Biting Conure. How to stop? UPDATE!!!

[Luvs chickens]

I was told to never let your bird on your shoulder. It is difficult to see their body language. My red throatwas a monsterwould attack us . Had bruises and wounds everywhere. I was at my wits end and ready to rehome him. Now he is a Love. I am able to keep him on my hand or wrist and he is so sweet. I have tried letting him on my shoulder and he at once becomes aggressive. Yikes!
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[ChristineR]

Oh, Fiona (my GCC) is tame and even a little trained. She only bites me if she's in a snit about something.

She knows "step up" and "kiss." I didn't really even try to teach her the kiss -- she learned it by happy accident -- I would give her a litte peck on the head or beak and make a "kiss" noise. She started making the noise and then started tapping or gently nipping with her beak. Now when she first comes out of her cage she gives me tons of kisses. Sometimes they are a little rough, but I know she's not being mean.

 

[ChristineR]

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I think it really depends on the parrot. There are definitely birds that I would never let on my shoulder or near my face. Here's a quote from the newsletter I received from the Companion Parrot website:

http://companionparrotonline.com



"TOO MANY RULES?

There are far too many arbitrary “rules” about parrots and
parrot behavior. As far as I am concerned, there are very
few rules that are really absolutely true. Two of these are,
“Parrots are more comfortable with people who are
comfortable with them.” Another is, “All work with
parrots should be trust-building and not trustdestroying.”
Keeping calm with parrots can be one of the
best ways to win their trust. While we may have to
occasionally make our parrots do something they don’t
want to do, there are ways to cajole a parrot in to doing
what you want it to do. Placing a treat in a bowl on a Tstand
and putting it right up to the cage will get a cage
bound parrot to come out on to the stand. It may take
some time but it usually works if we are patient!"

 

[ReikiStar]

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Featherfinder, the bird in my avatar is a red-bellied parrot. When we went to look at him at the breeders, he was pretty much a forgotten 3 year old. (Btw, he and the dog are touching tongues, not biting, it was so gross and cute at the same time) He was SO wild, we never got to touch him. When she brought him out he flew into the windows more times than I want to remember (yes, splitting his cere a bit) and he bit her twice, badly, where he drew blood and she needed to bandage up. The only time I was able to get a look at him was when he was in the cage, huddled in the corner, staring at me making sure I wouldn't eat him. Because I'm a rehabilitator at heart, I had to "rescue" him from his neglected little existence. She gave us a deal because she admitted she hadn't made the time to work with him due to family medical issues.

Prior to him I had lost a little feathered soulmate, my Dusky Conure whom I was bonded to. Now I had this biting, flighty little guy ...completely opposite of my previous bird. What I did was in the evenings, I'd open his cage in a small room, like a bathroom and just sit, read, be there while he made his way out...or not. Small room so he couldn't get too far away with the flying (she did a sloppy job trying to cut his wings and he could still fly) and at night, so I could turn out the lights and pick him up, with gloves and place him back in the cage. I did this for weeks. I think it was the 3rd week when I had finally brought his cage over to the couch and left the door open. He'd walk out on to the couch and we'd just let him. He needed to feel safe outside of his cage.

We've had him for over a year now and he's my best little bud. There isn't anything I can't do to this guy (touch under his wings, he'll stay on his back in my hand while I type on the computer with my right, and he's Uncle Butters to our chicks. He LOVES being in the brooder room and the chicks are amused by the flying guy with the funky orange Tank top). Does he still bite, yes? He's a bird, that's how they communicate but it's more to say, "Hey, or I don't wanna" and not with the fear he had in the beginning. It's never hard when he bites...if I can even call it that. But no dropping, no poking, just removing things and saying "Noooo!" and returning him to his cage if he didn't behave, because being outside of the cage is his favorite.

It just takes PATIENCE. So much patience and really, trust on YOUR part, that they will learn to trust you and your environment. I hope the person taking him on will understand him and give him a chance. Thanks for trying to help him. I hope he finds his forever home soon.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I've found birds to be a lot like children. Often if a person loses control with a parrot (hitting, screaming, etc.) the bird just tunes you out or thinks its a game. It's really, really tricky and sometimes they test my patience to the very end! There has been some excellent advice here, but the best is just to have patience. It will get better, but just be gentle. Also, you have to be willing to spend a lot of time with the bird and sometimes if it is inconsistent that can lead to set backs.

 

[ChristineR]

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I want a "LIKE" button for this post! Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[featherfinder]

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I want a "LIKE" button for this post! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Agreed ^^^

There is no worrying about this guys forever home. He has one with our family. If my uncle cant handle him he will come right back to me and I wont let him go anywhere else.

ReikiStar- That sounds exactly like my green cheek except mine is only a year an a half. We have had him for about 3 months now and I do have the time to put forth to him and I have been trying my best. I have tried everything that has been submited on this thread with no change. I do sit in the same room with him every night and open up his cage and let him out. He usually never comes out though. He seems to like it better in his cage more thatn anywhere else. If we move him from it he will do what ever he can to get right back in. I have tried the treats threw the cage and the perching thing with a stick and he will have none of it. Even if someone walks by him he will try to bite threw the cage. I am trying to give this guy every chance I can to get him to bond with a person. Hence why my uncle is taking him. But if I cant i really dont want him to spend his life in a cage mean and not being able to do anything. Could you tell me some more things you did with your bird that might help with mine? my uncle is starting to have second thoughts and that means i will continue to work with him but i would at least like to make some progress.

 

[featherfinder]

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My green cheek wont even let us get him out so he will never make it to my shoulder lol. My sun conure is the only one allowed on my shoulder. His prevous owners did that with him all the time so thats all he wants. We have since broke him of that and he is only allowed on our shoulders if behaving.

 

[Luvs chickens]

That is how I stopped my conure from biting. also had gone to a class on training birds and was told to do it . works like a charm. my boy is a love now.
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[TwoCrows]

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Luvs Chickens, I am glad that this method has worked for you. And I agree with you 100%, some birds do not belong on your shoulder. My "Peep" is not allowed up there at all as it will cause him to bite. He is perfectly satisfied with my lap for love. But this drop method certainly got my Cockatiel to stop his biting and he is very well behaved now. As for Featherfinders bird, some birds may have fear issues from going from home to home, or fear of hands if they have been mistreated, etc... So I do agree, this method I have done here won't give him the security he needs to be a loving bird. All birds have their personalities and each may require a different technique to fix the problem. And birds can have bad days, be cranky, not want to do something, just as a child can be. And if they learn that biting will get you to stop doing what ever it is they don't want to do, as my bird did, they will use the beak on you forever. I had to break this habit. This drop method worked on my bird. And believe me, I tried everything, every method of training etc... But he learned early on that a bite works for many things. And I take responsibility for not knowing what to do at the time when he was younger. However it worked for me and now he can spend the last half of his life with more attention and love he had been going without. He just loves his head rubs and hanging out with me during the day where as before he shunned my attention. What works for one bird, may not work for another bird.