10 y/o Jardine's being a handful

[SammyAndyAlex]

My oldest, Sammy (age 10, black wing jardine's parrot) is and has always been a handful. Now, I know that all parrots must be watched and that they are all very demanding. All parrots scream and are loud. All parrots bite. But he is on another level than I have ever experienced.

-He is very moody and bites quite often. When he bites he bites HARD, drawing blood almost every time. Luckily we have worked lots on the biting and he now only bites me about once or twice per fortnight (which is a MASSIVE improvement).

-When he is outside the cage he walks around on the floor (will fly back down pretty quickly when lifted up) and flies to and from me to the cage or other furniture. He must be watched every single second. Obviously I don't leave him alone when outside the cage, but I mean that I must be able to see him at all times or he WILL get up to something. He KNOWS that many things are "off limits" to him but will sneak there every chance he gets too.

He will run around on the floor and try to find every single narrow/tight space and squeeze himself there - and stay there ( have Sammy-proofed all tight spaces in my apartment). He will run into the fridge when I open it. If I open the door to the hallway he will RUN to escape. When I pick him up he will stay with me or on the table for a bit and then will either fly or JUMP down to the floor.

-Another issue is his screaming/screeching. He screams and screeches very much. A ton. He will scream as loudly as he can a majority of the time. Especially when I'm moving around or leaving. I don't mind the screaming if it wasn't every single moment that he is awake. The screaming has gotten worse with time.

I guess I'm posting mainly to get this off my chest and possibly get some peer support from anyone else going through something similar with their fid(s).

 

[Sophieskitchen]

I’m sorry you’re going through such a hard time with your guy. My first bit of advice would be to try to have a schedule with him so he knows what to expect and when to expect it. I would also try to take him into the shower with you every day or at the least every other day so he gets a good showering. If he is free flighted, I would have him target train and do some flights around the house for about 5 to 10 minutes every day, if he’s not free flighted then I would target train him to different areas of the house for 5 to 10 minutes every day. I would make sure your house is calm and quiet. Having a calm and quiet environment is so important as birds like to emulate and compete with their environment. I would also get rid or drastically reduce any seeds or carbs that he gets( obviously this would have to be under supervision and done gradually ) instead I would give him fresh veggies and some fruit, supplemented with some organic Topps pellets. I would also work on a trick that you guys can work on together, maybe the wave or the turnaround…. something you guys can both work on together . And I would also find a way to get him outside at least once a week whether that being outside aviary or in an outside carry cage something so he can get some natural sunlight. The key is making sure he has a set schedule and knows what to expect. Also make sure he’s getting lots of very dark sleep at least 12 hours a night.

 

[SammyAndyAlex]

I’m sorry you’re going through such a hard time with your guy. My first bit of advice would be to try to have a schedule with him so he knows what to expect and when to expect it. I would also try to take him into the shower with you every day or at the least every other day so he gets a good showering. If he is free flighted, I would have him target train and do some flights around the house for about 5 to 10 minutes every day, if he’s not free flighted then I would target train him to different areas of the house for 5 to 10 minutes every day. I would make sure your house is calm and quiet. Having a calm and quiet environment is so important as birds like to emulate and compete with their environment. I would also get rid or drastically reduce any seeds or carbs that he gets( obviously this would have to be under supervision and done gradually ) instead I would give him fresh veggies and some fruit, supplemented with some organic Topps pellets. I would also work on a trick that you guys can work on together, maybe the wave or the turnaround…. something you guys can both work on together . And I would also find a way to get him outside at least once a week whether that being outside aviary or in an outside carry cage something so he can get some natural sunlight. The key is making sure he has a set schedule and knows what to expect. Also make sure he’s getting lots of very dark sleep at least 12 hours a night.

Thank you for the reply.

His diet is mainly pellets with the occasional sunflower seed or almond as a treat or as a reward. He does get veggies, too, but I should really remember to give them more often (so that's something *I* need to work on - would also improve *my* diet lol). I usually give him fresh veggies and fruit when I'm cooking and when I have them at home (of course only uncooked ones that are safe for parrots). His favorite, though, are frozen peas. Yes, frozen. He will eat them when they are frozen solid. I don't know why, but he likes it.

Yes, he is free flighted. He is also target trained but we haven't practiced in a while. As for tricks, he already knows how to: wave, high five, shake hands, shake his head, give a kiss and turn around.

He always goes to sleep at 8:30PM (lights out, curtain drawn) and the lights turn on automatically at 9:30AM (but I pull up the curtain when I actually get up, which is later than 9:30AM most days).

He is harness trained but isn't a big fan of putting it on or taking it off. It's warm here now so I think I'll start taking him out on walks more often.

I take him in the shower with me occasionally. The problem is that I always shower at night, just before going to bed, which is obviously later than 8:30PM (which is when I put the birds to sleep) so I'm not sure how I'm going to arrange that.

The screaming is usually at random times without any trigger. It is usually quiet at home and I am often sitting by the table or on the couch. He also always screams when I'm leaving the room (either to just go to the bathroom or to actually go outside). It is clear that this distresses him a bit. He will say "goodbye" when I leave but will always scream right after saying it. He will then scream a few more times after I've left the room and closed the door.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to try to discourage the screaming when I'm leaving. There isn't anything I can do? I am already ignoring him and not in the same room, which are often recommended responses to undesired behavior. So I'm pretty stumped when it comes to that :/

When the birds had their own room (their cage was in that room, they were not loose in the room), they were much much quieter. I think he is so loud now because he really wants attention and is upset when he can SEE me but isn't actually getting any attention from me.