cindyscharlie Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I just got my grey about 2 months ago....at first he was a good bird and is a good bird overall...but for some reason he has gotten in this defense mood that when you try to come get him off his cage or talk to him he bends down like he is in defense mode and trys to bite...sometimes he will even hang upside down by one leg which is kinda funny and screams like a woman while biting himself...Im thinking its because Im not paying enough attention....I have carried him to the vet and he is been given a clean bill of health...the vet told me they were known to throw temper tantrums but he hasn't gotten any better...I love my bird and would love to show him affection but he will only let me pick him up on his terms...any suggestions!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Yes. Go along with his terms. For a while. Then, slowly slowy introduce your terms and when showing a tantrum, ignore him. That way he'll know that each time he does this he is not going to get ANY attention. Do you play with him? Ah, and, of course, welcome to the forum. I hope you will enjoy it here B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindyscharlie Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 yes I sit in front of his cage and talk to him and play with him with his toys when he will let me stick my arm in there...thank you for welcoming me and charlie to the forum....Im just afraid I will stress him if I keep on with him.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I don't really think you will stress him if you take everything easy and calm and with (the magic word) a lot of patience. Don't push him into things he's not ready for and advance everytime a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monique Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 You need to be sure you don't pull away from him when he bites. I know this can be very very hard to do but it's a must or else they learn that biting will get you to "go away and leave them alone". If he is biting in certain circumstances try to avoid those for now. For instance if he bites when on top of his cage then no more on top of the cage time right now! Give him some other type of perch to hang out on - can be the back of a chair or handle of a sturdy basket if you don't have another one - does not need to be fancy. Make sure you handle him every day and have him step up for you several times each day. I agree with your vet he is being a little brat right now and throwing a temper tantrum. I do not think this is common with Greys but it can happen - that they get territorial about their cage where they get mad at you when you are around it and have them step up because it is "theirs". If this is happening with him there are a few things you can do. One is get him a different cage to sleep in (this can be a small $20 pet carrier from Walmart with a perch screwed into the side). And the second is when he is in his cage take him out by first having him step up onto a stick ... and then next you can have him step on your hand away from the stick after he's away from the cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherStrella Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 When we first got Harrison, he was a delight. He'd step up and come out of his cage with no problems. Then, many months later, he started doing what you're explaining. He started biting...not hard, but enough to get me to pull away. He'd hang upside down when I'd try to get him out of his cage...he just wouldn't come out for me. He was turning one at the time so I was taking him to the vet anyway...They said that because he was still young, he wouldn't bite hard and to "force" him out of the cage. Now, that doesn't mean grab him or anything...it just means to insist on him stepping up. If he's hanging by one foot, have him step up...no matter how awkward the position. I stopped pulling away when he'd "bite"...he never did draw blood....it took a day or two and he was back to normal. He totally stopped that behavior and started coming out of the cage with no problems what-so-ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindyscharlie Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 thank you everyone for your comments on helping me on what to do with charlie and his behavior probleming...I will start working on that this afternoon and maybe things will work out for us....:laugh: I know he knows that Im scared because I do pull away when he tries to peck because he has brought blood...he means business when he bites, but I do think he is dominate over his home (cage) because he is only like that around the cage area and not when I get him off the cage...the only thing I have figured out to do so far is to wrap my arm with a towel and he will step up with no problem but if I don't have a towel around my arm he pecks or tries too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 And when you're away from the cage you take the towell off and everything is OK? It might indeed have something to do with you coming close to his 'home' - but this is the first time I read about it :ohmy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindyscharlie Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 yeah I take the towel off and he seems to be fine...I just think its a territorial thing that he is going through...He has alot of toys and a huge cage so I know he isnt bored....maybe spoiled...he has the best and I talk to him but he is young and he is only whistling right now and can only say hello I have tried other things on talking but its not happening right now but I know in time he will... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Well, if he's already saying 'hello' then he'll talk more when he's ready for it for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoesDad Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I have read somewhere that moving the cage to another room or to another place within the same room can also help with territorial aggression. Step-ups can also be re-patterned through practise in unfamiliar surroundings (a room that the bird rarely visits). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindyscharlie Posted May 10, 2007 Author Share Posted May 10, 2007 well I have him in the kitchen because that is the only area that doesn't have carpet....because normally when he is sitting outside on his door he poops in the floor...so that is the reason why I have him in the kitchen where he can see everything around him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoesDad Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Be sure you don't use non-stick cookware as it can kill a bird! Also, from what I've read, the kitchen isn't the best place for a bird as they are highly sensitive to smoke and fumes. I've read of a case where a bird died of smoke fume inhalation. Their respiratory systems account for a much greater proportion of their body weight than is the case in us. (That's why miners used to take canaries down the mine shafts with them.) If you wanted to move the cage, you could just line the carpet below it with a rubber or clear plastic liner. A piece of plexiglass from the Home Depot or other harware store would also work and look good. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monique Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 We have our Conure bird in the kitchen and they are okay. Our house is such that even if I moved him to the living room she'd just be 3 foot farther away from the kitchen anyway . She does the same thing - poops out the side of the cage. Thank goodness my other birds do not do that it drives me crazy!!!! :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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