't believe it! Just 15 minutes, most days. I realize you are in Seattle, so whenever the sun comes out...

[Guest XxExoticPsychExX]

Don't worry. I think the hardest part is getting to learn their body language. I've had my ups and downs with Solomon, but things have been getting better the more we get to know eachother. Or should I say, the more I get to know him!

 

One thing you can do to curb the biting is to take certain precautions. For instance, if he bites and chases your feet, make sure you're wearing pants and sneakers you don't mind getting chewed on. That way you won't end up running or reacting in a way that encourages the behavior (I speak from experience by the way!). If you need him to step up when he probably doesn't want to, give him a favorite treat right as you're following behind with the other hand to get him to step up. Make sure he takes the treat first and then get him to step up in one fluid, calm motion. He'll hold onto that treat the whole time and your hand will be bite free. Practice, practice, practice!

 

Otherwise, teach him a desired behavior in a way that fits his personality. I've been able to teach Solomon how to get in his cage, by himself, on command. "Solomon, can you get in your cage please?" Initially I would say this, point to the inside of his cage and then place his most desired treat into his food bowl. After doing this for less than a year, all I have to do is say the phrase, point and then give him the treat from my hand after he has completed the task. Works every time.

 

Of course, there will be times where a bite may not be, or just can't be avoided. Don't worry, they don't hate you. Try different tactics. Think outside the box. Stop thinking about an issue so much and come back to it later.

 

On another note, they definitely pick up on your emotions. If you feel guarded and as though you can't trust him, that's not going to make him feel safe or any better. I don't know about you, but I don't even trust someone who can't trust me! Makes me feel like they have something to hide. ()

Be loving, patient and kind. Don't keep yourself guarded. Give him good, quality attention. Bring him a treat every time he sees you. Don't give up. It literally takes time.

 

My Solomon is 15 years old. He will have been living with me for a year come this August. My boyfriend and his parents (his previous caretakers) told me that Solomon wouldn't ever let me pick him up, would always bite hard, is afraid of everything new, will always be territorial of his cage, is extremely loud and obnoxious, etc., etc. I told them to just wait and see. I've worked with him and have altered his behaviors. He's no longer territorial, lets me pick him up (most of the time lol), is not afraid of new things, doesn't always bite hard (play nips, awww) and, well, yea he's still loud and obnoxious, but not for negative reasons!

 

Definitely learn his body language and don't give up!

[katana600]

First, I feel for you because we have had Gilbert just over fifteen months and what you describe with Cooper is similar. To the best of the limited information we have on Gilbert, his first home was with a man named Jim. He still calls for Jim almost daily. His caretaker for about two and a half years before he came to us was a female and she reported that he had issues and never liked anyone in her home male or female. There are many days when I wonder if he just can't accept me as a friendly face but what I have come to is that he can't accept losing Jim. No one else is going to fill that void. However, what I can also tell you is that with time and consistent, predictable interactions, Gilbert is just starting to warm up and come around to the fact that this place isn't quite as bad as he might originally have decided. When he started biting, I backed off and don't approach him unless he asks me to. The way he does this is to grab the bars with one foot, tucks his head and holds tight to his chest feathers. There are times when he will just relax, close his eyes and surrender to the moment. He will lift his head and make a sound like a crying baby when he is enjoying the interaction. Then he will tuck again for more contact. Sometimes, he will get into the posture of asking for a scratch but when I get close, he spins and tries to bite me. I don't take it personally. I think he really wants the contact, but he is so wired and on guard he can't relax. If I wait ten minutes and ask for a scratch when I am walking past him, he will let me know if we can try it again. I really do understand how it seems that he just hates his life with us sometimes. I look at that as he hates where his life has gone since he lost his beloved Jim. I can't blame him there. I wish I could see into his previous life and know what good things Jim did with him so I could give him comfort. What I have seen is a very very slow acceptance of our life together. I believe it will get better. I have seen him get just a little better month by month. At first when he was scared or frustrated he would chew off his chest feathers. Now at least he seems to be able to calm himself and he is starting just within the past month to play with toys. Changing Cooper's life might not be of any help whether a nice little old lady exactly like the first home came along or if you keep trying and offer him a stable home while he finds a way to get past his loss. What I have learned is to accept Gilbert the way he is and not have any expectations, just continue to be caring and loving to him and every now and again, I see him respond positively and that is my incentive to keep a consistent love for him and let him find his own way of coping. As long as he isn't being destructive to himself, I feel like we are making progress counted in years, not in weeks.