Obidience, Biting & playing.

[ParrotLover]

Ok this is an issue i havent yet been able to solve, april my 3 year old cag has always been quite tame with me, she lets me stroke her msot of the time, she likes to watch tv with me, and she asks me for kisses, and if i go out somewhere she'll say bye to me.

The issue is, for example if im eating something its more like if im eating something with a spoon then she flies to me and bites me really hard, shes that quick i cant move away, or she'll try and bite the plate/bowl my foods on. ( if i put her in the cage when i eat this doesnt solve anything because i'd like her to be ok with me eating in front of her. )

Also sometimes when i have her out she'll refuse to step up if shes somewhere she really enjoys playing like on the stairs or on the living room carpet and then she'll bite me because i want her to step up, or if im just opening her cage to feed her or stroke her she'll peck me out of the blue.

Dont get me wrong shes a brilliant parrot and most of the time shes great for me, its just the issues ive stated that really get in the way.

Also sometimes when on her cage, she wont step up even tho she knows how to and she'll go down to the bottom of her cage where the paper is and she'll start ripping it up! I try stop her but nothign works so ive been putting things in the bottom she doesnt like, like little toy fiqures, im thinking i might have to go shopping to get her a few little things to play around with, because when shes out i dotn know what to do with her?

Any help is appreciate,

Thankyou.

[ranaz]

Hi parrot lover,

So does she have any toys in her cage??

As for biting you when you want her to stepp up and she doesnt want, its normal, she has tried it once and saw that it works and that it keeps you away, so thats her way of keeping you away, so she can stay where she pleases.

As for attacking you while you are eating, I have a simple suggestion for you. everytime I get a food plate for myself, I get a small plate for kookie, I give him his plate first, then i go to eat my dinner. This certainly keeps him busy. Same goes for juice, his cup first, then mine.

Hope this works out for you

Rana

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[ParrotLover]

Ok thankyou, and yes she had toys, she has a rope swing, a rope hanging, a big wood thing with a bell, a plastic colourful toy and another ropey tpe thing with a peice of wood on it.

I would buy her some more tpys but she gets scared of them and wont go in her cage, but i will get her some more things.

Im going to get her some pur orange juice today if thats orite for her? And i might soak pellets in it.

Ill have to let her bite my when she doesnt step up so she knows she cant get round me.

Thanks again.

[Jane08]

I think she keeps doing it because you are doing something to reinforce this behaviour. You probably don't even realise it but she is getting something out of this behaviour so she will keep doing it. What do you do when she flies to you and bites?

 

Also when you ask her to step up from a favourite place where are you taking her? Is there a need to ask her to step up when she is having fun? She won't step up because what is she getting out of it, nothing, so she bites you and you go away which is exactly what she wants.

[ParrotLover]

When she flies and bites i just try to quickly put her back on the cage or on the floor.

When shes in her favourite place im usually taking her to her playstand to have a poo or to put her in for the night.

Sometimes i have to ask her to step up because she needs to go bed or have a poo, if she wont step up do you assume its because she likes what shes doing or where she is?.

Thanks.

[Jane08]

What you probably need to do is when you ask her to step up is to reinforce it with something good that she thinks is worth it. Like a treat or praise. Also ask her to step up and take her to places which she loves.

 

It seems like she thinks of stepping up as a bad thing as she is taken to poop or to her cage, which is not fun for her.

 

If you increase the good times that come with stepping up she will step up more.

 

With the biting you could also give her something (food treat) before she flies and bites. You will need to do this many times and be consistent, but finally she will learn that she gets treats for staying where she is and not flying over.

[Dave007]

The issue is, for example if im eating something its more like if im eating something with a spoon then she flies to me and bites me really hard, shes that quick i cant move away, or she'll try and bite the plate/bowl my foods on. ( if i put her in the cage when i eat this doesnt solve anything because i'd like her to be ok with me eating in front of her. )

 

Probably, one of the most important problems that need to be addressed is the eating situation. At one time, you thought it was real cute when your bird came over and nibbled some food from your plate. Now, it's escalated into something more serious. There is no such thing as obedience training where food is involved. Your bird is getting older, wiser, more obstinate and wants what it wants when it wants it. Now is the time you have to change your attitude concerning your bird coming over to eat with you. You may like it when she does it but getting to the food is all the bird is thinking about. A bird won't sit around and watch you eating especially since he was allowed to come to the plate in the past.

This is the time to forget about the cuteness of eating at your dinner table. Substituting a treat means nothing because a treat is also food. Treats shouldn't be given just because you think it'll make him obey the rules of family eating.

You need to simply put your bird in his cage while you're eating. If he makes noise, he'll eventually stop when he realizes that he's not getting anything on that plate. It's already gotten to the point of biting when it concerns food at the table and you have to be firm with that. You're dealing with a wild animal who can't be trained to stay away from food. If you continue doing this, it'll only get worse.

It's the same thing when a person puts a birds on his/her shoulder. It's real cute until the time that the bird decides to check out the earlobes and bites them to see how soft it is. Then the person has to stop with the shoulder cause you can't train a bird to stop biting earlobes, shirt collars, pulling at the hair, jewelry etc. By the time that point comes the bird is agile enough to escape the hand as the person tries to get the bird off.

[judygram]

I have trained my grey and sun conure to eat at their own station while I have my dinner, I put some of what we are eating in their dishes and they eat at the same time but not out of my plate. They are on stands that sit several feet away from me and they know this is how it is. I decided a long time ago not to let them eat out of my plate, for one thing I might be eating something they can't have and I don't want bird tracks in my food much less poop:sick:

[Jane08]

I have also taught our 2 to eat at their perch when we are also eating. Now this isn't to say that they don't have lapses but they are very rare. At first I did watch them closely and when I would see that they were getting restless I would get up and give them a treat. Had to do it many many times but they did learn if I stay on the perch good things happen.

 

I also don't feed them from the same plate as mine so they know it isn't theirs.