puzzling behavior

[jeffisme]

So after three months of virtual perfection, it is as if Mr. Hyde has suddenly taken over. This is a bird that lived for the twenty minutes every morning when I would scritch her head. This morning when I tried she tried to take my finger off.

I first noticed this a couple of weeks ago. She is very treat oriented, and it got to the point where she was demanding them all the time, so I cut back a little, not giving in every time she asked for one, and out of peevishness she bit me for the first time. Then, usually once a day she would do it. When she did she didn't chomp down all the way, but pretty hard and then she would back off and away. My natural response was to pull my hand away because it hurt and say ''Uh, Uh," loudly and walk away. Ten minutes later, I'd approach the cage and she was ok, but this would get repeated. Sometimes, she'd lower her head to get a scritch (her usual sign), and I'd approach and bang, she'd go after me. The tell, I've learned is she bends real low and yawns a couple of time.

i'd just go away and when I came back I'd waggle my finger at her. That's the sign that she knows that I am there to scritch her. It always worked in the past, now she bites and runs away. it appears she has developed either a dominant thing, two could she be hormonal at six months? or the the third is some kind of weird fear of my hands. She is definitely of the bite and run and sometimes if I hold my hand out to her, she reacts in fear.

She still steps up, and if I approach the cage while she is in the back, she comes running over to me, just like she did before, and if I have a treat, which is what she is hoping for, she eager takes it from my hand. Any other reason to hold out a finger, which was never a problem before, get this fear biting. or whatever biting.

Any thoughts on the best response. I've tried waggling my finger with a treat in my hand. if she lets me scritch her (really, if she doesn't bite) she gets a treat. If she goes after me, she doesn't?

Any thoughts to on any reason for this?

Oh, the cage is not far from the window of my office. She will spend most of the day watching and occasionally gets freaked out by the birds she sees. could that be it? She will cluck when she is afraid. This morning, when I held out my finger, she clucked again and ran off. .

Thanks for any advice.

 

[wrench13]

Hi there. SO I would remove or eliminate anything that is causing her to be fearful, as that can promote all sorts of behavior. Maybe a thin gauzey type of curtain on the window.

For biting, when you know that you are not at fault for misreading her body language or tells (those are your fault), I suggest you use the shunning method of curtailing biting. If she bites, say in a firm but not yelling "No Bite", and immediately remove her to a close by chair back or other neutral place (NOT her cage). Turn you back to her, and totally ignore her for a minute. No eye contact at all, no talking about her, nothing. Any longer and the lesson is lost. You will need to do this every time as will anyone else you is involved with her. After the minute is up you can approche her. THis is the method used by all parrots in the wild to chastise unruly members of the flock.

 

[jeffisme]

Thanks for the great suggestion. I'll give it a try. So I'm curious, have you had a parrot be hormonal at such a young age, or is it something else? I just read a pretty good article about dealing with hormonal birds, and everything the person wrote describes her behavior now. The only thing I can't figure is she is only seven months old.

 

[jeffisme]

Hi there. SO I would remove or eliminate anything that is causing her to be fearful, as that can promote all sorts of behavior. Maybe a thin gauzey type of curtain on the window.

For biting, when you know that you are not at fault for misreading her body language or tells (those are your fault), I suggest you use the shunning method of curtailing biting. If she bites, say in a firm but not yelling "No Bite", and immediately remove her to a close by chair back or other neutral place (NOT her cage). Turn you back to her, and totally ignore her for a minute. No eye contact at all, no talking about her, nothing. Any longer and the lesson is lost. You will need to do this every time as will anyone else you is involved with her. After the minute is up you can approche her. THis is the method used by all parrots in the wild to chastise unruly members of the flock.

so I seem to be having a bit of luck by wagging my finger up and down in front of her. She has known for a while that that is my sign that I am happy to scritch her head. This morning after first displaying fear by running away and clucking, I'll just stand there and talk to her. she then comes back (and runs away a couple more times) but when I wag my finger. she stops, and bows her head. Only then do I go and get a small treat for her. We've done this maybe five or six times.

I'm still wondering whether it's hormonal, anxiety about what she is seeing in the window (I've lowered the shutters) lack of sleep. She is yawning and I have a tendency to stay up late and wander into my office where she is to work.