Codie took a chunk out of my arm this morning :(

[wenz2712]

Everything was as normal this morning.. I uncovered Codie at the same time as always, I opened the Cage Door and instead of her climbing on to me like she does every other morning, she attacked with a vengeance I have a chunk missing out of my arm

I was not wearing anything different, so I know it wasn't that!

For some reason, she seems to be becoming very unpredictable! I am normally the only person that she will not go for! This is the 2nd time in a couple of Weeks that it has happened.. The first time, I was too quick for her to do any damage to me but, not today!! My Arm is throbbing

I cant even say she is hormonal, as she has only just turned 1.

 

[MeganMango]

Mango is only 7.5 months, and we havent had him very long, but he definitely has what I call his "snot bag" days. He just gets all full of himself like he just joined the little birdy maifia. He even walks around like he thinks hes a big bald eagle or something. I can sometimes tell when hes going to give attitude, but its very off and on. He acts all normal and then out of no where he is trying to shred my whole hand. He is FAST and if you ignore him he just keeps going. Dave and I have taken to telling him "no" in a calm but assertive voice, and very gently putting him back in his cage. I will sometimes give him extra toys or work on something to take his mind off it. We work on step up (on a stick) and talking. If he is really snotty we close his door and leave the room. We go about business as usual and wait for him to contact call us. Since he is usually with us as soon as we get home until bed this is often enough for him to change his ways. That said he is still full of himself, hes just more careful about where he puts his beak. When he gets snotty we are pretty cautious of our hands and faces. Does your bird like to come out of her cage? When Mango bites, even if its really hard we always make sure we continue to do whatever we wanted to do so he doesnt learn he can use his beak to avoid the things he doesnt like. Birds usually bite when they are scared, and some people will tell you they ONLY bite when they are scared, but Mango definitely bites for fun sometimes, and he will bite if he doesnt get his way (I wont share my coffee in the morning-this is an endless battle). He is a very arrogant little bird. You should try to think of what the motive is, and work from there. If something is making her nervous you might be able to make her more comfortable, if she is just frisky at certain times of the day you could work on stick training etc in stead during that time.

 

[Kiwibird]

I'm sorry that you had this negative experience with Cody this morning. Amazons are notorious for sometimes having a bit of a temper, and as with all large parrots, even the sweetest bird can occasionally deliver an unexpected chomp. Do not take this as your bird hates you or anything, and don't be afraid to pick him up again. He just didn't want to come out this morning, for whatever reason. In the future, do be aware of signs your bird does not want to be bothered (aka more likely to bite) such as pinning eyes, flared tail, "crouched" down (an aggressive stance) and lunging. If your bird does display these signs of aggression in the future, heed the warning and step back and try again later when he's in a better mood.

I have spent my whole life around large parrots, and I've taken my fair share of occasional bites from otherwise happy and sweet birds. My response is generally to react as little as possible when bitten (no yelling, crying, or otherwise further exciting the bird), immediately put them back in their cage/close the door and calmly put the cover on for a "time out" while I clean up the wound. Once they've had a moment in the dark to calm down, I remove the cover and show them what they did, and they do seem to understand. I try to make a point to take them back out within an hour of getting bitten so they understand it didn't scare me away so they will be less likely to use it as a inappropriate form of communication in the future. I also always "listen" to my bird when he's showing aggressive body language, and leave him alone at that point. I'd rather him communicate that he doesn't want to come out by pinning his eyes than biting my hand. Best of luck, and remember to always watch for aggression and leave a bird who wants to be left alone alone.

 

[wenz2712]

Mango is only 7.5 months, and we havent had him very long, but he definitely has what I call his "snot bag" days. He just gets all full of himself like he just joined the little birdy maifia. He even walks around like he thinks hes a big bald eagle or something. I can sometimes tell when hes going to give attitude, but its very off and on. He acts all normal and then out of no where he is trying to shred my whole hand. He is FAST and if you ignore him he just keeps going. Dave and I have taken to telling him "no" in a calm but assertive voice, and very gently putting him back in his cage. I will sometimes give him extra toys or work on something to take his mind off it. We work on step up (on a stick) and talking. If he is really snotty we close his door and leave the room. We go about business as usual and wait for him to contact call us. Since he is usually with us as soon as we get home until bed this is often enough for him to change his ways. That said he is still full of himself, hes just more careful about where he puts his beak. When he gets snotty we are pretty cautious of our hands and faces. Does your bird like to come out of her cage? When Mango bites, even if its really hard we always make sure we continue to do whatever we wanted to do so he doesnt learn he can use his beak to avoid the things he doesnt like. Birds usually bite when they are scared, and some people will tell you they ONLY bite when they are scared, but Mango definitely bites for fun sometimes, and he will bite if he doesnt get his way (I wont share my coffee in the morning-this is an endless battle). He is a very arrogant little bird. You should try to think of what the motive is, and work from there. If something is making her nervous you might be able to make her more comfortable, if she is just frisky at certain times of the day you could work on stick training etc in stead during that time.

Normally, I can do anything with Codie and no matter what kind of mood she is in she has never bitten me! I have no problems with her stepping up on me or sitting with me... We always have the same routine every morning. As soon as I open her Cage, she steps up on me and puts her head down to be petted.. I then put her on her stand while I get her food bowls out and do her Breakfast, but for some strange reason this morning, she decided to lunge at me instead

She spends nearly all day on her stand and plays quite happily. Maybe she is just having an off day At the moment, she is attacking her Toys on her stand and growling at them, so she seems to still be in a crabby mood I am just going to leave her alone and let her get on with it today!! I dont want another chunk out of my arm LOL

 

[wenz2712]

I'm sorry that you had this negative experience with Cody this morning. Amazons are notorious for sometimes having a bit of a temper, and as with all large parrots, even the sweetest bird can occasionally deliver an unexpected chomp. Do not take this as your bird hates you or anything, and don't be afraid to pick him up again. He just didn't want to come out this morning, for whatever reason. In the future, do be aware of signs your bird does not want to be bothered (aka more likely to bite) such as pinning eyes, flared tail, "crouched" down (an aggressive stance) and lunging. If your bird does display these signs of aggression in the future, heed the warning and step back and try again later when he's in a better mood.

I have spent my whole life around large parrots, and I've taken my fair share of occasional bites from otherwise happy and sweet birds. My response is generally to react as little as possible when bitten (no yelling, crying, or otherwise further exciting the bird), immediately put them back in their cage/close the door and calmly put the cover on for a "time out" while I clean up the wound. Once they've had a moment in the dark to calm down, I remove the cover and show them what they did, and they do seem to understand. I try to make a point to take them back out within an hour of getting bitten so they understand it didn't scare me away so they will be less likely to use it as a inappropriate form of communication in the future. I also always "listen" to my bird when he's showing aggressive body language, and leave him alone at that point. I'd rather him communicate that he doesn't want to come out by pinning his eyes than biting my hand. Best of luck, and remember to always watch for aggression and leave a bird who wants to be left alone alone.

Thanks Kiwibird I have to admit, I didnt see the signs of her attack this morning, she fanned her tail out after the attack, rather than before. I will be very aware of it in the future

She does not even want to be petted today, so I am just leaving her to do her own thing

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh no, Wendy! I'm so sorry to hear about Codie's sneak attack. How badly is your arm?

Please do not take it too personally. Codie loves you, I know she does. Oh the joys of being owned by Amazons. :52:

I'm certain all will be forgotten soon, and she will resort to being her own, sweet self again. I'm sorry I can't be of much help on WHY she did it, because I'm afraid sometimes our babies do things and we will never figure out what set them off.

HUGS to you though!

 

[WharfRat]

Sorry to hear, I can relate though (well the Zon's almost always bite me but not too hard) Miri, my temperamental GW got me pretty good
It was "bedtime" so I was ready for some grief putting her up, usually I can just grab her beak and no big deal but she outwitted me and got me dead center of my palm!:11: Tender spot for sure Luckily it wasn't a full force bite, it was all I could do to just sit there and take it.......:52:

 

[Birdlover11]

Codie bit you ? I would never expect that you are her favorite person, they're must be a reason behind. I remember you made another thread about Codie biting you. What time do you uncover her cage and wake her up ? She couldev woke up on the wrong side of the bed
This morning or she didnt fulfill her sleep. I agree with Kiwibird, large parrots are known for being unpredictable and having tempers, amazons especially. As others said, please do not take it personally , she mightev been in a bad mood as you said on how she was interacting with her toys.

 

[wenz2712]

Oh no, Wendy! I'm so sorry to hear about Codie's sneak attack. How badly is your arm?

Please do not take it too personally. Codie loves you, I know she does. Oh the joys of being owned by Amazons. :52:

I'm certain all will be forgotten soon, and she will resort to being her own, sweet self again. I'm sorry I can't be of much help on WHY she did it, because I'm afraid sometimes our babies do things and we will never figure out what set them off.

HUGS to you though!

Thanks Wendy,

She got me quite hard.. She managed to take quite a lump of flesh from my arm Its still bleeding now!

She most definately woke up with the hump this morning

 

[wenz2712]

Sorry to hear, I can relate though (well the Zon's almost always bite me but not too hard) Miri, my temperamental GW got me pretty good
It was "bedtime" so I was ready for some grief putting her up, usually I can just grab her beak and no big deal but she outwitted me and got me dead center of my palm!:11: Tender spot for sure Luckily it wasn't a full force bite, it was all I could do to just sit there and take it.......:52:

Thanks WR... I think it took be more by surprise than anything, as I just was not expecting it :11:

The Bite hurt quite alot and I cannot imagine how much it must have hurt being bitten by your Macaw They have pretty big beaks

How is your leg doing?

 

[wenz2712]

Codie bit you ? I would never expect that you are her favorite person, they're must be a reason behind. I remember you made another thread about Codie biting you. What time do you uncover her cage and wake her up ? She couldev woke up on the wrong side of the bed
This morning or she didnt fulfill her sleep. I agree with Kiwibird, large parrots are known for being unpredictable and having tempers, amazons especially. As others said, please do not take it personally , she mightev been in a bad mood as you said on how she was interacting with her toys.

Last time she just lunged at me, but did not actually bite!

She gets uncovered at the same time every morning, which is 8.30.. I think, like you said, she got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning LOL

 

[chickymonkey]

Oh no! I'm so sorry about your arm! Is it a challenge to not take it personally?

I am new to large parrots and we only recently got Shamus and while he's pretty mellow so far, he is definitely not a morning bird. He does not talk or want to come out in the morning. He's talkative and friendly as can be in the afternoon when we get home but my experience with him in the morning is to let him be. This morning my daughter was saying hi to him through the cage and he lunged at her like don't even talk to me right now!

I question my ability to just take it if he ever bit. He hasn't, but when he lunges I've already reacted by pulling my hand away quickly just from a natural reaction to protect myself. I've done it before I even think about it. I hope I'm not teaching him negative behavior. I usually say "awe, that's no fun" or something and leave him. He does do it only in the morning and only while in his cage so he is telling me clearly he's not interested in attention in the morning. In the afternoon he practically jumps onto my hand.

I read that fanning can be a sign of aggression and he always seems to fan when he's excited to see us. Can it also be happy excitement? He's happy to come out, talking away and then he'll fan.

 

[SandyBee]

I'm sorry too

We got Bosley about 6 weeks ago now and he is not a morning bird either.
If he comes out in the morning it's by his choice, we don't try and take him out. He usually will after about half an hour.

Yes tail fanning can be happy excitement too, I watch for ruffled feathers and pinning of eyes too for aggression. My guy loves to posture and get reactions from my hubby.
For me I get the happy tail fanning, it's like he saying I'm so happy to see you, look at me I'm beautiful LOL

 

[wenz2712]

Yes, I have a feeling that Codie has now decided she is going to be grumpy in the mornings and is now warning me not to touch her The problem is, I have to get her bowl out of the Cage and this is when she attacked this morning.

It is quite hard to determine a happy tail fanning or a Stay Away one

 

[SandyBee]

Oh that is tough,
We have a cage where we can access the food/water bowls from outside doors.
If you have the time, maybe wait a little longer for her to wake up before going in for the food dishes. I have to wake my guy up at 7AM before I go to work or I wouldn't see him in the morning. Tough this week because it is still dark.

In the mornings we just open the cage door and let him decide when it's time to come out.

 

[wenz2712]

Oh that is tough,
We have a cage where we can access the food/water bowls from outside doors.
If you have the time, maybe wait a little longer for her to wake up before going in for the food dishes. I have to wake my guy up at 7AM before I go to work or I wouldn't see him in the morning. Tough this week because it is still dark.

In the mornings we just open the cage door and let him decide when it's time to come out.

I think from now on, I will leave her for half an hour before I do her food in the mornings

Codies Cage also has Bowls that I can access from outside, but I have to have a separate bowl for her fruit, which I have to unhook from the inside! Thats the one I was getting when she bit me

 

[SandyBee]

I'm sure that will help.
Our little african brown head is very snappy with her food dish. With her cage we have to go in for one of the food dishes. We hook it to the door so when we swing the door out we can change it without reaching inside. She is great when she is out, but fingers beware inside when it comes to her food.

 

[wenz2712]

I'm sure that will help.
Our little african brown head is very snappy with her food dish. With her cage we have to go in for one of the food dishes. We hook it to the door so when we swing the door out we can change it without reaching inside. She is great when she is out, but fingers beware inside when it comes to her food.

I have just discovered that if I open one of the access doors which hold the food bowls, I can reach through that to get her fruit bowl out I will do it this way from now on, as she has obviously decided that she does not like my arm invading her Cage first thing in the morning

 

[lpolliard]

We need pictures of the bite. On another forum I frequent there is a sticky of all the bites from our companion birds. I thought this was a good post to warn prospective parronts of the damage our birds can inflict. Maybe you should start a thread and request it be stickied in the Behavioral section.

 

[wenz2712]

We need pictures of the bite. On another forum I frequent there is a sticky of all the bites from our companion birds. I thought this was a good post to warn prospective parronts of the damage our birds can inflict. Maybe you should start a thread and request it be stickied in the Behavioral section.

Here is a pic of the bite. It has come up in a big lump now

I will make a new thread for everyone to show pics of their bites I can make it a Sticky