How to clean the cage of a cage-aggressive GCC?

Snapdragon

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Dec 26, 2019
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Everett, WA
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Tashi, almost-2-year-old female moustache parakeet, Indian subspecies (Psittacula alexandri fasciata)
One of the GC conures in boarding at work is EXTREMELY cage-aggressive.

Our 'tiel and small conure cages don't have removable grates, so while I was able to change the newspaper, I wasn't able to scrub his grate today. To further complicate things, he is such a talented escape artist that we have to put those carabiner-shaped things that are screwed closed (what are they called, btw?) on each door. The moment he sees you start to open the carabiner things, he rushes over to bite your fingers repeatedly. Once you take the carabiner off, he tries to open the door, and bites your fingers if you try to hold the door closed. Upon attempting to put food or water in, he alternates between grabbing the bowl and attempting to wrestle it away from you (he managed to douse himself in water in the process this morning) and trying to bite your fingers when you try to get the bowl properly seated in the door and close the door. Then it's back to more biting as you reattach the carabiner. (I have to admit that however frustrating it can be at the time, I admire his determination!)

Unfortunately, I don't dare put my hands into Plucky Pants' cage to scrub the grate. It wasn't a problem today - he hadn't made a big mess -- but of course it will very quickly become a problem.

Keeping all of this in mind, how do you suggest I clean his cage without stressing him out unnecessarily? I will definitely ask my coworkers as well, but I suspect the answer will be "towel him". I would hate to do that; I'm trying to AVOID frightening him and becoming the enemy. Being away from his flock is stressful enough as is.
 

Owlet

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I use to work at a bird store so I know this all too well. Some days I would have to skip cleaning a grate because the bird was being too aggressive, sometimes I would just wait until theyre more calm and I could reasonably get a scrub or 2 in. Sometimes giving them a distraction of yummy treats or a fun toy let me get some scrubbing in. I was working with a mollucan cockatoo and a blue and gold macaw so I was definitely doing my best to avoid getting bitten, just gotta get creative.

Honestly toweling should be a last resort because as you said its very stressful.
 

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
how often does he get out of his cage?
Does he have any shadowy huts or anything in there like a tent or nesting material that might be making him feel extra protective of his space? Hormone- inducing toys/ huts/shadowy spaces can make a bird more aggressive as they simulate nesting environments.

If you could find a way to deter the aggression in general then it would be a non-issue, so I know I didn't answer your question, but any other suggestions I could think of would probably just scare or upset your bird...unless you could do it while he is out without him seeing you (e.g., allow him in another room or a carrier).
 
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Snapdragon

Snapdragon

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Dec 26, 2019
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Everett, WA
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Tashi, almost-2-year-old female moustache parakeet, Indian subspecies (Psittacula alexandri fasciata)
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I use to work at a bird store so I know this all too well. Some days I would have to skip cleaning a grate because the bird was being too aggressive, sometimes I would just wait until theyre more calm and I could reasonably get a scrub or 2 in. Sometimes giving them a distraction of yummy treats or a fun toy let me get some scrubbing in. I was working with a mollucan cockatoo and a blue and gold macaw so I was definitely doing my best to avoid getting bitten, just gotta get creative.

Honestly toweling should be a last resort because as you said its very stressful.

Thank you so much! I'll try to figure out Plucky Pants' favorite treat. Hmmm... maybe I can even coax him into a bit of target training.

Those Moluccan beaks are definitely intimidating. I've worked with one, but luckily he is a sweetheart who just wants head scritches and help with pinfeathers. He even returns the favor by gently preening my hangnails, fingers and arm hair. I am incredibly fortunate that the largest birds I've worked with have been so gentle!

BTW, are there any useful bird shop tips you can pass on?
 

Owlet

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2016
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Colorado
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Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
I use to work at a bird store so I know this all too well. Some days I would have to skip cleaning a grate because the bird was being too aggressive, sometimes I would just wait until theyre more calm and I could reasonably get a scrub or 2 in. Sometimes giving them a distraction of yummy treats or a fun toy let me get some scrubbing in. I was working with a mollucan cockatoo and a blue and gold macaw so I was definitely doing my best to avoid getting bitten, just gotta get creative.

Honestly toweling should be a last resort because as you said its very stressful.

Thank you so much! I'll try to figure out Plucky Pants' favorite treat. Hmmm... maybe I can even coax him into a bit of target training.

Those Moluccan beaks are definitely intimidating. I've worked with one, but luckily he is a sweetheart who just wants head scritches and help with pinfeathers. He even returns the favor by gently preening my hangnails, fingers and arm hair. I am incredibly fortunate that the largest birds I've worked with have been so gentle!

BTW, are there any useful bird shop tips you can pass on?

my stay there ended very ubruptly and it wasn't a very good end so there's not a lot I can share other than the basic of cleaning cages. Just try to stay on the owners good side less they start to go bankrupt and give you the boot and lie to you about it? Just clean and get to know the birds and their quirks and what they like and don't like. At your store do you take in surrenders and adopt them out or just sell babies / supplies?
also brush up on your state laws regarding pet stores, bird specific. My state has pacfa which had lots of regulations regarding caging and the like.
 
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Snapdragon

Snapdragon

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Dec 26, 2019
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Everett, WA
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Tashi, almost-2-year-old female moustache parakeet, Indian subspecies (Psittacula alexandri fasciata)
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how often does he get out of his cage?
Does he have any shadowy huts or anything in there like a tent or nesting material that might be making him feel extra protective of his space? Hormone- inducing toys/ huts/shadowy spaces can make a bird more aggressive as they simulate nesting environments.

If you could find a way to deter the aggression in general then it would be a non-issue, so I know I didn't answer your question, but any other suggestions I could think of would probably just scare or upset your bird...unless you could do it while he is out without him seeing you (e.g., allow him in another room or a carrier).

I'm not sure how often he gets out. We do handle and interact with each bird as much as they'll allow. Normally we'll spend extra time working with the birds who are less comfortable with us. As aggressive as he is and as busy we've been between having a full house of boarders (plus a wait list), holiday shopping in the store, and staff on vacation, I'm sure he isn't handled as often as we would prefer. Plus when you board your bird, there is the inherent risk of birds spreading diseases to each other simply by sharing the same room. We do our best: we sanitize every cage thoroughly, sanitize bowls daily, keep enough space between cages to prevent birds from having physical contact, wash hands frequently, and don't accept obviously ill birds. However, there is still some risk and I can't think of a safe way to let a bird out who won't stay with their handler. In the store, we can let our birds out in the aviary several at a time because they all go through quarantine (and socializing since they're babies) in the owner's home before they're allowed in the store. However, an aviary in boarding isn't possible; it would have to be one bird at a time, and I shudder to think of how much sanitizing would be needed between each bird to make it safe.

His cage is in the tower of flight cages closest to a big sunny bay window, plus we have full-spectrum lighting. We don't allow nesting material in the cages, we flatten the newspaper liners as much as possible to avoid the birds tearing it up, and no snuggle huts unless the owner is insistent. Material from destroyed toys is cleared out at least daily (when we change the newspaper).

I'll see if I can figure out his favorite treat and will try distracting him with that.

I really wish there were a temporary divider we could simply slide between the bars from outside, something like the dividers they have for feral cat traps that allow you to clean the trap one half at a time while the cat is in the other half. In fact... hmmmm. I know a machinist who might be willing to make one for each type of cage if we're very specific about what materials are bird-safe, and then we could have the dividers powder-coated.
 
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Snapdragon

Snapdragon

Member
Dec 26, 2019
112
8
Everett, WA
Parrots
Tashi, almost-2-year-old female moustache parakeet, Indian subspecies (Psittacula alexandri fasciata)
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  • #7
my stay there ended very ubruptly and it wasn't a very good end so there's not a lot I can share other than the basic of cleaning cages. Just try to stay on the owners good side less they start to go bankrupt and give you the boot and lie to you about it? Just clean and get to know the birds and their quirks and what they like and don't like. At your store do you take in surrenders and adopt them out or just sell babies / supplies?
also brush up on your state laws regarding pet stores, bird specific. My state has pacfa which had lots of regulations regarding caging and the like.

I'm so sorry! I've been fortunate. The owner is great, and my coworkers are known for being very direct with each other and the owner if there's a disagreement. We won't let anyone take home a baby unless they've visited several times, had a thorough conversation with the owner or a manager to make sure this species and this bird are in line with what they're looking for, and we've ensured that the entire family is on board. We refuse to clip our babies' wings, and when we're asked to clip someone's bird, we make sure they know the drawbacks and educate them on all the benefits of allowing their birds to remain flighted. We'll only do it if they insist, and we DO NOT do tail feathers. We really do our best by each bird.

As a strong advocate of and volunteer in animal rescue, I am VERY suspicious of pet stores. If I weren't comfortable with the way the store does business, I would quit. If I were to add a bird to my own family, it would be a rescue... but that's a personal choice. :)
 

Laurasea

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They sell arclic sheets at home Depot and Lowe's. Small sheets under 20 bucks. Could be thin enough to slide over grate so can remove or slide through bars as temporary seperation.
 

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
They sell arclic sheets at home Depot and Lowe's. Small sheets under 20 bucks. Could be thin enough to slide over grate so can remove or slide through bars as temporary seperation.

I was thinking this too, but he will see it and get mad/scared--I guess it comes down to health vs. happiness if they can't find a way to reduce the aggression---if they try everything to get rid of the triggers, then I do think this would be the next step, as he is already not trusting of people..just hate to make it worse if there is an alternative to scaring him/pissing him off lol.
 

Laurasea

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He is a boarding bird right? I use these arclic panals, my birds don't react to them. I thi k if you went slow and calm in putting them in, to clean then remove it could go well....
Cage agression, if you can't remove the bird from the cage....
Safflower seeds and milllit are the best bribes for GCC I think. Maybe use those with it.
 

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