Need some advice

[Benalexe]

About. Week ago we adopted a nanday conure. She was great the first day the. Became evil. We thenleft her in her cage for a few days and are working with her to try to make friends. She definitely likes my younger son the best. He can pet her sometimes. She is very gentle with treats but if i were to go and pet her she would bite. Just yesterday she attacked my middle son. Flew off the cage and latched onto his shirt and was biting.

I understand it’s only been a week and everyone says it takes time but my question is how much time should we give it? She is currently 5 years old. We are the third owner. We want a bird and want one that can be a companion bird and family member. We understand that all birds bite and they are not like a dog or cat. But should we accept a bird that can’t be handeled and is mean? It’s a long commitment. According to the previous owner. She will get better and was good for them.

It could be us as we are never owned a bird. We have no problem being Paitient but how long do we give it. We don’t want to just accept a mean bird.

Any advice ?

 

[Flboy]

Understand that birds are not mean! You must figure out why this is!

Read and study:
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html

 

[LordTriggs]

the short answer is as long as it takes. Many people here have had birds for years that were angry.

you don't know the bird's history and you're new to her. She needs to understand that you're not trying to kill her which is what she is thinking right now. This process can take months, you need to slow right down and go at her pace. If she will take treats from you sometimes then work until she takes them all the time, go slowly, talk to her, be calm around her until she understands. Parrots do remember everything and if she was abused by someone she has no reason to trust anyone anymore

 

[LordTriggs]

Excellent point by Fiboy. No bird is mean and no bird bites without reason. Remember it's never the fault of the parrot. She was made to bite by something, in this case her fear of you petting her, so work slowly at trust until she trusts you

 

[Tami2]

Hi & Congratulations:heart:

That’s some great advice you have already rec’d.
I’m going to add, read this link it is beyond helpful.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
I wish I had known about it when I brought my Levi home. He hated me for the 1st month. Take your time and be very patient, baby steps. :smile049:

Best of luck to you all.

 

[Flboy]

As everyone is saying, you really need to get inside the little guys head and see it from his viewpoint! These little buggers are not pets, they are complex creatures! Capable of deep emotions, and memories that surpass our ability to remember! Once you start slowly making your breakthroughs, a conure is an incredibly rewarding companion full of lots of love!
https://www.thedodo.com/parrots-are-not-pets-8-things--657190776.html

 

[clark_conure]

I dunno about all that, (the article) I think at a certain point...(and not quick)...well lets dispense with the word "pet" a bird can become 1) family 2) a best friend 3) companion ...Clark will put his head in the brow of my eye and I will absolutely open my eye with his eye and beak right beside my eyeball and it never even goes through my mind that he might bite my eyeball out. I've had clark for 2 years he's about 2 1/2 now.

Take it slow, you never know how good or bad her life was before you got her. The time you invest WILL be worth it.

 

[Notdumasilook]

Indeed, these lil critters can be very complex. On attacking your son the trigger could even have been a certain pattern on his clothing even. I had one bird that went total bonkers over a small blanket. Looking at it thru "birdie eyes" I realized the pattern on the cloth was similar to patterns commonly seen on snakes. He had NEVER seen a snake but his instinct told him it was DANGER... and he screamed until the cover was out of sight. I cant begin to imagine what this lil chap has been thru in her previous homes. Just do be patient and try to look at things thru birdie eyes. She may pick one person to be his bestest buddy but thru socializing should accept (hopefully) the family as part of the flock. Never take it personal if you get nipped. Once you get to know the various triggers..... like their protect food/toys instinct, defending the "nest" etc... the issue usually goes away. Again.. be patient. Good luck.

 

[LordTriggs]

good point notdum

my conure went for me once and I had no idea why at first. It was only after he went ballistic over a red bag I had I realized I was wearing a red jumper when he first got me. I then realized he didn't like red things

big red sofa though? Comfy spot for him to look out the window. Go figure

 

[Notdumasilook]

HA!! Bingo on "red" too. Lil Booger... a sun conure went slap goofy when he first saw wifeys bright shiny red vaccum cleaner. Im not sure if it was the color or that serpent like hose that went up the side. But talk about panicked alarm calls...... geezzzze took a while to calm him down and made it a point NEVER to let him see it again.

 

[MonicaMc]

First question... *HOW* are you trying to pet her? It's great that you recognize that she's not a dog or a cat, but many people, even people who have had birds for *years* can fail to not pet a bird like a dog or a cat.


Second, do you have the patience? Does your family have the patience? (rhetorical questions - in a sense)

She could very well have learned bad behaviors in her previous home and depending on who it was, could very well depend on how she acted towards them. Parrots are rarely trained and socialized, many become birds that can only be handled by one person and many are "only nice" when they are clipped. If a bird only behaves when they are clipped, not when they are flighted, then they have been trained wrong.


You say she doesn't like treats... have you tried millet? Sunflower seeds? Banana chips? Other dried fruits? Different nuts?

 

[Benalexe]

Thanks for all the comments.. so here is a question. I think I can get her to step on on me. Should I try. She does not like to be pet by me- only my son but we are all scared of her to step up even though she wants to..

If she goes to bite are we supposed to just let her chomp down? Everything I said says if you pull away she will know biting is good.

 

[Benalexe]

You say she doesn't like treats... have you tried millet? Sunflower seeds? Banana chips? Other dried fruits? Different nuts?

We found some treats she likes. Peanuts. And also those little fruit chips they sell at the pet store.

She takes them and is actually very gentle with them

 

[MonicaMc]

Please consider the fact that biting is a form of communication. Yes, if you pull away, it does allow her to "get what she wants".

Lets put it into perspective. What if you were her? And this giant being that you don't trust wants to interact with you? You try and tell them "No, I'm not comfortable" but they don't pay attention to your body language, perhaps even your vocalizations. How else are you supposed to tell them to leave you alone? What if you learned that biting is the only thing they "understand", so you must bite in order to communicate with them that you aren't happy about a situation? How would you feel if they even ignored that? You might end up biting more, biting harder, not letting go, or you just give up. You learn that no matter what you do, you have no say in the final outcome.


Neither end scenario sounds good, does it? This is why I don't recommend ignoring bites. Instead, I recommend avoiding them. Back off before a bite occurs, avoid situations you know will result in a bite, or redirect into more positive behavior.

If a bird never learns to bite, then they never learn that they must bite in order to communicate. If a bird learns to bite in order to communicate, then you need to "unteach" that so that the bird can communicate with you without biting.



(and again, how are you trying to pet her? how does your son pet her?)



Will she step up for a treat? If yes, great!


If she's flying to attack someone, then I would recommend caging her and start on target training through the cage bars. Once she is good at target training around the inside of her cage through the bars, then try through the cage door. Once she's good at this, try around the outside of her cage, then eventually away from the cage. Be sure to reward every desired behavior.

 

[Benalexe]

I am sure she will stop up but at the same time scared to get bit. The thing hurts!!! She takes food very gently from my palm or if I hand it to her. The other issue is if we let her on her step on our hand then she will try to walk up our arms and be on our shoulders where we do not want her. She gets very nasty up there and way to close to our faces.

She was a different bird when we first met her at the previous owners home and the firs day with us she was very sweet. Not sure what happened. I hope we can bring her back or we are going to have to give her up. I am committed to giving it a few months l. But if we can’t win her over I don’t want to live with a bird for the next 20 years that only going to bit e if we try and touch her

 

[MonicaMc]

If she'll bite when she's on your hand, then don't have her step up. Work on training first.

If she likes to climb onto shoulders, then keep your eblow in a "V" shape so it's not as easy for her to get to your shoulders and don't allow her there until you've worked on training her.

Birds can easily change depending on the environment and the people. I have heard of *plenty* of stories of these sweet, adorable, cuddly birds in need of new homes, and once rehomed, the birds become aggressive and mean. I've also come across the opposite, a bird that can't be handled becomes the most gentlest creature in the new home.


As you realized yourself, it's been a big change. Birds don't often act like dogs. New environments can be scary. Sure, they may act okay at first, but this could just be them being too afraid to do anything and once they settle in, they start to communicate in the best way they know how to.



And again, how are you trying to pet her? How does your son pet her?

 

[Benalexe]

So I guess here is my question. Right now this bird definitely feels threatened by us and will go to bite if we try and handle. Will it truly be possible to win this bird over? Will she be a bird we can handle without feet of blood being drawn?

Also should my next steps just continue to give her treats in the cage? She definitely wants to come out of her cage. So,etc,es where she is out she will put her foot out to step up. Do we let her?

 

[KateMyshkin]

My bird has some triggers for agression and it takes time to figure it out. First off with my little Paco taco you DO NOT reach in his cage. He will violently attack me in the cage but be sweet as pie away from it. Also, he’s not a morning person. I’m not either so I figured this out easily. I have a separate sleeping cage for him because his cage is too large to be covered. But it doubles as a way to give him clean food and water before letting him out of his sleeping cage. He also has food and water in his sleeping cage, I just change that when he is away from the small cage and playing in the big one. And lastly I have discovered Paco cannot have any mirrors. He gets crazy agressive and possessive over his reflection. So your bird is an individual and you just have to meet the bird on their terms some of the time. Mine doesn’t want me in his cage. Okay, no big deal, he comes out before maintenance … he doesn’t even know I was in there.

 

[MonicaMc]

With the right training, yes, it would be possible to win her trust.


If you don't feel you are up to caring for her, please consider contacting the previous owner and seeing if they would be willing to take her back and find a more suitable home.

 

[Benalexe]

Ok so today we had her out of the cage. I was giving her a bunch of treats and she took them very gently. I kept talking to her. She was standing on top of the cage and I gave her a peanut and while she was eating it I purposely put my hand on the cage and left it there. She was the. Approaching my hand with her mouth open and I was not sure if she was looking to step up or bite me. I can’t read her. Part of me thinks she wants to step up.

She lives in my 13 year olds room. She lets my son pet her but if I were to try she turns her head and opens her mouth like she will take a chunk out of me. Out of instinct I pull away. Do I just keep trying same drill to win her confidence? She won’t step on my son either but clearly likes him better than me