When she bluffs, What should I do?

[FieryPhoenix]

Dumb question but today when I asked my sun Conure to step up she lunches at me. Wqw I wrong to jerk my hand away or should I have just went in and suck it up if she really ended up biting me?

 

[chris-md]

Best move is to ALWAYS read the body language and avoid the bite to begin with. Lunge? Walk away for a few seconds, then come back and try again.

Fail/more lunging? Shes not currently in the mood. Here it helps remembing that stepping up is a trick, so go get a treat to try to convince her to step up nicely. Even try targetting to get a step up if you have to.

 

[FieryPhoenix]

Best move is to ALWAYS read the body language and avoid the bite to begin with. Lunge? Walk away for a few seconds, then come back and try again.

Fail/more lunging? Shes not currently in the mood. Here it helps remembing that stepping up is a trick, so go get a treat to try to convince her to step up nicely. Even try targetting to get a step up if you have to.

Thanks

I read that if a bird tries to bite you you should not jerk away.

Well the body language I look for is if her head leans down to back off because that most offensive becomes a lunge

I used to just let her bite and just not react but then she would bite harder.

Then I was watching a video about bluffing specifically in ringneck and the women body said just got in without fear whether they bite or not.

Another confession is I am not as cool and confident when I have been approaching these last few days. I have always been more comfortable asking my Quaker to step up because worst case scenario is she just stands there.

I feel like she’s body moody from the change in whether and molting.

I wish I could be as confident wit my sun as I am with ny Quaker.

I have had her 17 yews.

 

[Laurasea]

Offer treatment seeds by hand multiple random times a day. Praise when takes nice. Just go over say hi sweet talk hand a seed or treat, praise and walk away.

After lots of that . Stand on far side from her and have her walk over to you for treat. Moving towards you in a positive way has a powerful effect.

And all this low stress positive reinforcement works wonders.


Then you can go back to ask for step up with a treat and verbal reward. That's why I always say good birdie when I hand out treats and they take. Tgen good birdie has positive associations. So when they step up and I say good birdie they feel positive. I still random give treats fit step up.

 

[chris-md]

Heres the thing: you have an exotic animal, not a dog. You might as well be working with a sea lion, where it comes to things like this.

Intentionally Putting yourself into a situation where you “take the bite” means you’ve taken things too far. The best trainers approach things in such a way where a bite cant happen.

If you have pushed things too far, dont take then bite, thats just dumb. Avoid it. But then step back and figure out how you can use the birds training to convince her do what you want her to.

If you get bit, its almost always your fault. ESPECIALLY when you initiate a n interaction asking for step up, bites are 100% your fault and avoidable.

 

[FieryPhoenix]

UPDATE: this bird smells my fear. I tried to move right in with confidence was in hope she would did step up. First time I was a bit nervous and she lunged. Second time I went in with not fear, little nip but she stepped up was fine.

The next couple times she stepped up fine. On one occasion she waved first.

I think part of it to just go for it and not be so hesitant? I don’t think she likes when am hesitant or my hand isn’t steady. I can’t believe a little sun Conure can scare me sometimes LOL!

 

[wrench13]

Parrots are VERY good at reading our moods and feelings, so you need to have 100% confidence, they can tell if you are just BS'ing yourself. With their ability to see in the infrared and ultraviolet ranges, we wear our feelings all across our faces. Fact - if you have a parrot, you are going to get bit sometimes.. Like CHris-md said, the best bite is the one that never happens. KNow thy bird!

 

[FieryPhoenix]

Parrots are VERY good at reading our moods and feelings, so you need to have 100% confidence, they can tell if you are just BS'ing yourself.

Yup there’s my answer. Oops. I notice they when she does but I am feeling nervous with her. I need to learn to not be afraid. Any tips?