Shunning technique-what to do why they fly to you

[Soupspoon1223]

So my little Ruby has taken to biting now. It's the weirdest thing because she'll step up on my hand and then sometimes bite my fingers or hand even though I never hold her there. First I made no reaction but after several times of this back to back I started telling her a stern No. She looked at me and stopped for a few then she'd do it again. So basically I wasn't sure what to do and how to do it correctly and remembered reading the shunning technique.

I've been trying this method but sometimes she flies off of the back of the chair or whatever and lands on my shoulder. I continue to ignore her until the minute is up. Then tell her to step up and place her back on her play stand or where ever and go about our business. What should I be doing when she flies to me during her time out? Should I continue the shunning technique or should I go back to a stern No or No Bite?

I have also taken to using a small dowl perch to get her to step up on when she's in places she shouldn't be and I need to move her. She gets nippy because she wants to be there. I feel this is the safest thing to prevent a biting and to just learn when to pick my battles with her stepping up onto my finger.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Terry57]

I haven't used shunning, but I know many people do and hopefully someone will be able to answer that part of your question.
If one of my guys is biting and they won't stop, I usually tell them 'No Bite', take them back to their cage and put them in a time-out for 2 minutes or so. Most of the time it seems to work (unless they're hormonal!)as long as the time out is a really short one.

I also use a perch with 2 of my birds for step up when they are where they shouldn't be, I agree about picking the battles!

 

[wrench13]

Shunning works best when the parrot can't fly right back to you, so consider a light clipping. Not radical, just enough so she can glide to the ground, but not get altitude. Other then that you are doing it right. Remember, use shunning when the bite was her fault and not yours. Bites because of hormones, interrupting her while she is eating, playing or otherwise preoccupied are not her fault and shunning is not indicated with those.

 

[clark_conure]

It can still work but you have to always be dilligent and always put them back they will figure it out.

 

[Soupspoon1223]

Shunning works best when the parrot can't fly right back to you, so consider a light clipping. Not radical, just enough so she can glide to the ground, but not get altitude. Other then that you are doing it right. Remember, use shunning when the bite was her fault and not yours. Bites because of hormones, interrupting her while she is eating, playing or otherwise preoccupied are not her fault and shunning is not indicated with those.

Thank you. She's just a baby now. Her hatch date is 1-22-2024 so I don't think it's hormones. I think she's just telling me she wants something other than what I want her to do. Still trying to figure out the biting when she willing steps on my hand/fingers then proceeds to bite me when she can leave whenever she wants. Guess she's stepping up but in protest.

 

[Soupspoon1223]

It can still work but you have to always be dilligent and always put them back they will figure it out.

Thank you. I'll try that.

 

[Soupspoon1223]

I haven't used shunning, but I know many people do and hopefully someone will be able to answer that part of your question.
If one of my guys is biting and they won't stop, I usually tell them 'No Bite', take them back to their cage and put them in a time-out for 2 minutes or so. Most of the time it seems to work (unless they're hormonal!)as long as the time out is a really short one.

I also use a perch with 2 of my birds for step up when they are where they shouldn't be, I agree about picking the battles!

I'm a bit worried of putting her in the cage after a bit. I don't want to teach her to bit when she wants to go back to her cage.

 

[Terry57]

I'm a bit worried of putting her in the cage after a bit. I don't want to teach her to bit when she wants to go back to her cage.

That's a good point! None of mine ever want to go back to their cage so it isn't an issue for me.

 

[wrench13]

I would never put a parrot who bit me back into his cage. Even if its his fault. That does teach them to bite when they want to go to their cage. Handy chair back or other neutral place is what we use, and then let them stew over that placement for a minute!

 

[Terry57]

I would never put a parrot who bit me back into his cage. Even if its his fault. That does teach them to bite when they want to go to their cage. Handy chair back or other neutral place is what we use, and then let them stew over that placement for a minute!

If only my birds ever wanted back in their cages! That has never been an issue here.

 

[Talaya]

Hi, i thought I’d share fully flighted my boys journey you.
When he was a baby he would bite ears, fingers etc.
parrots do have facial muscles but theyre very small and hard for our eyes to see the expressions. The first thing to do is frown at her, make sure she sees it, if she bites again..then frown and growl a little bit. after That we would flick our boy off our hand, up into flight and say ‘go away’. you can do this from your shoulder too, then turn your back on her, don’t look or speak about her..until you’re ready to have her back. If she’s flown back to you, flick her off again without saying anything, so she knows you’re upset/hurt/annoyed. give her 5 mins and then ask her to step up and give lots of praise and affirmation.
we did this and after a few months he learnt the only way he got to spend time on us was if he didn’t bite. Sometimes now he lightly grabs our finger when we don’t take him to the perch he wants to go to, but he hasn’t bitten for a long time.
parrots don’t really like the word no as we use it.. the best way is to distract or change the direction of their attention. Somehow ‘stop it’ seems to work better than no.. it must have something to do with the tonal phonemes.
They learn from their parents and their flock, you now fulfill both those roles and have to teach her what is socially acceptable. She will likely act differently around each person so you may need to train them too 😂

 

[Soupspoon1223]

Hi, i thought I’d share fully flighted my boys journey you.
When he was a baby he would bite ears, fingers etc.
parrots do have facial muscles but theyre very small and hard for our eyes to see the expressions. The first thing to do is frown at her, make sure she sees it, if she bites again..then frown and growl a little bit. after That we would flick our boy off our hand, up into flight and say ‘go away’. you can do this from your shoulder too, then turn your back on her, don’t look or speak about her..until you’re ready to have her back. If she’s flown back to you, flick her off again without saying anything, so she knows you’re upset/hurt/annoyed. give her 5 mins and then ask her to step up and give lots of praise and affirmation.
we did this and after a few months he learnt the only way he got to spend time on us was if he didn’t bite. Sometimes now he lightly grabs our finger when we don’t take him to the perch he wants to go to, but he hasn’t bitten for a long time.
parrots don’t really like the word no as we use it.. the best way is to distract or change the direction of their attention. Somehow ‘stop it’ seems to work better than no.. it must have something to do with the tonal phonemes.
They learn from their parents and their flock, you now fulfill both those roles and have to teach her what is socially acceptable. She will likely act differently around each person so you may need to train them too 😂

Thank you so much for sharing your advice. It does seem this week she hasn't been as aggressive in the hand/finger biting, but I've been using a dowel rod to get her to step up or to move her from where she wants to be but can't..like my work PC. I've been telling her gentle when she starts to seem to bite and then if she bites I tell her NO pretty loud and then if she continues I will shun her. Thanks for the idea of also flicking her off if she's on my hand already. She's still a baby and still can't fly that far but she can definitely land herself in a situation like that.

 

[clark_conure]

The most important thing is don't make it a game. Make sure they know it's in some way a time out and it's not a game or play time.