Emergency / biting green cheek conure

[Claragonza3]

I'm writing this while crying. Please read this and help me please

I'll give some context. I've had my green cheek conure ( Chester) for almost 4 years and I got him with 1 month. He didn't have any problems with biting except when he was passing puberty but never with me just with others. Two years ago I moved with my boyfriend and he bit him often but they became friends and the biting got less hard and less often.

This past Christmas I had to go to my parents and he staid with my boyfriend, it all went well and he was a bit angry at me when I came back but it was all fine, a few weeks after he started preferring my boyfriend over me which hurt me a bit but was fine, mind you my boyfriend is who usually feeds him because he stays at home all day since covid. He doesn't know much about birds and didn't want this so he tried to spend less time with him and switch to me feeding him. Even before that chester had started biting me, hard, he had only bitten me hard once and it was because I tried to get his harness on)(never did that again) it is vicious, he doesn't let me go and it hurts a lot, blood, wholes... And most of the time without any explanation, perching him for example.

He also started spending less time with me when he was outside the cage and screening even though he has always been really quiet and spent all the time outside with me.

I tried to spend more time with him outside, keep working on his tricks to keep him entertained, everything and I though it was working out. But a few minutes ago he was sleeping on my shoulder while working, I turned to look at him and he bit me on the lip and wouldn't let me go, when he stopped I tried to push him with my headphones and he bit my lip again, both with blood and viciously.

I am heartbroken, I love birds and I've always wanted to have more birds but I don't know what is going on, he had never bitten ANYONE in the face, he knows its a no-no and he likes licking my teeth and everything. I love him but I'm so hurt, if this keeps going I don't know if I will be able to keep getting him out of his cage, if I can't trust him anymore with me or anyone, I'm scared of him.

We had a great relationship I don't know what happened and I dont know what's going on.

More info: he has a huge cage for African Grey's, toys, toys, he gets out almost every day for 2 hours (this week not so much because I am really busy). Since this all started he has bitten my boyfriend once and me like 10 times in a month.

Please help me I don't know what to do I'm so sad and helpless...

 

[Laurasea]

Its ok. I truly believe you can rebuild your relationship.

I once broke the trust if my green cheek Ta-dah trying to stuff her in a harness. I did everything wrong and it was my fault. She would run screaming from me or run screaming at me to bite me. Took 6 month to regain her trust.

My advice ( isn't the end all advice, others may have different ideas, all can be valuable)
Ok so I wouldn't limit your boyfriends interaction with him. This just makes the bird feel frustrated and rejected in my opinion.

For you, I would start completely over. Lije you just met him as a new burd and are trying to win his trust. But its probably better to work with him out if sight of the boyfriend. 2 hours of out of cage time or time with you isn't enough. The basics are lots of going over saying hi abd giving a treat by hand. An article by a behavior expert says to simple fir 50 treats by hand a day, tho I have never reached thst high. Having thrm out on top of cage and having them walk towards you for treat. Can be very powerful in teaching their mind that movements towards you equal treats.

Ok , I can't write more right now. Except I believe you csn get past this. Burd tricks on yiu tube t, tgey talk about one of their burds like one or the other one of them more, but are still good fir both.
Target training is goid, very short multiple sessions, don't repeat more than 5 abd always end on a good note

 

[noodles123]

I agree with Laura- this sounds like the change of people/place at parent's house triggered annoyance or anxiety (even jealously) and then because you didn't anticipate that, you misread the mood/cues and caused further anger/distrust when you inadvertently proceeded as though nothing was different (only to be scared/frustrated by your bird's unexpected reaction and growing frustration). It can be re-built. I will post a link to another member's question (related to yours). See my responses and the links as well (some link to posts with other links, because if I copy and paste and already posted hyperlink, it breaks the link).


See my 2 responses and then follow those links (but then also check out the replies I posted to the links within the links) because I would tell you the same things and it is too hard to re-type it all
http://www.parrotforums.com/behavio...-screaming-issues-after-moving-my-sister.html

 

[noodles123]

Also- it is dangerous to allow a parrot to contact your saliva. If he is licking your teeth etc, that is bad news. We have gram negative bacteria and they do not, so our saliva can do serious damage. Do not let your parrot in your mouth or to eat after food you have double-dipped in. I know a lot of people do it, but it's not safe.


Have you had him checked by an avian vet to ensure that this change is not due to illness? I know it seems odd that a sick bird would get aggressive (and I'm not saying that you caused it if he is sick) but it is something to rule out..


The mouth to mouth action also makes me think that you may have sexually frustrated your bird without knowing it and then caused extreme frustration by showing affection to BF around the bird (after having allowed mouth-to-mouth/mating behavior between you and your bird). That sort of mouth to mouth is reserved for feeding babies and sex.....for a bird nearing sexual maturity (in your case, anywhere from a bit past 1/2 year to 1 year old) it is very sexual...and a bird that thinks you are into him/her can get very upset when you don't follow through on the duties of a "mate"..which is the very role you claimed when allowing that behavior. Here is some more on gram negative bacteria in mammals vs birds-- https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/saliva-is-dangerous-for-parrots
You need to make sure you do not touch sexually (head and neck only), no mouth contact, no saliva contact, no shadowy spaces, 10-12 hours sleep on a schedule, large cage, few hours out day at least, avoid warm+ mushy food temporarily (due to associations with regurgitation, which is hormonal).

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Chester, sorry you are at a low point in your relationship. Laura and noodles really summed up relevant issues and shared tools to help rebuild trust. While birds are not computers, it is possible to do sort of a behavioral "reset."

Three threads to help guide the way: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

Good luck, we're here for you, let us know how it goes!

 

[Laurasea]

A few things I wanted to add. Do not assume yiu can take the liberties you did before. Watch body language, its fluid and changing.

My Ta-dah and I have a really great relationship, we cuddle, she does some very simple tricks, she flies to me. Steps up for me . But every single day, sometimes more than once, she threatens to bite me. Usually I have spooked her during a petting session, or reached my hand over her. I pay attention to her body language, so I do not get bitten, I pause we usually talk about fir a few seconds or I apologize, then we carry on and everything is fine. If I wasn't paying attention we would both have hurt feelings and lots if bites. She does her part to and try not to bite, I have pictures of her laying back trying to avoid my hand and clearly giving I will bite yiu signals. But I've used up my picture storage.

The best way to stop bites is to pay attention. To be aware and in the moment. Its communication, and if the communication fails you are getting bitten. Work on keeping yourself zen, parrots can read your skin flush, your heart rate your pupil size, ..... Parrots communication is body position, feather position, pupil size, tail, wing or head movement , stylized movement ( GCC often do a March when they are getting riled up) a GCC that lowers the head straight out over the feet while maintaining eye contact or crouching is saying do not touch me! Which is different from them bowing their head abd asking for head scratches.

Pamela Clark is a certified parrot behavior, she has a blog and lots of articles, you might explore and see what advice she has. But she would start out saying only 2 hours out of cage time is deal breaker. The parrot will hsve to much pent up energy sbd frustration. She recommends 4 hours minimum, csn be split to 2 hrs in morning evenings
https://blogpamelaclarkonline.com/2019/02/13/remember-to-say-thank-you/

One of my freinds has an African Grey. She had him before she got married, and after being married sbd having kids he developed a lot of behavior issues. She hired a parrot behavior consultant, they came to her home and went over daily routine snd everything. She has been having a hard time finding time for the parrot. The consultant told her to get up a half hour earlier and spend that time with her parrot out of the cage. She decided to get up 45 min earlier for her this ment getting up at 430 am!! She got him out and they spent a little time sitting together sbd talking while she went over email. Then they went to the kitchen and prepared his food, abd her kids breakfast together. Within a couple of days she had radical improvements in his behavior with just doing that!!! At first she said getting up early was hard fir her, then she said it became her favorite part of the day. A peaceful time for her away from demands of husband and kids, a time to honor her parrot who had been with her for more than 20 years before the husband and kids.

I have never forgotten this! Because I witnessed the screaming, the biting, the unhappy parrot before this. And I visited a week after and saw the complete transformation!

The other tips he gave her, everybody in the house stops by to say good morning. Everybody goes to the parrot and says goodbye when leaving the house, and they go to the cage and say hello I'm back when they come home. This let's him feel important and part of the flock. It helped prevent screaming because he knew when and who was gone from the home.

I had Ta-dah and my first baby, my GCC Burt The Burd for years before adding to my flock. It wasn't till Burt The Burd passed, thst I added. So Ta-dah and I have mommy and me time, when it's just Ta-dah and all the other parrots are put up.. She really needs this one on one time, she gets cranky if we miss it. Tge rest of tge time she is fine sharing me with everyone else.

My last thoughts on this. You have probably seen TV shows and life time movies, of whenever a parent has been away and returned. They show the kids crying, yelling, sometimes hitting the parent, they are angry, frustrated, and hurt that the parent has been away! Its a lot like that for your parrot!!!!
So show him he can trust you, be understanding, and put time into your relationship.

 

[Claragonza3]

I agree with Laura- this sounds like the change of people/place at parent's house triggered annoyance or anxiety (even jealously) and then because you didn't anticipate that, you misread the mood/cues and caused further anger/distrust when you inadvertently proceeded as though nothing was different (only to be scared/frustrated by your bird's unexpected reaction and growing frustration). It can be re-built. I will post a link to another member's question (related to yours). See my responses and the links as well (some link to posts with other links, because if I copy and paste and already posted hyperlink, it breaks the link).


See my 2 responses and then follow those links (but then also check out the replies I posted to the links within the links) because I would tell you the same things and it is too hard to re-type it all
http://www.parrotforums.com/behavio...-screaming-issues-after-moving-my-sister.html

I understand he is angry at me. He was in a horrible condition at my parents house because they mistreated him (he was vacumed once and left to scape 3 times) we moved houses last year and moved in with my boyfriend and moved again this year to a bad condition again in which we spend a lot of time at the same room he is but not with him. I feel like that has frustrated him greatly with screaming and all.

The thing i don't understand is how can i rebuild because i tried to rebuild just spending more time with him and focusing more on tricks and reacting to biting differently but if you say i was just acting like nothing then i have no idea what to do.

 

[Claragonza3]

Also- it is dangerous to allow a parrot to contact your saliva. If he is licking your teeth etc, that is bad news. We have gram negative bacteria and they do not, so our saliva can do serious damage. Do not let your parrot in your mouth or to eat after food you have double-dipped in. I know a lot of people do it, but it's not safe.


Have you had him checked by an avian vet to ensure that this change is not due to illness? I know it seems odd that a sick bird would get aggressive (and I'm not saying that you caused it if he is sick) but it is something to rule out..


The mouth to mouth action also makes me think that you may have sexually frustrated your bird without knowing it and then caused extreme frustration by showing affection to BF around the bird (after having allowed mouth-to-mouth/mating behavior between you and your bird). That sort of mouth to mouth is reserved for feeding babies and sex.....for a bird nearing sexual maturity (in your case, anywhere from a bit past 1/2 year to 1 year old) it is very sexual...and a bird that thinks you are into him/her can get very upset when you don't follow through on the duties of a "mate"..which is the very role you claimed when allowing that behavior. Here is some more on gram negative bacteria in mammals vs birds-- https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/saliva-is-dangerous-for-parrots
You need to make sure you do not touch sexually (head and neck only), no mouth contact, no saliva contact, no shadowy spaces, 10-12 hours sleep on a schedule, large cage, few hours out day at least, avoid warm+ mushy food temporarily (due to associations with regurgitation, which is hormonal).

When i got him I didn't know about the saliva and he took a habit of it soon, when i got to know that i tried to stop it but he got so angry and forced it and since it hadn't happened anything i though it was okay but if it makes him hormonal I'll stop because that's the last thing i want right now.

He has no sick bird behaviour but if i save enough I'll check him... When he was younger and through puberty he tried to mate with anyone but i managed to stop him but the regurgitation stayed through that. i managed to stop him too (more or less) but lately he has been doing it more and more with my bf and I.

I don't pet him in those places, never have, he has a large cage, sleeps his 10-12 hours and is uncovered when all day (gets covered when he screams but that's not often except this two weeks) I'll try to get him out more but I'll start next week, i work and study at the same time but soon I'll be studying from home so I'll have more time. I didn't know mushy food could affect him, i give him fruit and veggies 2-3 times a week, should i cut it out for a bit?

And thank you so much for the help. I guess this all is my fault but I've been doing all i could with what I'm given...

 

[Claragonza3]

Welcome to you and Chester, sorry you are at a low point in your relationship. Laura and noodles really summed up relevant issues and shared tools to help rebuild trust. While birds are not computers, it is possible to do sort of a behavioral "reset."

Three threads to help guide the way: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

Good luck, we're here for you, let us know how it goes!

I'll try my best and let you all know. I'll read all your links, thank you

 

[Claragonza3]

Its ok. I truly believe you can rebuild your relationship.

I once broke the trust if my green cheek Ta-dah trying to stuff her in a harness. I did everything wrong and it was my fault. She would run screaming from me or run screaming at me to bite me. Took 6 month to regain her trust.

My advice ( isn't the end all advice, others may have different ideas, all can be valuable)
Ok so I wouldn't limit your boyfriends interaction with him. This just makes the bird feel frustrated and rejected in my opinion.

For you, I would start completely over. Lije you just met him as a new burd and are trying to win his trust. But its probably better to work with him out if sight of the boyfriend. 2 hours of out of cage time or time with you isn't enough. The basics are lots of going over saying hi abd giving a treat by hand. An article by a behavior expert says to simple fir 50 treats by hand a day, tho I have never reached thst high. Having thrm out on top of cage and having them walk towards you for treat. Can be very powerful in teaching their mind that movements towards you equal treats.

Ok , I can't write more right now. Except I believe you csn get past this. Burd tricks on yiu tube t, tgey talk about one of their burds like one or the other one of them more, but are still good fir both.
Target training is goid, very short multiple sessions, don't repeat more than 5 abd always end on a good note

Thank you, I usually don't have trouble with him, i can spend hours with him and it's all just fine but suddenly something switches and I'm being bitten when all was fine before. I don't understand.

I give him lots of treats, he loves sunflowers but lately he takes them excitedly as he usually does but then drops them and i don't know why. I'll reply more in your other comment

 

[noodles123]

Try to just make yourself LOW STRESS-- aka, if walking near him upsets him, avoid that. If you do come around, bring a very preferred item, but don't make him work for it--- just put it in a bowl in the least invasive way possible. Think about anything you do that gets a reaction out of him and try to avoid setting him off (I don't mean baby him, but I do mean take it super slow and understand that if you stress him out, that will not build trust).
You don't want to associate yourself with anything undesirable--- your voice may even be associated with stress at times, so instead of talking to him, try reading to yourself out loud from like 8 feet away and randomly giving treats (again, do not make him take them from your hand unless there is 0 hesitation).



Do not leave him in his cage all day, not matter how bad it gets, because that will make it much worse.

 

[Laurasea]

Its ok. I truly believe you can rebuild your relationship.

I once broke the trust if my green cheek Ta-dah trying to stuff her in a harness. I did everything wrong and it was my fault. She would run screaming from me or run screaming at me to bite me. Took 6 month to regain her trust.

My advice ( isn't the end all advice, others may have different ideas, all can be valuable)
Ok so I wouldn't limit your boyfriends interaction with him. This just makes the bird feel frustrated and rejected in my opinion.

For you, I would start completely over. Lije you just met him as a new burd and are trying to win his trust. But its probably better to work with him out if sight of the boyfriend. 2 hours of out of cage time or time with you isn't enough. The basics are lots of going over saying hi abd giving a treat by hand. An article by a behavior expert says to simple fir 50 treats by hand a day, tho I have never reached thst high. Having thrm out on top of cage and having them walk towards you for treat. Can be very powerful in teaching their mind that movements towards you equal treats.

Ok , I can't write more right now. Except I believe you csn get past this. Burd tricks on yiu tube t, tgey talk about one of their burds like one or the other one of them more, but are still good fir both.
Target training is goid, very short multiple sessions, don't repeat more than 5 abd always end on a good note

Thank you, I usually don't have trouble with him, i can spend hours with him and it's all just fine but suddenly something switches and I'm being bitten when all was fine before. I don't understand.

I give him lots of treats, he loves sunflowers but lately he takes them excitedly as he usually does but then drops them and i don't know why. I'll reply more in your other comment

Safflower seeds work great for mine.
GCC can have quick mood changes. Mine does. But I can read her, so we just pause. She usually calms back down in under a minute. Im able to avoid bites this way, ( most if the time) But I do know how much bites can hurt, and if she lands one they always bleed. I know its hard not to take it personally, or get mad, or become fearful , but you have to try and take it in stride. And do your best to prevent.

A lot has happened in his life recently. I think time and trust building will get you past this. No quick fixes.

I fall into bites are the persons fault. The parrot always has a reason , even if we don't know it. But we should try and figure out , keep a log if this helps you .

Parrot need breaks for food and water, hours might be to long. You can over stimulate them , if they are spending hours on you.

This is a great article , a lot if great stuff
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

And I think it was mentioned, behavior changes can sometimes reason a medical reason. So an avain vet check up coukd be in order. And on that note, having a digital kitchen scale, and weigh and log birds weight weekly. This can be d
So important in catching health issues early.