6 Week Oatty Update and Behavioral Advice

Not so quick update and refresher: I adopted Oatty(20 mo old Quaker) about 6 weeks ago. I have successfully converted him from a 100% seed diet over to 80% Harrison's diet(thanks to everyone here!)10% seed, and 10% quinoa mash. His molting seems near end and his color is just brilliant! We've got him on a sleep schedule(9p-9a), we wheel his cage into whatever room we are in most of the time(if I'm on the phone, he isn't welcome in my work conversations, or if my homeschooled son is taking a test, he has to stay out!). He eats his quinoa mash dinner at the table with us every night. Last night we ate outside on the patio, so we wheeled him out. He even stayed on the patio while my husband and I went on our kayaks- I could hear him across our lake wolf whistling for me. He says so many words and phrases...he came to us saying step up, rrrrico, pretty bird, kisses and laughing...I've taught him to say peak a boo, wolf whistle, meow, Oatty and we are learning "How much is that Oatty in the window(bark bark)and 1, 2, 3!. He spends about 2 hours outside of the cage...which I would like to be longer but...

When he is outside the cage, he won't sit with anyone but me. If I try to set him a top his cage(with a plethora of things he likes to do) he will fly to me every time. I've been working on him waiting for me to give him the "hand" command and then he flys to my hand. However, that is still a work in progress, so when I have work to do, he has to go in his cage or he ends up on my head. I'm a life coach, most of my video/phone clients don't want to be interrupted by my bird! I also have 3 dogs(well mannered) and a (mostly behaving)cat...which all have been very nice to him, but they are nowhere near the stages of being unsupervised. I've tried a desktop perch area...he still ends up on my head or chewing up my computer screen. So...cage time is unfortunately, inevitable for him. I set new obstacles for him every day...which he plows through in a few minutes when he gets around to them. He has plenty of toys, he does like his cage, and surprisingly doesn't actually get aggressive in it.

When he came to us, he was very mild and loved to just hang out. He didn't bite anyone when we first approached him. I had half the neighborhood come over to handle him. His behavior still is mostly very nice to me, but he's very fussy with my son and husband. I do realize that he's chosen me, which I expected and take full responsibility for. However, the screeching when I leave the room is INSANE! I fully expect and love the noises birds make...but he's downright nasty about it! He knows I'm in the next room, and he thinks if he is loud enough, I will come get him(In or out he is usually happy as long as I'm near).

I've noticed that when I get him "over excited" he is more prone to bite out of excitement. For example, he LOVES to say "rrrrrico!!" in traditional excited mexcian style. He rolls his r's all the time, it's super adorable. Also when playing peak a boo...he gets sooo revved up. These are times when he loses control and randomly bites whatever his head bumps into.

I've also noticed when he's sitting on my shoulder and I'm trying to get my work done... if I am not making a clicking sound or talking to him..he'll bite me to get my attention. I don't mind him cleaning my ears...or combing my hair. The biting of my neck is getting old.

The corrective action we were taking to address the biting was to bring him back to his cage. This is not working. He bites harder to whoever is bringing back to his cage. I think he's learning that his cage is a bad place to only be when you are punished. So we have switched our tactic to a firm NO and a gentle touch(not even a tap) to the beak. He seems to be responding to that a little better, and it doesn't interfere with the time he actually gets out of the cage.

OK, Bird Pros! Is my bird spoiled? Is he going through puberty? Mating season? Do I need more OUT of the cage time? More IN the cage time? Different bite training tactic? Do I need to move out and let him have my whole house?

I'm just not sure if I'm supposed to be patient with him and let him get through his temporary insanity or if I have a real bite problem on my hands. I suppose here would be a good place to put- he's never drawn blood, but made some serious bruising.

I've always been on board with keeping his wings the way nature intended them unless it becomes a danger to his life. My original plan was to teach him some flight commands for safety and see how it goes. I've wondered if clipping him so he is unable to get to me while outside the cage will make him happier or more frustrated? That doesn't seem to fit well with my beliefs, but I'm always so open to any suggestions!

Outside of following more of a solar sleep schedule...I'm kind of at a loss at how to correct his behavior. I want him out of his cage 100% of the awake time...but he has to respect his boundaries!

I thank you if you read this far! Please, forgive my typos AND let the brainstorming commence!

I should be banned from giving any advice! Unless the question is how to produce a monster.
I have reduced biting to almost zero over the decades... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered. I don't do stuff that gets me bitten. I NEVER do stuff that makes him mad... I don't touch others when he's out; I rarely try to get him to step up onto my hand first. Hand-held perch first, then hand. In some ways, I swallow my disappointment at having such a little monster for a pet, but he is what he is. I ALWAYS wear my hair down when he's on my shoulder, so all he can bite is hair in the event he gets mad. Really, I don't involve hands much... he doesn't like them. He seems to think the real ME is my head, perched on a weird moveable tree with questionable appendages.
Since he's fully flighted, the ONLY way I get him into the cage is to toss a chile pepper in and he flaps in after it. My darling is kind of a worse-case scenario, but we have it all worked out between the two of us.
Okay, now for the GOOD advice. (Not from me!)

Nonsense! Your perspective is super valuable! I think I can learn a lot from anyone's point of view and experience! Thankfully, I take information away differently than most...

GaleriaGila said:

I should be banned from giving any advice! Unless the question is how to produce a monster.
I have reduced biting to almost zero over the decades... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered. I don't do stuff that gets me bitten. I NEVER do stuff that makes him mad... I don't touch others when he's out; I rarely try to get him to step up onto my hand first. Hand-held perch first, then hand. In some ways, I swallow my disappointment at having such a little monster for a pet, but he is what he is. I ALWAYS wear my hair down when he's on my shoulder, so all he can bite is hair in the event he gets mad. Really, I don't involve hands much... he doesn't like them. He seems to think the real ME is my head, perched on a weird moveable tree with questionable appendages.
Since he's fully flighted, the ONLY way I get him into the cage is to toss a chile pepper in and he flaps in after it. My darling is kind of a worse-case scenario, but we have it all worked out between the two of us.
Okay, now for the GOOD advice. (Not from me!)

Click to expand...

Also another behavior...As I was reading the response above to my son, Oatty reminded me...

When I talk...For example, I read aloud to my son while we homeschool, or when on the phone to someone, or just talking to my husband...He "chatters" (For lack of a better term) over my talking...??? What is this??? How do I fix that?

Mom2Oatty said:

When he is outside the cage, he won't sit with anyone but me. If I try to set him a top his cage(with a plethora of things he likes to do) he will fly to me every time. I've been working on him waiting for me to give him the "hand" command and then he flys to my hand. However, that is still a work in progress, so when I have work to do, he has to go in his cage or he ends up on my head.

However, the screeching when I leave the room is INSANE! I fully expect and love the noises birds make...but he's downright nasty about it! He knows I'm in the next room, and he thinks if he is loud enough, I will come get him(In or out he is usually happy as long as I'm near).

I've noticed that when I get him "over excited" he is more prone to bite out of excitement. For example, he LOVES to say "rrrrrico!!" in traditional excited mexcian style. He rolls his r's all the time, it's super adorable. Also when playing peak a boo...he gets sooo revved up. These are times when he loses control and randomly bites whatever his head bumps into.

I've also noticed when he's sitting on my shoulder and I'm trying to get my work done... if I am not making a clicking sound or talking to him..he'll bite me to get my attention. I don't mind him cleaning my ears...or combing my hair. The biting of my neck is getting old.

The corrective action we were taking to address the biting was to bring him back to his cage. This is not working. He bites harder to whoever is bringing back to his cage. I think he's learning that his cage is a bad place to only be when you are punished. So we have switched our tactic to a firm NO and a gentle touch(not even a tap) to the beak. He seems to be responding to that a little better, and it doesn't interfere with the time he actually gets out of the cage.

OK, Bird Pros! Is my bird spoiled? Is he going through puberty? Mating season? Do I need more OUT of the cage time? More IN the cage time? Different bite training tactic? Do I need to move out and let him have my whole house?

I'm just not sure if I'm supposed to be patient with him and let him get through his temporary insanity or if I have a real bite problem on my hands. I suppose here would be a good place to put- he's never drawn blood, but made some serious bruising.

I've always been on board with keeping his wings the way nature intended them unless it becomes a danger to his life. My original plan was to teach him some flight commands for safety and see how it goes. I've wondered if clipping him so he is unable to get to me while outside the cage will make him happier or more frustrated? That doesn't seem to fit well with my beliefs, but I'm always so open to any suggestions!

Outside of following more of a solar sleep schedule...I'm kind of at a loss at how to correct his behavior. I want him out of his cage 100% of the awake time...but he has to respect his boundaries!

I thank you if you read this far! Please, forgive my typos AND let the brainstorming commence!

Click to expand...

First of all, I had a lot of fun reading this post and seeing how your new fid has integrated into your family! You're a flock now While I'm no expert and have never owned Quakers, I bolded some of what you said to offer my advice on this.

-If, every time you let him out of the cage, he flies on top of your head, a good solution to this would be a wing clip. It's a good thing to do for birds who aren't very tame or take flight very easily. It will enable you to have more control of him and it will stop the flying (hopefully).

- Lots of birds bite from over-excitement, luckily Oatey isn't a macaw!! This is normal but preventable. Try not to get him over excited by keeping these games to a minimum.

- If he is biting your neck and then biting even harder when returned to his cage, it is time to STOP allowing him on your shoulder to sit. Many members here will agree that shoulder-sitting is a privilege that needs to be earned! Some birds, when given the opportunity, will overstep their boundaries so we need to constantly remind them that they are going too far, and they are not the one in charge here. Do not allow him on your shoulder until you are certain he has earned it and will no longer bite.

- It sounds like you are on the right path with the firm 'NO!' and the tap on the beak. This is bite-pressure training and you should continue to do this. Any hard bite should be handled this way, and if after he is still continuing to bite/show signs of aggression or overexcitement, return him to his cage. Even if he bites harder, he needs to learn that this is NOT acceptable and he must settle down.

- Not sure when Quakers mature but it sounds to me like he needs more boundaries set for him. So I suggest taking away these things that cause the unwanted behavior. Getting his wings clipped will be temporary but provide you more control so he isn't just flying off all the time. Not allowing him on your shoulder will hopefully eliminate the biting. As far as being nicer to your son and husband and others in general, playing 'pass the birdie' including Oatey's favorite treats may help. All young birds should be socialized as much as possible, continued on a daily basis, though it is true birds can and will pick a favorite! As far as the 'chatting' while you are talking, LOL that made me laugh. I can just picture it very well not much advice on that front, but boy they sure do like to interrupt! (lots of birds are like this, lol)

ItzJbean- Thank You for your advice! I'm glad you enjoyed my bit, I was slightly concerned with "oversharing" LOL, that's a nice way of saying I talk too much! I really wanted to try to paint a complete picture!

I think most importantly, I have not taken away shoulder privileges. He won't sit anywhere else outside of the cage...Unless we clip... Even if I am just holding him on my hand, he runs right up my/anyone's shoulder.

What do you do with a bird that's lost shoulder privileges? LOL

Mom2Oatty said:

ItzJbean- Thank You for your advice! I'm glad you enjoyed my bit, I was slightly concerned with "oversharing" LOL, that's a nice way of saying I talk too much! I really wanted to try to paint a complete picture!

I think most importantly, I have not taken away shoulder privileges. He won't sit anywhere else outside of the cage...Unless we clip... Even if I am just holding him on my hand, he runs right up my/anyone's shoulder.

What do you do with a bird that's lost shoulder privileges? LOL

Click to expand...

Will he sit on your forearm at all, or just run right up to your shoulders? Some people will get table or floor play stands like this and will place toys around it. It gives them a place to do things outside of their cage and such. The java wood table stands are pretty cool for this, too! Or you could get a simple perch stand.

He will not sit on my forearm...straight up to the shoulder as fast as he can. I do think he is afraid of a lot of things and he finds comfort there. I am working at introducing him to "all the things..."

I have tried a few things for him to hang out on...a table top perch-y thing(Oatty is on it in my profile pic). As well as a perch stand on top of his cage. All things are not nearly as fun as me...and he can't be out of the cage without absolute supervision at this point.

Maybe the combo of finding something he enjoys to hang out on, as well as clipping, will be a solution for now.

So sounds like you need a 'time out' place that is not his cage, becasue cages should not be seen as a 'punishment ' place. I suggest a table stand or other type stand , to be his 'time out' when he misbehaves. Time outs are like 2-5 min

LOL...sorry for laughing ..but..hehehe.
Ok, Oatty is still a youngster,still getting familiar with his new family,and seeing what he can get away with.

My precious,darling,lovable BB wants to be with ME always! He is just a tad over one year old,and besides Amy,I am the only one else here. He was only 4.5 months old when he came home with me,so naturally,I'm the only person he was around all the time,so I became his best bud.
But I have socialized him since he was a baby. Anyone and everyone who came to visit me,I'd introduce BB to. now, he will readily go to anyone. He loves his Uncle Joe and Uncle DJ,will readily climb their arms to their shoulders,wolf whistle in their ear or tell the BB a good boy?..BUT...just a few minutes of that,he is climbing back down their arm to be with ME..it's like he is just saying HI to them (being polite and all...yanno?)

As far as talking when your on the phone..Jonesy,the beady-eyed monster Goffin 'too..little did I know what a potty mouth he had prior to my adopting him. As soon as I got on the phone he would start...the louder I talked..the louder he talked " YOUR *******ME! YOUR *******ME!!" as loud,and as clear as he could be! I was never able to cure him of that.
Even to this day (over a year now) his new parronts say he still does it..lol they just accept it as part of who he is

Like I said..Oatty is still a young guy..BB will suddenly box my earlobe with 3 or 4 quick jabs..I've been saying NO! in a stern voice and it has seemed to curb his desire to box..it doesn't really HURT..it is just VERY annoying!
So, with Oatty..have him meet other family members..maybe have one of them take him into a separate room while you are busy working,and have them interact with Oatty..like everyone has mentioned..socialization does wonders for a parrot..and parront...just ask Amy!


Jim