How do you disipline?

Okay so disipline may be the wrong word, but how do you let your little buddy know when something is unacceptable?

The reason I'm asking is I cant allow Fred to keep attacking my 4yr old daughter. He instantly attacks her hands if he is within striking distance. What would be the best way to curb this behavior? I can't tell my daughter to not come near me as Fred is either on me or on his perch. I am very torn about this.

Any help is appriciated.

We do time outs or ignoring our birds.

If Merlin is being particularly nippy - he'll get caged and covered for 5-10 minutes (depending how naughty he's been!) and when he starts to behave we'll let him out and play with him again. If it's not as serious as a bite, just him being naughty then we'll physically turn our backs on him and give him no attention or acknowledgement until he's doing the behaviour that we want to see from him. Then he gets full praise.

I will sternly tell Mango no, but not too loudly. He is then put in timeout for a few minutes.

Mayden said:

We do time outs or ignoring our birds.

If Merlin is being particularly nippy - he'll get caged and covered for 5-10 minutes (depending how naughty he's been!) and when he starts to behave we'll let him out and play with him again. If it's not as serious as a bite, just him being naughty then we'll physically turn our backs on him and give him no attention or acknowledgement until he's doing the behaviour that we want to see from him. Then he gets full praise.

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I thought of doing this, but I don't want him to see the cage as a bad thing.

FreddyCheeks said:

Mayden said:

We do time outs or ignoring our birds.

If Merlin is being particularly nippy - he'll get caged and covered for 5-10 minutes (depending how naughty he's been!) and when he starts to behave we'll let him out and play with him again. If it's not as serious as a bite, just him being naughty then we'll physically turn our backs on him and give him no attention or acknowledgement until he's doing the behaviour that we want to see from him. Then he gets full praise.

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I thought of doing this, but I don't want him to see the cage as a bad thing.

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We don't always use it as the punishment and we encourage it to be a fun time when he's put in at any other time too. Merlin now HATES anything going to cover him now though unless he's sleepy because he associates that with being in trouble. So I'm not saying it's the best method but when he's savaged someone's hand or something, he needs time out to calm down and for everyone elses tempers to cool too.

I used time outs with Georgie too. It was more of a "go stand on your perch until you calm down" type of thing and i think she kind of 'understood' that and didn't see it as punishment. She was such a rebel that i think if i attempted to punish her, it would have only backfired.

I'm not a big believer in the idea of "disciplining" birds because I think it often ignores and disrespects their built in instincts. I think the better approach is to arrange the situation so that the instinct is not triggered so much. If I were you, I would reconsider how much time the bird is spending on you when your daughter is around and how freely the parrot is able to come off of his perch to get to your daughter. Maybe you could increase the amount of time your bird enjoys yours and your daughter's presence from inside his cage ... not as a "time out" but because that prevents the instinctual aggressive behavior. If the aggressive behavior is not trigger as often it may diminish when he is out of the cage as well.

grey782163 said:

These outbursts did not come out of nowhere. Think about any commonalities that may trigger this response. What is your daughter doing? how is she moving? what is her tone of voice? what is she wearing? What has their history been? When you find the trigger, you can train appropriately. All we can do is shoot in the dark

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She showed fear once(pulled her hand away when he turned real quick). So I think thats what started it. Now its an all the time thing. I tried to tell her just don't be afraid and thats when he got her good. No blood but a good pinch. I had to hold his beak for him to let go. He doesn't attack her unless he sees her hands. Like right now he's sitting there cleaning her hair while shes sitting on the floor playing her DS.

Also,He is in the cage a good portion of the day. I let him out a 1/2 hr when I come home from lunch and then he is out from 5-9or10 sometimes later(weekends)

And he does get put on his perch when he's being nasty in general(attacking my ear when he's being pissy,flying on to the wifes pillow to poop :20:, trying to eat my moles(ouch)). But he just poops and flys back like the only reason he's there is to poop.

Another thought I had was maybe he is jealous of Star. I have been interacting with him alot since he isn't hand friendly yet.

Most parrots do not tolerate little kids, due to the high energy they sense in little kids which makes parrots nervous.

If I were you, I would keep a distance between your child and Fred. Also, start training Fred that aggression towards your child is wrong by sternly telling him "no biting" even if he hasn't bitten her yet, but as soon as Fred sees her, even at a distance, get Freds attention, point to your daughter and say sternly, "no biting [say your daughters name]".

Keep doing this over and over. Parrots are so smart, Fred will understand and he should obey. He may start showing his unwillingness to behave around your daughter in a different way, but allow him to express his feelings as long as he's not hurting anyone.

Teaching acceptable behaviors and ignoring inappropriate behaviors is the best way for behavior modification.

If you meant 'to discipline'...

Ever heard the term "self discipline"? It does not mean to punish oneself, but to train. To hone ones skills, to attain self control.

From discipline, we have a disciple. A disciple is a student or a follower who learns from a teacher or a mentor.

Discipline - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In its original sense, discipline is systematic instruction intended to train a person, sometimes literally called a disciple, in a craft, trade or other activity, or to follow a particular code of conduct or "order". Often, the phrase "to discipline" carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order–that is, ensuring instructions are carried out–is often regulated through punishment.

.....

Self-discipline

Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state. Qualities associated with self-discipline include willpower, hard work, and persistence.

Self-discipline is the product of persisted willpower. Whereas willpower is the strength and ability to carryout a certain task, self-discipline is the ability to use it routinely and even automatically (as if through reflex). An analogy for the relationship between the two might be defined as follows: Where willpower is the muscle, self-discipline is the structured thought that controls that muscle. In most cultures, it has been noted that self-discipline is the ultimate path towards success.

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Disciple - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure.

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Or if you meant 'punishment'...

The Facts About Punishment
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Parrots and Punishment
What TO do | Learning Parrots
punishment | Search Results | Lara Joseph



Simple answers... Don't have Freddy out when your daughter is around. Don't be around your daughter when Freddy is out.

Will Freddy accept treats from your daughter? Can you teach Freddy to perform various behaviors and tricks, then have your daughter cue Freddy to do those same things?

FreddyCheeks said:

Okay so disipline may be the wrong word, but how do you let your little buddy know when something is unacceptable?

The reason I'm asking is I cant allow Fred to keep attacking my 4yr old daughter. He instantly attacks her hands if he is within striking distance. What would be the best way to curb this behavior? I can't tell my daughter to not come near me as Fred is either on me or on his perch. I am very torn about this.

Any help is appriciated.

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i had this with the nut, when ever my gran daughter or other young kids were about, its a long process, 1st make sure your little girl understands your bird is being mean because its jealous, you need to be firm with fred, if he bites her make the disapproving voice
(same sound, and ONLY used in situations were fred is doing something bad, over time it works really well and when ever the nut has flown onto a place i dont want her i make that sound an she gets the message :09

i have explained to my gran daughter, nut does not like small children, its not her fault. though lately nuts been rather nice to asha, as in not biting an trying to sit close to her, but understandably asha is not a fan of the nut, so to solve this problem, she sit by a fly swat, nut is not afraid of these swats, but she's seen us swat flys with them, and we tend to put them onto places she is NOT allowed to fly onto.
another rule is asha MUST never chase nut, or constantly wave the swat about at her, as nut is not afraid of it, she could outright attack asha.

nut seems to understand the fly swat thing, and the sentence, don't make me get the swat??:11:

but on the whole, i keep nut in her cage during day when kids are about, its not worth the risk. but all the kids know, nut has her out of cage time, morning and night, so they visit between them times.

I tell Rudy 'no' in a stern voice. He understands perfectly what that means, thanks to his foster parents before me.

Ive never been much on a "time out" for several reasons. I rely instead on communication and find it works very well. A brief restraint.. a good finger wag.. and stern NO is usually all it takes to get them the idea. After that first time just using a finger wag and the stern NO usually will suffice to curb their behavior. When dealing with birds its important to remember these are not "human" children". Most of their behaviors stem from 60 million years of inherited instinct that remains strong in them even tho they are domesticated.

A firm "no" and a 'displeased look' for minor infractions and a time out for more serious ones (like biting). I believe parrots to be capable of understanding good vs bad behaviors (once taught what is and isn't acceptable) and believe them capable of connecting something they know they shouldn't do with a consequence. I do not, however, believe in true "discipline" of a bird. No swatting at, spraying with water, yelling at etc... Those things just border on abuse and only serve to break trust and.or further enrage the bird/exacerbate the situation/encourage the bad behavior.

Time-outs (returned to cage), but that didn't work so well, so changed tack.

When GCC's nippish'ness is less manageable, positive-reinforcement instilled for good behavior (treats and cuddles for stepping up without biting), having beak held with a 'no bite' for mild bites, or being ignored/isolated for small amounts of time when she gives especially bad bites.

I do time outs as well.

But the other thing is, YOU know it's liable to happen. Anticipate it. If your daughter comes over, and your jealous bird starts to charge... PUT YOUR HAND IN THE WAY (physically create a barrier with your hand) and stop the bird from charging. Tell the bird no, and physically prevent him from doing it.

IF HE STILL TRIES THIS, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR, SITS THERE A MINUTE, AND THEN GOES IN TIME OUT... WHERE HE GETS IGNORED FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

Repeat this lesson until he gets the message...

HEY, I'VE DONE THIS ONE WITH LARGE MACAWS, TOOS, AND AMAZONS...

Size doesn't matter. BEING CONSISTENT MATTERS. They only learn this if the same thing happens every time. I do that, Mom gets mad, puts me on the floor, I go back to my cage... and she ignores me.

Sounds like it is either a jealous bird issue, or the bird is intimidated by your daughter's quick, hard to anticipate movements, or is otherwise unsure of her.

This will get better as your daughter gets older, and your bird catches on that "MOMMY DON'T PLAY DAT!"

Honestly you CAN tell your child no, and if she keeps getting bitten you need to do so. She will understand much better than the bird, and birds almost always have a reason for biting.

Keep your daughter safe and just say "no". Trust me, you will need to say it many times in her life, may as well start practicing it now for her safety

Ps mole biting is them trying to groom you, not be nasty. It sounds like you are putting a lot of things on this bird from your imagination and reacting accordingly.

I highly suggest you dive into bird behavior and educate yourself on the nuances. It will save all of you stress, especially the bird

DerTier said:

Ps mole biting is them trying to groom you, not be nasty. It sounds like you are putting a lot of things on this bird from your imagination and reacting accordingly.

I highly suggest you dive into bird behavior and educate yourself on the nuances. It will save all of you stress, especially the bird

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The

INDEED!! Birds are complex creatures... and to try to equate their behaviors on some sort of human level does them a disservice. One needs to deal with birds thru "birdie eyes". There are general bird behaviors, species specific behaviors, then there are individual behaviors they come up with on their own. I do my level best to understand these charming critters. I put a lot of stock in "communication" instead of any sort of punishment. I like to think its more than shear luck that I have 2 jewels...Cookie, a BFA, and Booger..a lil SC.. both so well adjusted and just plain loving. I respect them as birds and don't try to make them in to human children. Im an old fart and have had birds for years but they still fascinate me and I continue to learn from them.