birdy behavior

[caretaker66]

I'm A New Bird Owner And Need Some Advice. At 1st My Abram Liked My Boyfriend Best, He Flew Down From A Tree And Came Home With Him. He Would Only Tolerate Me If No One Else Was Around. Then One Day Dave Came In The Room With A Black Hat And Sunglasses On, Also That Night While He Was Sleeping Abram Bit Him On The Toe And David Hollered At Him. Now No Matter What We Try Abram Won't Climb On David's Finger Or Anything. What Can We Do?

 

[nimuemerlin]

Birds are very wary of new things such as a black hat and sunglasses. I put on yellow plastic gloves one time to clean the cage and Polita bit me hard enough to break the skin thru the gloves. She has never done that before or since. It was obviously the gloves that freaked her out.

Birds don't respond to anything other than positive reinforcement. Yelling only makes them withdraw or worse. A strong "no" in a calm voice, or better yet, ignoring bad behavior will do more to change it than anything else. I understand that when you are bleeding it is hard to keep your cool, but it is really the only successful way to deal with bad bird behavior. Birds can't stand having their loved one ignore them. Attention and food treats are the best rewards for good behavior.

Your bird is probably going thru some trauma from being away from its home, out on its own for who knows how long and now with you in yet another new environment. Remember, birds take a while to adjust to anything new. Abram may get over what he considers David's betrayal and he may not, but it will take time and patience.

You didn't say what kind of bird you have, but I would strongly recommend a bird care class. There are often free ones offered in most locations. If not, try to read all you can get your hands on about the care of your bird. Some pet stores, libraries and books stores are good sources of info. Checking in to this site is also an good idea. Welcome. There are many knowledgeable bird owners here. Living with a bird is big fun. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[TexDot33]

... Also That Night While He Was Sleeping Abram Bit Him On The Toe And David Hollered At Him.

Birds don't understand our language (obviously) what they do understand is that an action will get them attention (whether it be positive or negative it doesn't really matter ... think like a 2 year-old) ... Abram biting David's toe was nothing more than a game (unless he drew blood, then it was an attack - especially if we are talking cockatoos ... no blood, it was just a pinch for attention. Cockatoos probably deliver the WORST bites of all parrots ... they are the only parrots that have control of both UPPER AND LOWER beaks ... they will grind them together like scissors if they are attacking.) to get attention ... I bite toe, I get attention because someone is making a loud noise ... hey, I make loud noises when I am happy so he must be happy ... yeah let's play this game more often it's fun and everyone is happy!!

Can I ask why Abram was out at night while you were sleeping? I wouldn't leave a cockatoo out without supervision, just like I wouldn't leave my 2 year-old out without supervision ... they can get into too much trouble too quickly ... not to mention the damage they can do to just about anything with that beak of theirs.