Bit of backstory... I have a Pineapple GCC name Havok who hatched in March of 2019. I purchased him from an independently-run pet store in May. When visiting the store, he was the most outgoing, responded to stepping up and liked head scratches even though I was a complete stranger to him at the time. I had already purchased a large cage and several perches and toys, so I brought him home and let him settle in. He was a little timid but I figured this was expected with him being in a new home.
Once he seemed comfortable I progressively switched him from seeds to pellets, and started trying to train him (he had stopped stepping up on command by this point). After trying several foods I identified that he liked freeze-dried mango as a treat, however it wasn't enough to encourage him to try anything. He wasn't afraid of hands or anything, he just seemed uninterested in a reward that required him doing anything other than what he wanted to do.
That's what it was like for the first month. I had some personal issues occur and life became a blur, but he adopted some very bad habits during this time that have culminated to how he acts today. Keep in mind that none of this is an exaggeration.
First, his absolute favorite thing to do now is bite my fingers hard enough to draw blood. I say this because if I let him out of his cage, he will seek out my hands the entire time. He's not afraid of hands; he'll perch no problem and does well with my wife and daughter handling him. He simply loves biting my fingers. If we're alone and I can somehow hide my fingers from him, his next interest is going back into his cage. When he bites I don't react, no sound, no jumping, nothing. In some cases if I'm frustrated by this I will place him back in his cage, where he'll start making happy chirping noises like he got what he wanted. We've bought him several wooden toys for his cage hoping to alleviate this, but no matter the quality he usually turns them to shavings withing a day or two.
Second, the screeching. If no one is making eye contact with him while he's in his cage, he will screech. Forever. Everywhere I look says to ignore the behavior, however there have been weeks (yes weeks) where every day from the moment the first person wakes up to the moment the last person goes to bed he will screech if you ignore him. If I let him out of his cage (and my fingers aren't there to bite and he doesn't go back into his cage) he'll fly to the top of the cupboards in our kitchen and proceed to screech non-stop. Ignoring him doesn't work. Again: ignoring him doesn't work.
Third, our family situation. This is where I'll take some responsibility. My wife and I work, and our daughter goes to daycare. Havok is alone in his cage for around 8 hours a day on weekdays, and when we are home sometimes things are too chaotic to let him out. I was unemployed for about 6 months since getting him but the above behavior started during that time and has continued since I got a new job. Amount and quality of attention I've given him hasn't seemed to make a difference. To top things off, my wife (who hates the bird by the way) insisted on getting a kitten, and this kitten seems to insist on hunting my bird. They are always watched when Havok is out of his cage, and from what I've read keeping him with flight feathers is now a requirement.
I got him because I have some mental health issues and my therapist insisted I find something I like and pursue it, in this case I wanted a pet bird. I did months of research before getting him, and when he was happy it gave me happiness I didn't really find in other parts of my life. I bring this all up because it's not just his well-being of concern here.
So that's where we're at. He doesn't respond to treats or positive behavior, only being allowed to bite. The more he screeches and bites the happier he acts, and every time we try to do something to reduce his ability to do those things he becomes more aggressive. Any tips would be appreciated.
Once he seemed comfortable I progressively switched him from seeds to pellets, and started trying to train him (he had stopped stepping up on command by this point). After trying several foods I identified that he liked freeze-dried mango as a treat, however it wasn't enough to encourage him to try anything. He wasn't afraid of hands or anything, he just seemed uninterested in a reward that required him doing anything other than what he wanted to do.
That's what it was like for the first month. I had some personal issues occur and life became a blur, but he adopted some very bad habits during this time that have culminated to how he acts today. Keep in mind that none of this is an exaggeration.
First, his absolute favorite thing to do now is bite my fingers hard enough to draw blood. I say this because if I let him out of his cage, he will seek out my hands the entire time. He's not afraid of hands; he'll perch no problem and does well with my wife and daughter handling him. He simply loves biting my fingers. If we're alone and I can somehow hide my fingers from him, his next interest is going back into his cage. When he bites I don't react, no sound, no jumping, nothing. In some cases if I'm frustrated by this I will place him back in his cage, where he'll start making happy chirping noises like he got what he wanted. We've bought him several wooden toys for his cage hoping to alleviate this, but no matter the quality he usually turns them to shavings withing a day or two.
Second, the screeching. If no one is making eye contact with him while he's in his cage, he will screech. Forever. Everywhere I look says to ignore the behavior, however there have been weeks (yes weeks) where every day from the moment the first person wakes up to the moment the last person goes to bed he will screech if you ignore him. If I let him out of his cage (and my fingers aren't there to bite and he doesn't go back into his cage) he'll fly to the top of the cupboards in our kitchen and proceed to screech non-stop. Ignoring him doesn't work. Again: ignoring him doesn't work.
Third, our family situation. This is where I'll take some responsibility. My wife and I work, and our daughter goes to daycare. Havok is alone in his cage for around 8 hours a day on weekdays, and when we are home sometimes things are too chaotic to let him out. I was unemployed for about 6 months since getting him but the above behavior started during that time and has continued since I got a new job. Amount and quality of attention I've given him hasn't seemed to make a difference. To top things off, my wife (who hates the bird by the way) insisted on getting a kitten, and this kitten seems to insist on hunting my bird. They are always watched when Havok is out of his cage, and from what I've read keeping him with flight feathers is now a requirement.
I got him because I have some mental health issues and my therapist insisted I find something I like and pursue it, in this case I wanted a pet bird. I did months of research before getting him, and when he was happy it gave me happiness I didn't really find in other parts of my life. I bring this all up because it's not just his well-being of concern here.
So that's where we're at. He doesn't respond to treats or positive behavior, only being allowed to bite. The more he screeches and bites the happier he acts, and every time we try to do something to reduce his ability to do those things he becomes more aggressive. Any tips would be appreciated.
