biting getting worse

[grahamthegasman]

Hi our cockatoo is not reponding to anything we do he just wants to bite us quite hard.We tried the clicker but everytime we get clicker out he goes beserk he hates it.Getting rather frustrated wi.th him now getting to a point where we dont want him out of cage.One ownwer whos really at a loss and struggling how to get him to stop biting and be more friendly.

 

[U2gal]

How long have you had him? What's his age? Species? Size of cage? Enrichment provided? Vet history?

 

[U2gal]

How are you using the clicker? The clicker is the bridge of understanding and letting them know they did something right and a reward is soon to follow. How are you trying to train him? The steps you take?

 

[ShellyBorg]

While ideas come in try just going back to the basic of talking to him with out eye contact, keeping your self lower and non-threatening. Treat him as a brand new bird with out any history with you. Keep notes on how, why and when he acts out.
As it is breeding season make sure he is sleeping 12 hours a day. Use a dark room or a cage cover to make sure of this. Do not feed warm food, cool it if you cook for him. (Warm food is regurgitated by a mate)
And remember he does not hate you. Something is different in his world and we just need to find out how to make it right again.

 

[Kalidasa]

Or you could just click with your tongue???

 

[grahamthegasman]

Hi Chico is eight months old,He is a ducorps cockatoo.We have had him around a month now.He eats fresh fruit and veg everyday and we are trying to intoduce him to pellet food. As well as normal seed mixture type food.He always roots through his food and throws it around cage which is quite discerning as his bowls are always empty,.
The cage is a decent size my daughter could get in it easily and nearly stand up.When we got him we did visit vet to have him checked over.The previous owner said they had him since about 12 weeks old.And got rid due to allergies yet they had eleven dogs.Yes eleven..Everytime he sees clicker he goes mad flapping wings hissing and screeching. He seems happy enough no feather plucking and does play in cage and chats away. Its only when hes out he seems to bite.You can tickle him in cage no problem.
As for sleeping he does go quiet around 20:30 and wakes around 07:30.He does seem very happy until hes out he loves flying round which we actively encourage him to do.But when he lands on us my ears are his favourite and sinks his beak in same on my wife and daughter.
I try to reward him when does as hes told and click when hes good,but then just goes mad till clicker put away,seeems like could use clicker when hes naughty and no reward.I am new to owning Cockatoos used to budgies and cockatiels but felt sorry for him as thought possible neglected in previous home.
I would love to know the correct way of dealing with him and correcting his behaviour or even mine if its me doing it wrong.

 

[Wdlodge]

Regarding feeding: You can leave a bowl full of pellets in his cage 24/7 along with fresh water, and then feed him the other twice a day (morning/evening) let him get his fill of that in the morning and discard after an hr. With no other food source until dinner, he should start eating the pellets. My bird gets a mixture of: cooked beans, brown rice, quinoa, carrots and corn. Then I add to this raw veggies, along with a sprinkle of seeds, pellets, and raw oatmeal. I feed her this twice a day. Discard after an hr. Then she has a bowl full of pellets and fresh water for her to munch on all day long. I do give fruit too, usually apple. I might give her a chunk or I will add it to her mixture. The cooked food I make before hand and keep it in the fridge.*

Here is a really good article on feeding:

Feeding the Companion Parrot by Pamela Clark

Here is a really good article on taming/clicker/target training:

http://trainedparrot.com/Taming/

 

[Sassy]

He might also be testing you.

We recently got a 25 yo hybrid too that will bite. The bites have been fewer and fewer. I recently found that after 3 bites in a day that he didn't like the shirt I was wearing. I changed and he was good as gold. Perhaps there is something in your environment that is upsetting him.

 

[tlfisher]

It sounds like the clicker is stressing her out. I would stop trying to use the clicker at this point and just use your attention as a positive reward. I would just ignore him when he is biting and only talk and interact when he is behaving. It has worked wonders with Wylie and she was biting everyone that came near her. It took her a bit of time to get used to her new home as she is 17 years old and a harlequin macaw. Since she was moved 3 times in a year she had a good reason to be leery of her new home. By giving her space and "listening to her" behaviors she is finally adjusting well and seems to be enjoying her new home.
Good Luck!
Tracey

 

[U2gal]

I wonder if you offer him some comfort feedings, he'll feel better. He is still a very young cockatoo. Perhaps he needs some warm (102F) mushy foods. You can heat some water, put some pellets in it and feed him warm soggy pellets. Or formula. Whichever you more comfortable with.

Also when it comes to cages, length and width is better than height. How big the length and width? It may be silly, but most behavioral problems people see in cockatoos, is due to incorrect cage size and lack of enrichment/toys/variety.

 

[legal_eagle]

It sounds like he's fully flighted. I would clip his wings if I were you. He will be forced to depend on you and won't have the freedom to "terrorize" you, so to speak.

Then, once he's under better control, I would pay close attention to what is leading up to the biting ... whether it's something you're doing, something in his environment, or something that cannot be perceived.

I saw a video where a fellow showed how to use a clicker, although I have never used one myself. Anyway, his macaw hated his wife. He had his wife stand near the macaw, which would become agitated, striking out, etc. The wife was far enough away that she could not be reached by the bird. She just stood there for several minutes until the macaw's agitation subsided. Then she made a clicker noise (I'm not really sure that the bird's care about the clicker noise, but I guess some folks feel it signals a good job). So this was repeated with the wife getting closer and eventually putting out her hand, but not picking up the bird and each time his agitation was allowed to subside. The video did not show if the wife could eventually pick up the bird, but the bird appeared much calmer.

My take away from the video, and reading I have done, is that you have to eliminate the circumstances that allow for the bird to keep repeating the bad behavior because it becomes an ingrained habit. At the same time, you arrange for circumstances where the bird can exhibit good behaviors, such as when the macaw became calmer in the video.

Check out this website: Welcome to BehaviorWorks.org. I read about the scientist who operates this site in the World Parrot Trust magazine, and agree with her approach that to change behavior you have to change conditions.

Hope that helps.

 

[U2gal]

I personally would not clip his wings. He is only 8 months old. This is not an aggressive bird. Its a baby.

The biting sounds like it's from boredom. I recommend having a LOT of foot type toys lying around. And if he lands on you givd it to him and allow him to play with it.

I would encourage you to have birdie designated play areas. This boy needs a couple playstands where he can play and let out some energy!

I also suggest less seeds and more pellets. My cockatoos get less than 10% seed and nuts.

Lastly, I think you should hide the clicker when you use it. And please read up on how to clicker train. It shouldn't really be out and about for a bird to see. I always have the click behind my back or under the target stick inside my hand.

 

[grahamthegasman]

Hi sorry for late reply, he doesnt really bite when in cage you can tickle him and he loves it.We change toys regularly and buy new ones quite often,Its when hes out he bites us ,he flies round chatting away then lets you tickle him even lifts his wings to let us tickle under wings.But then he just starts biting us.This is behaviour we want to change and not having any joy by ignoring him or giving treats.Seems he just likes biting.

 

[grahamthegasman]

Ps it is quite hard to ignore the bird and give no attention especially when your ear is nearly bitten off.What would you do under these circumstances?

 

[U2gal]

When exactly does he bite? Can you recall what you're doing?

 

[Molcan2]

I would NEVER clip a Toos wings, esp. such a young one. Clipping a bird that already is showing signs of upset behavior is going to not only magnify that, but also that fact that he is a Too, clipping his wings are going to increase your chances that feather plucking/shredding will start. Toos are particularly sensitive to changes with their physical body, clipping encourages feather destruction in Toos!

I strongly suggest that you get in touch with a bird behaviorist. Call up one of the Universities that has a veterinary program (they should also have a behavior studies) and they should be able to help you find someone.

Toos take a long time to adjust, average time for a Too to settle is 1 year. Some take up to two or three years. Hes young, he hasn't settled yet and he is going to take some time. Have you contacted the breeder that you got him from? They should be able to help some as well. His entire world has been turned upside down and he needs time. I understand how frustrating it is to have one that bites CONSTANTLY. We just went through FIVE months where Rosie was biting me a few times a day. You need to go back to step one as if you just brought him home and start over from scratch.

At this point I really strongly suggest that you get a behaviorist to come into your home and see what the triggers may be. Good luck with him.

 

[Howie73x]

I would NEVER clip a Toos wings, esp. such a young one. Clipping a bird that already is showing signs of upset behavior is going to not only magnify that, but also that fact that he is a Too, clipping his wings are going to increase your chances that feather plucking/shredding will start.

I've had 2 too's and I clipped mine regularly, they never plucked. Usually toos pluck out of boredom and stress. Clipping will imo make him more docile and complacent. I usually clip every other feather so that the too will just glide down instead of crashing down.

Quote from an avian vet

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif] People have traditionally clipped wings on birds for two basic reasons: 1) to prevent them from flying away, and 2) to prevent them from becoming too dominant and aggressive [/FONT]

If you want to read his opinons on biting and clipping
Real Cockatoo Facts!: to wing clip or not?

 

[Mayden]

I would NEVER clip a Toos wings, esp. such a young one. Clipping a bird that already is showing signs of upset behavior is going to not only magnify that, but also that fact that he is a Too, clipping his wings are going to increase your chances that feather plucking/shredding will start.

I've had 2 too's and I clipped mine regularly, they never plucked. Usually toos pluck out of boredom and stress. Clipping will imo make him more docile and complacent. I usually clip every other feather so that the too will just glide down instead of crashing down.

Quote from an avian vet

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif] People have traditionally clipped wings on birds for two basic reasons: 1) to prevent them from flying away, and 2) to prevent them from becoming too dominant and aggressive [/FONT]

If you want to read his opinons on biting and clipping
Real Cockatoo Facts!: to wing clip or not?

I'm against clipping, but I'm happy to go either way for arguement sake. Both have their pros and cons but I'm against what you just said.

Cockatoo's are NOTORIOUS pluckers, barbers, shredders. Any slight change in their environment (new cage, etc) can cause them to go haywire and lash out, usually upon themselves.

Now take away their power of flight, a PREVIOUSLY flighted bird is going to become incredibly frustrated, upset, dependant and annoyed. Increasing their risk of self harm ten fold.

Then add in growing feathers to the mix, going through moults is upsetting for any bird, but feathers which have been trimmed are rough and scratchy compared to their normal feathers. This causes irritation, which causes the bird to overpreen, resulting in feather loss and there you go; another bad habit has been formed down to self harm and feather loss.

Cockatoo's and African Gray's are two species I will never advocate clipping for. I don't care what avian vets say, I don't care what anyone says. 'Toos are neurotic about their life and can easily flip like a switch to self harm, too many case studies, too many examples on this forum and others.

Find an alternative, clipping will likely cause more harm than good in this case. One clip can cause a lifetime of problems.

A behaviourist was mentioned, that's a good start. Get rid of the clicker for now, it's causing too much stress or at the very least make sure it is hidden when you use it, so he hears the noise but not seeing the clicker in action.

Reward with tid bits of low fat foods perhaps. If your bird flies AT you - avoid. Make him land elsewhere for now unless he's stepping up onto your arm or perch. Consider investing in one of those "Buddy Perches" with a 'bite guard'. You say he's got toys in his cage, but what about outside? Merlin gets easily bored outside his cage because sometimes there is a lack of toys around, so we'll get bit! We quickly gather some toys and he calms right down again and begins to play with them.

It's all about focusing your birds energy elsewhere - contact you vet, see what they might suggest for your guy too.

 

[Howie73x]

I think that it's how you raise your birds. Of course if you keep your too in a cage all day and it has no mental stimulation, you're asking for trouble. It will most likely pluck, in worst cases rip its own flesh. Think of the too as a 4 year old child, if you left a 4 year old child in a cage for extended periods of time, by itself. You will likely have a very depressed, angry child, that will lash out.

I honestly think majority of people just dont meet a toos needs. Of all the birds I think Moluccans should not be pets.