In need of a parrot whisperer

[Guest]

Hello all!

My husband and I adopted our ~9 y/o TAG, Schooner, about 7 months ago. We got (rescued)  him from a family who I honestly think did not treat him well (they used welding gloves to catch him and literally throw him into his travel carrier when we came to pick him up 😳🤭😭) and I don’t know much about his early life other than he spent most of his time in his cage. 

I’m a marine mammal and dog trainer and am well versed in positive reinforcement, reading body language and building a good relationship with your animal. But let me tell y’all, this bird is something else!

I’ve had some major success with him and I have definitely learned some of his tells. But I’m having a lot of problems with his biting. I can only ask him to step up onto my hand when he first wakes up in the morning and he’s doing that whole regurgitation song and dance. Other wise I have to wait for him to climb down his cage onto the floor and then I can pick him with this little organization box (we call it the magic box, pictured below). He’s eating well, bathing, interacting with toys and can be very vocal (mostly whistles, clicks and other vocalizations, no words). 

I try sooo hard to find ideal times to ask him to step up and reward him for being good and for also making it variable (if he steps up he doesn’t have to be with me forever, he can go back to his cage or he can go sit on his magic box somewhere while I read or something). But homeboy doesn’t just tag you, he grinds his beak into your skin and doesn’t let up. 

Ideally, I would love to find a bird trainer/grey specialist that either I can go to or can come meet him (so someone in the central Texas area?)and give me more insight on how to help this lil bird be successful. I understand that he might not ever be affectionate with me but I would like to be able to pick him up consistently and be able to move him to clean his home and socialize with him etc. 

Any and all advice would be appreciated!

-Schooner’s Mom

[Greytness]

Schooner is a beauty!

Sometimes the best we can do is to honor what our birds want. Biting means that  you're asking him to do something he doesn't want to do. Avoiding situations that potentially can elicit a bite is one of the best approaches.

It sounds as though Schooner has let you know when it's okay to pick him up. It's all about their wants; not what we need. In time it will likely improve for you. Seven months isn't really that long, especially knowing that he was previously abused by 'hand things', if you know what I mean. Your hands, whether covered or not cause him stress; hence the bites.

[SRSeedBurners]

Schooner will soon be training you 🤣.   Actually, sounds like it has already started!   You might have your work cut out for you.   Once a Grey has been mishandled, they never forget it and will carry that baggage forever.   That biting down and grinding is most likely the result of being handled with gloves and learning how to bite down into them.   Greys usually don't bite like that, they are a bite and release type of bird.  The effects of mishandling can lessen over time but they can still be wary of things that trigger them.   Our Huey (22 y.o.) was abused by a male two families before we got him and does not like men.  His previous owner treated him well for 10+ years and still got the business end of Huey from time to time.   We've had him for just over a year and I've made great strides with him, to the point where he will show me he doesn't want to be put down by, of course, biting the hell out of me (hoomans can be dense sometimes).  Took about 7-8 months before I had my first real break-through with him so it can take a while but if you are patient it's rewarding.

 

I'm getting better at reading Huey's body language.   He does not like me banging on things in his kitchen drawer (he's the proud new homeowner here apparently) nor does he appreciate me putting up new ropes and toys in his aviary.  He flew at me and bit the crap out of me just yesterday but I knew it was coming and was ready.   It only took a few times before I realized what was triggering him.  A nice flying bite attack helps speed up the learning process.  I also have to be careful when my wife's around.  She's his wife now and I've been given several eviction notices.  But as much as he has it out for me, he loves to spend time with me and LOVES to be around me when I'm playing loud music and bouncing him around.  Took a long time to get him to that point though.

 

I'm just north of you (Allen).  I'm not familiar with anyone down that way other than the guy who runs J.C. Aviary in Austin.   You may try to contact him and see if he knows of anyone or maybe he can eval the Schooner and give some insight.

 

Also one thing you might try is making a tight fist and bending your hand so the skin on top is nice and tight.  Then offer treats for step-ups onto your fist.   They have a hard time getting a nice grip on that tight skin.   I had to do this with Huey for a long time till I got him stepping up without blood-letting.

 

Schooner's a cutie pie!

 

[Greywings]

He has learned from the previous peoples rough treatment that we are not a trustworthy species it will take quite a while to earn that trust back. Nothing wrong with bribes, non touching personal time-read to him show pictures(children's bright colored stories) heck sing and dance. time will eventually help heal both his psyche and your skin. You might contact Barbara Heidenreich she has some free publications and U tube videos.  Wonderful advice.

Edited April 10, 2019 by Greywings

[neoow]

Take a look at Joanna Berger, M.Sc.🦜 (@JoannaBergerMSc): https://twitter.com/JoannaBergerMSc

It might be worth speaking to and maybe booking a consultation with Joanna Berger. I follow her on twitter and she offers good advice on parrot behaviour. She can run consultations via a skype video call. Whilst I haven't had a consultation with her myself I have seen other peoples comments and videos about successful consultations with her for their parrots.

She can also be emailed at animalbehaviorconsultancy@gmail.com