Help! Simon is developing a new bad habit.

[Zoom]

Simon has started biting me all of a sudden. He's 19 months old and in the past few days he has begun nipping me on the ears and fingers. It's not super hard, but it's hard enough to be uncomfortable and annoying. And it's frequent! I've tried putting him down whenever he does it, but he flies right back to me for another chomp.

 

He's also flying a lot more and challenging the other birds more than he ever did before. It's like he's got ants in his pants.

 

I'd like to nip this new biting habit in the bud before it gets entrenched, but I'm not sure how to handle it. Any suggestions?

[birdhouse]

Sorry Zoom, I've got no experience w/babies & it sounds like the Terrible 2's from what I've read. The only universal grey advise I've got is don't let it get to you. Once Simon figures out that it's pushing your buttons, he's going to keep pushing. All greys think think that's funny.

 

If you can keep your sense of humor, you're more likely to get thru most issues (& on to the next one >;->) that much more easily. That's become my secret weapon over the years & it's served me pretty well.

 

Hopefully the other members will be able to give more specific help, here. Good luck.

[Mistyparrot]

I would give Misty time out in his cage as soon as he nipped my ears. Just a few minutes and he got the message. As he is out when I am home which is most of the time he soon learned his boundaries. No shouting, just "no biting" and in he went.

 

Steve n Misty

[Zoom]

Okay, I'll try that. Thank you.

[Wingy]

Jake was a bit nippy at the vets office and she suggested that I say "no bite" in a deep voice. I had to combine that with immediately putting him back in is cage but it did work. You'll just have to use trial and error to see what works for you.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I agree... terrible two's. A firm NO BITE! Return to cage, wait five minutes and try again act like nothing happened. You may find yourself doing this several times a day. Important to be consistent, as well as other family members do the same.I was more strict with " timeout", but have gotten some protests. Thats okay... we are all hear to talk about what we do. I would put Sophie in a timeout cage. No toys!Five minutes. Discussed with her, " I love you" kiss, lets try again." Six months of biting. She learned.

I know I have told this story several times, but it was a " monumental" change for us. Oneday, Sophie was sitting on my wrist( no shoulder until you don't bite), she was biting the " air", saying " NO BITE! NO BITE! She finally understood! I called the kids down, did a dance... they all thought I was crazy, but I knew Sophie finally understood. She was allowed shoulder status at that moment. I told her " welcome home". She has been on my shoulder ever since, and none of us have ever been bitten again. It was so worth the six months of work, never compromising regarding biting. Now I have had a decade of a grey that lifts her foot the moment she see's me. I don't have to say stepup, or anything.She wants to be with me, and I want her to be with me as well. Nancy

[chezron]

Consistency is the key. I always said, "Be Nice" when he applied a little too much pressure. If he bit harder still I tossed him into the air and said "be nice" again. He has since stopped experimenting and does not bite hard. Although, in the spring that sometimes changes. Wingy, that deep voice thing might be a good idea to try. I will try it. I never did "time outs" as time away from me was adequate punishment.

[zooman]

This past year my TAG started to do the same thing with his cage area, never been bitey with me but now i think hes entering into sexual maturity (hes 4) and makes a nest like pile of paper in the corner of his cage. I open the cage and he either pins his eyes and bites or fluffs out and i say ok ill come back later to him, always in the morning and never annnyy other time. it reached my limit when he would swoop down like a robin protecting his nest and nip me and take off. I was unable to give time outs as he was free flighted. So with the avian vets advice she said try to do a semi wing clip...i know i know some people go garrrr, but seriously calmed him. He can fly still no problem but not amazing like before. they only clipped maybe 3 feathers on each wing. just something to keep in mind if it gets worse. Im using this time to restablish to him that behaviour is not ok without nips from him, because im his favourite too so its been so weird. anyways good luck.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

zooman... I agree with your vets opinion. Babies need to learn to fly, 100% as babies. We practiced flying with all our guys. One to initiate the flight, another family member, to be on the otherside, waiting if they crashed. All in our family room.As they got older, they were trimmed according to their learning needs. They still could fly, but just enough to maintain their basic flying abilities. They were able to focus on learning and expectations. They became fully flighted rather quickly.

I'm sure people will complain that this was not the best thing to do for my birds, but I say,my birds don't chew their feathers, love each other, and fly quite well. They are very happy. Isn't that our goal? Nancy

[zooman]

exactly, you are correct. they are not in the wild and thats the only thing i think he could have. I buy the right foods and give him lots of time with me and everything i personally can afford to give money or of me. wish i could say the same about feather chewing but we are working through that now, its a mild case compare to some but doing everything we can.

[chezron]

Zooman,

Do you take your bird out into the sunshine? My bird had begun to barber his feathers,my vet suggested 15 minutes of outside sunlight on most days. Regular exposure to sunshine STOPPED my bird from continuing to barber. It also tempered his mood because of the increase of Vitamin D in his system. Vitamin D is a vitamin and also a hormone.

 

I also supplement my parrot's diet with organic red palm oil which supplies valuable nutrients like Vitamin A. Once a week my parrots also get a cooked chicken drumstick bone. The marrow is an excellent source of many nutrients. They devour the bones! You might try some of these measures to help your bird.

 

I have excerpted this from African Grey expert, Pamela Clark:

 

"Several physical problems are coming to be recognized as typical to African Greys. Aside from infectious diseases common to their species, they also experience other maladies for which the cause is not as easily identifiable. Feather abusive behavior, seizure activity, blindness and cataracts are becoming more commonly seen. Calcium deficiencies and low vitamin A levels are frequently seen in older birds. Many adult Greys do not display the vibrant red tails, shiny black beaks, and gray feathers that have sheen to them that are all characteristic of a healthy African Grey.

 

I have come to believe that many of the problems, both behavioral and physical, that Greys manifest in the domestic world are a result of inadequate nutrition. From what I’ve been able to determine, a lot of Greys just don’t feel really well as a result of poor diets. The types of problems that I described above suggest that Greys are not receiving adequate levels of vitamins D3 and A, the minerals calcium and selenium, and the essential fatty acids.

 

In the last few years, there has grown to be an increased awareness of the benefits of full spectrum lighting, primarily because it allows parrots to manufacture vitamin D. However, there is also some confusion about whether full spectrum lighting is really necessary for parrots receiving vitamin D3 in their diets. If they are, they may not need full spectrum lighting. However, this line of reasoning assumes that most species can successfully absorb vitamin D from their digestive tracts.

 

At the last PBR convention, Tammy Jenkins, DVM brought up an interesting point. Greys in the wild live close to the equator and get the maximum possible number of hours of sunlight each day. They have evolved a dark coloring to their feathers, much the same that dark skinned peoples have who live in these same geographical regions. This dark coloring is responsible for screening out much of the UV light which hits them. The hypothesis that might be drawn from these observations states that Greys may have evolved in such a way that they do not, in the wild, have to be as effective in absorbing vitamin D from their diets because they manufacture adequate amounts from their exposure to the sunlight. In other words, they may depend upon exposure to sunlight for their source of this vitamin, rather than diet.

 

If true, this would suggest that it is critical for African Greys to receive either full spectrum lighting close to their cages, or have frequent access to an outdoor aviary to enjoy the benefits of natural sunshine. My own observations have lent credibility to this theory."

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

chezron... an excellent post! You truly educated me! I'm working on getting Sophie back outside. Nancy