Bobbie is at it again 🤨 needing more advice!

I recently posted on here last week about Bobbie.

Everything was great and I was doing the training of ignoring him when he bit... well suddenly now he is aggressively biting all the time.
He was perfect with me but now...
If I go to get him out the cage, he bites me.
I go to pick him up, he bites me.
Even trying to get him to step on my other arm... he bites me and it isn’t a small bite either now. He is drawing blood every time and even when he gets a grip of my skin he is pulling it back and forth so it hurts more.

Now, I’ve been doing the training... ignoring him on the floor, even when he bites me I don’t let him see that it’s actually hurting me as apparently they can get the attention they want from that. I’ve tried treats...
When he bites now, I’ve started putting him back in his cage for 5 mins, then going back to see if his calmed down. (Which sometimes he won’t bite, but sometimes he will)

I used to be able to stroke him, well now it’s like he will charge at me instead if I even try too.
His still the same way towards my partner, so his stopped trying now as he is getting attacked every time and his tried his best.
For me, I’ve still put my all into this... everyday training with the no biting, still getting him out and still I get bit
I literally have bite marks all over my hand, my arm and my neck from him.

Any advice... I don’t want to get rid of him but I’m feeling like maybe he actually doesn’t like me anymore?
Or would you say it’s suited for him to go to a better home?
I don’t want it where I can’t get him out anymore because all he does is bite and attack.. he was so loving when I first got him.

Start from day one. Like the first day, start over.

Something has disconnected and needs to be found and changed. Commonly it is something that the Humans are doing and less likely its the Parrot. As a long time Amazon Snob, I can tell you that is a reality with Amazons. Not sure with your species. But highly likely.
If you have bite marks on your neck, he should not be on your shoulder. Shoulders are a reward zone for well-behaved, trust-worthy Parrots.

Consider changing your Vantage Point!
- Its never the fault of the Parrot.
- It is always the fault of the Human.
- By changing to this Vantage Point you will likely see quicker what you are doing wrong and change it.
Never fear Starting Over!

Your boy has issues...


is he still 'a bundle of raging hormones'?

Does he bite you the first time (first thing) in the morning when you get him?
Or does he start biting after you've put him back in the cage?

As they say here: every interaction with your bird is a mini-trainingssesion, so does he bite all the time, of after a while?

Is the first rond better or worse than the 3rd of the 8th. ?

(I am trying to figure out if the 'cool off'-periods are pissing him off or maybe are not long enough for him to really chill -- in humans it takes about 20 minutes to get rid of hormones that get released into the bloodstream when we are shocked/ scared/ get into an argument so may be *you* need more time? Take that time, start with a clean slate..)

What happens if you are in the room but not directly interacting (like reading out loud, but not making eyecontact)?
Does he want you there, does he display any signs of agression then?


I really do not want you to go through life covered in bitemarks and feeling low.


So one way to figure this out is: you are doing everything 'by the book' but maybe your timing could be better.
(and sometimes what works on most birds...doesn't help with yours. My birds f.e. love being on the floor, so placing them there accomplishes nothing, for them it is a game.)

So, when I go to first get him out I will talk to him before hand, then I get bit first thing.
I will instantly shut he cage door and say no biting and leave him for 5 mins. If I go towards the door of the front room he will call out really loud and ring his bell until I’m back in the room.
When I go to get him again, I probably get bit twice more and I do this method again. Then he will happily step onto my hand and I place him on top of his cage.

From day one, he loved me. Happily sat on my shoulder and my hands, no biting what so ever. But these last few days his aggressively biting.
He tends to go into attack mode, his feathers ruffle up and his head goes down to the ground and he will like charge at me.

I’ve had him out around 6 times today, and his bit me pretty much all day.
I’ve noticed though he really doesn’t like me leaving the room at all if his out, he will instantly fly onto my shoulder or back to stop me going out the room.

If his out, he will happily be exploring... he really likes my slippers which he constantly pecking at (I have to wear slippers or socks because he hates toes and bites them) which then he climbs up my leg onto my knee. So he seems to want me there with me as his always close by. But he does show signs of aggression too if I go to stroke him or go anywhere near him.

He loves being on the floor too, so I can’t really use the method of placing him on the floor as it doesn’t bother him.

I just don’t know what to do... with my partner if he bites him, Bobbie then laughs straight after but recently if Bobbie bites me his literally biting hard then bobbing his head back and forth whilst biting harder as if to hurt me

ChristaNL said:

Your boy has issues...


is he still 'a bundle of raging hormones'?

Does he bite you the first time (first thing) in the morning when you get him?
Or does he start biting after you've put him back in the cage?

As they say here: every interaction with your bird is a mini-trainingssesion, so does he bite all the time, of after a while?

Is the first rond better or worse than the 3rd of the 8th. ?

(I am trying to figure out if the 'cool off'-periods are pissing him off or maybe are not long enough for him to really chill -- in humans it takes about 20 minutes to get rid of hormones that get released into the bloodstream when we are shocked/ scared/ get into an argument so may be *you* need more time? Take that time, start with a clean slate..)

What happens if you are in the room but not directly interacting (like reading out loud, but not making eyecontact)?
Does he want you there, does he display any signs of agression then?


I really do not want you to go through life covered in bitemarks and feeling low.


So one way to figure this out is: you are doing everything 'by the book' but maybe your timing could be better.
(and sometimes what works on most birds...doesn't help with yours. My birds f.e. love being on the floor, so placing them there accomplishes nothing, for them it is a game.)

Click to expand...

So, when I go to first get him out I will talk to him before hand, then I get bit first thing.
I will instantly shut he cage door and say no biting and leave him for 5 mins. If I go towards the door of the front room he will call out really loud and ring his bell until I’m back in the room.
When I go to get him again, I probably get bit twice more and I do this method again. Then he will happily step onto my hand and I place him on top of his cage.

From day one, he loved me. Happily sat on my shoulder and my hands, no biting what so ever. But these last few days his aggressively biting.
He tends to go into attack mode, his feathers ruffle up and his head goes down to the ground and he will like charge at me.

I’ve had him out around 6 times today, and his bit me pretty much all day.
I’ve noticed though he really doesn’t like me leaving the room at all if his out, he will instantly fly onto my shoulder or back to stop me going out the room.

If his out, he will happily be exploring... he really likes my slippers which he constantly pecking at (I have to wear slippers or socks because he hates toes and bites them) which then he climbs up my leg onto my knee. So he seems to want me there with me as his always close by. But he does show signs of aggression too if I go to stroke him or go anywhere near him.

He loves being on the floor too, so I can’t really use the method of placing him on the floor as it doesn’t bother him.

I just don’t know what to do... with my partner if he bites him, Bobbie then laughs straight after but recently if Bobbie bites me his literally biting hard then bobbing his head back and forth whilst biting harder as if to hurt me

I’m sorry you and Bobbie are going through this, i know how disheartening it is when your little snugglebug suddenly turns into a ravening monster! My GCC Baci (God rest his precious little soul!) became a raging ball of angry hormones when he hit maturity, only at the time, before joining this forum, I had zero idea what was going on with him and I too thought he had started to hate me for some reason, even though I still loved him madly!

Eventually what worked for me was armour-plating my right forefinger, where he always stepped up and therefore bit A LOT, with band-aids. He still stepped up on them and would try to bite but it took away my automatic pain reflex so he would often stop biting straight away. If he was particularly determined to bite me I would “ladder” him from right hand to left and back again and again until he stopped, it would take maybe four or five step ups for him to stop, and I would give him a big kiss and cuddle for being a good boy and pop him on top of his cage. I would then go back to him after 5 or 10 minutes and ask him to step up again. Often he would do so with no fuss, but I still had my armour-plating on standby! Usually he would be fine for the rest of the day and would save his aggression for my husband (who he never liked anyway!)

Now this may or may not be a widely recommended method, but it saved Baci and my relationship and he always knew he wasn’t going to get away with that behaviour, and that I was always going to be there to love him no matter what. Consistency is the key, whatever remedy you choose, stick with it. Like your signature says, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Good luck!!

Hmmm, you open his cage and he bits you, you close the cage and then or later exit the room. After he contact calls and you return and repeat and he bites. I see a pattern.
Change your Vantage Point.
Change what you are doing.
Try just opening the cage door and let him come out. Once out, try using a perch for him to set-up on to.

LaManuka said:

I’m sorry you and Bobbie are going through this, i know how disheartening it is when your little snugglebug suddenly turns into a ravening monster! My GCC Baci (God rest his precious little soul!) became a raging ball of angry hormones when he hit maturity, only at the time, before joining this forum, I had zero idea what was going on with him and I too thought he had started to hate me for some reason, even though I still loved him madly!

Eventually what worked for me was armour-plating my right forefinger, where he always stepped up and therefore bit A LOT, with band-aids. He still stepped up on them and would try to bite but it took away my automatic pain reflex so he would often stop biting straight away. If he was particularly determined to bite me I would “ladder” him from right hand to left and back again and again until he stopped, it would take maybe four or five step ups for him to stop, and I would give him a big kiss and cuddle for being a good boy and pop him on top of his cage. I would then go back to him after 5 or 10 minutes and ask him to step up again. Often he would do so with no fuss, but I still had my armour-plating on standby! Usually he would be fine for the rest of the day and would save his aggression for my husband (who he never liked anyway!)

Now this may or may not be a widely recommended method, but it saved Baci and my relationship and he always knew he wasn’t going to get away with that behaviour, and that I was always going to be there to love him no matter what. Consistency is the key, whatever remedy you choose, stick with it. Like your signature says, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight”. Good luck!!

Click to expand...

I will have to give this a go!
I don’t want our relationship going bad as when I first got him he was brilliant, I just feel like I’m doing something wrong and I want to correct it if I can.
But thankyou for your advice!


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SailBoat said:

Hmmm, you open his cage and he bits you, you close the cage and then or later exit the room. After he contact calls and you return and repeat and he bites. I see a pattern.
Change your Vantage Point.
Change what you are doing.
Try just opening the cage door and let him come out. Once out, try using a perch for him to set-up on to.

Click to expand...

Okay! Sounds good, I shall give this a go aswell!

It just weird because he wants me there and he calls out and rings his bell but then I get bit.
Thankyou for your advice, I shall try this in the morning!


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Oh believe me Jobiness I know how you feel, I was at my wits end with Baci when he was being super aggressive! But the laddering thing worked a treat, it didn’t mean he never bit me again but it was WAY more manageable. I hope you and Bobbie have positive results and that you have a long and happy relationship!

I just responded to this question on your other post:
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/79450-new-conure-need-some-help-2.html

My GCC have had a couple of Rocky times, and she definitely works hard to bite and make those bites in joints and bleeding.
I can tell you everything we had problems it was my fault.i had to be hink and figure out what had list her trust in my hands.
You can earn back trust, takes time, maybe lots of bribes with safflower seeds too .
I second let bird come out on his own, you can have a owt attached to door so when you open the door bird can go to perch. Many birds can become agressive of their cage, but wonderful away from it.
You can get past this!

I would not put him back in his cage for the time outs. His cage should be aplace of refuge and its his 'home'. Since he also likes the floor, use a regular old chair back, preferably wood one, and make sure there is no eye contact during these time outs.This is called shunnng, and its the rare parrot that does not get ths message using this method. He also sound like a candidate to have his wings clipped for awhile, so that you can better coontrol him. Some will shout No Clippin, but clearly this parrot is the boss bird - you need to change the dynamics here. Also, make very sure that you and your partner do exactly the same thing, and do it every time he bites. You must be consistent.

Good Luck

I don't have any experience with conures, beautiful though they may be. I think noodles nailed it with the response in your other thread. I would suggest for you to go back and take a look at it again. It's been 5 days since your request for help... 5 DAYS... It seems you are expecting instant results. You may very well be on the right track, and getting great information, but you're going way too fast with your expectations. These things take time. Sometimes a lot of time - weeks, months, even years. Don't give up, just have lots of patience and start from the beginning. Earn the trust, and work from there, one small step at a time. When you get there, it's so worth it!

saxguy64 said:

I don't have any experience with conures, beautiful though they may be. I think noodles nailed it with the response in your other thread. I would suggest for you to go back and take a look at it again. It's been 5 days since your request for help... 5 DAYS... It seems you are expecting instant results. You may very well be on the right track, and getting great information, but you're going way too fast with your expectations. These things take time. Sometimes a lot of time - weeks, months, even years. Don't give up, just have lots of patience and start from the beginning. Earn the trust, and work from there, one small step at a time. When you get there, it's so worth it!

Click to expand...

When I asked for helped before, I didn’t have any biting inflicted.
It was all aggressive behaviour towards my partner. He was good as gold and suddenly just turned on me


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Jobiness said:

saxguy64 said:

I don't have any experience with conures, beautiful though they may be. I think noodles nailed it with the response in your other thread. I would suggest for you to go back and take a look at it again. It's been 5 days since your request for help... 5 DAYS... It seems you are expecting instant results. You may very well be on the right track, and getting great information, but you're going way too fast with your expectations. These things take time. Sometimes a lot of time - weeks, months, even years. Don't give up, just have lots of patience and start from the beginning. Earn the trust, and work from there, one small step at a time. When you get there, it's so worth it!

Click to expand...

When I asked for helped before, I didn’t have any biting inflicted.
It was all aggressive behavior towards my partner. He was good as gold and suddenly just turned on me

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Click to expand...

I think that he may have "turned" either way, as it was too early to be moving so fast to even have a baseline for your bird's variety of "normal". I also think that shunning won't work unless your bird has a relationship with you first.

Here is a breakdown of ABA as it relates to birds.
The ABCs of Parrot Behavior | Beauty of Birds
With consistency and proper application of the mindset above, you will get results, but they won't happen overnight. You have to be consistent and patient and everyone has to apply the same approach or it won't work.

This whole biting thing won't last forever. Breathe, slow down, and know that when you thought you knew your bird, you hadn't had him long enough to make that call and even now, you haven't had him long enough to say he "turned". Patience and an understanding of parrot behavior will take you a long way...You are in this now, so it would be best if you could adopt a "for better or for worse" attitude about your relationship. Your bird my become obsessed with you, he may become obsessed with your partner, he may switch it up, he may take a shine to some random guest who visits you one day, he may hate one or both of you for a period....In all likelihood, he will have a preference and this may shift from time-to-time. You can't take that personally....Love the bird for what it is...Also, know that at puberty and sexual maturity, birds have major behavioral changes. There are also usually 1-2 times per year when birds are hormonal in the wild but this can happen more in captivity. Birds also tend to get cranky during a molt.

Now,

After reading about ABA etc (see link above, and do read it all)

Here is rather humorous (but highly accurate) summary of life from a parrot's perspective. It is a song by Meredith Brooks ***warning--the word b*tch is used in this song****
The lyrics pretty much describe life with a bird, and not just the chorus haha. Especially:

"So take me as I am. This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man. Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous and I'm going to extremes, tomorrow I will change and today won't mean a thing."

~Meredith Brooks, and birds everywhere


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ivt_N2Zcts"]Meredith Brooks - ***** - YouTube[/ame]

I posted on your other thread as well, but what Noodles just wrote above is correct...Bobbi didn't really "turn on you", but rather you guys were in the "Honeymoon Phase" of him just having come home...I didn't originally realize how short a period of time you have had him, I saw that he was a year and a half old and didn't read the entire story...So when you first brought him home Bobbi latched-onto you as the person in the new environment that he most-trusted in a totally new environment with new people where he was most-likely very anxious and scared...Now he's settling-in to his new environment, he has probably adopted his cage as his "territory" and considers it a "safe-space", he feels more comfortable in the environment, and now the :Honeymoon" is over...

Also, as I just read his age, he is likely also extremely hormonal right now, which is probably a good part of the biting, not only of you but of everyone...So he's got a lot going on, a new home, new people, new routines and schedules, and on top of all of that he's probably very hormonal (not only due to his age but also due to the time of year)...All 4 of my guys just went through or are still going through big molts, and my Green Cheek and my Senegal both are moody as all-hell right now...Tis the season...

So rather than Bobbie having suddenly "Turned on you", he's simply starting to settle-in, feel more comfortable in his new home, and now comes the time it takes to actually bond with and form a relationship with your new parrot, which is always going to take time, whether the bird is hand-raised, or a baby or an adult, it always takes some time with most birds for you to actually "Earn their Trust" and bond closely with them...

***What I suggest is that right now, today, you "Hit the Reset-Button" and start over with Bobbi, like you just brought him home today...Now that the initial fright/insecurity/discomfort of leaving his home and his Flock and moving into a new home with a new Flock is starting to pass, now comes the time to start earning his trust and really bonding with him...And this takes time, and it is going to take time with ANY BIRD you bring home, regardless of age. Again, they have the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human toddler, so if you think about this that way, you don't just meet a 3 year-old toddler and have them immediately love you and trust you...Right now Bobbi doesn't have anyone that he trusts or that he is bonded to, so it's time to start slowly forming a relationship with him over-time...

Forming a bond with and earning the trust of a parrot is always going to be a marathon, it's never a sprint. We tend to want things to happen quickly because we automatically love our new birds, and we also tend to think of them like we do other pets, such as dogs. But parrots are not at all like dogs or any other type of pet in the way they form bonds with people (except maybe a pet primate like a Monkey or Lemur). Everything needs to go at HIS PACE and not at your pace...As already stated above, you started trying different bonding techniques with Bobbi, but only 5 days ago, and that's no time at all...I have worked at an Avian Rescue for years and years, and I always tell people who are adopting a parrot that it can take months and months of spending time with them every single day, and interacting with them both directly and indirectly for you to fully earn their trust and form a close bond with them (passive-interaction, meaning just having his cage in the main-room of your house where you spend most of your time, so he's there with you when you're reading, talking, eating a meal, watching TV, etc. but not necessarily directly interacting with him or talking to him)....

***There is a big difference between having a new parrot that you just brought into your home and your family just being willing to step-up for you or being willing to sit on your shoulder when you first bring them home, which is simply a sign that they are a hand-tamed bird, and gradually forming an extremely close, loving bond with them over time. It's very much like starting a new relationship with another person, like when you first meet your best-friend, and it's very much the same as when an adult human adopts a child. Once you put in the time and effort and you finally earn the trust of your new bird and bond closely with him and he with you, it's an extremely special relationship...So it's worth the time and effort, trust me...But you can't expect it to happen within a matter of weeks or even a month or two, and that goes for any bird you might bring home...

I read what you wrote about re-homing him potentially because you don't think he's a good fit for you, etc., and you're certainly are not the first person to feel this way after only having your new parrot for a week or two. In fact, I see people all the time at the Avian Rescue bringing in birds to surrender that they've only had for a month or less, or trying to bring back birds that they've adopted from us after only a month or less, simply because the bird isn't yet a cuddly, loving little bird, because it is still biting their hands, because it won't let them hold them or pet them yet, etc. Sometimes we can talk them out of it, sometimes we can't...I always tell them that it doesn't matter what bird they bring home from the Rescue, it's going to take the same amount of time to earn their trust and build the kind of relationship that they want to have with them. Some people adopt and surrender bird after bird after bird because they aren't instantly bonded to the bird in a matter of weeks...It's one of the reason their are so many birds in need of homes in Rescues and Shelters, and why so many are being re-homed on Craigslist and other sites...

So I would just take a deep breath, "Hit the Reset-Button", and just commit yourself to working with Bobbi and spending as much time with Bobbi as you can every single day. Make sure that his cage is located in the "main room" of your home, where you and others spend most of their time when they're at home and not in a spare-bedroom or back room away from "where the action is", because you want Bobbi in the room with you whenever you're reading, watching TV, playing video games, on the computer, eating your meals, etc. And spend as much time as you can directly interacting with him too, talking to him, reading books to him, etc. And little by little you are going to build a very close, strong relationship with him that is going to be very, very special...A Green Cheek Conure lives into their 30's...that's a long time that you're going to have him in your life, and that's why it takes some time to build a relationship with them...And once you do, it's forever...

Jobiness said:

saxguy64 said:

I don't have any experience with conures, beautiful though they may be. I think noodles nailed it with the response in your other thread. I would suggest for you to go back and take a look at it again. It's been 5 days since your request for help... 5 DAYS... It seems you are expecting instant results. You may very well be on the right track, and getting great information, but you're going way too fast with your expectations. These things take time. Sometimes a lot of time - weeks, months, even years. Don't give up, just have lots of patience and start from the beginning. Earn the trust, and work from there, one small step at a time. When you get there, it's so worth it!

Click to expand...

When I asked for helped before, I didn’t have any biting inflicted.
It was all aggressive behaviour towards my partner. He was good as gold and suddenly just turned on me


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Click to expand...

Your last post on that other thread was about biting and I did talk about tha in the link posted above. You posted an almost identical question to this one at the end of the comments for that other thread (that was the reply that I think he was referring to).