Bluffing problems please help

kcnugz

New member
Dec 4, 2013
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KC
Parrots
Indian Ring Neck
hello everyone,

My IRN is almost 8 Months old. My Girlfriend and i have had him for 6 months. we live together as well. when we first brought him home, he did not mind being held at all and was cuddling with us both. he was a sweet heart. as he got older around the 6 month mark he started biting alot.. he has a pretty big cage that he seems to love hanging out on. his biting occurs mostly when we approach him while he is on his perch/cage. I'm assuming this is a territorial thing, as he doesn't bite when he is off his cage top. with the exception of being on my GF shoulder and she goes to take him off, he will bite her hard as he does not want to leave. he has been squawking/screaming loudly during the day. My gf normally works during the days so it's just me and Harvey hanging out and whenever i leave his line of sight he freaks out until i come back, but when i approach him he growls? and rubs his beak on the side of his cage. his pupils pin and he does not like it when i gently put my finger up to him to see if he wants to hang out. he does not. lol when i wake him up in the morning he seems very grumpy and i have to use a glove to get him off his perch or out of his cage. I let him do his thing but i want to make sure i am handling him as much as i did before this started. its just a lot harder now.

i have heard from articles online that this behavior is called bluffing? and comes with maturity. just wanted to know if anyone has encountered this with their IRN and if its passed. He has been doing this for over a month now.
 
I don't know any more about bluffing than you do, but I would assume it's not and try to work out what else it might be.

You could be right about him being territorial about his cage. That definitely happens to parrots. Some things you can try are moving the cage to a new location and changing things around inside the cage. If he feels like he's not in the same place all the time, he can't get territorial about it.

Or since he's grumpy in the morning, maybe he's not getting enough sleep.

If he bites when he's on your GFs shoulder, then she shouldn't let him on her shoulder. It's far better to prevent a bite if possible, since you can't reinforce behaviour that doesn't happen. Or you could experiment with other ways to get him off her shoulder, like bribery. :) Perhaps spend some time target training him so he's more willing to go where he's asked to.

I read a great book [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-Problem-Solver-Barbara-Heidenreich/dp/0793805627]The Parrot Problem Solver: Barbara Heidenreich: 9780793805624: Amazon.com: Books[/ame] that I think you'd find really helpful.
 
Bribery. It's a wonderful thing!

The first thing is never to start an argument unless you know you're going to win it! Make it worth your bird's while to be where you want him to go. Offer a treat when you ask 'Step up'. If it doesn't really matter where the bird sits, then don't ask him to step up 'just because'. Sometimes, he may not want to, so let him be and ask later. But for now, reward him until he stops testing you with his beak.

I've found that getting a bird to step up from off of your shoulder is quite difficult. They seem to find it the most comfortable place to be (lots to hang onto) and prefer not to be moved from there. Also, you can't exactly see what they're up to without moving your face right into their line of bite. For these and many other reasons, it's not a great idea to allow your bird to hang on your shoulder until he's a lot better trained and habituated to behaving the way you want him to.

One good way of getting a bird off your shoulder is to squat down low and raise your arm high above your head. You'll look really, really stupid, but the bird will usually want to go to the highest place (your hand) and will walk up your arm to get there. Once he's on your hand, learn to block him from going back to your shoulder.

I had been using sunflower seeds as treats for my Beaks, but recently discovered crushed nuts. Yay! Not only are they smaller doses of fat, but they also don't leave chaff all over you and your home! I would use these to shamelessly bribe your bird to do good things for you during this testing time. Some days, I'll just sit with my birds, talking quietly with them and giving them a heap of treats. It's our bonding time and helps them to learn to love being with me.

One last thing is The Bite. The bite can never be allowed to work for the bird. It's his only defence and he'll use it to tell you what he doesn't want to do. If you're training him, then he has to comply. Offer him only your closed fist, back of the hand foremost so he can't get a purchase on your skin. In time, you'll learn to twist your hand around to avoid any bite he attempts and he will learn too, that his bite won't work as a deterrent. But do be judicious when you push against the bite like this. If the bird doesn't want to play, then don't force him unless it's necessary. Y'know? Even human kids don't always want to come out and tap-dance for the guests, so be sensitive.

Ringnecks are gorgeous birds and very clever too. Check out videos on YouTube about training and hand-taming birds and think about teaching your bird to do tricks, because that's well within his capability and will help keep his mind occupied. If you have any questions, never hesitate to ask them here - we have so many knowledgeable members and a lot of great help is available for you. :)
 
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thanks for tips guys! i will start on the advice!! i think i will move his cage to a different location as well. and switch up some things inside. having a small apartment kind of limits you to where you can move him but i have a few spots. harvey is a odd ball. he seems to get into these " fights " with himself in his cage and he will be in his male stance, with his wings open into the " heart shape " but i feel as though his attitude is starting to get better. hopefully. he talks alllllllllll the time and is always making cute noises, but only when he is on or in his cage does he make them.


anyways, thanks again guys. that actually was a lot of help.
 
I'm not sure if this is bluffing or not, either.

My first IRN was also the sweetest thing you could imagine till she started bluffing and I'll be the first to admit I didn't know how to deal with it so I made a few mistakes.

The only advice I can offer you if it is indeed bluffing is to ride it out and take things on his terms, not yours. As difficult as it is to handle (not to mention heart-breaking to see a loving bird act out like this) I can assure you it will end.

The important thing is to keep patient and calm. If he doesn't want to do what you want him to do and bribery doesn't work then just try again later.
 
In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to acknowledge what he wants and thinks, and interact with him on his terms. This is extra important if he's not flighted, as clipped birds can't let you know you're for example pushing things a bit, by flying away.

You should definitely NOT force him to come out of the cage, especially not since you have to use a glove in the morning. He's obviously not in the mood to come right then, and besides, gloves are often SCARY! :O
He'll just end up being more unwilling to hang out in the morning if you keep forcing him. Wait until he's ready instead. Maybe leave the cage door open and let him climb out on his own when he wants to, or try again later (and step back RIGHT AWAY if he shows you he still doesn't want to come) :)

The main thing is to learn his body language so that you can take a step back instantly when he shows that he doesn't want you to approach or he doesn't want to do what you think he should, like step up or come out of the cage etc.
When he's learned that you do understand him and respect his personal space and opinions, he will most likely calm down a bit and let you approach him more and more without protesting, because he knows that if things get uncomfortable, you will back off and he won't have to bite. This creates mutual trust and builds a way better relationship. :)

Also target training! Have you tried that? If you haven't heard of it, you can google "parrot target training" or search this forum, I'm sure you'll find something very helpful.
But it's basically a very, very good way of training your bird with positive reinforcement to want to go where you want him to go, because he knows he'll always get a yummy treat when he does. Also a very good way of re-training step up if he doesn't always like to be around your hands or fingers. :)
 
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I have to agree completely with Mitchan on getting to know your bird's body language so you know what ruffles his feathers the wrong way so to speak.

In the case of my one adult IRN female I realised after awhile that she has a more or less fixed set of warning signals of a "do not disturb" mood: if she lowers her head, puffs up her feathers and pins her eyes I'm in trouble if I don't back off immediately. She will still approach me out of free will if she's in such a mood but she makes it very clear that she doesn't want to be touched or disturbed.

Every bird is different with their "warning signals" and unfortunately it takes lots of observation and inevitably a few bites to figure them out.
 
The pinning of the eyes from what I've seen with my birds is usually a sure sign that a bite/lunge to a human hand or an attack on a bird they dislike or consider an intruder is imminent so be very alert and back off when he pins his eyes.

Maybe more experienced people can point out other warning signs that I might have missed or haven't encountered.
 

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