Please help with my conures behaviour

[OliverQueenARROW]

PLEASE HELP ME, my parrot is 11 weeks old he is a green cheek pineapple conure he is great. But whenever he is eating he is super aggressive toward me and the same thing when he is playing or a night around 8:30 pm. I have been using the earthquake method when he bites and I am trying to avoid bothering him so that he knows that he doesnt have to be aggressive when he wants something. At first I wanted to use WingsNPaws' method when he bit me but sometimes he bites me just for me to go away. But I feel like we are bonded because he loves to play with me, I have taught him recall and potty training and I he loves to cuddle with me.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Oliver...
Take heart... lots of Green Cheek owners and afficionados (and experts in other birds and related topics) here.
Glad you found us.

 

[wrench13]

Is he getting 12 hours of truly quiet sleep time.? Sounds like 8 30 is should be his bed time . Don't bother him while he is eating. And if he gets over stimulated while playing, a time out is indicated... not long, say
3 to 5 minutes . Same thing if he gets nippy... time out. If he is as smart as other green cheeks , he will get the idea . The key in modifying any behaviour.... be CONSISTANT. once you decide on a course of action, do it every time. Hope this helps.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I just want to echo what Salty made wrench say (don't deny it!) lol.

Consistency IS key! Also, being protective of their food is normal natural instinct. Out in the wild, birds eat in flocks. They have to be protective or other flock members will steal their food! lol.

They can also be protective of their toys. They are just like Yoda when he first meets Luke and goes all "mine,mine,mine".

Any animal can get carried away when playing. Often times, when playing, what we see as aggression is actually them being overly playful. But it shouldn't be encouraged. Set limits and boundaries so the bird knows which lines not to cross and doesn't come to associate aggressive behavior with aggressive playing which would only confuse the bird.

Time-outs are good too. I used to have to use those A LOT with Skittles the first few years I had him (which were often nightmares!). Conures (like other birds) are INCREDIBLY smart. Often, too smart for their own good so don't under-estimate them. They can be very sneaky!

Lastly, it is likely your bird is just grumpy at night cause its past his bedtime. Skittles and I have a 'system' in place. When he wants to go to sleep, he lets me know- we have a great communication system in place that makes my life so much easier.

 

[Anansi]

Al's (Wrench13) advice is spot on. Bite pressure training is invaluable when it comes to forging a proper relationship with your bird. But so is bite avoidance.

Bird's are hardwired to defend their food. To a certain extent this can be worked around, but for some birds the instinct is more ingrained than others. So while it would make sense to address the issue if your bird is attacking you whenever you attempt to put food or water in the cage, you'd be better served to avoid the situation if the issue is simply that you want to interact with him while he's eating. Know what I mean?

Same holds true if he's getting nippy around 8:30. Probably means he's trying to tell you that he's tired and pretty much done for the day. So avoid the situation and put him to sleep by 8:15 or 8:20. And as for overstimulation during play, again, just roll with Al's advice and give him a chance to cool down before he starts nailing you. Avoid the escalation into a bite.

 

[wrench13]

Re: Playing. So, so true; Salty gets overstimulated pretty easily when we are playing, and at this point I know how much play and how hard I can play with him. But he's not a mechanical bird, and sometimes goes WHOOSH, right into overdrive, and the beak clamps down harder and harder. I will literally disengage with his feet and beak, put him aside from me, and turn my back to him. After a year of this, he knows from this action that he went too far, and I only have to time out him a minute or two.

LOL, the little S**T will also turn his back on me when he is angry at me! See.. they are smart and figure out behavior almost as good and as quickly as us humans. Who is training who?

 

[Notdumasilook]

what Skittys dad said..
nothing going wrong with the bird here... folks don't understand that with a bird you are dealing with 60 million years of hardwired instinct. If he DIDNT bite over food and toys Id think the bird was sick. And yeah... when they wanna go to bed don't push em to play. Learn your bird... meet them halfway and RESPECT them as the creatures they are. DONT take getting bit personal....but look at what YOU did and learn ... and don't be to proud to apologize to the bird. As for "time outs"... myself, I have never used cage time for punishment. I do NOT punish instinct... rather I communicate with them on their frequency.... vocally, gesture, touch... and I've got extremely loving critters and zero complaints on their behavior.... and its communication BOTH ways that is my key.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'm not a very good example of being in charge, but I'll chime in. I have reduced biting to almost zero over the years... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered. I don't scratch his head much, ever... feet/tail are okay. I don't touch others when he's out; I rarely try to get him to step up onto my hand first. Hand-held perch first, then hand. In some ways, I swallow my disappointment at having such a little stinker for a pet, but he is what he is. I ALWAYS wear my hair down when he's on my shoulder, so all he can bite is hair. Don't do stuff that gets you bitten... take whatever ridiculous precautions needed and just love your little maniac. It might seem like giving in, but in my mind, it's just accepting that he is one generation out of the wilds of Patagonia.

 

[snowflake311]

You say your gcc is 11 weeks old? So how long have you had him?

It takes time to build trust it takes time for your bird to learn how to read your body language. You are not going to be best friends over night. I have had my little guy for a little over 2 months now. He now can be trusted on my shoulder his bites are less and now all play or frustrated.

In time your bird will trust you and you will trust your bird. It takes time. I think a lot of conue bites is lack of trust. Nips are not bites. Pressure bite training is Key. You will never stop a gcc from putting her beak on you so teach what is too hard.

 

[wrench13]

Try posting once a week, in a dedicated thread, like a diary on your birds progress. Lets us know how he is deveoping and progressiing. Dont expect miracles with any kind of training, although they do happen occasionally. Training and building trust and KEEPING it are a life long experience with parrots. Especially when your birdy hits puberty, when the cute little buddy can turn into a cranky, bipolar can opener with wings. Can, not will: some birds the owner barely notices, some are like Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde. But posting about your experiences will give you help, advice and most of all support as you and he go thru that difficult time.