I can hold him, but not scratch him..

[Lo_Liv]

Any idea why my :GCC: suddenly wants to chomp my fingers when I scratch him?

I will step up just fine, but then if I try to give him some gentle scratching, he will waltz away from my hands, and sometimes bite!

:/

 

[chris-md]

It’s a bit of a fallacy that birds love scratches, whether it’s a conure, ekkie, Macaw, or cockatoo. Many really just don’t want to be touched like that. My male will remove my finger if I attempted to give his head scratches.

How old is your conure?

 

[clark_conure]

SO...i'm assuming the random biting from just trying to step up is under control? (Your previous post before you went camping) Everything below is predicated on that.... so if not ignore.

If he will step up without biting, now you need to make the bond stronger....you no longer fear biting so just relax, it's only when you pet. Check out youtube with him on your shoulder, play some music videos dance around the room to music, catch up on netflicks, read a book with him.

Basically now that the step up is conquered, do the "we are best buddies" but I don't need to get to second base right away.... (crass I know but it's basically it's the same thing). You will know the time is right when he puts his head against you....and cuddles all on his own....I would expect this to happen in even less time then the previous exercise.

 

[clark_conure]

No disrespect to chris-md I think he's brilliant but I'd put my money on a Gcc.....yeah he will, in time, want to be scratched....proceed with the bonding without the touching. It will all come around.

 

[clark_conure]

Oh and start repeating phrases you want him to say! you have a bird that talks....I love you, come on, whatcha doing?, is it good?, come here, etc. He will start practicing and picking these up.

 

[YUMgrinder]

neither of my conures request scratches. maybe cause they get enough from each other. My tiel gets mad if I don't scratch hard enough. she is always requesting scritches.

 

[Flboy]

My JoJo and I are best buds, he will sleep for hours in the crook of my neck! But if I attempt to give him a scratch I will get a warning first, I will then bleed!

 

[T00tsyd]

I have come to the conclusion that my GCC Syd is just plain temperamental. What passes as ok one day will produce a bite the next.

 

[chris-md]

No disrespect to chris-md I think he's brilliant but I'd put my money on a Gcc.....yeah he will, in time, want to be scratched....proceed with the bonding without the touching. It will all come around.

Hardly brilliant (thank you though). Just intuitive. Assuming the formation of a stereotypical behavior is a mistake. Everything falls on a spectrum and you have to see where the bird tells you he wants to land.

It is stereotype after all.

 

[LordTriggs]

some birds don't like it, also trust is a key feature, to us it's just petting but to him a scratch or preen is reserved for the closest of friends to which you are still an acquaintance to him, a bit more trust from him and you should hopefully be gold. Of course though some birds don't like it at all, they're very fickle

 

[Lo_Liv]

It’s a bit of a fallacy that birds love scratches, whether it’s a conure, ekkie, Macaw, or cockatoo. Many really just don’t want to be touched like that. My male will remove my finger if I attempted to give his head scratches.

How old is your conure?

4 months old! He will allow my husband to scratch his head while I hold him, but no other time.

 

[Lo_Liv]

SO...i'm assuming the random biting from just trying to step up is under control? (Your previous post before you went camping) Everything below is predicated on that.... so if not ignore.

If he will step up without biting, now you need to make the bond stronger....you no longer fear biting so just relax, it's only when you pet. Check out youtube with him on your shoulder, play some music videos dance around the room to music, catch up on netflicks, read a book with him.

Basically now that the step up is conquered, do the "we are best buddies" but I don't need to get to second base right away.... (crass I know but it's basically it's the same thing). You will know the time is right when he puts his head against you....and cuddles all on his own....I would expect this to happen in even less time then the previous exercise.

Yes, he will step up without biting....most of the time. He seems to be pretty moody lately.

Once he is out of his cage, he is allllllll over the place. He wants up, he wants down, he wants to run all over me, chew everything, be in my face. He doesn't really sit still.

 

[Lo_Liv]

some birds don't like it, also trust is a key feature, to us it's just petting but to him a scratch or preen is reserved for the closest of friends to which you are still an acquaintance to him, a bit more trust from him and you should hopefully be gold. Of course though some birds don't like it at all, they're very fickle

Thank you! I was worried that I am damaging his trust somehow. He will step up to me and then immediately run to my shoulder. He loves to be by my neck. But......he nips me a lot. My ears, my hair, my cheek. So, I try to coax him down. When that doesn't work, I am forced to scoot him off or snag him gently. Do you think he is thinking I am betraying him? I'd love for him to go where ever he wants, but he's just too bitey still to allow him on my shoulder.

 

[clark_conure]

yeah i knew all those other guys.....chris-md, flyboy, Tootsyd, and lordtriggs were full of crap birds love scratches

This is a direct copy paste from a previous post yesterday....it might help, it' s not 100% lined up but MIGHT lead somewhere helpful?

"Your bird may be attached to your husband over you. This could be because of gender (SEX) or temperament or emotions...aka Vibes she gets off both of you.

Ask your husband if he is afraid of being bitten...if he even thinks about it. If the answer is yes, then never mind, don't even read any further; if the answer is "um no not really." It might be because he's just naturally calm around the bird and the bird picks up the difference between you and him.

We talk all the time on here that sometimes you need a reset, with the bird. But in this case (and I don't want to be mean here or anything I'm trying to help) but you may need the reset. You may need to project yourself less the scared owner; and more the powerful mommy. The term "pecking order" came from bird reactions, specifically barnyard chickens. But you need to be more assertive (not aggressive) and say no when she bites, and put her down on the floor 15 feet away all by herself. Make her sit on the floor wondering what she did, then walk back and apologize.

It is not ok for her to bite you, and it's ok to be assertive to the bird and let her know how you feel about being bitten. If you show fear, if you raise your hands up and away from her as he climbs up your couch or pants, those are all things she's going to pick up on. Relax, breath, you're the big tough momma!"


I realize it's a rehash of the time out method, and I was writing this about another bird but, most my bite advice is interchangeable, I could link you to probably at least two active posts today by me or lordtriggs with the exact same advice and responses of OMG it worked! and this is like every day.

SO 1) be calm, 2) don't expect a bite or your bird will give you one. 3) time out if you are bitten. 4) be calmer. The goal is almost kind of to make your bird bored of you, boredom is the absolute opposite of excitement or danger. Spend time...don't allow the bites to go without a time out.

 

[Flboy]

some birds don't like it, also trust is a key feature, to us it's just petting but to him a scratch or preen is reserved for the closest of friends to which you are still an acquaintance to him, a bit more trust from him and you should hopefully be gold. Of course though some birds don't like it at all, they're very fickle

Thank you! I was worried that I am damaging his trust somehow. He will step up to me and then immediately run to my shoulder. He loves to be by my neck. But......he nips me a lot. My ears, my hair, my cheek. So, I try to coax him down. When that doesn't work, I am forced to scoot him off or snag him gently. Do you think he is thinking I am betraying him? I'd love for him to go where ever he wants, but he's just too bitey still to allow him on my shoulder.

What clark is saying is right on! The wife’s Bongo (the barbarian) loooves scratches, from her! From me? He will come to my fingers and rub his neck and head, but if I reciprocate, I am warned! Am I nervous? You bet! He has pierced an ear and my nose! Our relationship was rocky in the beginning, I was a jerk! So this is major progress!