temper

[yard3875]

Roxy is 1 1/2 years old and just in the past couple of days she has been biting my husband and sometimes me. My husband is home more so than I am. I notice when a storm of front is moving she get alittle upset. But nothing is coming this way. I didn't know if there is anything else I should be looking for. I am at a loss and do not want to get rid of her. She watches tv and movies with us when i get off work. So she does have Roxy time every day. Any info would be great.

[LindaMary]

Hey, Amber -

 

I was looking at your posts and saw that there was a phase when she was 11 months old when she was biting quite a lot, too, wasn't there? So: did she get better, and then revert? The responses to your previous posts are still great advice, suggesting you not react to the biting, or try time-outs. Use those methods again; be consistent; be patient.

 

As for causes: What else has changed in your lives in the last couple of days? Have you moved any furniture? Is she getting enough sleep (11-12 hours)? Did either of you change your hairstyle, start wearing glasses, start wearing a new color....you get the drift. (It took me a while, for example, to figure out that Maxi HATES pink and goes into attack mode if there is anything pink within three feet of her...sheesh!)

 

The other thing to consider is the very normal behavioral changes that occur as the bird matures toward adolescence, though it seems like she would be a bit young still. (I have heard that Timnehs are likely to mature earlier than Congos.) My Maxi (also a Timneh) is about the same age as Roxy, and I am anticipating a personality change sometime in the next year, when she joins my daughter in entering the terrible "teens":evil: . I think you should expect to have to go through some adjustments and mood swings as she matures, but hey: adapting is part of the fun of it, right? Please don't even consider getting rid of her!

 

BTW: I love that picture of her hanging upside down. What a cutie!

[yard3875]

She was doing fine until just the past couple of days. We have the living room around her and the tv is in a different room, which we take her with us to watch. I can't think of anything that has changed. But she does need 11-12 hours asleep per-night? I do not react when she does bite me but my husband does, which we will talk about that when I get home. If she bites me I will but her back on her cage and walk away from her (is that right or should i also close her cage0?

[LindaMary]

It sounds like she's learned that your husband is the one who "likes" to play the biting game, if he regularly and consistently reacts. Is it possible that you may be reacting to her biting him, now, too - so maybe that's opening new (unwanted) possibilities for her? The trick of course is not to react at all, which is pretty hard to do when that sharp hookbill is digging into your finger, I know! :pinch: Just remember ANY reaction, positive or negative, is a reward for them. They aren't dogs!

 

One little trick that has worked for us is the trembling-hand distraction. Say she's sitting on your hand and her body language indicates a bite is coming, raise the other hand off to the side, about a foot or so away from her at eye level, and shake it a little, like a trembling aspen leaf. With Max, it was usually just enough to make her forget for a minute that she was planning to bite, and also gave the bird-holder a reprieve from blood-letting. Maybe if your husband can practice this (the timing takes a little work) he will get bitten less often and that can only serve to make him more relaxed with Roxy, which may make her less interested in biting him....

 

When I used the time-out method, I would put Max back in her cage, close the door and completely ignore her for a few minutes - probably 5 minutes maximum. I almost never have to do this any more.

 

Finally, my vet is pretty insistent that Max should have 12 hours of sleep a night. She doesn't always get that, but I do try (occasionally she gets more...) I don't really know whether lack of sleep would be a cause of a parrot biting - I just know it makes ME want to bite people....:evil:

 

Hope some of these suggestions will help...

[yard3875]

Thanks for your help, I will try these things tonight with her and also make sure she getting the right amount of sleep. I don't have kids but I'm sure this is just like having a kid.

 

 

Thanks

[judygram]

yard3875 wrote:

I don't have kids but I'm sure this is just like having a kid. Thanks

 

By jove, I think you got it, thats it in a nutshell.:laugh:

[Jane08]

Our male grey is 1 and a half and he has just started with the nipping (he doesn't actually bite) but will land on me and nip. I am sure he thinks it's a game. I take him off of me and tell him no.

 

I just assume it is a stage he is going through as I have seen many stages in both of our greys and they don't last for long. Like our female went through a screaming stage and is now oevr that.