ducking his head

[gourdlady247]

I'm working with George tonight. When I go to give him a treat, he ducks his head then takes the treat. Does anyone have an idea of why he may do that? I'm thinking my he thinks i'll scratch his head. BUT NOOOOO... I'm Still leary of being bite cause he still lunges at me. Any ideas

Thanks

Marla

[bettyboop]

could yo explain this a little more .Does he look down ? Or lower his head as though he is ducking , are you holding it over his head ? They don't like things over their heads .I 'm not sure I understand what he is doing .If you are afraid of him bitting you , he will .They can sense things .The best way to approach him is lower your energy before going to him , take some deep breaths and calm down . If he feels your being tense , he will become tense , just talk very sweetly and softly and move very slow .Perhaps you shouldnt try to step him up or put yourself in the position of him bitting until you feel safe .I remember when our first Grey came home , I would just sit by his cage with the door open and read story books to him , I didnt try to coax him out , I just left him alone .He finally came out crawled over and sat on my shoulder while I read. We became very close after that. He never lunged or tried to bite me again .

[gourdlady247]

He just lowers his head and stretch towards me. I hand him his treats from the side so he can see i have something for him. And Yeah I'm afraid of him biting he has a few behavioral problems.Bites real good and will lung at you. But we're working on those. He just in the last few days has adventured to the bottom of his cage to play. I sit in front of his cage and talk to him. The other day he reached out and bit me on the shoulder. I called him my little back bitter (under my breath). He doesn't step up yet on the stick. (Working on that too). We have made tons of progress in the last few days.

My husband said last night he like a foster child that has been bounced from home to home. He just doen't know who or what to trust yet. But he'll learn eventually that I feed him, so don't bite the hand that feeds. Lol

[bettyboop]

maybe the lowering of the head is I want this so I am going to be real good so I can have it type attitude ...Remember bitting is learned behavior , if you react "ouch " or pull away , he loves it . They love drama .Our new CAG , Sammy bites me , never my Husband , this guy goes after my face everytime he is on me .Now he isnt allowed above my waist , so when I step him up , my arm goes down . The last time he bit my hand , I was putting toys in his cage , he grabbed my finger , I just stood there , he was applying pressure and I just looked at him and didnt move , when he released he said ouch !!!!!I just walked away and he has not gone after me again , so if he does get you , don't react , if thats possiable.

How old is he? How long have you had him ? Perhaps your Husband is correct , he will get over it , but if he has been passed over and over , something could be wrong , he could be a bitter .

I wouldnt rush things if he hasnt been with you very long .It took 7 months for our first Grey to stop bitting my Husband ......Just slow down and continue talking and visiting with him and offer treats , hopefully he will stop this .I think they bite , because this is their way of saying leave me alone , or no I don't want to do whatever you want me to do .Our CAG, is 3 and we have had him 8 months .He is very happy sitting on his playstand and playing , he loves my Husband , so the minute he come home Sammy is all over him , but during the day , maybe once a day , he will allow me to step him up for a few min.s and then he starts getting all arrogant , so back he goes.

[gourdlady247]

Yeah we have only had him for about three weeks. When he was brought to us he was toweled cause he bites. He's between 7-10 years old.

From what we know Someone in the Dallas area had him I think first, then the lady that my son got it from had george for 4-5 years. She has said the other day that he didn't like her at all and that he always bites at her. But all of her birds bite i think ( she has 50) So I realize from what we have been told here we have a long road ahead of us. He does act differently towards my husband. He still kinda lungs at but not like he does me. I Just don't know how to learn to not pull back when he latches on. He's made me bleed twice. But I'm tring. But that's a hard thing to try and not do.

[Tycos_mom]

Close your Eyes so you can't see the bite coming or close your fist and offer the back of your hand to him bend your wrist so the skin is really tight he won't be able to get a good grip. just make sure when he moves to grab a soft spot like the side of your hand that you also move so that all he can get to is the back of your fist that has the tight skin he will soon relieze he can't get a good bite and stop trying. It works great Its called the Iron Fist.<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2008/11/10 05:28

[gourdlady247]

ok thanks for the tip.

[BaxtersMom]

When I got Baxter at 12 years old he bit me for the first 4 to 6 weeks. He drew blood daily & I thought I would have scars. He would be nice one minute and bite me the next. It unfortunately is not uncommon with rehomed birds but as the others said do not react to their bites if at all possible. They sense it, they know when they have fear in you and will use it. Kind of like a bully does. Once you stand up for yourself, a bully knows he can not get to you anymore they stop their bad behavior. The others gave you great advice, try not to react if at all possible and put your hand in a fist so the skin is tight and they can not get a good grip. If the beak comes toward you, do not pull away. That is when they know they have you scared and they know their behavior is working. It works for them so they will keep on doing it. Don't push him too hard and things will fall into place. 3 weeks is not that long. He is still settling in his new home. It took atleast a month before he was really settled in. You are getting though. He might need a little more patience since he had a troubled past but it will pay off in the long run and you will be rewarding in the long run. Hang in there. I know what you are going through cuz I have been there myself;) I know it's easier said than done, too. There were some days I had to take a break from Baxter just so I could regroup mentally. :laugh: We are very very close now though and I haven't been bitten in ages and I do not think he even wants to bite me anymore. He now gives me kisses. It will pay off in the long run.

[bettyboop]

Just be patient , it might take a long time