I think DeRita and I are about to have a stand off...

Hey all!

Hope everyone is well.

Well...it was September 5th when I brought DeRita home. I can't believe it's been a month! Time has flown by! Wow!!

Sooo...of course as time goes by, DeRita's comfort level and confidence in us is steadily building, as is our confidence and "trust" in her.

The last couple days, however, when getting DeRita out to play, she is very good when I open the cage, she steps on my hand very good, all is well and then...with almost no warning she threatens to bite my hand, the side of my thumb....now my conure Franklin, he'd just haul off and land baste me without warning.

DeRita's first threat was 2 days ago, she was she didn't bite, but abruptly lowered her head and pecked the side of my thumb...I gave a quick jerk which unsettled her balance a bit at the same time as I said firmly...aaaggght! No bite!

She immediately straightened up and that was the end of it...I could just tell...this was a test.

Yesterday, same thing only this time she wrapped her beak around my thumb....she did not apply pressure... Thank goodness! But her intent was clear to me, and I again as quickly as she made the attempt, I shook and scolded. She immediately responded and stopped.

I can't help but see the writing on the wall.. She is soooo testing me!

Like a toddler, don't touch...they give you the look and slowly start to touch, you catch em and say nooo touch and they are like...oh, okay...then a while later they are back with a stick or something... You catch em, say...I told you no....and then the next time...toddler just does it....hahaha!

I feel like this is a building battle of wills...and its going to be very important for me to come out of it the leader.

Any advice? Am I just reading to much into it or am I spot on? When she attempts again should I just put her back in her cage and try again a little later, or should I just continue on as normal after she responds to being "scolded?"

Franklin, our little green cheek hasn't done this in a long time, but when he does out of the blue, he gets the biggest attitude ever! Like somehow he believes he won...he suffers from little bird syndrome BIG TIME! HAHAHA!

anyway, what she is exhibiting to me isn't any different than what Franklin has done, the signs are all there, she just hasn't taken the "plunge" yet...but its coming...and I do believe how I react will make or break my roll as leader.

Aside from this concern of mine...and I do want to come out of the stand off with my thumb fully intact....lol...everything else is going great!

I've been taking her outside on these beautiful warm days we've had, she really enjoys it! And the other day hubby insisted we took her with on our errands and she loved that! We took her into our favorite farm and garden store, she greeted people, whistled and even sang a little, people were amazed! She shared lunch on the road with us and her eyes were just lit up.

Happy happy girl! I forgot to upload my latest favorite picture of her...I will go do that now and post it. I think she is really looking good!

Gave a great day everyone!

Toni

HOPEFULLY this works, I have never done it from my phone before.

Tell DeRita to put some clothes on! Is she getting any of her fluff back?


Jim

Toni, IMO you're doing it JUST right with DeRita when you feel she's about to chomp down on you. A stern "NO", or "knock it off" along with giving HER the evil eye will go a long way. And yes, getting her a bit off balance will prevent her from 'doing the deed', LOL.

Loved reading how you took her with you for errands, and she looks GREAT! Look at that spunk in her eyes!

Hi Jim What you see in the picture I posted is what she's got...however, she stretched up her wings a couple days ago and I got a pretty good look at the rest of her body and it looks like she's getting quite a few "floofies" growing in all over her body where her wings cover.

I remember her being much more bald...so I think we are definitely on the right track.

This is very hard for me as, I am a very patient person about most things...but DeRita growing her feathers in is going to make me crazy! Some days I look at her and I think...wow! Look at you! WOO HOO! Then I come home from work and look at her and think...uh oh...we've had a set back...and I look at first pictures of her and compare and well...she's definitely no worse.

We live in an old drafty house, I may have to buy her a pair of jammys for real! LOL

JerseyWendy I have to admit, it's hard for me not to be a bit gun shy of the impending bite...overall she is NOT at all an aggressive girl, if she doesn't want to do something, she just lowers her head to avoid stepping up or she turns and walks away. That right there has helped me build confidence with her. And I don't push it, if I need to get her put away for what ever reason and I ask, she lowers her head...I ask again...she turns and walks away, the third time I use the stick...only once she has bitten the stick before stepping up.

I was glad it was the stick and not my finger that's for sure.

I don't think I could have been blessed with a more docile and quiet Amazon.

She is fun when it's "fun" time and quiet when it's quiet time...now if only I could get my Sun to catch on! LOL

He thinks is FUN time ALL the time!

Yes! That spunk in her eye...I've noticed that to be a bit of a more prominent look these days...and...I couldn't be more pleased!

Warms my heart to know and see how happy she is. <3

It's completely normal.

And yeah, the toddler comparison fits. Toddlers and parrots have a lot in common.

Nakiska said:

...Yesterday, same thing only this time she wrapped her beak around my thumb....she did not apply pressure... Thank goodness! But her intent was clear to me, and I again as quickly as she made the attempt, I shook and scolded.

Click to expand...

Toni, I think the progress that you've been making with her in so short a period has been great! And, like Wendy, I think your method for handling her testing is sound. One thing, though. Are you sure that the second test (quoted above) was indeed a test?

Now, keep in mind, I wasn't there and you were. So if it was obvious that she was testing you, then all well and good. But the way you described it sounded very much like beaking to me, rather than biting.

I've found that some parrots use beaking (the gentle application of pressure with the beak) not only for balance, but also as a display of affection. Or as a form of play. Or to move your hand away as an alternative to biting if they aren't crazy about something that you're doing.

Maya and Jolly do it all the time. Maya is constantly beaking my fingers in encouragement when I pet her. Her control is absolute, so I never feel anything even resembling unpleasant nip or bite pressure.

Jolly does that as well, but also likes to do it to initiate play. He, on occasion, will get a little carried away when we're playing and he gets into it. But it's nothing a gentle course correction in the form of the word "no" can't handle.

And at times, if he's in the rare mood where he doesn't want to be petted, he will beak my hand and ever so courteously remove it from his person. (Or should that be "from his avian"? Lol!)

My point is, she may not have been looking to gnaw on you.

How I've always handled it is not to discourage beaking, but rather to save the course correction for when the bite pressure begins to resemble unpleasant. That way, they come to understand that it's a matter of degree, instead of believing that any contact of beak to hand is wrong. You know what I mean?

Hi Anansi Yes...fortunately I do believe her 2nd test was a test...ONLY because of her body language associated with the beaking.

She has clearly been bite pressure trained and preening/beaking/licking all that is very very gentle and her body language is always calm and relaxed. She has rolled my fingers around in her mouth and nibbled at hang nails and any skin imperfections her beak might find...I can't believe how teensie weensie of a little bump their beaks can locate...anyway...

The reason I felt it was a test was the aggressive(ish) body language that flashed when she went for my thumb...at exactly the same time I scolded her and gave her a little wobble and she looked at me and growled! LOLOL I would say...definitely testing her/our boundaries.

Soo far, so good though, she hasn't made another attempt...maybe that was the end of it...but somehow...I'm not completely convinced. hahahaha!

Toni

Definitely testing. However keep doing what you are doing, say no and no bite. She's already getting the message. Time outs work too. I give them 15 minutes in or on their cage then come back to them. Great job with her progress by the way.