Fried parrot anyone?

Oh boy are we having a rough night, and Parkers lucky I didn't fry him up.

He's been squawking A LOT today after months of nothing and he is downtight nasty. After taking a chunk out of my finger, he Decided I needed a new ear piercing!!!! Damaging my shoulder to the point of needing surgery wasn't as painful as this ear bite. No need for emergency room, but dayam!

Now he squawks and lunges at me from the cage. Doesn't do that with my partner.

I haven't a clue what's going on with him but I am definitely pretty dazed and confused at the moment. And more than a little

NOOOOOO! You CANNOT fry Parker! You have too much invested! Tomorrow will be better.

Sounds like Parker has a serious crush on your partner and since three's a crowd he may be hinting for you to leave. Sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm really sorry Parker bit you. I hope he starts treating you better soon. One bad day with a parrot is unpleasant, several in a row can really mess with your zen.

Oh crap, Chris!!!!

So what is it gonna be first? An expensive meal or a new earring?? :54:

Want me to turn around so you can kick me in the rear now? Ok...I surrender/bend over voluntarily.

It'll be all right. Just a rough night.

Lol, mess with my zen...you nailed it.

I feel so lucky it's happening to me and not Eddie. I can see beyond the bit (sort of) and move on, he'd be stuck in this bite. But I feel like I'm being pushed to a cross roads, being the primary caretaker.

I will admit I'm developing trust issues towards him with all the biting recently. For now no shoulder, squawks get abandonment, no petting or stroking. There may be some training drills too to remind who's boss

Bugger!!! Bad Parker...no.

Gizmo has grabbed my ear, so I can only imagine how painful a full bite would be

Gizmo did and still occasionally does a rushing lunge at my wife from inside the cage (especially when the food door is being opened). It took about a month of refusing to put the bowl in until he stepped away to curb that (and it came on suddenly for no obvious reason).

I'm the main caretaker, but my wife is the favourite (he wants to have babies with her..lol). I don't recall a time I have been bitten by Gizmo alone (only when my wife is present, so perhaps if your not already, you might need to do some training without your partner in the house, perhaps less chance of him nipping).

Not sure if this is just a Gizmo thing, but for body language I watch Gizmo's eyes. He doesn't really pin like Pebbles (although she has white surrounds so perhaps I can just see her pinning better), he squints. I know as soon as he squints he is planning something he knows he shouldn't. If I catch it early, I can literally just say "Gizmo" and he will snap out of it.

Not sure if any of that will help, but I just thought I would chime in, if for no other reason to say I understand your frustration. Good luck!!

JerseyWendy said:

Oh crap, Chris!!!!

So what is it gonna be first? An expensive meal or a new earring?? :54:

Want me to turn around so you can kick me in the rear now? Ok...I surrender/bend over voluntarily.

It'll be all right. Just a rough night.

Click to expand...

I may or may not have been high on ambien when I wrote my follow up right before bed and completely overlooked this. This just made my morning . :35:

Cameron, thanks for the commisseration. When I get bit, I'm struggling to find a time where Eddie was in the room. He definitely wasn't last night. I had walked to a different room, and stopped to turn around. That's when these bites happened. His bites are lingering longer and longer too; the ole grab, hold, and crush.

Hi Chris - it could be hormones. That was mentioned before. Those ekkie bites don't hurt nearly as bad as the amazon bites but they still hurt. And yes you will be a little more alert when you are around him. I went through that earlier this summer with my male ekkie but now he loves me and would love on me if I let him.

Start over today. If you don't want your fingers to get bit...make a fist and have him step up on your arm. Don't be afraid to drop him to the ground if necessary if he shows he is going to bite.

Eckies are flock birds. Not pair bond birds...

Sounds like BOUNDARY PUSHING to me. Time for a little push back.

Biting ears at my place = loss of shoulder privileges for the moment, until you decide to knock off the bad behaviors. You are now a hand/arm bird. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME. BEHAVE, AND WE'LL DISCUSS RESTORING YOUR PRIVILEGES. Until then, you're grounded.

Had just about enough screaming for one day. See this cage cover? (Drops to the floor in front of the cage.) I'll use it if I have to...

And with an Eckie - I've had success with biting issues by using ONE finger on the top of the beak while walking around with them on an arm, giving the no bite command. If they go to latch on, just a quick swipe with that finger, a firm "no biting" and then the finger goes right back on top of the beak.

A couple of 15 minute sessions will remind your bird, that YOU CAN, you'd just prefer not to have to do that. BUT IF YOU DON'T BEHAVE, WE HAVE TO DO THIS. Don't like it? GOOD!

THEN KNOCK OFF THE MISBEHAVING AND WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ANYMORE...

Good behavior = we don't do this.
Act up = we immediately have a little training session.

Emphasis on immediate. As they have to associate it with the bad behavior... cause and effect.

Chris, I just came up with a super easy solution. If you follow my directions, Parker will most likely NEVER put his beak on you again. :21:

Are you ready? Before I tell you, YOU gave me this idea when I read your response about 'deterrents' in a different thread:

chris-md said:

My bird hates cinnamon. If I get to a point I need a deterrent I intend to dust with cinnamon to see how effective that would be.

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So: Get the largest container of cinnamon powder you can find. Apply liberally all over Chris. Problem solved!
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You DO know I'm joking, right??? :10:

Mark, ever grateful for your advice, thank you. I've started setting some serious boundaries, like only coming out on my invitation and not letting the cage door open so he can come and go as he pleases. Immediate cage if he bites. He hasn't screamed today but will not hesitate to cover the cage if need be.

Dopey, thank you!i. I've not thought about dropping him to the ground, though I've heard of it here. I just make a mad dash for the cage and throw him in.

I'm clocking this hormonal. He was good this morning. Came home in the evening and he got me AGAIN really good on the palm after feigning being picked up (hand enters cage, he reaches out with his little foot to grab like all is good, and BAM, no warning), and it's been relentless attacks ever since. I have zero trust with him so have tried multiple times to get him out wearing a glove and he goes full ham on my hand each time. Territorial, aggressive...

He is completely unhandleable at the moment. And unrecognizable. There's definitely been a personality shift.

So, how exactly do I meet his social needs now? I don't want him to be cage bound but I cannot safely get him out of his cage. He is currently not trained to step up to a stick.

WENDY, we'll call it eau du Cinnabon. Patent pending!

To all, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

chris-md said:

Dopey, thank you!i. I've not thought about dropping him to the ground, though I've heard of it here. I just make a mad dash for the cage and throw him in.

I'm clocking this hormonal. He was good this morning. Came home in the evening and he got me AGAIN really good on the palm after feigning being picked up (hand enters cage, he reaches out with his little foot to grab like all is good, and BAM, no warning), and it's been relentless attacks ever since. I have zero trust with him so have tried multiple times to get him out wearing a glove and he goes full ham on my hand each time. Territorial, aggressive...

He is completely unhandleable at the moment. And unrecognizable. There's definitely been a personality shift.

Click to expand...

Chris - it won't hurt him to stay in the cage for a few days. I totally understand what you are saying and I did have the problem with my male Ekkie around Labor Day. He bit me hard and it hurt. I allowed him out of the cage but he only stayed on his cage. When he was on the cage door I would play with his feet at first because I knew I could get away. Don't get me wrong...I was watching him the whole time. Eye to eye. When I said "step up" I did it in a deep voice and with authority. He didn't always step up but when he did he knew I meant business.

Now he steps up when I ask him to BUT it is onto my arm. I do not give him access to my fingers. (My female steps onto my hand.) He lets me touch his beak but he also knows that I can control his beak because I've shown how much I can push back on the beak if necessary.

You are just going through a hard time right now. It will get better. He now lets me touch the wings, feet, beak, even the head if I'm quick and do it before he thinks about it.

THIS I'M TRAINED FOR...

In fact, had the identical scenario awhile back, with a true biter female eckie... (who nailed me good once!)

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/53118-excitement.html

We've even got photos! Go to page 7 of this thread.

If the bird bites he gets a beak full of towel, and while his beak is filled with towel, you use two fingers on the sides of it, and you've got him. Closed bent fist, so there's nothing to latch onto, and offer the towel protected arm to step up on.

What you do is wrap a towel around your arm. Step the bird up. After that, place your Index finger on the top of the beak to control it, at the center of the thick point below the nares where the curve of the beak starts.

"That's no biting."

I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY DONE THIS BEFORE, BUT I DID STAY AT A HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS LAST NIGHT...

I really took some time to digest that post, Mark. Quite remarkable, and it resonated. I'm starting to get an idea of what the one finger method looks like and employ it. Bits worked so far.

I don't know what I'm doing, and as much as I want to proclaim it's hormones, I just have no clue if it's that or boundaries. However, things have turned a corner. I've been using a thick fleece glove to handle him and after the relentless attacks last night, the attacks have dramatically dropped and he's only tried to kill me once. He's almost his old sweet self and nearly cheered me in for a kiss. I think after he saw I don't move when he bites the glove he gave up.

I just need to trust my gut.

One thing I REALlY need clarity on: if I'm going to get him out and he's trying to kill my hand refusing to step up, is it best to force him to setup up (read: chase him around the cage and nearly push him off perches trying force him) or should I let him come out of the cage to slightly more neutral territory on top of the cage where he's less likely to be so aggressive??

I'm confused on if chasing them around he calm cage like I did is a question of destroying trust or forcing him to do something even if he doesn't want to.

I wouldn't chase him around the cage, Chris. That just reinforces his behavior in his own mind... both the behavior of running and that of biting. Parrots are habit-forming, so the best way to keep them from forming a habit is for them to perform an action as little as possible.

Personally, back when I was still working through this with my ekkies, I stopped trying to get them to step up IMMEDIATELY if they tried to flee my hand. The trick is not to dominate them into stepping up, but rather to get them to believe that not stepping up is an opportunity missed.

So take it back to basics. Go to take him out between feedings, when he'd be at his hungriest, and offer a favored treat from the other side of your hand. If he doesn't step up to get it after say 7 seconds, just shrug and say, "Oh, well," close the cage and walk away. Stay away for 5 minutes, and then try again.

This will take some time, but you want the association made between stepping up and tasty goodness. Lol!

Eventually, as the association is cemented in their minds, start decreasing the time you'll wait for them to step up before walking. What you'll see in time is an ekkie who will rush to you right away when you give the step-up command... with or without a treat. Mine take no more than 2-3 seconds to get to my hand... from the other side of the cage.

Another thing. While this biting issue is going on, walk with a distractor. A bird-safe piece of plastic or wood that can fit into the palm of your hand. When Parker goes for your hand, interpose the distractor. Aside from saving you some pain, it also goes with the theme of keeping them from forming habits. Biting on you should NOT be something they get used to.

Dopey said:

...Those ekkie bites don't hurt nearly as bad as the amazon bites but they still hurt.

Click to expand...

Haha! Spoken like someone who has never met the appropriately nicknamed Sir Chomps! (Bixby's brother, Loki, who unfortunately also passed of PDD.) That bird's most determined beak sliced through the flesh of my thumb like a hot knife through... well... vapor! Laid me open but good!

Ekkies may not be as inclined, as hormones don't play quite as aggressive a role, but believe me when I tell you that a sufficiently motivated ekkie can wreak unholy havoc with that beak. Lol!

Eckie's and sennies are like snapping turtles. They don't let go until sundown!

Amazons, on the other hand, are masters of slicing flesh...

Varies in my experience, actually. Bixby would grab and hold. His brother? Slice and dice. Maya does both, depending on her mood, and Jolly just doesn't bite at all.

Parker is DEFINITELY a grab and hold biter. Like a white hot pair of scissors but I've found marks finger recommendation (or variation thereof?) to be very effective at stopping him immediately. A sort of distraction mechanism.

So he's 97% back to his old self. Glove has come off and he got back on the shoulder for a quick minute. Probably helps were currently overnighting it at my moms, so a new environment. He done tried it once or twice but I stopped him cold. Trust is still a work in progress but should be fine in a couple weeks.

Stephen, the step up advice right there clarified exactly what I needed to know, thank you. No more chasing

Chris,

Glad things seem to be heading in the right direction with Parker, it really did go downhill fast. There is some great advice being dished out over this topic, which I am also grateful for!

Cheers,

Cameron

You aren't fooling Cameron. I look back and it's almost scary how quickly it spiraled out of control. I really think the turning point was letting him attack the glove, seeing I wasn't backing down. If I didn't have the glove, don't know how I would have turned it around. The advise here has been absolutely invaluable and I'm so grateful for how generous everyone is with their advice.

Side bar, I really have to apologize for the insane amount of autocorrect and misspelling on my posts. I really need to get better about proofreading what I type, as I tend to look more at my keyboard than the post on the screen as I type. iPhone is not kind to me on this forum.