Conure picks inside my ear

[Lantonis]

Hello
I have a jenday conure, and when hes on my shoulder he likes to pick inside me ear alot.
I tried telling him no and trying to stop him the moment he does it, but that lasts onle a few seconds or 1-2 minutes. After that he tries again. And if i let him he overdoes that and picks more and thats really annoying and i reach my breaking point some times.
Is there something i can do to make him stop? Apart from stop getting him on my shoulder.
I thought to put something in my ear like toothpaste so when he tries to pick, hell taste it and stop. But i dont know if thats ok for him to taste toothpaste. Or any other ideas of what to put in my ear that wont harm him
Thanks for your time
Antonis

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi Antonis,

You could go crazy thinking of things that you could do such as wearing a hat but it is an unwanted behaviour. Sweet in as much as he wants to preen you, just got fixated on ears?

If you treat it as a negative and unwanted behaviour ie tell him NO and return to his cage each time I'm sure he will cotton on quite soon. Obviously if he is good and doesn't do it then you can reward him also. Just be careful it is clear which is which.

Or you can try distracting him by bringing him down to your knee/leg and give a head scratch in the first instance if no good move to above.

PS No to toothpaste idea! Could be dangerous putting things in your ears!

 

[Flboy]

PS No to toothpaste idea! Could be dangerous putting things in your ears!

Um, isn't toothpaste for cavities? Kidding! Also very bad for birdie!
Distraction, redirection!

 

[Lantonis]

Thank you for your replies.
Yea the toothpaste sounda like a little bad idea, but really sometimes it drove me crazy
Ill try your suggestions.
Thanks peeps

 

[wrench13]

What I would do; tell him NO and if he does it one more time off the shoulder and onto some neutral place, like a t stand or even a chair back. I Don't like to use the cage as a negative place (it should be a happy place). Let him sit there for a few min, and let him back on the shoulder. That's how I react to bad behavioir. And of course reward good, but make sure 'good' rewards are immediate or you just re-entered bad. And don't put stuff in your ear! Didn't your mom tell you.. nothing smaller then your elbow goes in your ear.

 

[MyBirdsHouse]

Hi guys,

great question, one that is asked a lot and one that I have an answer for.

First of all, your bird is spending too much time on your shoulder. Shoulder time should always be treated as a privilege. A lot of people don't know this because we grow up assuming (from pirate movies and the like) that our shoulder is the best place for our bird to be. This is untrue, for a number of reasons:

1. Putting your bird on your shoulder puts him/her in a position of dominance. Much the same as a rider sitting on a horses back, the rider is in charge. Although the horse is a much bigger and more powerful, the rider in technically in 'control.

2. Shoulder time is fine, as long as you have trained your bird that it is a privilege to be on your shoulder, not a right. You will know if your bird feels like it is their right to be on your shoulder ie. feel dominant if; they automatically run or jump up to your shoulder without you putting them there, run behind your neck or to the other side when you try to get them to step up off your shoulder, or nip your ears, face or hands while on your shoulder.

So what do we do to correct this behavior? Easy, but often done incorrectly.

Birds learn differently than other pets. They respond to positive AND negative reinforcement as if it were positive. Any attention you give your bird is considered attention, and therefore they are getting what they want.

So what do we do? We dont say anything. We don't say 'No'. We don't give any other obvious negative vocal commands because, as I mentioned before, they don't compute to the bird in the way you are hoping it will. They will learn to respond to the word, but not in the way you plan.

Instead, start shoulder training your bird by first not allowing him up there for a few days. At all. He will try, but simply don't allow it. Use your other hand to pick him up before he reaches your shoulder. Put the elbow of your 'step up hand' by your side and forearm at a 90 degree angle so there is no straight line to your shoulder.

Then, if he still gets up there, quickly pick him up off your shoulder, put him on the floor and walk away. (do this in a safe place with no other animals or people around. Also it is best done in an space in the house where there is nothing for him to climb up on)

Why do we do this? Birds are naturally vulnerable when on the ground. If their wings are clipped (which I hope your indoor pet birds wings are) they are dependent on you to save them from this vulnerable position. Obviously, we know they are safe because there are no predators in our house currently hunting them, but the bird is wired to be wary of predators 24/7.

Leave him on the ground for a minute or so, then go to him, tell him to step up (he will immediately and without fuss.) and go about holding him and rewarding him with kind works and play time as long as he remains where u want him. When he tries to go back to your shoulder, put him on the floor again.

What we are doing is first breaking him of feeling that he can go on your shoulder whenever HE likes. Once he understands this and is no long going there on his own, the next part of the training can begin.

Step 2:

Now that his shoulder dominance is taken down a notch, we can teach him that its a reward. If he is behaving well, learning a new skill, being affectionate etc. Give him praise and place him on your shoulder. Put him there for 30 seconds (or less at first) then tell him to step up and take him straight off again. If he doesnt step up when asked, put him on the floor again.

Repeat this process for the next couple of weeks, extending the amount of time he is allowed to stay on your shoulder as long as he is behaving well and stepping up as soon as you instruct him to.

This absolutely WILL work. I promise you that. You just have to commit to doing the work. And dont feel bad. I know he 'loves' being on your shoulder, but if your human child was being a brat and walking all over you, you would take disciplinary action. And just like any animal or human, birds thrive when they have ground rules. Having structure and rules provides much need security and peace for birds.

And as we all know, birds especially need that.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck

My Birds House
www.mybirdshouse.com

 

[smbrds]

I think it's his way of preening you and got fixated on it. Sometimes, my bird picks my nose when we're in the preening process but I redirect it. Good suggestions and posts here. Redirect, distract. No toothpaste here. Birds don't have teeth and it could be harmful.

 

[Lantonis]

Hi guys,

great question, one that is asked a lot and one that I have an answer for.

First of all, your bird is spending too much time on your shoulder. Shoulder time should always be treated as a privilege. A lot of people don't know this because we grow up assuming (from pirate movies and the like) that our shoulder is the best place for our bird to be. This is untrue, for a number of reasons:

1. Putting your bird on your shoulder puts him/her in a position of dominance. Much the same as a rider sitting on a horses back, the rider is in charge. Although the horse is a much bigger and more powerful, the rider in technically in 'control.

2. Shoulder time is fine, as long as you have trained your bird that it is a privilege to be on your shoulder, not a right. You will know if your bird feels like it is their right to be on your shoulder ie. feel dominant if; they automatically run or jump up to your shoulder without you putting them there, run behind your neck or to the other side when you try to get them to step up off your shoulder, or nip your ears, face or hands while on your shoulder.

So what do we do to correct this behavior? Easy, but often done incorrectly.

Birds learn differently than other pets. They respond to positive AND negative reinforcement as if it were positive. Any attention you give your bird is considered attention, and therefore they are getting what they want.

So what do we do? We dont say anything. We don't say 'No'. We don't give any other obvious negative vocal commands because, as I mentioned before, they don't compute to the bird in the way you are hoping it will. They will learn to respond to the word, but not in the way you plan.

Instead, start shoulder training your bird by first not allowing him up there for a few days. At all. He will try, but simply don't allow it. Use your other hand to pick him up before he reaches your shoulder. Put the elbow of your 'step up hand' by your side and forearm at a 90 degree angle so there is no straight line to your shoulder.

Then, if he still gets up there, quickly pick him up off your shoulder, put him on the floor and walk away. (do this in a safe place with no other animals or people around. Also it is best done in an space in the house where there is nothing for him to climb up on)

Why do we do this? Birds are naturally vulnerable when on the ground. If their wings are clipped (which I hope your indoor pet birds wings are) they are dependent on you to save them from this vulnerable position. Obviously, we know they are safe because there are no predators in our house currently hunting them, but the bird is wired to be wary of predators 24/7.

Leave him on the ground for a minute or so, then go to him, tell him to step up (he will immediately and without fuss.) and go about holding him and rewarding him with kind works and play time as long as he remains where u want him. When he tries to go back to your shoulder, put him on the floor again.

What we are doing is first breaking him of feeling that he can go on your shoulder whenever HE likes. Once he understands this and is no long going there on his own, the next part of the training can begin.

Step 2:

Now that his shoulder dominance is taken down a notch, we can teach him that its a reward. If he is behaving well, learning a new skill, being affectionate etc. Give him praise and place him on your shoulder. Put him there for 30 seconds (or less at first) then tell him to step up and take him straight off again. If he doesnt step up when asked, put him on the floor again.

Repeat this process for the next couple of weeks, extending the amount of time he is allowed to stay on your shoulder as long as he is behaving well and stepping up as soon as you instruct him to.

This absolutely WILL work. I promise you that. You just have to commit to doing the work. And dont feel bad. I know he 'loves' being on your shoulder, but if your human child was being a brat and walking all over you, you would take disciplinary action. And just like any animal or human, birds thrive when they have ground rules. Having structure and rules provides much need security and peace for birds.

And as we all know, birds especially need that.

I hope this was helpful, and good luck

My Birds House
www.mybirdshouse.com

Great answer man thank you. Very good suggestions. I think ill implement this methos with the ground. I know when he flies and goes to the ground he seems afraid and dissoriented and tries to come to me. So it feels very reasonable to work.

My only problem is, if he is on my shoulder and he does something he shouldnt, its difficult to grab him immediedly. An easy way to get him off me is to lean on top of something ao he can get off, like his cage or stand. But by the time i get him after he gets off my shoulder and place him on the ground then it will lose its meaning.

 

[MonicaMc]

Dominance doesn't exist in parrots. Most birds prefer being up high, because height equals safety. Many birds also find comfort in sitting on our shoulders. If you want your bird on your shoulder, or you don't, that's up to you! But it has nothing to do with dominance!

If you want your bird off your shoulder, you can easily teach them to step up onto your hand for a reward, walk down your shoulder to your elbow, then to your hand for a reward, or teach them to step up onto something else from your shoulder.



Lantonis, instead of thinking "How do I get my parrot to stop insert undesired behavior)?", you should instead be thinking "What do I want my parrot to do instead of the (insert undesired behavior)?"


So we know he likes to preen or nibble your ear. And it's annoying. What could he be doing instead of that? What about playing with a toy? Or foraging for treats? Maybe it's learning a new behavior?


If you can figure out a behavior that you want him to do instead of paying attention to your ear, then highly reward him for the other behavior, then you can redirect his attention to a different behavior and teach him to leave your ears alone!

 

[MyBirdsHouse]

Good question, it won't be 'easy' to get him off at first. He will run away from your hand and do whatever he can to stay on you. Like hiding behind your back or even biting at your hands etc.

The best way is to quickly, firmly but gently pick him up off you. You may have to endure a few bites this way until you find the best technique for you.

I wish I could teach you how over this message but it would be much too hard, and really it just takes a lot of practice and knowing the bird you are working with.

But the important thing is that he goes to the ground first. Don't let him get onto his stand or any other high place.

The fact that you mentioned that ''it is difficult'' to get him off your shoulder at first makes it clear to me that this type of training is the right course of action.

Keep me posted on your progress

ps. everyone is going to have differing opinions based on their own personal experience with owning birds and stories they have heard. I'm speaking from literally thousands of experiences with thousands of birds, lol this is my profession and vocation. I am fully aware that there are certainly exceptions to every rule. But 9 times out of 10 it is easy to identify the problem and fix it with time, effort, and love.

Good luck!

 

[MonicaMc]

Just because something has been done a thousand times, and it's the way it's "always been done", doesn't necessarily mean it's the best option to use with animals.

If you have a puppy that's being too mouthy, you could always smack the puppy each time he nips. Sure, this may teach him not to nip, but it could also lead to an adult dog that has fear problems, or one that is aggressive. Sure, you may have stopped the behavior, but did it really lead to a well rounded animal? As an alternative, you could avoid allowing your puppy to mouth your hands and instead encourage your pup to play with dog appropriate toys. Doing this will result in a happier dog as an adult.




I have recently discovered a new site that, from the limited information I've looked at already, also appears to be a great place to learn!


Project Parrot


It does have links to a blog with some great information in it, however, unfortunately, the links are now dead.... but the blog can still be found with the information in it! So here it is!

https://blog.phoenixlanding.org/