aby suddenly got fearful after trying to dispiline him

[DejaVu]

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.

Thanks for the advice (Y)

 

[Anansi]

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

You're welcome! And remember, just because something doesn't work right away doesn't mean it's failed. That's where the consistency comes in.

I'm unfamiliar with these silicone covers, so I'll just generally caution you about taking care that he's not biting pieces off and ingesting them. Be vigilant.

So, you wanted clarification on point #2, which was: 'Defined meals in defined spaces.' Okay, defined mealtimes means set times for their main meals. Some people go with a three times per day feeding schedule, and some go with two.

With my ekkies, I go with two. Breakfast and dinner. Served at pretty much the same times each day. Both are big meals that really fill them up, but once they finish each meal, that's it until the next meal. (Not counting any training treats are little foraging goodies that might be put in their cages.)

As for the defined spaces aspect, this simply means that the major meals should all be served in his cage. Many people do otherwise. Some have their birds eating at the table with them. Or on a play stand in the living room. And that's fine as well. It's just a different dynamic that wouldn't necessarily work as well with my method.

See, my reason for all of their main meals being served in the cage is to form a positive association in their minds of their cages as a place they want to go to. When my birds are out with me, they LOVE being with me. But by the time dinnertime rolls around, though they still love me, they're REALLY looking forward to getting back to their cage. Why? Because the driving force of hunger will be satisfied upon their return to the cage.

Once it's ingrained in their heads that the cage is a good place to be, using the cage for timeout doesn't turn it into a negative. Because their food impulse overrides almost all else. See what I mean?

As for a video with the bite technique, I can try to make one. But no promises, because I don't know how I'd manage it. It's been five years since I've been bitten, as that form of communication has been eliminated from our interactions. And neither of them 'beaks' me long enough for me to properly demonstrate the technique. But I'll try to come up with something.

 

[DejaVu]

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

You're welcome! And remember, just because something doesn't work right away doesn't mean it's failed. That's where the consistency comes in.

I'm unfamiliar with these silicone covers, so I'll just generally caution you about taking care that he's not biting pieces off and ingesting them. Be vigilant.

So, you wanted clarification on point #2, which was: 'Defined meals in defined spaces.' Okay, defined mealtimes means set times for their main meals. Some people go with a three times per day feeding schedule, and some go with two.

With my ekkies, I go with two. Breakfast and dinner. Served at pretty much the same times each day. Both are big meals that really fill them up, but once they finish each meal, that's it until the next meal. (Not counting any training treats are little foraging goodies that might be put in their cages.)

As for the defined spaces aspect, this simply means that the major meals should all be served in his cage. Many people do otherwise. Some have their birds eating at the table with them. Or on a play stand in the living room. And that's fine as well. It's just a different dynamic that wouldn't necessarily work as well with my method.

See, my reason for all of their main meals being served in the cage is to form a positive association in their minds of their cages as a place they want to go to. When my birds are out with me, they LOVE being with me. But by the time dinnertime rolls around, though they still love me, they're REALLY looking forward to getting back to their cage. Why? Because the driving force of hunger will be satisfied upon their return to the cage.

Once it's ingrained in their heads that the cage is a good place to be, using the cage for timeout doesn't turn it into a negative. Because their food impulse overrides almost all else. See what I mean?

As for a video with the bite technique, I can try to make one. But no promises, because I don't know how I'd manage it. It's been five years since I've been bitten, as that form of communication has been eliminated from our interactions. And neither of them 'beaks' me long enough for me to properly demonstrate the technique. But I'll try to come up with something.

Just an update, I am trying to implement the techniques. It is very hard too keep him of my shoulder but it is better than before. Sometimes he is scared sometime he is very calm and fine with me. I believe the reason for his ear biting is either because he wants treats or he sees them as a toy, he is not giving up. One other thing, he is good at recall but the problem is that he always lands on my head rather than my hand, so he kinda taking that shoulder privilege away, any tips. Also, I was wondering, how many times should I feed my conure per day, suggestions?

Once again thanks.

 

[Anansi]

Keeping him off your shoulder will be one of the hardest parts of all this. Remember what I said about the need for consistency and perseverance. It might take a while. Don't measure your successes in the short term. It can take days, weeks or even months. I know no one wants to hear that, but it's true. Birds are stubborn. But they are so worth the time put in.

For the flying to your head thing, you can get around that by offering your forearm for landing at the height of your head. Basically, make it so he'd really have to go out of his way to get to your head. Most birds will choose the path of least resistance.

As for how many times a day to feed your conure, it's no different in frequency than it would be for bigger birds like mine. The difference would be in volume. Either two or three times a day sounds good to me. I do two, but that is motivated by the fact that I work. But if you're consistently home during the day, or can make it home for midday feedings, three times works quite well, too. But there would, of course, be larger portions for two times a day than for three. It should average out, more or less, to the same thing.

Just make sure you're feeding enough at each meal, and keep an eye on his weight.