re Rory nipping

Hi guys still having problems with Rory nipping me . Rory is 16 months old now, I have had him since he was 12 old.He was hand reared. I gave up working in May so I'm with him at home all the time.I was so looking forward to spending lots of time with him out of his cage.however when he is out now all he wants to do is nip me hard when he is out . he will fly to me sit on me and nip for no reason. it got to the point I'm not comfortable with him out.in the evening I have his cage right next to me while I watch tv. he loves me to tickle him for hours .so I'm so confused.

Jimdc said:

Hi guys still having problems with Rory nipping me . Rory is 16 months old now, I have had him since he was 12 old.He was hand reared. I gave up working in May so I'm with him at home all the time.I was so looking forward to spending lots of time with him out of his cage.however when he is out now all he wants to do is nip me hard when he is out . he will fly to me sit on me and nip for no reason. it got to the point I'm not comfortable with him out.in the evening I have his cage right next to me while I watch tv. he loves me to tickle him for hours .so I'm so confused.

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Sounds like a young amazon testing his limits to me. Time for Dad to take control and let Rory know that nipping is NOT acceptable! Plenty of distractions and chew toys for the boy..just my opinion here


Jim

I'll second Amy's person on having plenty of chew toys. I went to Drs. Foster and Smith and ordered DIY parrot toy parts. I've made a few toys, but sometimes, I just throw a pile of loose parts onto a playing surface and let Kizzy go nuts. It keeps her occupied. Parrots need destructible wooden toys to destroy to keep their beaks trim and satisfy the urge to chew.

Also, it might be a good idea to spend constructive time with Rory. Don't just sit with him. Train him. Find out what his favorite treat is and use it. I will suggest raw hulled sunflower seeds because Amazons absolutely love them. They can be very fattening, so I only use them as treats. Withhold the treat from his usual food, but don't pay any attention to people who claim you have to control a parrot's overall food intake. I've found the opposite to be true. A full Amazon is a cooperative Amazon. Amazons love food. Gabby would work just fine on a full crop. Kizzy is so young and distractable she sometimes decides not to participate in training. Usually if I wait awhile and try again, she'll participate. (If your bird is too fat, work with an avian vet if you need to put him on a diet. Denying birds food as a way to make them keen to train is counterproductive, especially for Amazons.)

What to teach? Both fun stuff and hard stuff. The "up" command and laddering are great for establishing nurturing dominance. Target training can be useful. You can teach him tricks, potty training, harness training, desensitization.

He's a young bird, so it's a good idea to wear him out a bit. He has a ton of energy and if you aren't directing it toward positive things, he will think of other ways to use it. I can wear Kizzy out by having her fly back and forth between me and her perch (a trained behavior) and working on training. The big focus is harness training because it's so difficult, but necessary.

The more time you spend with Rory when he cannot bite you or is more interested in a treat than biting you, the less he will bite. That in conjunction with behavioral training should help a great deal.

My Kizzy-bird is almost six months old now and she still pinches me on occasion. She is pushing her limits, seeing where she fits in. She pinches the backs of my hands because it's working. I'm doing something she likes, so she's learned pinching the backs of my hands is a way to get what she wants. It's up to me to figure out why she is doing this, how I'm reacting, so I can eliminate the problem. In the meantime, it helps to work on training to stimulate her and give her something to concentrate on besides biting the backs of my hands.

Also, Rory must learn that nipping gets a time out. With my Salty he gets one chance and is told "Easy" in a soothing voice. If he continues, I will put him aside, cou;ld be a chair back, or the couch - just away from you, and turn your back on him, dont acknowledge him at all. not long a minute max. And then take Rory up again. Repeat as needed. Does not take a smart bird like Rory long to figure out that nipping means time out. I also ssuggest you pick a word to let Rory know he is mouthing you a bit too hard, like i use Easy. That is bite pressure training. Amazons, like most parrots, use their beak as a third hand, and have to learn that you are not wood, to be chewed upon. And ots of toys as advised By Ladyhawk. As a parrot owner, you will get bitten ( yes even Salty that good boy, nailed me good last week) but with training and love Rory will learn to control himself.

Thank you Ladyhowk for your adadvice!��

Thank you Wrench 13 for your advice!! ��

i get the same thing out of Lily same age but she does not bite hard
mostly on my ears when on my shoulder never hard but it is there i tell her no and if it continues she goes to the play stand she is slowly learning. cool thing when she is out of her cage i can look at her and say come on and tap my shoulder 3 times turn my hard and she is there, don't know why she will not let me watch her fly to me.since getting her flight back it is really cool she spends a few minutes a day flying circles in the living room.