So five years ago my grandparents bought me a green cheek conure, Corky, from Petsmart as a high school graduation gift. Don't know how old he was, but I always assumed he was only about a year old or so. For the first three years he was a absolute sweetie. Sure he had some bitey moments, but a firm "no" as I pushed into the bite pretty much made him stop, it was never a very big deal. If I tried picking him up and he didn't want too, he would just shuffle away to tell me no and he loved to sit with me for hours and have me pet him. Then...it went all down hill.
For the past two years he has been a monster. First it started out slow, he would be more bitey then usual and be grumpy and I figured it was just those dreaded teenage hormones I had read about kicking in, but it's been two years now and it's getting out of control. He will let everybody under the sun hold him and pet him, but if I try too? He attempts to take my hand off. He has moments where I'll be sitting on the floor and he comes over to me and paces, chirping at me like he's always done which means he wants me to pick him up. Yet if I pick him up, he puffs up and bites me so hard I bleed. I can't get absolutely anywhere near his cage anymore, it's a race to try and grab his food and water bowls before he gets to my hands to nail me. There are times I can pick him up and he's fine, and he'll be sitting on my shoulder or hand with no issue (though he won't let me pet him) and then out of the blue he will make this angry sound and bite me and I have to pry him off to get him to stop...to which he just bites me more until I can quickly put him in his cage. But does he do this to my friends and family when they visit? Not at all. They can carry him around and pet him no problem.
Just the other day he followed me into the bathroom, and kept chirping at me when I was getting ready to take a shower. So I picked him up and put him on top of the shower frame. He sat there fine, but when I got out I offered to let him down but he wouldn't step onto my hand. So I finished drying off, got dressed and offered my hand again for him to step down...what does he do? Launches himself off, lands on my chest, bites the crap out of my chest then when I used my hand to try and grab him he turned his head and gave me one heck of a nasty bite on the hand. I just dropped him at that point and I know it's terrible, but I was so frustrated that I walked out, closed the bathroom door and left him in there until I calmed down. After that he followed me around again begging me to pick him up. I finally gave in after about an hour or so and picked him up...and he puffed up and bit me.
I just don't know what to try anymore. Pushing into the bite doesn't work anymore, he just holds on. I've tried being silent when he bites, giving him a sharp no...nothing. I've tried walking away and ignoring him, I've tried talking to him softly to get him to calm down, I've tried using a dowel to pick him up but he absolutely refuses to step up on it, I've tried punishing him by putting him back in his cage when he bites, I've tried just giving him space when he's trying to be bitey and trying to wait till he calms down but he rarely does...I just don't know. It's to the point I barely let him out anymore, because then he either gets into something or goes somewhere that I can't get him away from without him pretty much attacking me or I can't get him back into the cage because he's being so aggressive. I love the little guy, but I'm really just starting to beleive he just doesn't like me and would just love to get the heck away from me and go home with one of my friends. Any help here? I've struggled for two years with this and I am getting absolutely no where with everything I try.
For the past two years he has been a monster. First it started out slow, he would be more bitey then usual and be grumpy and I figured it was just those dreaded teenage hormones I had read about kicking in, but it's been two years now and it's getting out of control. He will let everybody under the sun hold him and pet him, but if I try too? He attempts to take my hand off. He has moments where I'll be sitting on the floor and he comes over to me and paces, chirping at me like he's always done which means he wants me to pick him up. Yet if I pick him up, he puffs up and bites me so hard I bleed. I can't get absolutely anywhere near his cage anymore, it's a race to try and grab his food and water bowls before he gets to my hands to nail me. There are times I can pick him up and he's fine, and he'll be sitting on my shoulder or hand with no issue (though he won't let me pet him) and then out of the blue he will make this angry sound and bite me and I have to pry him off to get him to stop...to which he just bites me more until I can quickly put him in his cage. But does he do this to my friends and family when they visit? Not at all. They can carry him around and pet him no problem.
Just the other day he followed me into the bathroom, and kept chirping at me when I was getting ready to take a shower. So I picked him up and put him on top of the shower frame. He sat there fine, but when I got out I offered to let him down but he wouldn't step onto my hand. So I finished drying off, got dressed and offered my hand again for him to step down...what does he do? Launches himself off, lands on my chest, bites the crap out of my chest then when I used my hand to try and grab him he turned his head and gave me one heck of a nasty bite on the hand. I just dropped him at that point and I know it's terrible, but I was so frustrated that I walked out, closed the bathroom door and left him in there until I calmed down. After that he followed me around again begging me to pick him up. I finally gave in after about an hour or so and picked him up...and he puffed up and bit me.
I just don't know what to try anymore. Pushing into the bite doesn't work anymore, he just holds on. I've tried being silent when he bites, giving him a sharp no...nothing. I've tried walking away and ignoring him, I've tried talking to him softly to get him to calm down, I've tried using a dowel to pick him up but he absolutely refuses to step up on it, I've tried punishing him by putting him back in his cage when he bites, I've tried just giving him space when he's trying to be bitey and trying to wait till he calms down but he rarely does...I just don't know. It's to the point I barely let him out anymore, because then he either gets into something or goes somewhere that I can't get him away from without him pretty much attacking me or I can't get him back into the cage because he's being so aggressive. I love the little guy, but I'm really just starting to beleive he just doesn't like me and would just love to get the heck away from me and go home with one of my friends. Any help here? I've struggled for two years with this and I am getting absolutely no where with everything I try.
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