be nice to others

[md2020]

my cag is 14 mo now and he is very sweet with me, but generally not anyone else. my girlfriend is very patient with him and tries to talk to him and such, but he likes to bite her and fairly hard. What is the best way to approach this problem?

[Dave007]

You could get your girlfriend involved with the bird in other things besides just talking. Try to let the bird see that he will get the same things from her as well as you. It takes time though. Your girlfriend's age or makeup or the possibility that she wears glasses sometimes leads to biting--unusual but this does happen.

You never said how long you've had the bird. This particular bird may have never been socialized into a family setting. It's a very important thing to do with any type of parrot. If not, there's a chance that the bird will only be friendly with the person that it's most familar with--It's called *one person bird* which should never be allowed to develop.

Another thing you can do is for both of you to be close to the cage and have conversations with each other. A grey is always interested in listening.

Another thing you can do concerns feeding treats or favorite food. Go to the store and buy some human grade roasted peanuts. Make sure they're unsalted. Have her take the shells off and let him see what she's doing. Then let her go to the cage, open the bowl area and let her put some in the bowl. Not hand feed them to him, just in the bowl. have her do it often. The bird will see that good things also come from her. After a couple of weeks let her offer them through the bars of the cage. Switch nuts. Get some almonds that are unshelled. Let her give the bird one at a time. A grey love to break the shell to get at the almond.

But there is another possible side to your problem. You never said whether you and her live together. If she does, she should deal with the bird on a constant basis. If she's just a frequent visiter, there's the possibility that your bird is simply reacting to her the way it would react to another visitor.

You have a job to do and there's not quick solution to a bird that bites. It takes patience and some imagination. If he likes to bite her obviously, she's putting her hand in an close area where she can be bitten and she should lessen up on that and concentrate on getting the bird very familiar with her. Concerning those peanuts---let her do the process, not you. Let her be the one that gives him something very enjoyable.

PS---in your situation, those peanuts shouldn't be looked upon as treats. They should be classified as tools even though the bird enjoys them. You know it's tool, he doesn't.

Another PS--if tensions should ease up, but some packets of instant oatmeal, the flavored kind and have her offer the bird some in a coffee scoop. Most birds won't bypass something like that just to make sure that he/she can bite. Substitute the closeness of her finger with a scoop of warm sweet flavored oatmeal.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/06/01 19:52<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/06/01 19:57

[bettyboop]

Dave ,you always say it so well . Good advice !

Mary

[Tycos_mom]

Good advice Dave couln't have said it better my self