Fear of hands Training(Extremely injured hands)

Parootty

Member
Apr 7, 2021
25
36
I have two 4 months old Indian ringnecks. So how do I say this They are scared of hands and aren't. Sometimes if the hand is really close to them they don't mind at all. Sometimes they bite really bad. The thing is, they also step up on my fingers. Sometimes they bite it while stepping up.

They always fly to me when I come into the room. They like to sit on my shoulders, my arms(like anywhere on my arms) back of the hand and they enjoyed but then suddenly, they bite bad and hard. Like I am picking up something and they are playing with their toy, they will leave the toy to bite y hands, other times my hand can be touching them and they are fine. They don't fluff up or constrict their pupil or growl or anything. Just normal.

The thing is my hands are really injured with scars and I really want to train them and tame them a little like poop training, step up(without the bite) and come and go(not just random, but when I say so). The thing is my hands are in bad shape, people are like what is wrong with my hands. I even limited the exposure of my hands to them. So whenever my hands come, there is always food, treats and toys, all the thing my parrots love. If their toy falls I pick it up, they see my hands and give( which is now becomes a habit, since whenever they drop their toys, they come to me and sit on my shoulder and scream for me to pick it up).

I have no idea what to do. I need answers and solutions and my hand need to heal. Plz, help. Having parrots is getting hard since they aren't tamed and it is my fault but I know they trust me cause one of the parrots flew outside, and when I called her, she came back. ( that was before I even started training of any sort)>
 

Kitekeeper

Well-known member
Jun 19, 2021
263
701
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Budgerigar (Bud), Pacific Parrotlet (Sam), Roseicollis lovebird (BJ and Turq), Linneolated parakeet (Charlie and Emma)
Hi Parootty,

Reading your post I came to impression that they are not afraid of hands at all. They seem to be acting as spoiled kids.

Yes I agree with you that they trust you, more than this they want to boss you. It looks like they are training you to do what they want. So you can´t pick up things or they will bite. You must retrieve their toy from the ground, but as soon as they got it back they bite you because they are jealous of their toy and you touched it.

I am sorry your hands are that hurt, but it gives me the impression that you are too much complacent with them biting you, thus the extensive damage.

They must feel that coming out of the cage to have a time with you is a privilege and not your duty. When training an animal, it matters most if the exercise end well than how many times it performed well. It is the good feeling of connection that will last...or the bad felling of failing or mistrust no matter how many times all went well minutes before.

Why not try to let them out for short periods and put them back in the cage before you got bitten. Of course any biting is a passport back to the cage and a time out. When they are out it is important to give them plenty of things to do, so they won´t get bored and remember they could bite you as they did before.

If their toy falls, get it back but put it into the cage instead of giving them back. Birds can respect other birds because they establish their own limits. You can do that too.
 
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Parootty

Member
Apr 7, 2021
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36
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Hi Parootty,

Reading your post I came to impression that they are not afraid of hands at all. They seem to be acting as spoiled kids.

Yes I agree with you that they trust you, more than this they want to boss you. It looks like they are training you to do what they want. So you can´t pick up things or they will bite. You must retrieve their toy from the ground, but as soon as they got it back they bite you because they are jealous of their toy and you touched it.

I am sorry your hands are that hurt, but it gives me the impression that you are too much complacent with them biting you, thus the extensive damage.

They must feel that coming out of the cage to have a time with you is a privilege and not your duty. When training an animal, it matters most if the exercise end well than how many times it performed well. It is the good feeling of connection that will last...or the bad felling of failing or mistrust no matter how many times all went well minutes before.

Why not try to let them out for short periods and put them back in the cage before you got bitten. Of course any biting is a passport back to the cage and a time out. When they are out it is important to give them plenty of things to do, so they won´t get bored and remember they could bite you as they did before.

If their toy falls, get it back but put it into the cage instead of giving them back. Birds can respect other birds because they establish their own limits. You can do that too.
Thank you. I will try what you have said. Just a little thing, they bite me when I put them back in their cage before 3 to 4 hours of being out. But thank you. I will try everything you have said.
 

T00tsyd

Well-known member
May 8, 2017
1,256
862
UK
Parrots
Green cheek conure - Sydney (Syd) Hatched 2/2017
Don't get bitten is the answer. Wear gloves, don't allow them on you until they have learned acceptable behaviour. They must see it as a privilege not a right. Watch them carefully it is rare for a bite to come without any warning however brief. I spent some weeks ducking out of reach if Syd flew to me, covered in gloves, scarf, long sleeves etc not to get any more blood drawn. He was vicious for a while. Now if I react to his beak (usually a quick intake of breath) he stops immediately and studies me in the way a parrot can trying to gauge the problem. He is then very careful so he knows that he has hurt me, but that understanding has taken time and work. With fingers crossed I can say that he hasn't drawn blood for over 2 years now but every now and then he forgets the power of his little beak and creates a dent. That still isn't acceptable but now I think it's probably a mistake on his part and we don't make too much of it.
 
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Parootty

Member
Apr 7, 2021
25
36
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
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Hi Parootty,

Reading your post I came to impression that they are not afraid of hands at all. They seem to be acting as spoiled kids.

Yes I agree with you that they trust you, more than this they want to boss you. It looks like they are training you to do what they want. So you can´t pick up things or they will bite. You must retrieve their toy from the ground, but as soon as they got it back they bite you because they are jealous of their toy and you touched it.

I am sorry your hands are that hurt, but it gives me the impression that you are too much complacent with them biting you, thus the extensive damage.

They must feel that coming out of the cage to have a time with you is a privilege and not your duty. When training an animal, it matters most if the exercise end well than how many times it performed well. It is the good feeling of connection that will last...or the bad felling of failing or mistrust no matter how many times all went well minutes before.

Why not try to let them out for short periods and put them back in the cage before you got bitten. Of course any biting is a passport back to the cage and a time out. When they are out it is important to give them plenty of things to do, so they won´t get bored and remember they could bite you as they did before.

If their toy falls, get it back but put it into the cage instead of giving them back. Birds can respect other birds because they establish their own limits. You can do that too.
A little update. So I tried what you said and placed them outside for shorter periods. And today they seemed a little mad at me and biting and all... Do I just don't take them out at all if they show this behaviour??And about putting them back in their cage when they bite, gets them furious and that leads to more biting, not stepping up and eye pinning and growling... I have seriously no idea what to do
 

Skarila

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A little update. So I tried what you said and placed them outside for shorter periods. And today they seemed a little mad at me and biting and all... Do I just don't take them out at all if they show this behaviour??And about putting them back in their cage when they bite, gets them furious and that leads to more biting, not stepping up and eye pinning and growling... I have seriously no idea what to do
Whoa, I just seen this. One thing I learned with birds is instead of punishing for bad behaviour, they must be rewarded for good behaviour.

Ok, my old IRN had same behaviour with latching onto my hand whenever I would grab a cup, a plate or any other utensil that makes clinging sounds. Our Senegal latches onto the hand like a bulldog if she sees we have a pill bottle, a tiny plastic packaging (for example those instant 3 in 1 coffees) or a small box (like medicine). And Senegal's bites HURT. So, we simply avoid the situation of getting bitten by hiding what we are holding, even if it means bringing the bird into another room.

My suggestion is to address the issue what exactly triggers them. Is any item you pick up or just some certain items? First of all, try to kind of hide what you're picking up. If it means getting your bird out of the way so they don't see it, then that's it. IF by any chance you do manage to take the item without them biting you, make sure you praise them every single time. Every time. Keep some treats with yourself.

Ringnecks are the ultimate bluffers, they will go through a stage where they look all cute and all, and then just bite you out of no reason. They should grow out of it around the age of 2-3. Mine also used to bite me if I was close to something he deemed dangerous - like if my partner was near me, instead of biting him, he would bite me if he was perching onto my hand.

It will take A LOT of time to teach them not to bite. If the bird steps up to you WITHOUT a bite (make a difference biting from just testing the grounds - birds will mouth to see how stable the "perch" is), give them a small treat. Like a sunflower seed or anything they adore and is not a part of their main diet. If they step up with a bite, no treat. Repeat for a couple of minutes this exercise for a few times a day. Also, if the bird doesn't want to step up (like, moving or running away) do not let them bite you. Also biting could mean "I do not want to be picked up, let me be."

Good luck!
 

Kitekeeper

Well-known member
Jun 19, 2021
263
701
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Parrots
Budgerigar (Bud), Pacific Parrotlet (Sam), Roseicollis lovebird (BJ and Turq), Linneolated parakeet (Charlie and Emma)
Ok, so we hit a limit there. They will not accept a more controlled time with you. They want to be out and they want it to be their way. I was hoping they were in a little more cooperative state.

I guess it will take the longer path to overcome this. Skarila advice is the best approach with only positive reinforcements, but it takes time and a lot of creativity to avoid bites. Maybe at that point of the training as they are so prone to bite you, it could be a good idea to use gloves, not just for your protection, but also for not getting too much anxious and frustrated with set backs.
 

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