aby suddenly got fearful after trying to dispiline him

[DejaVu]

Hi,

My baby conure which I recently got develop a fear. The first few days I had him were perfect however he had a taste of my ears, and then ever since he developed the biggest desire of biting my ears really hard. And then it transitioned into jumping into my face to try and bite my face. So I've done some research and took some advice online. So, every time he bites me, I try to remove his beak from my ears (being as patient as possible because it's painful) and then removing him from my shoulder (since he is very consistent) and then I try to distract with food and toys so he forgets about it. However the little guys is very consistent and tries to quickly jump back for a giant bite. So after the third or fourth try , I just put him back to the cage and give him a firm no. Unfortunately, I believe that me trying to physically removing his beak and remove him from my shoulder and then putting him back to the cage caused him to develop fear. He still comes to my hand and takes treats from me but sadly he fear twitches everytime I move or saying anything and he doesn't let me pet him anymore. Not sure what to do at this point. What do you guys think?

Thank you.

 

[jkeasterly]

Your thread and mine are really similar except my bird is 2. Definitely following this thread now. Good luck!

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[lollipoppy]

The best discipline for a bird is to rub their beak to encourage them to remove it if they won’t let go and then place them on the back of a chair, or somewhere else neutral, with a firm “no.” You don’t want to associate the cage with anything bad, or give them a reason to be fearful and become cage aggressive.

Go back to the basics on building trust.

Hold your hand at a 90 degree angle from your arm - hand straight out sideways for the bird to perch on, elbow down by hip, and bird around chest level and away from your face so it’s not easy for him to jump up or climb up to your shoulder.

I’ll let someone else chime in on the rest, as the last time I dealt with a gcc who was obsessed with ear biting it was not mine and so I don’t know what the resolution was.


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[noodles123]

YOU DO NOT "DISCIPLINE" A BIRD--(you can remove positive consequences, but never punish or physically try to reprimand)

don't ever try to physically remove a bite...ever (excluding a life-or death situation)---you will only cause more damage to your own skin and scare/anger the bird (plus if he is scared and doesn't trust you, he doesn't care if you like him, so by reacting to him in this way, you either A) scare him a lot, or B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---based on his age and your limited relationship, I can say with 95% confidence that HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this, so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets him away from this pushy fellow (for whom he is not fond at the moment)
OR B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this (again, because you haven't built a relationship ), so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets me away from this...That is why you shouldn't try to pick him up until HE/SHE is ready because if you do, you set yourself up for failure--it's not about strong-arming your way into the relationship--- this will always fail.

...If he is biting, you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reestablish trust (which can take weeks and (FYI) will likely have to be re-established yet again when a bird goes from being a baby to a teen). Birds bite when all other communication fails-- this is not common behavior in wild birds--- it is like their last resort to get your attention. YES-- they can learn to use it as a manipulation tactic based on human reactions, but as a human, you need to learn to avoid being bitten so that you don't give your bird practice biting and teach it how to manipulate you by mistake. Babies are SO MUCH NICER than adults, so if a baby is biting you, you are absolutely trampling boundaries and missing all of his communication attempts.

If you are understanding his social cues/body language, you can avoid being bitten. You are moving far too fast and rushing things, which is why you are getting bitten for pushing boundaries. This increases fear and destroys trust.

You can rebuild it, but SLOW DOWN. DO NOT try to touch your bird unless he/she initiates. Allow him to come and go from open cage to cage top etc (IF it can be done safely). Talk quietly and narrate your routine without getting in your bird's face or forcing contact. DO NOT try to feed from hand unless bird immediately shows interest. You want to keep things as low-key/calm/ non-threatening as possible while building trust-- you do not want to push limits right now. Just think about making yourself as positive and relaxing/non-invasive as possible, and if you can't feed bird from hand, let your bird see you put a favorite treat in the bowl or in some other location where he will be comfortable getting it. Don't stand there and stare...walk like 8 feet away and read or something (while secretly supervising).

Also- shouldering is a privilege to be earned--for this very reason. Do NOT allow a bird to get on your shoulder unless they are 100% step-up trained and trust-worthy (and even then, know that there is risk and that you may get a bite to the face if you miscalculate or something in the room frightens the otherwise trust-worthy bird---- you are a long way from this point, but just telling you for future reference.).

 

[DejaVu]

Your thread and mine are really similar except my bird is 2. Definitely following this thread now. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Hey hopefully we sort this out.

 

[DejaVu]

The best discipline for a bird is to rub their beak to encourage them to remove it if they won’t let go and then place them on the back of a chair, or somewhere else neutral, with a firm “no.” You don’t want to associate the cage with anything bad, or give them a reason to be fearful and become cage aggressive.

Go back to the basics on building trust.

Hold your hand at a 90 degree angle from your arm - hand straight out sideways for the bird to perch on, elbow down by hip, and bird around chest level and away from your face so it’s not easy for him to jump up or climb up to your shoulder.

I’ll let someone else chime in on the rest, as the last time I dealt with a gcc who was obsessed with ear biting it was not mine and so I don’t know what the resolution was.


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Hello, thank you for your advice. I have tried some of this thing but maybe I was not patient enough. Can you please explain the behaviour of cage aggressiveness?

 

[lollipoppy]

Cage aggressiveness is a bird who does not welcome anyone or anything new in their cage. They can hiss, lunge, crouch, and otherwise become obviously aggressive toward anything new in their cage.

It usually starts with developing fear of things coming into their cage.

When you put food in his cage, clean his cage, etc make sure not to reach out to touch him unless he clearly wants it. This helps minimize fear and keep him feeling safe in his cage.

I think it was said above but maybe it was in a different thread - his cage is his home. You need to respect his space and let him come to you. You can start this by 100% respecting his space and just letting him get used to your presence. Then, when you’re confident he’s comfortable, you can start target training which teaches him to want to come to you.

I’ve heard that the best way to hold birds is to use target training to invite them out onto their door, then step up from there. But this all needs to be worked toward very slowly and at his pace.

I’d suggest watching some videos on YouTube that educate you on conure behaviour, then watching your bird so that you can start observing his language. They speak mostly in body language.


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[DejaVu]

YOU DO NOT DISCIPLINE A BIRD--

don't ever try to physically remove a bite...ever (excluding a life-or death situation)---you will only cause more damage to your own skin and scare/anger the bird (plus if he is scared and doesn't trust you, he doesn't care if you like him, so by reacting to him in this way, you either A) scare him a lot, or B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---based on his age and your limited relationship, I can say with 95% confidence that HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this, so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets him away from this pushy fellow (for whom he is not fond at the moment)
OR B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this (again, because you haven't built a relationship ), so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets me away from this

...If he is biting, you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reestablish trust (which can take weeks and (FYI) will likely have to be re-established yet again when a bird goes from being a baby to a teen). Birds bite when all other communication fails-- this is not common behavior in wild birds--- it is like their last resort to get your attention. YES-- they can learn to use it as a manipulation tactic based on human reactions, but as a human, you need to learn to avoid being bitten so that you don't give your bird practice biting and teach it how to manipulate you by mistake. Babies are SO MUCH NICER than adults, so if a baby is biting you, you are absolutely trampling boundaries and missing all of his communication attempts.

If you are understanding his social cues/body language, you can avoid being bitten. You are moving far too fast and rushing things, which is why you are getting bitten for pushing boundaries. This increases fear and destroys trust.

You can rebuild it, but SLOW DOWN. DO NOT try to touch your bird unless he/she initiates. Allow him to come and go from open cage to cage top etc (IF it can be done safely). Talk quietly and narrate your routine without getting in your bird's face or forcing contact. DO NOT try to feed from hand unless bird immediately shows interest. You want to keep things as low-key/calm/ non-threatening as possible while building trust-- you do not want to push limits right now. Just think about making yourself as positive and relaxing/non-invasive as possible, and if you can't feed bird from hand, let your bird see you put a favorite treat in the bowl or in some other location where he will be comfortable getting it. Don't stand there and stare...walk like 8 feet away and read or something (while secretly supervising).

Also- shouldering is a privilege to be earned--for this very reason. Do NOT allow a bird to get on your shoulder unless they are 100% step-up trained and trust-worthy (and even then, know that there is risk and that you may get a bite to the face if you miscalculate or something in the room frightens the otherwise trust-worthy bird---- you are a long way from this point, but just telling you for future reference.).

Thank you for your advice. I believe the first few time he beat me on my ears is because he thought its some kind of toy. The problem is that everytime he gets off he just wants to bite my ear, im not sure if he is actually trying to communicate something. He likes to be fed from my hand still, but once done eating he goes for the ear. For the mean time, I just take him out a couple of times out of the cage just to feed him and put him back, he steps up to my hand by then. He loves to be out of the cage at all times.

 

[noodles123]

This is not a case of cage aggression...this is likely a baby that hasn't bonded...

 

[lollipoppy]

This is not a case of cage aggression...this is likely a baby that hasn't bonded...

You’re absolutely right.

Continuing on this path can quickly become cage aggression, though, I’ve watched it happen many times with people who didn’t listen to us when I worked at a pet store. (Parronts who would adopt from breeders then come to us for supplies & advice, then fail to listen to the advice, which developed aggression.)

That being said, I’m certainly no expert on parrot raising, so I only offer what I’ve heard/learned/seen.


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[DejaVu]

Cage aggressiveness is a bird who does not welcome anyone or anything new in their cage. They can hiss, lunge, crouch, and otherwise become obviously aggressive toward anything new in their cage.

It usually starts with developing fear of things coming into their cage.

When you put food in his cage, clean his cage, etc make sure not to reach out to touch him unless he clearly wants it. This helps minimize fear and keep him feeling safe in his cage.

I think it was said above but maybe it was in a different thread - his cage is his home. You need to respect his space and let him come to you. You can start this by 100% respecting his space and just letting him get used to your presence. Then, when you’re confident he’s comfortable, you can start target training which teaches him to want to come to you.

I’ve heard that the best way to hold birds is to use target training to invite them out onto their door, then step up from there. But this all needs to be worked toward very slowly and at his pace.

I’d suggest watching some videos on YouTube that educate you on conure behaviour, then watching your bird so that you can start observing his language. They speak mostly in body language.


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Oh I see, thats perfect then, it means Deja doesnt have that. He moves alot in his cage, screams every second and tries to destroy everything. I guess that is just playing since he is not actually showing any agressive behaviour.

 

[noodles123]

It sounds like he is potentially showing signs of fearful behavior (manifesting in aggression toward you)..Correct me if I am wrong, you said you have only had him for a few days, a week or 2 at the most, right?

 

[DejaVu]

YOU DO NOT "DISCIPLINE" A BIRD--(you can remove positive consequences, but never punish or physically try to reprimand)

don't ever try to physically remove a bite...ever (excluding a life-or death situation)---you will only cause more damage to your own skin and scare/anger the bird (plus if he is scared and doesn't trust you, he doesn't care if you like him, so by reacting to him in this way, you either A) scare him a lot, or B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---based on his age and your limited relationship, I can say with 95% confidence that HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this, so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets him away from this pushy fellow (for whom he is not fond at the moment)
OR B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this (again, because you haven't built a relationship ), so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets me away from this...That is why you shouldn't try to pick him up until HE/SHE is ready because if you do, you set yourself up for failure--it's not about strong-arming your way into the relationship--- this will always fail.

...If he is biting, you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reestablish trust (which can take weeks and (FYI) will likely have to be re-established yet again when a bird goes from being a baby to a teen). Birds bite when all other communication fails-- this is not common behavior in wild birds--- it is like their last resort to get your attention. YES-- they can learn to use it as a manipulation tactic based on human reactions, but as a human, you need to learn to avoid being bitten so that you don't give your bird practice biting and teach it how to manipulate you by mistake. Babies are SO MUCH NICER than adults, so if a baby is biting you, you are absolutely trampling boundaries and missing all of his communication attempts.

If you are understanding his social cues/body language, you can avoid being bitten. You are moving far too fast and rushing things, which is why you are getting bitten for pushing boundaries. This increases fear and destroys trust.

You can rebuild it, but SLOW DOWN. DO NOT try to touch your bird unless he/she initiates. Allow him to come and go from open cage to cage top etc (IF it can be done safely). Talk quietly and narrate your routine without getting in your bird's face or forcing contact. DO NOT try to feed from hand unless bird immediately shows interest. You want to keep things as low-key/calm/ non-threatening as possible while building trust-- you do not want to push limits right now. Just think about making yourself as positive and relaxing/non-invasive as possible, and if you can't feed bird from hand, let your bird see you put a favorite treat in the bowl or in some other location where he will be comfortable getting it. Don't stand there and stare...walk like 8 feet away and read or something (while secretly supervising).

Also- shouldering is a privilege to be earned--for this very reason. Do NOT allow a bird to get on your shoulder unless they are 100% step-up trained and trust-worthy (and even then, know that there is risk and that you may get a bite to the face if you miscalculate or something in the room frightens the otherwise trust-worthy bird---- you are a long way from this point, but just telling you for future reference.).

I forgot to mention that every time I put him down. he jumps back to my hand. He doesn't really wanna be anywhere other than my hand. I sometimes encourage him to stay at his playground but he just comes back to me.

 

[DejaVu]

It sounds like he is potentially showing signs of fearful behavior (manifesting in aggression toward you)..Correct me if I am wrong, you said you have only had him for a few days, a week or 2 at the most, right?

Ive had him for almost a week. In the cage, I really think he is playing around since its constant fiddling, trying to reach for things. Once I approach the cage he just come towards me and screams (maybe excitement) and just takes a treat from me. Are we able to submit videos on here? Would give you a better understanding.

 

[DejaVu]

YOU DO NOT "DISCIPLINE" A BIRD--(you can remove positive consequences, but never punish or physically try to reprimand)

don't ever try to physically remove a bite...ever (excluding a life-or death situation)---you will only cause more damage to your own skin and scare/anger the bird (plus if he is scared and doesn't trust you, he doesn't care if you like him, so by reacting to him in this way, you either A) scare him a lot, or B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---based on his age and your limited relationship, I can say with 95% confidence that HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this, so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets him away from this pushy fellow (for whom he is not fond at the moment)
OR B) show him that his bites create a reaction in you---HE DOESN'T want to be on you when he does this (again, because you haven't built a relationship ), so if when he bites you put him down (because he is biting out of fear) you teach him that biting gets me away from this...That is why you shouldn't try to pick him up until HE/SHE is ready because if you do, you set yourself up for failure--it's not about strong-arming your way into the relationship--- this will always fail.

...If he is biting, you are moving too fast and need to slow down and reestablish trust (which can take weeks and (FYI) will likely have to be re-established yet again when a bird goes from being a baby to a teen). Birds bite when all other communication fails-- this is not common behavior in wild birds--- it is like their last resort to get your attention. YES-- they can learn to use it as a manipulation tactic based on human reactions, but as a human, you need to learn to avoid being bitten so that you don't give your bird practice biting and teach it how to manipulate you by mistake. Babies are SO MUCH NICER than adults, so if a baby is biting you, you are absolutely trampling boundaries and missing all of his communication attempts.

If you are understanding his social cues/body language, you can avoid being bitten. You are moving far too fast and rushing things, which is why you are getting bitten for pushing boundaries. This increases fear and destroys trust.

You can rebuild it, but SLOW DOWN. DO NOT try to touch your bird unless he/she initiates. Allow him to come and go from open cage to cage top etc (IF it can be done safely). Talk quietly and narrate your routine without getting in your bird's face or forcing contact. DO NOT try to feed from hand unless bird immediately shows interest. You want to keep things as low-key/calm/ non-threatening as possible while building trust-- you do not want to push limits right now. Just think about making yourself as positive and relaxing/non-invasive as possible, and if you can't feed bird from hand, let your bird see you put a favorite treat in the bowl or in some other location where he will be comfortable getting it. Don't stand there and stare...walk like 8 feet away and read or something (while secretly supervising).

Also- shouldering is a privilege to be earned--for this very reason. Do NOT allow a bird to get on your shoulder unless they are 100% step-up trained and trust-worthy (and even then, know that there is risk and that you may get a bite to the face if you miscalculate or something in the room frightens the otherwise trust-worthy bird---- you are a long way from this point, but just telling you for future reference.).

I forgot to mention that every time I put him down. he jumps back to my hand. He doesn't really wanna be anywhere other than my hand. I sometimes encourage him to stay at his playground but he just comes back to me.

Btw he is located in my room. Alot of the time im just calmly minding my business and everytime I make a move that is obvious, he tries to call me by screaming and comes to the front of the cage waiting for me to approach. Even when he is sitting quietly.

 

[noodles123]

You can upload a video to youtube and then you should be able to post the link by clicking the world icon at the top of your message bar w/in this forum. If you set it to public, anyone can see it. If it is restricted, you will have to post the share URL etc

 

[DejaVu]

You can upload a video to youtube and then you should be able to post the link by clicking the world icon at the top of your message bar w/in this forum. If you set it to public, anyone can see it. If it is restricted, you will have to post the share URL etc

Just an update, it turned out that the behavior he was doing in the cage was him wanting to get out. So I just let him out for a bit, topped up his toys in the cage, treated him and put him back in the cage.

 

[Anansi]

Just seeing this thread, thought I'd give you another perspective. Some is in line with the wonderful advice you've already received, and some goes a different route. Take a look and see what works for you.

First thing. Learning the reason/trigger for the bite, coupled with learning body language enough to recognize when one is coming, is key. Avoiding the bite before it happens is best. As Noodles had mentioned in one of her responses, biting is usually the last resort in communication. Birds communicate heavily using body language. Far more so than we do as people. As such, they are usually at a loss by the time they bite us, wondering why the heck we didn't pay attention to all the warnings given beforehand.

That said, while most bites are a communication fail, others are the result of bad habits that have inadvertently taught your bird to bite.

So my first advice is to check out this thread in its entirety: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html Its focus is on bite avoidance, which is ultimately what you want.

Second, I'd advise checking out these threads on bite pressure training: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/58911-bird-bites-always-2.html

Personally, I view the whole parrot raising endeavor as a lifestyle you build for your bird. Everything interwoven. Here's how I do it.

1) I don't free feed (leave food available all day long), but rather provide large meals at defined mealtimes. (What the heck does that have to do with biting? Bear with me, and remember what I said about everything being interwoven.) By providing meals at defined meal times, I both avoid the potential for obesity, and provide times between meals where my birds will be more treat-motivated. And this is time that can be used for training.

Understand, this is merely strategically-timed training. Not withholding food to get desired behavior. I abhor the practice of withholding food. Strategically-timed training means you work with your bird when they are at their natural hungriest, between meals. That way, you can train them with positive reinforcement, using treats to reinforce behaviors that you find desirable. Because the most effective way to train a bird is by getting them to want what you want. It's most effective because it helps build the bond between you, and eventually takes away the aspect of a battle of wills. You don't want to train via domination. End of the day, I believe that to be counterproductive to the relationship.

How do you get them to want what you want? Association and consistency. Association is key, because that is how birds learn. They do something right, you praise and then reward with their favorite treat. (A treat they can't get at their meals. A treat they only earn by doing you want them to do.) Soon enough, they not only associate the good behavior with the treats, but also the treats with the verbal praise. Which makes the verbal praise something they come to find valuable in and of itself. (Which becomes important later, so you don't have to reward every single good behavior with a food treat every time for the rest of their lives. Sometimes, verbal praise can be enough. But that comes later.) And finally, they come to associate time out with you with the yummy goodness of their favorite treats. The association train links it all together.

And consistency, of course, because that is the only way to cement the association in their minds.

2) Defined meals in defined spaces. Specifically, their big, defined meals are only provided in their cages. (Treats, of course, can be offered anywhere.) Why? Association. If their cages are the only places where they get their fullest food contentment, they come to associate their cages with satiation. They come to see their cages as their home. A place of shelter and food, rather than as a prison. Why is this important? Well, aside from wanting them to enjoy their cages (toys are important for this as well), it also allows you to use them as a timeout space.

A few posts earlier pointed out that you should avoid using the cages as a timeout space, as the bird may develop an aversion to their cage. And the psychology behind this is sound. Buuuuuuut, if you establish their cages as hearth and home via association strongly enough, that never becomes an issue. I never have to try to catch my birds or force them into their cages. Ever. Despite the fact I do put them in their cages anytime a timeout is required. (Though nowadays, our communication has reached the point that I never have to put them on timeout anymore... except when Jolly is feeling a little too amorous and needs a minute to cool his hormones.)

Point is, when the cages come to solidly represent a place of food contentment in their minds, they don't see it as a bad place to be. I've kept 3 ekkies and a cockatiel. Never an issue with the cage.

3) Okay, the biting. As I'd mentioned earlier, bite avoidance is key. Again, as Noodles said in an earlier post, perching on the shoulder is a privilege, not a right. It has to be earned. He currently bites your ear, so the shoulder is off-limits until he knows better. And be consistent with this. It will be hard at first, as birds can be STUBBORN. So, yes. It will be a battle of wills... at first. But you are clearly defining your boundary. This is important. You're not as skilled in conveying your desires via body language as a bird is, so consistency becomes your best tool.

That said, what to do when there's a 'bite-avoidance fail' and your bird bites? Well, two things. First, and this is probably the biggest point of departure with advice you've already been given: remove that beak! Never go with the 'don't react' approach. Now, this must be controlled, of course. Because there is a basis for why people think you shouldn't react when bitten. Basically, if you go into histrionics when they bite, you could either trigger a fear response, or they might find your weird squawks amusing and, like any good little scientist, seek to reapply the stimulus in order to reproduce the results. In this way, you'd be reinforcing the bad behavior.

So instead, you would say 'No', in a firm, yet even and controlled voice. If he continues to bear down, use two fingers to leverage - pincer style - near the point of the beak. Done correctly, your two pincer fingers will slide down to the point of the beak and interpose themselves between his beak and your flesh. Your movements should be smooth and steady. No jerky movements to frighten him. And the pressure applied should slide your pincer fingers downward rather than applying any pressure on his beak that could prove hurtful. It works. If I've used this with ekkie beaks, it'll work with conures.

Added benefit? Using your fingers pincer style protects you from a potential second bite, as it would be those fingers he goes after. But if you've kept them together, when he goes for them you can just allow them to separate and his beak won't find purchase on anything.

Why do I say you should remove the biting beak? Because they have to understand that the behavior is unacceptable. It's not much different than a baby/toddler. If they bite you, or clock you with one of their toys, you don't just take it stoically, do you? No. The child is doing it because he/she doesn't know better. So you stop them from doing it and explain that it is wrong. 'Not nice' and such. And that is how they learn.

Once you've removed the beak, your little guy goes on timeout. Immediately. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. (If the Monopoly reference is lost, here, never mind. Lol!) Where? In the cage, which he should be associating with hearth and home given the defined meals aspect we discussed earlier. See how they all intertwine?

When taking them to the cage for timeout, I always moved differently than how I did when bringing them to the cage for any other reason. A more purposeful stride, and in complete silence. (The cold shoulder) And once he's in there, you leave the room entirely. Or, if that's not feasible, you turn your back completely and move as far away as you can. No eye contact! Maintain this for five minutes, then let him back out. Wash, rinse, repeat. And I cannot stress enough that consistency is key, here. He may very well come out and immediately bite you again. This doesn't mean the technique has failed. It just means he needs another five minutes on timeout to build further on the association. It could take days or months. Be consistent.

Oh! And never bring any of your annoyance with you from the prior session into the next. Every time you take him out of timeout, it's a new slate. He can tell if you're holding a grudge, and that kind of body language on your part could inadvertently trigger a less-than-desirable reaction on his side.

On the flip side, when he behaves in a way that is desirable, you reward the behavior. Yummy goodness reinforces said behavior. And they'll eventually get to the point where they look forward to doing the things you ask of them.

And finally, do some training with him. Sounds like your guy is flighted. If you target train him, and then recall train him, you can start doing flight drills with him that will tire him out a bit. Sometimes having too much energy can make a bird more prone to bite. Like a child pent up in a house for quarantine might be more likely to break a statue because they're full of energy and bouncing off the walls. (Yes, I'm talking about one of my children. Sigh...)

Here's a link on target-training in case you're unfamiliar: [ame="https://youtu.be/HaOicTtwIZo"]Beginners guide to target training parrots - YouTube[/ame]

As for recall training and such, let me know if you have any questions on that as well. I've already gone on too long, so I'll cut this short. (Relatively speaking. Lol!)

 

[fiddlejen]

When you talk about him wanting to bite your ears, it almost sounds like he just wants to Explore your ears. When I got my Sun Conure, giving me ear exams was one of the First things she wanted to do.

Since they don’t have hands, birds use their beaks to interact. It’s possible he doesn’t intend to bite at all. If you think that might be the case, then definitely check out the thread on Bite Pressure Training which Anansi linked above.

 

[DejaVu]

3) Okay, the biting. As I'd mentioned earlier, bite avoidance is key. Again, as Noodles said in an earlier post, perching on the shoulder is a privilege, not a right. It has to be earned. He currently bites your ear, so the shoulder is off-limits until he knows better. And be consistent with this. It will be hard at first, as birds can be STUBBORN. So, yes. It will be a battle of wills... at first. But you are clearly defining your boundary. This is important. You're not as skilled in conveying your desires via body language as a bird is, so consistency becomes your best tool.

That said, what to do when there's a 'bite-avoidance fail' and your bird bites? Well, two things. First, and this is probably the biggest point of departure with advice you've already been given: remove that beak! Never go with the 'don't react' approach. Now, this must be controlled, of course. Because there is a basis for why people think you shouldn't react when bitten. Basically, if you go into histrionics when they bite, you could either trigger a fear response, or they might find your weird squawks amusing and, like any good little scientist, seek to reapply the stimulus in order to reproduce the results. In this way, you'd be reinforcing the bad behavior.

So instead, you would say 'No', in a firm, yet even and controlled voice. If he continues to bear down, use two fingers to leverage - pincer style - near the point of the beak. Done correctly, your two pincer fingers will slide down to the point of the beak and interpose themselves between his beak and your flesh. Your movements should be smooth and steady. No jerky movements to frighten him. And the pressure applied should slide your pincer fingers downward rather than applying any pressure on his beak that could prove hurtful. It works. If I've used this with ekkie beaks, it'll work with conures.

Added benefit? Using your fingers pincer style protects you from a potential second bite, as it would be those fingers he goes after. But if you've kept them together, when he goes for them you can just allow them to separate and his beak won't find purchase on anything.

Why do I say you should remove the biting beak? Because they have to understand that the behavior is unacceptable. It's not much different than a baby/toddler. If they bite you, or clock you with one of their toys, you don't just take it stoically, do you? No. The child is doing it because he/she doesn't know better. So you stop them from doing it and explain that it is wrong. 'Not nice' and such. And that is how they learn.

Once you've removed the beak, your little guy goes on timeout. Immediately. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. (If the Monopoly reference is lost, here, never mind. Lol!) Where? In the cage, which he should be associating with hearth and home given the defined meals aspect we discussed earlier. See how they all intertwine?

When taking them to the cage for timeout, I always moved differently than how I did when bringing them to the cage for any other reason. A more purposeful stride, and in complete silence. (The cold shoulder) And once he's in there, you leave the room entirely. Or, if that's not feasible, you turn your back completely and move as far away as you can. No eye contact! Maintain this for five minutes, then let him back out. Wash, rinse, repeat. And I cannot stress enough that consistency is key, here. He may very well come out and immediately bite you again. This doesn't mean the technique has failed. It just means he needs another five minutes on timeout to build further on the association. It could take days or months. Be consistent.

Oh! And never bring any of your annoyance with you from the prior session into the next. Every time you take him out of timeout, it's a new slate. He can tell if you're holding a grudge, and that kind of body language on your part could inadvertently trigger a less-than-desirable reaction on his side.

On the flip side, when he behaves in a way that is desirable, you reward the behavior. Yummy goodness reinforces said behavior. And they'll eventually get to the point where they look forward to doing the things you ask of them.

And finally, do some training with him. Sounds like your guy is flighted. If you target train him, and then recall train him, you can start doing flight drills with him that will tire him out a bit. Sometimes having too much energy can make a bird more prone to bite. Like a child pent up in a house for quarantine might be more likely to break a statue because they're full of energy and bouncing off the walls. (Yes, I'm talking about one of my children. Sigh...)

Here's a link on target-training in case you're unfamiliar: [ame="https://youtu.be/HaOicTtwIZo"]Beginners guide to target training parrots - YouTube[/ame]

As for recall training and such, let me know if you have any questions on that as well. I've already gone on too long, so I'll cut this short. (Relatively speaking. Lol!)[/QUOTE]


Hey man,

Thanks alot for the advice, it is much appreciated. Honestly, by organizing myself more (his food, time out of the cage...) things are really getting better, one of the things he actually wanted is to cuddle and get a couple of scratches. However he still managed to bite my ear at the end:09:. I was trying to keep him away from shoulder privilege but somehow I still failed. I really hate the ear bites, they are too painful and unfortunately under a situation as such it is hard to execute your instructions in a calm manner. But, I decided to approach this strategically, I have bought silicone hair dye covers which goes around the ear, that way I can feel less and manage things better (hope it works). Nonetheless, can you kindly explain to me point 2 again as im a bit confused. Also, is there a video of the method you metioned to do with removing the beak. Once again thanks for the advice.

kind regards