Bites All The Time

[luvgrey]

Our AG is 3 yrs. old and we have had him since he was able to eat food properly. He was so young that he could not climb much, but matured to be able to get around the cage at an early age.

He has a large cage with many, many toys inside and out. He seems very happy and talks some, but would rather sound like the dog toys or bark like the dog. He has always been more friendly to my husband, but never to me. I am home with him all day and he has a routine 12 hr. dark sleep time and 12 hours of being out of the cage and able to go in whenever he desires. He also has proper lighting everyday.

Recently, he has been much more aggressive with his biting - has always been a biter but not to this degree. While offering a slice of apple, he will be eating it and all of a sudden reach past it and bite. In plain words, we no longer can trust that he will not bite. My husband lets him step up on his finger and he then swings down and around several times...now he swings back up and bites really hard. I always pray he will not fly off the cage while I am here alone, as I would not be able to pick him up. I have offered him a perch to step up on and he bites it. Is there any rehabilitation for this AG, as our patience with him are growing short? My husband was never totally afraid of handling him, but is now. My husband never displays fear, so we don't think he picks up on that emotion. Any suggestions?

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Sounds like terrible two's! Your plan of 12/12 is perfect! When your baby is eating his slice of apple, works his way around and bites, what do you do? I would suggest saying " NO!," bird loses his slice of apple and goes into timeout. it is so important to teach our birds our expectations. They WANT to understand, but usually don't understand. timeout is always less than five minutes, and you need to get birdout and discuss it. Greys desire to be part of the flock.They want to understand what you expect of them. The problem is.... most owners don't " listen!" to them. It took us six months as a family to develop a " relationship" with Sophie a decade ago.

Today, Sophie rules the flock,including dogs. She is allowed shoulder status to all of us. Occassionally...I have to intervene with the birds, but rarely. They make their own rules. Nancy

[JeffNOK]

I wish you the best. I don't have any experience with this issue but I just want to encourage you. There are lots of people who have dealt with this issue and they will surely reply soon. Just try not to lose heart, know you are not alone, and understand that this is something that can be dealt with. Nancy has given some good advice and more will follow.