Parrot obsessed with my phone

[GigiDutreix]

Hi guys!
My IRN-- Baby blue-- has been a great girl since I've last posted. She's stubborn, doesn't really talk, but is super cute and fun to be around.

When I first got Baby blue, the best way for me to connect with her was to play parrot videos on my phone, and it was the easiest way to open up. I have seen other owners also play videos for their parrots, so I assumed it was fine.

But lately, Baby Blue has grown obsessed with my phone. Like really aggressively obsessed-- to where if I don't give it to her, she will bite and attack me (She never attacks or bites outside of this, by the way. She is usually very playful and I respect her space enough to where she doesnt do any of this outside of if she sees me on the phone.)

I work primarily from home, but I have to keep my phone hidden as best as I can. And if she suspects my phone is behind my computer, in my bag, she goes from this super sweet baby to an aggressive bird that will strike. She's so obsessed that she will fly to my pockets, just to see if the phone is in there. If not, she'll fly to my computer to see if its hidden behind my computer. If not that, she'll fly to my bed and tear apart my bags for it.
She never bites unless she can't have my phone/tablet/ANY electronic device that looks like a phone. This also will include my computer-- anything that just lights up. I think maybe she's obsessed because she sees her reflection. I don't play videos of parrots for her anymore.

I can't really take away these items out of my room, and I can't place her in another room due to limited spacing in where I live currently. Is there any way to train her out of this obsession?

 

[bonitabird59]

Ahhh you turned her into an ipad kid! Jk lol. Let me just say that you are not alone because ALL my birds are obsessed with my phone, even though I've never played bird sounds or bird videos for them before. They are social creatures who want to be involved with everything that we do, and when they see us on our phones they want to be apart of the fun too! I would maybe try to get a different phone case and make your phone look different. That, or just keep it out of the room. As for the biting, I believe there is a thread to train them to not bite super hard. Since she's a baby, I wonder if she even knows that her bites hurt as badly as they do! I wish you luck!

 

[SailBoat]

So very well stated above!! It is very common for our obsessions to become the obsessions of our Parrots.

 

[HeatherG]

My Lucy learned to turn the phone or iPod OFF, the little turd.

Willow is still pretty shy but fascinated with the birds in the phone.

 

[bonitabird59]

My Lucy learned to turn the phone or iPod OFF, the little turd.

Willow is still pretty shy but fascinated with the birds in the phone.

Same! Jello learned how to scroll on Tiktok, favorite videos, turn my volume ALLLLL the way up and even turn my phone off. And he decided to make my phone case more fashionable by shredding it to bits and pieces...

 

[GaleriaGila]

So very well stated above!! It is very common for our obsessions to become the obsessions of our Parrots.

Mr. Boats nails it again!

Yeah, the Rb loves/hates phones. Always has, since the desk-phones of the 1980s. Hey... phones are small; they talk; humans love them... there it is.

 

[HeatherG]

They sit on your shoulder and you talk to the phone while ignoring the bird.

I think THAT’S the problem…jealousy!

 

[GigiDutreix]

They sit on your shoulder and you talk to the phone while ignoring the bird.

I think THAT’S the problem…jealousy!

truly the most terrible of crime! Attention must be always on her-- any second away, and it is war time! >
Its good to know this is just something super common. I've been alterating by having a speaker play sounds and I think she likes that more-- its something she hears and she thinks its coming from me.

 

[GigiDutreix]

Ahhh you turned her into an ipad kid! Jk lol. Let me just say that you are not alone because ALL my birds are obsessed with my phone, even though I've never played bird sounds or bird videos for them before. They are social creatures who want to be involved with everything that we do, and when they see us on our phones they want to be apart of the fun too! I would maybe try to get a different phone case and make your phone look different. That, or just keep it out of the room. As for the biting, I believe there is a thread to train them to not bite super hard. Since she's a baby, I wonder if she even knows that her bites hurt as badly as they do! I wish you luck!

I had to change phone cases recently because of that ha ha
I might need to get something sturdier

Thank you!

 

[ramarieat]

Hi,
At least she hasn't killed your phone like my Loki has, 🤬 i was scrolling thru an email and he flew into the top of it bent down and grabbed the side of the phone it was for only a second before i got him off but it was to late he'd some how managed to get his beak between the phone and the screen and i thin black line appeared across the screen so i thought ok that's not to bad but no that thin line began to grow and it was like black ink was spreading down my screen, i have a Motorola razr flip phone (well i did 😭 ) and lucky me you can't get a new screen for it in the UK is cheaper to buy a new phone, it's a good job i love the little ##@## angel
He's now taken to flying and landing in the top off my fire tablet which i am guarding with my life and pointy sticks as it's now the only link to the outside world i have lol.

 

[SailBoat]

Seems that you are one of those few individuals that buying the replacement insurance, in fact, makes sense. I can understand the fear as our Double Yellow-Headed Amazon took out my laptop with a simple beak compression of the screen.

It is interesting that they just seem to know that this of that is the last thing standing between them dominating or living with that thing getting all the attention!

 

[ramarieat]

Seems that you are one of those few individuals that buying the replacement insurance, in fact, makes sense. I can understand the fear as our Double Yellow-Headed Amazon took out my laptop with a simple beak compression of the screen.

It is interesting that they just seem to know that this of that is the last thing standing between them dominating or living with that thing getting all the attention!

Funny you should mention insurance my son gave me the phone when he got a new one as he didn't like the razr and my old phone wasn't great, anyway the phone had insurance which was coming out of his bank and as he had only recently moved out i was still paying the pet insurance for his dog so we came to an agreement we would both continue to pay the insurances him the phone me the dog less hassle then changing them over, right?
Erm it would be except when i told him what Loki had done he confessed that when he changed banks recently he didn't " remember " to update the phone insurance so it was no longer being paid and none existant So i thought ok it can't cost that much to repair a screen surely ( ok so that's not the first thing that i thought but telling people your thinking about ways to murder your son probably isn't the best parenting option) and that's when i found out you can't get the parts in the UK so need to buy a new phone.

Ohh the joy of kids👶
🤔think I'd rather have animals lol