When will the "bluff" ever end?

[leo1955]

It's been quite a time, Rich is becoming more aggressive than I expected. After a while I thought the biting would be over, since she now steps on my finger on step up command and would remain there for long. she even sleeps on my fingers. Then suddenly again, I find it unbearable, I mean the biting. The bites are even harder causing me bleed. I really am becoming frustrated on her. Will it ever stop? Will I just ignore her and let her stay inside her cage? What is best to do about it? I think she is about 5 to 6 months old.
tnx in advance...

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Bluffing stage will normally stop after 1-3 weeks, although there is parrots that have lasted for months. Patience is the key. Just ignore the bites and handle her as usual. If you do react the bites and solve it the wrong way, she can become a biter.

When Ozzie had his bluffing stage, I took him away from his cage so he wasn't as territorial, and it did helped.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

It's a big responsibility to bring in a wild intelligent creature to our homes. Don't ignore him and leave him in th cage, just try your hardest to ignore the bites and be highly aware of the body language so the bites don't happen in the first place. If you play your cards right this phase will pass and the bluffing/biting will cease.

 

[leo1955]

Do you think wearing hand gloves will help?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

As long as the glove doesn't freak out your bird it's fine, it helps to lesson the pain of a bite so you don't make a reaction. I occasionally wore a glove when holding Rosie if her nails got to sharp. I no longer do though since she has her safety pumice perch.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

I put my caiques on a playstand when they first come out ,and wait for them to take an interest to come see me.[no pressure]

 

[leo1955]

Just a while ago, I held a candy wrapper and approached Rich, she quickly stepped on my finger without biting... she loves anything colorful...

So she wont bite, I placed her near a mirror...

 

[Birdlover11]

Bluffing period is when baby's test their limits, which means set up boundaries . I agree on gloves , clear ones help since she can still see your skin color.

 

[sallukatrina]

Hello All,

I just got from market 2 Indian ringneck parrots last week.

They are very scarry and still in bluffing stage. But since few days Im letting them free for hours outside the cage.

Is this normal ?

Please advise and comment....

 

[Kiwibird]

We used a glove with Kiwi when we first got him, since he hadn't ever been handled and could take a sizable chunk of flesh with him. He was not scared of the glove (many birds are) and it actually improved our relationship with him since it made bites more bareable and allowed us more contact time with him so he learned to trust us. We also did "step up drills" which helped immensely with familiarizing him with what we expected of him and opening ways of communication with him. We would basically put him on the back of the office chair (a spot he wasn't territorial over), and spent 15-20 minutes at a time having him practice stepping up and down on command. I've never worked with a juvenile bird (Kiwi was 10+ when we got him), but I imagine the same concept could be applied to a baby. You also need to start learning his cues and ways he is trying to communicate with you. I'm not familiar with parrolette behaviors, but I'm sure they show signs they don't want to be bothered, and you need to find out what those signs are and respect them (or be bitten). And I hate to be so blunt, but if he consistently bites you after falling asleep on your finger, perhaps you shouldn't let him sleep on your finger anymore. Who knows why he does this, but he's probably telling you something (like he doesn't feel comfortable waking up there). Best of luck to you!

 

[leo1955]

We used a glove with Kiwi when we first got him, since he hadn't ever been handled and could take a sizable chunk of flesh with him. He was not scared of the glove (many birds are) and it actually improved our relationship with him since it made bites more bareable and allowed us more contact time with him so he learned to trust us. We also did "step up drills" which helped immensely with familiarizing him with what we expected of him and opening ways of communication with him. We would basically put him on the back of the office chair (a spot he wasn't territorial over), and spent 15-20 minutes at a time having him practice stepping up and down on command. I've never worked with a juvenile bird (Kiwi was 10+ when we got him), but I imagine the same concept could be applied to a baby. You also need to start learning his cues and ways he is trying to communicate with you. I'm not familiar with parrolette behaviors, but I'm sure they show signs they don't want to be bothered, and you need to find out what those signs are and respect them (or be bitten). And I hate to be so blunt, but if he consistently bites you after falling asleep on your finger, perhaps you shouldn't let him sleep on your finger anymore. Who knows why he does this, but he's probably telling you something (like he doesn't feel comfortable waking up there). Best of luck to you!

I now use gloves whenever I take her out of her cage for some quality time and I find the bites bearable , I also notice that she now bites less.