Biting Help

[sunny_coco]

Hi Guys,

New to being a cockatoo owner, we have recently taken on a beautiful female Galah as a cage neighbour for our parakeet - as we recently lost his buddy very unexpectedly and he was very depressed about it (I thought at one point we were going to lose him too).

She is the most amazing bird in her cage. Sweet, cuddly, very friendly and cute (With hand in or through the bars). When she comes out of her cage (we like to have them out several hours a day) it's like a different bird emerges from the cage!

She is only a baby and we haven't experienced these behaviours with our previous birds so want to make sure we are acting in the best way possible to support our bonding and encourage the right behaviours.

She will actively fly to you if called however a few seconds after landing she begins biting - on whatever part of you she can get hold of. In order to interrupt the behaviour I will generally shake my hand or whatever bit of me she is stood on. This works for around 3 seconds but then automatically goes back to biting (pretty hard). A few people have suggested maybe she was testing the "perch" - I very much do not think it is this. I'm not sure whether it is extreme excitement maybe?

Some have suggested putting her back in her cage when she does this - however it's not quite that easy! If she clicks she's heading back towards her cage it's pretty likely she will fly off and land elsewhere or sit quite happily on top of her cage! So by the time I would get her back in, it is probably way past the point of it being seen as the "time out".

Has anyone experienced anything similar and how have you dealt with it? Or would recommend dealing with it! She is a late April hatch.

 

[ChristaNL]

Do not shake - this wil only increase agitation on the birds side.


The advice you'll get most (apart from 'put her in the cage') is: just place the bird on the floor (no waiting, instant cause- effect) and shun as best as you can--- ignoring the bird completely for 2 minutes.


My greys love it when I try to put them back in their cage when they've done something they know is wrong, because they know they can outfly me anyway.
So I have to keep hold of them (scolding them all the way to the cage- so they know why) and really lock them in / and sometimes they even try to make a game out of that!
But really showing them I am angry with them and turn my back makes an impression.
(not always- especially an hormonal bird will play being deaf and blind very long and convincingly- so it takes a lot of perseverence on the human side.)


And be consistent!
It is hard, but if you let it slide once (because you are on the phone and that seems more important f.e.) you are back to square one!
Start all over again.
(it will happen, so no worries, every moment is potentially the beginning of something new!)


Oh..and do the bitepressure-thingy http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

 

[Jottlebot]

Do you give her a treat for flying to you on command? If you don't, then you could start, it will keep her beak busy for a few seconds! If you already do then she could be after more and checking you've noticed she's on you by biting!

Either way I would call her to you, treat and put her back on her cage within a few seconds BEFORE she bites. So it's not a punishment, it's just what you do, you call her, treat her and put her back. Only stand very close to the cage if you have to at first. She'll get used to being called, flying to you, having a lovely time and a treat and then having a lovely time back on her cage. No biting to deal with, no punishment to work out, all just lovely loveliness!

Slowly increase the time before the treat and the time before putting her back on her cage or give her a second treat and eventually you'll both enjoy hanging out (or on) with each other for as long as either of you want.

 

[Flboy]

Hi,
Read and reread!
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html

 

[sunny_coco]

Great suggestions thanks guys.

Will try the removal to floor - I had actually just read that on the biting brainstorming thread!

It's like she is just so unbelievably excited when she comes out (We've had her for around a month so I know it is still all very new to her) that she can't contain her excitement and just bites!

She is such a sweet sweet bird in her cage where she obviously feels safe...

We do offer her little treats when she flies over to us - I had tried to restrict it a little bit and not give every time in case she was possibly biting to try and prompt a treat when she didn't get one!

 

[Flboy]

Great suggestions thanks guys.

Will try the removal to floor - I had actually just read that on the biting brainstorming thread!

It's like she is just so unbelievably excited when she comes out (We've had her for around a month so I know it is still all very new to her) that she can't contain her excitement and just bites!

She is such a sweet sweet bird in her cage where she obviously feels safe...

Cockatoo = overload!

Overload excitement is a common reason for biting, just like little human boys!
Remember, you really don’t want to discourage the excitement, just redirect it some how!
If every time you came home and your three year old came running to you, biting the back of your hand, and you scolded him,, his lesson? Don’t be happy around you!
Also, keep the cage a safe/fun place, not for banishment/ fun over!

 

[sunny_coco]

Yep that makes sense.

Will start trying some of these techniques and hopefully a bit of time and consistency will help her understand that biting us isn't the best outlet of the potential excitement!

 

[Scott]

Seems your Galah is more comfortable being handled while in the cage. The links to several threads should be very helpful getting her better adjusted outside the cage.

You mention a parakeet as "cage neighbour." Assume the parakeet has a separate cage nearby and is not a cage mate?

 

[sunny_coco]

So tonight actually went well trying out the new technique and concept of avoiding getting bitten! I did learn that once you have her on you it’s pretty hard to get her off!
She very much seeks you out when out of her cage, she doesn’t want to be away.
We used lots of toys as a distraction and then after some play she seemed to calm having burnt off the initial excitement. Hoping we have found the trick here!

They’re only cage neighbours - not cage mates. They get on well - our parakeet is a very sociable mellow bird.

 

[LeslieA]

You don't seem to understand: Spare the bites, spoil the human. HAHA

 

[Siobhan]

Parrots bite when they're over-excited, or to warn you of danger or, in the case of Rocky, when he has to poop and I need to hustle him back to his cage because, God love him, he won't poop on me. I am at present sporting a collection of Quaker parrot beak-shaped bruises all over one arm because the Quaker in question is hormonal and attacks me for existing. Normally, he's my little buddy, but during hormone season, all bets are OFF. It sounds like the over-excited reason may be behind your bird's bites and she might settle down once she gets used to the place. Try to be very calm and relaxed when you're holding her and talk baby talk to her and keep her calm. It may just take some time.

 

[noodles123]

YOU MUST LET HER OUT (as often as you can)---SOOO much energy and intelligence. They are super interactive...I have an Umbrella Cockatoo...Even once trained, you will be bitten, but you are right to seek help because daily biting won't last forever if the bird is properly trained etc (with regard to Cockatoos anyway). They need a lot of time and attention and TONS of games/puzzles/toys. Get her used to all of this stuff now. Harness training is also best when done early on...trust me, you will need it.

Based on rehoming rates and general experiences with them, they are probably the hardest bird to own (yours may not be a U2 or a Moloccan, but a cockatoo is a cockatoo)...You need to understand that this will be a huge challenge, but you signed up for it when you bought the most re-homed parrot species...Rehoming your bird will traumatize him/her, so just remember that when you feel frustrated...

I also must warn you that babies are the EASIEST and that their personalities tend to change significantly around the time the mature sexually...you have many years until then, so make sure you start researching and planning everything now. DO NOT allow your bird to constantly cuddle or you will have a needy and sexually aggressive adult on your hands.. Also, until your bird knows how to step up and can follow commands without biting, I would urge you to consider the shoulder as a privilege to be earned.

Expect to put in hours of daily work and know that you will need to put A TON into this if you want a tolerable pet-- remember, they are wild animals that fly miles per day in the wild and forage in huge flocks....I really hope you researched...They are VERY unique and I am just a little concerned, even though I am glad that you are reaching out.

Look into ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). Do no start any sexual petting (stick to the head only). Create a routine and stick to it. Make sure he/she gets 10-14 hours of uninterpreted sleep in her own room. TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN with ABA, socialize and encourage independent play by gradually introducing a variety of toys. Do not over-cuddle and do not run over to quiet the bird if it screams...this just shows that yelling gets it attention. Praise the heck out of anything you want to continue and reward with treats etc in addition to attention when good things happen.

Once you know the function of the behavior, you will want to praise and teach alternatives to whatever she/he is trying to achieve by biting. Punishment doesn't really work for birds, and usually, yelling and even "no" can actually increase the behavior that is undesirable to the human. If you do not know why he/she is biting then do your very best to not react at all (at least with adult cockatoos).

Babies are still learning about how their beak works, so that is a bit different. I haven't owned a baby (mine was a re-home)...Just saying, most get re-homed after the age of 2 when everything gets crazier....so just wrap your head around it now and make research a priority--you will need to really focus a lot of energy into this bird