jealousy bite?

[bettyboop]

Sammy was sitting in my lap enjoying head scratches last night .Everything was going great . My husband came into the room and sat down in the chair beside us .He just spoke to Sammy,thats all. Sammy walked onto my arm which was resting on the chair , then he lunged and bit me on the check very close to my eye.He didnt break the skin , but I had a huge whelp .I just handed him to my Husband , there was no reaction.I can't believe , there was no warning , no pinning , nothing .My Husband even said , he was watching and saw nothing that would indicate this was about to happen .He was about elbow level on the arm , then he jumped towards my face and just grabbed me. Was this jealousy , I know the person they bond with is sometimes the one who gets the bite.

This guy will never be on me again .So Sad ...

Mary

[danmcq]

It could be jealousy, since it occurred with your husband sitting down next to you.

 

It's really hard to say though. If I remember right, he has bitten unexpectedly since you got him a month or two ago. Being 3 years old when you got him, also means he has "baggage" I suspect that you may be unaware of.

 

Being bitten unexpectedly that close to the eye and with such force is very alarming.

 

Looks like it is going to take more than just a couple of months to get Sammy and your family all adjusted to each other.

 

Maybe a firm "No Bite" and caging him after it, would help get the message across that it is not an acceptable behaviour?

[Nychsa]

Wow that sounds very dangerous.

 

If it were me, I think I would take a very systematic approach in learning more about Sammy.

 

I would use the next couple of months to maybe begin documenting trends - I really mean actuall writing it down in a little diary of sorts. Since you got him at 3, it might help you fill in the gaps as it relates to his triggers and behavior patterns. I do think like Dan said though it is important not to let him get away with that. He does need to hear "no bite" and see in your face that you mean it by giving him a stern look (they can read our facial expressions).

 

Good luck with him and be careful!!

[judygram]

That was very scary Mary and I don't blame you for refusing to allow him on you but I think this can be overcome in time.

 

I echo Dan and Terri's comments, he has some baggage that you might not know about that might explain what he did but you will have to be more careful in allowing him that close again. until he learns that is not acceptable.

 

I like Terri's suggestion of documenting trends so that you can maybe get a pattern of triggers and his behavior from them but he does need to be told "no bite" when he goes to bite and be put back in his cage or back on a perch for a short period of time to learn this is not acceptable behavior.

[bettyboop]

Thanks guys, We will keep the diary.Good Idea!!!! Even with him being in my lap and having his eyes closed , I was having to be careful , he was flipping that head around and I would just stop and he would calm down . He does pretty good when we are just walking him around , site seeing but when we sit , he is acting arrogant.The lady we bought him from said he had never bitten anyone .I find that very hard to believe, she was divorced and now has a boyfriend , which to me could explain a jealousy issue perhaps picked up from her .Also the children went to live with the ex husband , so he also had lost part of a family where I am sure there was some stress issues.So we will see.He does great as long as we don't handle him , letting him out and he flies to playstand and then back to cage .Isnt this sort of out of control , on our part ?

If anyone else has any suggestions , they will be appreciated .

Thanks ,

Mary

[Tycos_mom]

Mr. Magoo flew and attacked my daughter twice and each time I imediatly took him and put him in his cage and told him he was a bad bird no biteing he only did it twice and learned very quickly that as soon as He did that it was cage time for awhile. I would try this as it works well. I know its hard to trust them again once they have bitten you but don't give up on him I'm sure he just didn't understand the situation at that moment try working with him to sosalize him to your whole family and then mabie he will feel less threatened by the presence of your husband coming into the room and sitting beside you. and I also agree that a diary might help just to see when he actually starts to get agressive and why. Pat

[Nychsa]

I hope the diary works out for you Mary. I've found keeping records of things I'm trying to understand help me put things into context. It's funny how if we don't do that, we formulate impressions that may not necessarily be correct (Ok - I'm guilty - I did read Freakonimcs :laugh:

[bettyboop]

Pat , Sammy is with Doug and I both equally. He spends as much time with Doug as me . So it's not a social issue . He got real cocky when my husband sat down and I think he thought Doug was there to remove him from me . Which he wasnt, he just sat down .

Thanks , for the reassurance , I won't give up , it will just be a while .

Mary