Devil child

[Olive the GCC]

Hello everyone!! I’m new to the forum....I’ve had my “sweet” little GCC for 2.5 years now. She used to be the sweetest little girl ❤️ She has now turned into a devil child. I’m unable to even take her out of her cage without her attacking me 😭 she’s given me several blood blisters and cuts this last week. I feel terrible that she has to stay in her cage. Even when I try to open her cage, she tries to bite me....I’m at a loss as to what to do or not do 🤷🏻‍♀️ Please help 😕

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Welcome to the forums!
She's a bit old to be going through puberty, so I'm not sure what the cause is. Has there been any change in environment?
Try target training, more shredding and foraging toys, and treats as rewards for calm. Be patient and never, ever react to any of the bites.
Good luck.

 

[Olive the GCC]

Welcome to the forums!
She's a bit old to be going through puberty, so I'm not sure what the cause is. Has there been any change in environment?
Try target training, more shredding and foraging toys, and treats as rewards for calm. Be patient and never, ever react to any of the bites.
Good luck.

Thanks a bunch! There has been no change in her environment...I’ve read that perhaps her toys and perches should be washed(which I usually do) and moved around...I’m unable to take her out to do that 😕 I’m not reacting to her bites, other than to put her back in her cage quietly and ignore her for a bit(I read that somewhere too) she’s even biting my face. It’s very sad, breaking my heart 😕

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Thanks a bunch! There has been no change in her environment...I’ve read that perhaps her toys and perches should be washed(which I usually do) and moved around...I’m unable to take her out to do that 😕 I’m not reacting to her bites, other than to put her back in her cage quietly and ignore her for a bit(I read that somewhere too) she’s even biting my face. It’s very sad, breaking my heart 😕

I'm sorry. You're doing most things right. It just takes time.

 

[Olive the GCC]

I'm sorry. You're doing most things right. It just takes time.

Thanks so much❤️ Any info at this point is more than welcome.

 

[Laurasea]

Staying in the cage doesn't teach them anything or fix anything.

Many burds protect their cage. My GCC is lighting fast to bite me if I touch her cage when she is inside. Simple fix I open the door and talk to her and have her come out of cage first . Then no bites.

Its seems very easy to have a gcc develop a sudden fear of hands. This has happened a few times over the years I've had Ta-dah. Lots of hand fed treats, rebuild trust going slow and she gets past this quickly.

Lastly nipping GCC is constantly getting threads in the forums...at least monthly, so you can read up and see if there is other tips.

Reading body language is key to not getting bitten. My GCC can threaten to bite many times a week. Usually I just have to pause and give her a few seconds to compose herself and we are back to snuggle and fun, abd I avoided any bites.

Keeping a burd caged is frustrating for everyone and makes things worse. Let them out, set up hands free stuff for them to do. Maybe some very shirt target training. Rebuild bond and trust.

Shift any blames of bites to yourself, if you are getting bites its your fault. If you look at things like that, from that perspective, it much easier to fix the problem. If you need to make observations abd write down when and why.

Baby birds of any species don't tend to bite and put up with us. Adult birds see themselves as individuals and more than willing to correct our behavior. So many people think their burds turn mean at age 1-2.

A good article in general. PAMELA CLARK has many behavior articles that are very helpful

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

 

[Olive the GCC]

Staying in the cage doesn't teach them anything or fix anything.

Many burds protect their cage. My GCC is lighting fast to bite me if I touch her cage when she is inside. Simple fix I open the door and talk to her and have her come out of cage first . Then no bites.

Its seems very easy to have a gcc develop a sudden fear of hands. This has happened a few times over the years I've had Ta-dah. Lots of hand fed treats, rebuild trust going slow and she gets past this quickly.

Lastly nipping GCC is constantly getting threads in the forums...at least monthly, so you can read up and see if there is other tips.

Reading body language is key to not getting bitten. My GCC can threaten to bite many times a week. Usually I just have to pause and give her a few seconds to compose herself and we are back to snuggle and fun, abd I avoided any bites.

Keeping a burd caged is frustrating for everyone and makes things worse. Let them out, set up hands free stuff for them to do. Maybe some very shirt target training. Rebuild bond and trust.

Shift any blames of bites to yourself, if you are getting bites its your fault. If you look at things like that, from that perspective, it much easier to fix the problem. If you need to make observations abd write down when and why.

Baby birds of any species don't tend to bite and put up with us. Adult birds see themselves as individuals and more than willing to correct our behavior. So many people think their burds turn mean at age 1-2.

A good article in general. PAMELA CLARK has many behavior articles that are very helpful

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

Thanks so much for your reply....shirt target training? Can you maybe explain that a bit further. Thanks in advance for any info you are able to share ❤️

 

[Laurasea]

Lol
Yes I have so many typos....gotta get bifocal and skinny fingers.

Yes shunning can work. Especislly if they are really wound up and over excited.

I just consider them to be like cats with microseconds mood changes and just go with the flow. While avoiding those very sharp beaks.

Lots of hand feeding ( safflower for mine) treats really works wonders. Pamela Clark recommends doing this daily, finding anything they do that's good to reward or just a walk by treat hi.

On short target training, keep it 5 repetition or less, then do something else and repeat later. Bird trick on you tube has lots of great videos.

You can get your sweet girl back. This video is extra great, because it shows failures and adapting to both bird and changing treats. Safflower also work like crack for mine ! Even if she has them in her seed mix. Some GCC may work for different treats but Safflower is my go to, even the ones I meet at petstores

 

[Theo_the _best_birb!!!]

Just be patient and let your bird come out even if it is leaving the door of the cage open until they come out on their own. Some days when my GCC is bitey I set him down give him something to do like shredding or foraging to just do and leave him alone outside of the cage by me and usually he will warm up again and come and cuddle and play shortly after. Just make sure you don’t punish your bird for biting. They don’t understand and before biting will show signs usually of how they are feeling. Best wishes for you and your GCC! 😁

 

[Stitchthestitch]

It could be it's coming up to hormonal season for your little one. I know it is for mine with it coming up to Feb in a couple of weeks. I've noticed Albie is getting bitier as the days are going on. He drew blood yesterday!

My go to tricks are: short but frequent training sessions, be it target, trick, recall, stationing. This gets his birdie brain working, along with flight and it tires him out so he's less likely to get frustrated and bite. Keep sessions short to a bout 5 minutes at a time.

Next is look at diet. High sugar (fruit, sweet veg like corn, high sugar pellets) can also trigger bitey behavior because they become little bundles of tight wound up energy with no out let for it and so they bite.

12 hours of dark is also needed.

Switching up her cage is good I try and do albie's once a month so he doesn't get bored of the same toys.

I also use the shunning method when he bites too hard. I will (very gently) grab tell him no bite In a firm voice and then I'll put him on an unused chair, turn my back on him and make a "hmph" noise and I refuse to look at him. After a couple minute he will come back and be sweet and gentle.

For cage aggression have you tried target training through the bars and treating her through the bars? This can help her realise you don't want her "nest" and just treat her for any non reactive or non aggressive behavior while she's in the cage.

 

[Olive the GCC]

It could be it's coming up to hormonal season for your little one. I know it is for mine with it coming up to Feb in a couple of weeks. I've noticed Albie is getting bitier as the days are going on. He drew blood yesterday!

My go to tricks are: short but frequent training sessions, be it target, trick, recall, stationing. This gets his birdie brain working, along with flight and it tires him out so he's less likely to get frustrated and bite. Keep sessions short to a bout 5 minutes at a time.

Next is look at diet. High sugar (fruit, sweet veg like corn, high sugar pellets) can also trigger bitey behavior because they become little bundles of tight wound up energy with no out let for it and so they bite.

12 hours of dark is also needed.

Switching up her cage is good I try and do albie's once a month so he doesn't get bored of the same toys.

I also use the shunning method when he bites too hard. I will (very gently) grab tell him no bite In a firm voice and then I'll put him on an unused chair, turn my back on him and make a "hmph" noise and I refuse to look at him. After a couple minute he will come back and be sweet and gentle.

For cage aggression have you tried target training through the bars and treating her through the bars? This can help her realise you don't want her "nest" and just treat her for any non reactive or non aggressive behavior while she's in the cage.

Thank you for your reply. I can give her all the loves through her cage (door closed)...I will even put my whole finger through the bars and she’ll sit on it. As soon as the door is open, she goes in for the attack...I’m being very patient with her and feel that I’m going at her speed. My hands are beginning to look like I latched onto a porcupine. I’m quite saddened by it all...love that little green goblin to bits ❤️