Barbara Heidenreich - Good Advice to Control Biting

[chezron]

I like her style, and I strive to follow her respectful way of dealing with my parrots. Good points in this article on how to avoid getting bit. Birds bite when they don't feel safe, not because they are inherently mean.

http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012/12/respecting-bite.html?inf_contact_key=82a753d3f48795341429f4f392f974cf3675660a187854164fc74499596b7f73

[Jayd]

Parrots bite for many reasons, jealousy, attention, wanting something, saying no, dislike and feeling you like them to bite and playing. A Grey fears very little in captivity, unless they've been abused. You can find many cases on the net of "Unsocial Greys" right from birth, they're so ornery they won't even let you hand feed them, there's special rescues for this type of Grey....Thank you Jayd

[chezron]

I guess all I can say is "ouch"

[Jayd]

I guess all I can say is "ouch"

 

NO NO NO NO NO, You thread is wonderful, We just have to research deeper sometimes, her techniques, style and the point she was trying to make is all proper and correct, no harm in anything she said. She uses key word to express the same thing as something I might write using a few hundred more words....This also keeps the reader interested and not bored. Please Your a very intelligent person and I've always respected you for your ability's to seek what is right, to you.

[Jayd]

Due to care and concern from loving members like those of the Grey Forums, knowledge of our Greys are advancing in leaps and bound. We've started treating these birds as individuals, getting away from "Human Psychology" and developing "Avian Psychology". Just recently we've discovered that "Pinning" doesn't mean the same thing from bird to bird, and that it has a completely new meaning. This has been brought about by you and people like you, who notice things that don't seem normal. Our road is only going up, don't close your mind, listen before judging...

[danmcq]

Thanks for posting this. Barbara's articles always contain great nuggets of information to ponder and apply in situations such as biting. As she indicates herself, somtimes we do not fully understand why it happened. But, if one truly takes pause and replays the incident, they will glean out of it something to change on their part and how to approach what you did differently the next time. Once you have spent time doing this, you will learn when to just leave them be, offer a treat, talk smoothly and praise them etc. before and as you try to get a step up. It has taken me a long time to learn ways to avoid a bite, but the time spent analyzing and trying a different methods pays off, incident by incident.

[carlsjr]

yes body language is key. for Luna i have a couple of key behaviors that tell me that she will bite me if i mess with her. 1. if she is in her mid afternoon aggressive let the energy out phase by hanging upside down and biting the bell or if she is just excited and i put my hand in and if she raises up like a cobra and lets out a loud click. im going to get bite, not hard but firm.

 

On the other hand like right now she is is sitting on top of my monitor as i type this all puffed out and looking like a baby penguin. i can reach up with 100% certainty that i will not get bit and she will welcome the scratched by putting her beak in to my palm or she will turn her head like she is sleeping so i rub her neck. then she will show her pleaseure and gently beak my finger from the hand down to the finger nail. and she LICKS my finger while doing it. then go back to being a puffed up penguin and start beak grinding. Birds so weird but a absolute blast to have. lol

Edited December 24, 2012 by carlsjr

[Spinner]

Thanks for the post. Barbara's methods are scientific, patient, grounded, and successful. No one can dispute the methods she uses. I recommend her workshops to everyone, regardless of skill. If you can't attend one of her workshops, then get her training videos - they are more than worth the money.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Glad to see the mention of eye pinning. When Sophie was younger, it meant she felt threatened and wanted me, or someone else, to back off. As she got older and trusted all of us, it was no longer a threat, but she was interested in something we said. First time I noticed this was when I said Kuchikuchikoo! Tickling her under her chin. I knew it wasn't the tickle, it was what I said. I knew she wanted to learn this. I repeated it several times, and to this day, it is her favorite saying. Many times since then, when her eyes pin, I know she is learning. I repeat what I have said, and she repeats it. Nancy