aggression toward loved one

[flutterby]

i have an older grey named George who just came into my home about 2 weeks ago. he and i get along wonderfully, but he wants to attack my live-in boyfriend.

George will cruise down off of his cage, make a bee-line for my boyfriend and then bite him on the arm. he exhibited very similar behavior in his old home, and i believe has was never taught to act differently toward significant others.

does anyone have any advice...what should i be doing when i see George headed for my poor (scared) man? should i ward him off on his way?? he generally doesn't want anything to do w/ me at that point, either....he'll bite my hand when i ask him to step up. i've been using his perch and then placing him back in his cage when he's being aggressive....

he also fluffs A LOT when my man is around...will climb off of his cage, fluff and bark or whistle to get Troy to leave the room.

what do i need to do to get George to appreciate my HUMAN mate???? or at least be civil...

help!

thanks

[Lyric]

Hi Flutterby!

Is your man at all involved in the care of George? You could start by having him give George his favorite treats (through the cage bars if he's afraid to be around him while loose), and talk softly to him while he's doing this. Maybe George had a bad experience with a man in his past, or maybe he just doesn't like men. Some birds are definitely one person birds and it may be the case with yours. I'd try with the treats to start and see if this helps the situation at all.

[lovemyGreys]

Bearing in mind that George is 37 & if he was allowed to behave in such a way for a long time in his previous home it is going to take time for him to adjust to his new home & environment .As lyric suggests let your partner be the one to give George his favourite treat,if he can let him take George from the cage etc.. George has to see him as the good guy, possibly at present he may see him as a threat & that's why he is showing plenty of aggression. Unfortunately greys are well known for picking one member of the family to bond with & im afraid there is not much you can do to change their minds.Just take it a day at a time & see if your partner can gain some of Georges trust.

[flutterby]

George will let Troy feed him....he has never tried to bite while his hands were in the cage (that i know of). in the same vein, George used to have free range in his old home and his previous owner felt "flattered" that he'd protect her...i think she got an ego stroke out of it.

regardless, i'm thinking he needs to learn to stay on his cage top unless i, or someone else, takes him down. any ideas how to begin such training?? i don't want to go over to his cage to coax him back up top w/ a peanut every time he starts to come down b/c i am afraid he'll learn that crawling down causes me to come visit him.

man...i think i need to go back to school for a BS in psychology!! haha....:woohoo:

thanks for your suggestions thus far; greatly appreciated!

[Trustdace]

My grey has been displaying similar behavior. Congo will only step up to me when its in the cage. Congo won't let my daughter, son, or wife take him from the cage he lounges forward and tries to bite their fingers. What i've been doing is letting my daughter (the only one brave enough to try this) give it his favorite treat (fresh papaya) and holding it low. When Congo dips its head down to grab the treat my daughter reaches over with her other hand and speaks to congo softly and pets his head saying step up. We've been making progress today Congo stepped up on her hand from the cage. Here's a pic of the technique. I hope it will help. Just remember that in you case George is 37 years old a lot tougher to teach (I guess) than my 5 month old grey. Just keep practicing.

[flutterby]

thanks, Trust! your idea sounds like a good one, especially considering the magic grey words seem to be "positive reinforcement."

Troy is now the official George feeder, and George will take treats from him willingly (he also fluffs and barks when Troy walks by the cage, but hey...baby steps, right?). i bought George some dried papaya...still haven't figured out if he's eating it or not ~ he's one finicky eater. perhaps i'll try fresh!

yesterday, i started working on keeping George on his cage unless removed. he came down on 3 separate occasions and i promptly scooped him up and placed him back where he "belongs," and told him that good boys stay on their cage; gave him a peanut. after the 3rd time, i decided to sit by his cage while i read about how to curb his bad behavior. he stayed up there and chattered, whistled and meowed at me til i asked him to step up for lots of head scratchin. i think we did well.

[Trustdace]

Sounds like you're making progress flutterby. As Troy continues to work with George trust will begin to establish between them. Although greys do tend to be one person birds I have found the two that I've owned to be very sociable with others. In my opinion greys tend not to be one person birds but they tend to be more responsive to a certain person. Continue doing your research and read all the information you can about greys. You will find a world of that information here on this forum by actually exchanging info with other owners. I noted that you gave George a peanut as a treat. Let me suggest the post in the bird food room the peanut debate; consider reading it and the responses from the other members. Continue to do what you're doing flutterby your on the right track. Soon Troy and George will be best of friends.

[Lyric]

I'm glad you're making progress with George, Flutterby! It sounds like you are headed in the right direction, and yeah, positive reinforcement is the key (although sometimes it is challenging to figure out how to get it to accomplish your goals).

Trust- I like the picture of Congo eating the papaya- what a beautiful grey you have there.

[Trustdace]

Thanx Lyric