I need some help with a Senegal

So this Senegal is not mine. I am babysitting him for the next two weeks and I need to ask some questions. I’m used to conures not Sennies, so I’m used to a little attitude but this Sennie bites me when I go to put him back in the cage, not that hard just a minor warning bite, he is missing part of his toe so I don’t want to imbalance him too much and he just doesn’t want to leave my side at all.

His owner said that he fell in love with me the minute he saw me and that she could tell. He also bit me because I didn’t kiss him on the beak when he was asking for it, he bit me on the chin so it hurt a little bit but not too much.

What should I do? I’m not that intimidated of him, he’s friendly and lets me pet him but its just putting him back in the cage and putting him down in general that is the problem. His owner says that she does nothing, so I’m just asking for some help because I haven’t been able to contact her since she left.

Sorry I missed this and nobody else responded. Sounds like you are experiencing "Sennietude". I don't think that there is anything that would be a quick fix in the short time you are going to have him. But one thing I can think of to try is to get him to perch on a stick when putting him back in his home. Gets your fingers out of nipping distance.

I would caution you about getting the bird close to your face. A Senegal has a powerful bite compared to other birds their size. If he does get angry about something, he could latch onto your nose or lip and not let go. I've had to carry my Sidney into the kitchen with him chewing on a finger with full force so I could dunk him under the faucet to get him to let go. Figured that is the best way to get him off without prying his beak off and potentially hurting him or my finger further. He has driven the tip of his beak to or close to the bone in my finger before. With your guest already showing some biting behavior, it is best to be cautious.

Well we did have an incident yesterday where he got mad because I was walking back to his cage and he bit me. He bit me full force and ripped a pretty good chunk of my skin off. I do have him perch on a stick but sometimes he won’t perch on it at all. I finally got into contact with his owner who is in New York right now and she said that she has been thinking about rehoming him for a while because of his biting problem. She’s afraid her baby will get bit.

And yup I just got asked if I want him by his owner. I don’t know. He’s super attached to me and Vivian, my eclectus, had choosen my uncle as her rightful owner so she went home with him. I have room for this little Senegal but the biting is the one thing that I can’t handle, he bit me harder than my big birds have

Taking him into your home on a permanent basis is a tough one. But I applaud you if you do. At least you would be going into it with open eyes about what you could be taking on. I suggest that you do some research here about bite training for birds. I don't have any of the links ready to give you but there are some excellent posts and articles about it on this site and if one of the regulars see this I'm sure they will help by posting them. But you can probably find them with just a search.

All three of my brats are rehomed birds, Sidney and one of my Blue Crowns come from rescue organizations. Frankly, if I had truly known of Sid's aggression tendencies to begin with, I would have had serious second thoughts on adopting him. But what I saw in my mind's eye was Kelly, my first Senegal, who was the most gentle and loving bird I have ever known. I have wavered in my commitment to keep him because he can be such a cute, adorable and loving bird but then do something awful. I have mostly gotten him out of his biting problem. At least against me. But he attacked my 30+ year old Blue Crown a couple of weeks ago and cost her a toe when he bit it, broke the bone and lacerated it about 70% of the way around. Powerful biters they are.

Tootsie is doing well, by the way. Healing up. She sees the vet again Thursday.

Well I did take him in. I figured out he has been rehomed a bunch of times. His owner that gave him to me basically adopted him from a friend of hers and he’s just been passed down a lot. I’m having some second thoughts about it but to know that he has been rehomed repeatedly makes me feel bad if I said no. I don’t want him to get adopted by someone who is just going to throw him in a cage and not take care of him or feed him right. I trained my conures to not bite me as hard, my jenday would bite me so hard until I would set him down on the floor and walk away then wait for him to come to me. That worked. I don’t know if that technique will work with this senegal. I truly do think that this senegal thinks that every time I want to return him to the cage I am going to abandon him. He’s been rehomed 8 times in the past three years of his life. He was very gentle when I first met him but when I got him into my home he just turned into a biter. My thumb is pretty messed up from his bite the other day and I really don’t want to get bitten like that again but I expect it will happen again because I won’t be cautious enough or I just won’t see it coming.

Senegals are cute and all but they have always kinda scared me. I have had a lot of bad experiences with Senegals in the past and that’s why I was so hesitant when I was asked to babysit him. I offered his owner a chance to keep him and I could just help in training him but she said he has just been in a cage for a while and never really comes out so I got him on a healthier diet and I talk to him and let him out of his cage to roam around. I also don’t know if he’s biting me because its mating season or just because he wants to or if he is genuinely scared of going back in his cage. He also wants to climb onto my shoulder but he already bit my ear and I really don’t want to be bleeding everywhere again.

This is going to be a tough birdie for me to handle. Thankfully today was easier, he attacked my jacket but he stepped up and down and didn’t bite me. He was being a good boy today.

I’m very happy your birdie is doing much better. I read about her toe and I felt super bad for her. I can’t imagine that happening to one of my birds. I have a green cheek that bit the toe of one of my other green cheeks and it was bleeding everywhere but I got to it quickly and stopped the bleeding and then i called the vet and the vet took a look and everything was okay. I just don’t let them onto eachothers cages anymore.

time to make this senegal fall in love with you then! Poor thing, you can almost bet the 2 weeks 'temporary' adoption was just a ploy to get them into your home

I hope he will love me. I’m a little cautious with him and I think he knows for sure that I am scared. I even tell him before I pick him up that I’m scared of him and I talk to him and let him know when I will put him down and pick him up. I don’t blame him for biting me, I blame his past. I just hope I am the right person for him.

A couple of bite prevention pointers that I've learned with Sidney.

1. Don't handle anything that he will consider something to play with/attack when he is close by. Sid will go into attack mode and go after it. If my hand is in the way, I get a bite.

2. Don't try to take anything away from him that he is playing with. Even if you don't want it damaged. Get something to distract him. For example, if Sidney has a spoon he will become extremely possessive of it. If I try to take it, he will redirect towards my hand. A little example of him redirecting where, fortunately, he missed. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAtuwu30Q3U"]Sidney hates yogurt. Even with strawberries. - YouTube[/ame]

3. Be cautious of stillness. Especially with pinning eyes. Danger sign. I have never seen Sidney puff up in anger like my blue crowns will do. Going still is his most obvious warning.

4. Of course, the domination thing. Don't let him on your shoulder or on top of your head if you can. I have gotten where I can trust Sid on my shoulder for short periods. Though he is so into everything that it isn't the place he usually wants to be.

5. Toys, toys and more toys inside his cage. Rotate them out. Give him a reason to love being in there. And to wear himself out playing. Sidney is a smart cracker. I rotate out his puzzle toys a lot. He solves them quickly. I don't taunt him by saying, "Lets see you solve THAT one!" anymore. He will figure it out in minutes just to prove it wasn't a challenge at all.

6. Give treats when he goes inside so he does not feel like he is being punished. Let him see that he is getting it even before moving towards the cage. Maybe even get him a new cage if you can. New associations and a fun place to be. Sid has a big cage for a bird his size and he uses all of it.

7. For the safety of your other birds, separate out times. And don't let the other birds get on his cage. Senegals have a reputation of not mixing well with other birds. Even other Sennies.

8. If he is not clipped, consider doing so. Losing his flight ability was a shock to Sidney and it moderated his attitude. I just have to watch where I walk now because he runs around everywhere on the floor.

I sure wish you the best and hope that he comes around and learns that biting is not the way to get what he wants. For all his faults, Sidney can be a darling at times. But it took a while for us to get to the point we are at now. Coming up on 7 years since I adopted him out of the rescue situation. If it wasn't for his attack on Tootsie, I'd almost say that we have reached a good understanding of each other. But with the occasional mistake by me or him.

LOL God they are so funny when on their backs playing like that! Obviously Syd was engrossed in his play time.

I found that with Smokey (TAG) she went bonkers over a toilet/paper towel roll literally ripping it from my hand.not caring if she nipped me in the process.




Jim

My senegal’s wings are clipped. I made sure they were because I did not want him attacking the others if he ever decided to do so. They are also never out at the same time. Ethan, my senegal, usually hangs out in the living room on the playstand watching tv.

The good news is he has settled down a bit. I can see he’s more relaxed and has a bit more trust in me which I’m very happy about. His nippy behavoir hasn’t really shown itself either since the day he actually delivered the nasty bite. I think since that day was only his second or third day home he was a bit scared and distrusting but thankfully now with the help of many toys his biting behavoir has not entirely but almost vanished. That doesn’t mean I’m going to underestimate him or not expect it, I very much expect to get bit again and now I know how much it can hurt.

Although Sennies are really cute

Glad to hear that. Hopefully it is a trend that will continue and be reinforced over time.

And yes, they are adorable. If intense little buggers. Sidney is currently on my shoulder blinking all sleepy eyed. That is just a ruse to lure me into complacency, though....

First of all I want to thank you for taking this Senegal in to your home, as this poor guy has been through the ringer already, and he deserves a chance at a stable, forever home. Most of the reason he's nipping/biting is because he doesn't trust people in-general, and why should he, he's most likely had at least 4 or 5 owners, if not more. And his cage-anxiety and fear is a result of the same issue, he hasn't ever had a person that he could trust, and i'm quite certain that throughout his life his cage was not a place that he felt comfort in, but rather a place where he was put to be totally ignored, or a place that was used as punishment for his biting, which his past people did not understand the cause of...poor guy.

They are so intelligent, and you have to try to think like he is thinking. Why in the hell should he trust anyone ever again? No one has given him much of a chance, instead they have just expected him to be a loving little bird, and when he bit them because he didn't want to be put back inside his cage for hours or days or weeks at a time with no attention at all, his people just got rid of him. This is all too-common, and as long as you are willing to put in the TIME and have the PATIENCE with him that it's going to take, this little guy will eventually be a very loving, affectionate, bonded bird for you.

You've been given very good advice above, these are all good rules to follow...The way I see this situation, you have 2 issues that you need to overcome, and 2 major goals that you need to accomplish:

#1) He doesn't trust you or any other person, as he's never been given any reason to do so. So your first goal is to EARN HIS TRUST AND GET HIM TO THEN BOND CLOSELY WITH YOU, WHICH WILL HAPPEN QUICKLY ONCE YOU EARN HIS TRUST.

#2) He looks at his cage as a bad place rather than a place of comfort and fun. He's probably been biting/nipping for a long time, especially when being put inside his cage, and his cage was probably used as punishment for the biting/nipping, which is a big no-no, you can see why. This became a circular catch-22 type of situation that just got worse and worse, and he now looks at his cage as a place that you're going to lock him in and leave him alone in for hours, maybe days at a time without giving him any attention, thus he bites you when you try to put him inside it, or even when you simply try to put him down and off of you. He can't entertain himself because he's too preoccupied with not losing sight of you and worrying about if he's every going to see you again. So your goal here is TO MAKE HIS CAGE A PLACE OF COMFORT, A PLACE HE CAN ENTERTAIN HIMSELF, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO GET HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO JUST LOCK HIM IN THE CAGE AND LEAVE HIM FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

***The best way I've found to fix BOTH of these problems at the same time with the same solution with rescue-birds who have had many homes since they were babies with many owners is:

#1) Locate his MAIN CAGE in the room of your house where you spend most all of your time when you're at home. This is crucial, as he needs to learn that he can feel comforted, safe, secure, and that you're not going to leave him when inside his main cage. A BIG PROBLEM-STARTER IS PEOPLE WHO KEEP THEIR BIRDS IN A CAGE IN A ROOM THAT IS AWAY FROM THE ACTION IN THE HOUSE AND WHERE THEY SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME, USUALLY A SPARE BEDROOM, AND ALSO IN A ROOM WHERE THE BIRD CAN HEAR THEIR PEOPLE/PERSON AND KNOW THAT THEY ARE HOME, BUT THEY CANNOT SEE THEM AND THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE BEING IGNORED AND LOCKED IN THEIR CAGE ALONE...

#2) Get him a secondary SLEEP CAGE that is much smaller, contains NO TOYS OR ANY ACTIVITIES, just a water dish and a swing if he likes to sleep on a swing, and locate his sleep cage in your bedroom where you sleep at night. This accomplishes 2 things, it again reinforces that his cage is a place where he can feel secure and comforted, and it also reinforces that he can again be inside his cage and yet still be near you and not be left alone or behind.

I cannot tell you how many posts I've seen where a person has just brought home a new bird, hand-raised bird that is tame, and they've had him for a few weeks to a month, and the bird is not only biting, but he's refusing to go into his cage, biting when he's put in his cage, and crying constantly once in his cage. The very first question I ask is "Where do you have his main cage located in your home?", and 99% of the time it's located in a room that is away from where they spend most of their time at home. So they are expecting their bird to bond closely with them and want them to be affectionate with them, yet they keep them locked inside the cage in a room where the poor bird can hear them, knows that they are at home, but where they can't see them. And when we're talking about a bird who is an adult, who is very intelligent, and who has had at least 4 or 5 owners already and has been given absolutely no reason to trust any human being at all, nor trust that his cage is not simply a prison where they are to be ignored and forgotten, this just makes everything a million times harder and more complicated.

He needs to learn to associate his main cage with comfort, security, having fun, etc. And right now, as you said, he's acting extremely CLINGY to you, and he doesn't want to go inside his cage at all, and when you try to make him go in his cage he bites you. Makes perfect sense to me...And realize that you don't have to be spending every minute of every day interacting directly with him in order to help him and fix this issue at all, you just need to make him feel like he's a part of your family, like he's included in what's going on, and PUT HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION IN YOUR HOME, INSIDE HIS CAGE! This will solve BOTH PROBLEMS! The final goal by doing this is that you will be able to sit on the couch and watch TV, read, play video games, or be in the kitchen cooking, or whatever it is you do when you're home, and he will be content to be inside his cage playing with his toys, doing foraging activities, napping, etc. because HE'LL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, HE'LL BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS YOU FOR THE MOST PART, HE'LL FEEL LIKE HE'S A PART OF THE ACTION IN YOUR HOME, AND HE'LL ALSO REALIZE THAT YOU'RE NOT PUTTING HIM IN HIS CAGE AS A PUNISHMENT OR BECAUSE YOU ARE WANTING TO IGNORE HIM OR PUT HIM OUT OF THE WAY. A bird that can hear his person is home but cannot see his person is a very stressed-out bird.

For Example, if you spend most of your time in your living room, or if the living room is the room of your house where most of the "action" is, meaning that's where most of the people who live in your home spend most of their time, then that's exactly where you need to put his larger, MAIN CAGE. Make sure that he has tons and tons of toys to play with, things to chew on and rip apart, and foraging activities inside his cage at all times, and rotate them at least monthly so he doesn't get bored. THE RESULTS THAT YOU'LL SEE BY DOING THIS ARE TWO-FOLD, AS HE'LL NOT ONLY START TO ENJOY SPENDING TIME IN HIS CAGE, BUT HE'LL ALSO START TO BOND MORE AND MORE CLOSELY WITH YOU. He'll stop biting you when you tell him it's time to go in his cage because he'll now know that even though he's in his cage, you're not leaving him, you're not ignoring him, and he can actually feel comforted and have fun inside his cage. AND THIS WILL HAPPEN ALL BECAUSE HE IS INSIDE HIS CAGE BUT STILL RIGHT AMONG THE ACTION AND PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE, AND BECAUSE HE CAN SEE YOU WHILE HE'S INSIDE HIS CAGE....

And getting him a separate SLEEP CAGE will also reinforce the same goals and ideas. YOU NEED TO REALIZE THAT THIS SENEGAL IS NO-DOUBT SUFFERING FROM A PRETTY LARGE AMOUNT OF SEPARATION ANXIETY. So yes, it's going to be difficult for him to not be with you all the time because he thinks that you're going to leave him forever, just like every other person in his life has. But what you need to teach him is that he does not have to be in direct contact with you at all times to feel comfort in your presence, as well as teach him to entertain himself. So again putting him in another cage to sleep, but TO SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM AS YOU, will reinforce that his cage is a place of comfort. And this cage should be very small, my Senegal sleeps in a square Budgie cage i bought at petco for $39, and it's perfect. It has a water dish and a $5 wooden/metal swing that he usually sleeps on, and it sits right next to my nightstand. I cover it with a blanket or dark sheet, and he beak grinds for a good 30-60 minutes before he falls asleep he's so relaxed and happy, just knowing that I'm right there next to him. He goes in it willingly, as well as his main cage now.

The way you need to think, at least for the next few months until you do earn his trust, is that WHEN YOU ARE AT HOME, HE NEEDS TO BE IN THE ROOM THAT YOU'RE IN, BUT NOT NECESSARILY ON YOU OR DIRECTLY WITH YOU. And he'll be just fine with that after he realizes that he's happy that you're just there with him, even if you're not touching him or talking to him. So make sure his main cage is located in the room where you spend most of your time at when you're at home, and when you are at home and not directly interacting with him, try to be in the same room as his main cage doing whatever you're doing. You'll be shocked how quickly he'll start to love to go in his cage and play with his toys, take a nap, etc. as long as you're within his sight. Same thing with the sleep cage at night. Pretty soon you will earn his trust, he'll start trusting his cage, and the biting will stop. And he'll start to willingly go into his cage, because he will have learned that it's a comforting, fun place to be, and it doesn't mean that you're dumping him or leaving him. And he won't have to hear his people/person without seeing them, that's a big deal...