My green cheeck

[tommyboyy]

Hello all,
I recently purchased a GCC and shes been doing okay so far. She just has this little biting problem. Whenever i feed her food by hand, she tends to like to sneak around an bite my finger. It doesnt really hurt, but its not something favorable. I'd like to get her to stop and being a fairly new parrot owner i'm not quite sure how to. when she does bite i do remain calm and don't make any noises or pull away, i just use my other hand to cover her head (without touching) and she usually lets go. But then at other times i go to try and pet her head, and she kind of goes in for the bite....but at other times she lets me pet her. I've only had her for about 3 days and it is possible that she needs to just have some time to settle in to her new environment. I am also not sure if she is sleeping at night. I tell her to get on her perch before bed and i cover the cage, but i can hear her climbing back onto the side of the cage. I am considering getting one of those tents that they can cuddle in but I'm not sure if they will help solve the problem. I'm also looking into buying some training DVDs and have already started trying to click train.

So any help with the biting would be helpful, other than that shes an awesome bird.


Thanks,
Tommy

 

[suebee]

ok how old is the bird an where did you get it??

when you give her the treat, is she in her cage? if so dont put your hand into her cage

your reaction is correct in staying calm, but i would say if she is biting 1st take the treat and hand away from her

but you've only had her 3 days, so settling in time, just don't be to forward with her, this includes training, wait till you are both comfortable with each other and choose a time when she is in a playfull mood.
if she turns her head or leans away she is not interested, so you just step back an try again later

as for covering her cage, is cage in a quiet area?? just cos its covered, does not mean they will sleep lol my nut likes to do a few climbing laps upside down, around her sleep cage before settling down for the night, but her sleep cage is taken to the spare bed room, where there is little noise, but if we walk into the room for what ever reason and disturb her, she makes snore sounds like my man does

also before splashing out hard earned cash on things for her, see what she likes 1st i've spent some silly money on nut, on things i assumed she will like

also reaserch the net for more info and read through forum for training tips for now

 

[tommyboyy]

I believe she is only 3 months old petsmart gave me a certificate of testing not a birth certificate. it was dated 12/27/10. Shes from Petsmart because i wasnt sure where else to get one. She was pretty mellow for being a petstore bird instead of from a breeder.

When I give her a treat, it can be in or out of the cage, she starts off grabbing the treat but then goes for the finger.

So far i've got her to step up on a perch to come get some apple (which she loved) but she quickly went for my hands. Usually for the time that i've had her i've just opened the door to the cage and let her come and go out as she pleases. But when i leave her alone she starts screeching, when i try to take her out or at least to come sit and watch tv with me and my girlfriend, she just bites.

I went to petsmart yesterday and asked one of the guys working there what her habits were as she'd been there a few months, but the main person wasnt there and the guy that helped me didn't seem to know what he was talking about.

 

[lexx510]

Bonding with your bird will take time. Sit with her, talk to her, and hand feed her when she allows it (don't force it). Overtime she will begin to associate the presence of your hand with getting a treat. If she starts to bite, let her be (if she's in her cage) or place her back in her cage if she happens to be out of her cage.

Be careful to not give her attention when she starts to screech. Otherwise you're only reinforcing the screeching. If you've spent plenty of time with her already, and she screeches when you place her back in her cage - - let her be. She will calm down after a minute or two. But if she learns that every time she screeches, you respond (i.e., even by telling her to be quiet -- it's still a form of attention) the screeching will eventually never stop, lol.

 

[tommyboyy]

I still can't get her completely out of the cage, she does it on her own i just leave the door open and go about what i do everyday like clean or work on the computer hoping to get her comfortable with the area and myself as well. and every time I try to get her to step on my finger she wants to bite it. Her body language isn't bad, she doesnt sway or bob her head. sometimes i feel like shes testing me.


And yes if she screeches TOO much i just cover her cage for a few min and uncover it again. kind of showing her that that kind of attitude will just leave her in the dark for a few rather than get closer to me

 

[suebee]

i really don't like gettin bit, but even when nut was a psycho bird, she never went to bite my fingers when i offered a treat, unless i offered it in her cage! she did lunge at the treats i offered and still do if she is that way out? but she has not bit me for a long time, mainly because i will only ask her to step up when i know she will lol

is it only you she is biting or your girlfriend to?? although biting needs to be addressed, watching telly is not on a birds entertain me list lol, so might be a good idea to have a perch outside of her cage for her to perch on, while you watch telly

others will have a better way of dealing with the biting, but i am fairly certain, your birds just biting, testing the waters so to speak, but i generally avoid all situations when nut will bite me, lol and it works for me and nut this way

i would go back to the pet store an ask about birds age and is she dna tested female?? sorry i am assuming the certificate of testing is for a clean bill of health lol

be prepared for the bird to get a little bit more bitty, before she settles, i say this as for the 1st wk nut was fab, then came the grrr an rrrr when she bit all in the house evenly, she had ragin hormones as she was in season and was in a new home, took about 2/3 months for her to settle, she wasn't un managable, just dam beaky with intent

Parrot Musings: Parrot body language

i used this alot after i got nut, as its really important we read there body language, even nut has facial expressions

ok put a perch on the door and let her step up off that, but if she feels secure by her cage then leave her be for now lol

 

[tommyboyy]

Shes made a little progress. when i give her a sunflower seed, she will let me get close to her and sometimes even pet her while she eats it. Oddly, she lets me pet her in the morning when i get up for work. But when i get home its a whole other story. She starts hitting the cage with her beak when i come into my room after work i'm guessing it is out of excitement and she must really want to be out of her cage. I also went to petsmart and asked how she treated the normal employees who cared for her and the manager said that she was stepping up on their fingers and did the "ladder" with them....so i suppose I just need some time for her to get used to me still...Its so hard to wait tho lol...wish there was a fast forward button