Getting frustrated with Demi.

[rypie]

Her handfeeding is going great. She is starting to eat more on her own also. But she isn't doing good with step up unless she wants to move and when she does step up she bites pretty hard to hold on. She seems to only want to be on or around me when I'm handfeeding her.

 

[Allee]

Please try to have a little patience with her, she's a baby and very vulnerable right now. Demi has no idea what you expect from her. She's just a few generations removed from her wild relatives. Birds aren't trained until someone puts in the time and attention required to train them. At this stage in her development, you should try to focus more on her health and comfort and give her time to make the transition. When you are frustrated, Demi will pick up on that immediately and things will get worse instead of better.

 

[rypie]

Well I try not to show her that I'm frustrated. Someone told me to tell her no in a stern voice when she bites so that is what I have been doing. But I think it just makes her more mad. She loves her scratches on her head and neck. She also doesn't like it my hand comes from an over her. My hands are just getting to look like I shook hands with Edward scissor hands. Lol. I won't give up but these bites are killing me!! She does get really mad when I try to put her back in the cage. Most of the bites happen when I'm trying to put her away or take her off the top of the cage. Which I am not allowing anymore. When she is out she has a temp chair perch she sits on. But she still bites when stepping up.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I fully and whole heartedly agree with Allee!

Patience grasshopper, patience!

You 2 are still in the trust building stage of your relationship, and even though you think you may not SHOW Demi you are frustrated, trust me, she WILL pick up on it. They are incredibly intelligent creatures.

I have a few suggestions: Firstly, get a simple T-stand. They are a snap to make if you don't want to buy one. Place Demi on said T-stand, get a clicker, and clicker train her. Start with the simplest of all things, the UP and DOWN commands. Once she (and you) master those, you could continue training her to do more things.

No, you don't HAVE to use a clicker, your voice would suffice as well.

Reward, reward, reward, ALWAYS reward good behavior.

Hold a toy or treat in one hand while you pick her up with the other. That 'should' occupy her beak enough to spare your hands. ALWAYS tell her 'up' when you want her to step up. After a while that super simple command will have Demi lifting her foot, ready to step up, as soon as you say it.

When putting her back in, approach the cage from a different direction, so she doesn't 'know' what's coming. Additionally you can place her in her cage BACKWARDS, that way she'll use her beak on the perch for balance rather than using it to hold on to you for dear life.

 

[rypie]

Thanks for the advice! Where do I get a clicker? Lol. We are a very small town and don't have a petco or anything like that here. I order all her food online

 

[JerseyWendy]

Online is a good as a place as any then for a clicker.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Petco-PETCO-Dog-Training-Clicker/dp/B0006344B2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1416512592&sr=8-10&keywords=clicker+for+dog"]Amazon.com : PETCO Dog Training Clicker : Pet Training Clickers : Pet Supplies[/ame]

Remember, clicker is optional, if you can make the sound of a clicker with your tongue, then use it - no purchase necessary. :54:

I'm sure there are 'better' teaching videos on YouTube, but this is the one I just found doing a quick search:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeTsLLfk7ns"]How to make loud tongue noise! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[rypie]

Lmao that video cracked me up lol I know how to make that noise lol

 

[JerseyWendy]

Lmao that video cracked me up lol I know how to make that noise lol

Excellent!! Just please don't do it right in her face, as you may either
A) Startle her to death
B) Lose your face

:54:

 

[rypie]

Lol. Yeah I'm rather attached to my tongue lol.

 

[rypie]

Ok well she is like out for blood now. I can't get her out of the cage without her biting down hard and grinding and lunging at me. Dang she just keeps biting the hand that feeds her. She is refusing to step up and just bits hard when I try. I tried giving her small bits of peanuts as a treat and she just bites and lunges at my hand. I'm telling you she only loves me when she is ready to be hand fed. She won't get off the perch without biting and it takes me like 3 minutes just to get her off. When she bites I tell her no. I don't pull away but it is really starting to hurt and drawing blood.

 

[robopetz]

Patience is right. Remember she is parent raised and picked up allot of wild tendencies from them. It is as if you are taming Demi as well. She will try to hold on to your hand when stepping up and she is only trying to get a grip to hold on so dont mistake that as she is wanting to bite you. Let her go at her own time. If she dont want to play or come out then ok. Wait till she goes to you then take that time to bond and get her used to you. Hope things get better for you and do keep us posted =)

 

[Delfin]

It would probably be better to find out what is triggering the bite. Parrots rarely bite each other, because they convey their feelings beforehand or fly off to avoid physical contact. If it's feels cornered and frighten then need to bite will be from the natural instinct of self -preservation.The cage is the Parrot safe haven and any attempt to enter, add or remove items and this includes the bird, will most likely trigger a bite response.

I ignore biting, which can be really hard at times. But if you make a show out of being bitten then the bird can find it quite entertaining and can be encourage to bite. (learnt behaviour)

The hard truth is that parrot biting is usually triggered by the behavior of the humans the parrot spends time with. While this may not be something that parrot owners want to hear, how a human interacts with the parrot he/she spends time with plays a big role in how the bird responds and ultimately whether it will develop undesirable and potentially dangerous biting behavior. (learnt behaviour)

One of the best ways to keep from been bitten, is to learn to read the bird’s body language and what triggers a bird to bite. Learning to read the parrot’s body language will help Understand why a bird bites and identify the triggers that causes these bites. When these circumstances exist, keep your eye on your bird body language to avoid receiving a nasty bite.
Remember it's your fault and you can change that by modifying your behaviour to fix the problem

To bring the situation is under your control, ask yourself
What is it that I did to make the parrot bite me?
What can I do next time to stop the parrot from biting me?
How can we work together so that no one bleeds and we live happily ever after?

The idea that one must "dominate" an animal to train it is simply not a very good way. How can one dominate a parrot without frightening or provoking it? Parrots and other animals learn best when wanted behaviour is rewarded right as it occurs and unwanted behaviour is not rewarded ( to put it simply). By working towards partnership and compromise rather than confrontation, learning how to read your parrot, and be creative in dealing with their behaviours, you might need fewer Band-Aids.

This why you first build trust with the bird in the cage (safe haven). Trying hanging a chew toy on the outside of the cage. First I would just hand feed the bird through the cage and use the clicker each time the bird takes a training treat. Don't force the bird to do something that it does not want to do. This builds trust between you and your bird.

Use the clicker to identify the desired behaviour and the training treats and praise to reinforce that desired behaviour. My Alexandrine is fine with the family, has we all take turns in the training. Delfin will fly to us, turn around, shake hands and pick up items and put them into a bin. It's no secret, you just need to spend time interacting and training with your bird.

I use sunflower seeds has training treats as Delfin preferred them over other type of tidbits. The method I used to find Delfin's favorite treat was to put five different types of foods on a plate and let Delfin pick. This can be pine nuts, sunflower seeds, dice fruit or veggies. Whatever your bird picks, it must not be part of the bird’s diet otherwise it defeats the purpose of being a training treat. Delfin only gets 10 to 12 sunflower seeds each training, bonding and trust building sessions.

This is how I started to train a IRN to come out of the cage.
The first stage is with the clicker in one hand and a spray of millet in the other. I would offer the millet to the IRN through the cage where the perch is attached. If he didn't take a bite of the millet within 15 seconds, I would remove the millet from his sight for 20 to 30 seconds. Then I would re-offer the millet. When the IRN took a bite I click the clicker and withdraw the millet but kept it in sight. When IRN finished eating the millet. I repeated the procedure and did this for 15 minutes then took a 30 minute break and repeated this 3 more times.

Note: By removing the Millet from the Bird's sight you encourage the "what have I just missed out on. Was that food? Where did it go? Then when you re-offer the millet. The bird thinks I'm not going to miss out again.

The next stage. With the clicker in one hand and a spray of millet in the other. Open the cage door and offer the millet at the entrance of the cage.
Note: Don't put your hand inside the cage has the bird could see this has invasion of their territory. If the IRN didn't approach the millet within 15 seconds, I would remove it from his sight for 20 to 30 seconds. Then re-offer the millet. When the IRN came to the cage entrance and took a bite I click the clicker and withdraw the millet but kept it in sight. I did this for 15 minutes then took a 30 minute break and repeated this 3 more times.

The next stage is to place a T-perch just outside the cage. When the IRN flew to the T-perch and took a bite I click the clicker and withdraw the millet but I kept it in sight. I did this for 15 minutes then took a 30 minute break and repeated this daily. You can use the T-perch to return the Bird to the cage. I found that a T-perch is better than a piece of dowel. The bird can run down a piece of dowel and bite the hand. But with the T-perch the bird can run from end to end but the hand is out of reach.

We believe that the bird's cage is their safe haven and treat it as such. In the mornings we ask Delfin if he wishes to come out. There is a perch mounted on the cage door and if Delfin wants to come out he will climb down to perch on the door and says "out". Then and only then will we let Delfin out. To return Delfin to his cage we get him to step up and then put him onto the perch and close the cage door. No chasing Delfin around the house or the cage. No stressing Delfin out.

So we can remove Delfin from the cage and return to the cage in a calm and controlled method. This did take a bit of training with a clicker. The Perch was mounted on the cage door. This door is hinged and opened outwards. No putting hands inside the cage. Conducted lots of trust building and bonding sessions (training).


The advice I can give is
1 move slowly around the bird
2 let the bird come to you.
3 Don't force the bird to do anything that it doesn't want to do.
4 make the trust building and bonding sessions (training) fun
5 end all training sessions on a positive.
6 patience.

 

[Delfin]

When you are training your bird to step up this is one mistake you must not make.

Birds use their beaks like a third hand and they will use this "third hand to help them onto your hand when you are start the training of step up. This is because the bird is unsure how stable your hand is so they test your hands stability with their third hand before stepping up.

NOW this is where the problem arises. Because people think that the bird is going to bite them they pull their hand away while the bird is attempting to step up has it been asked to do. After this happens numerous times the result is a confused bird and a owner who thinks that the bird is a biter.

This can also result in the bird thinking this is a great game. The bird thinks "beauty the I go to bite the hand and it goes away and then comes back game". (Learnt unwanted behaviour)

Just keep your hand there regardless. If you have training treat for Demi then she should be more focus on that then your fingers.

 

[critterman]

rypie it takes a lot of patience and then some more patience. Remember to use soft loving words, treats, and more patience. Remember she will come around in her own time. Just keep up the love and patience. Good luck.

 

[punkindave]

Attach a perch to the door.
Have them learn to go to that perch then just open the door to bring them out..
Gives you a lot more room and you aren't in a vulnerable position reaching into a cage.

 

[rypie]

She isn't biting as much anymore. Is stepping up willingly and coming out of the cage willingly unless she is eating lol. She acts nervous if I am out of the room and she is on the perch until I walk back in. She is starting to refuse formula except one syringe in the morning and one at night. The a vain vet said she is doing good. She is eating her pellets and fresh foods as well a lot of the time. Her attitude is getting much better! I believe as does the vet that she is trying to wean herself. She is enjoying eating regular foods.

 

[goalerjones]

If you're frustrated with Demi, you shouldn't watch St Elmo's Fire.

 

[JerseyWendy]

If you're frustrated with Demi, you shouldn't watch St Elmo's Fire.

HILARIOUS!!!!!

 

[robopetz]

She isn't biting as much anymore. Is stepping up willingly and coming out of the cage willingly unless she is eating lol. She acts nervous if I am out of the room and she is on the perch until I walk back in. She is starting to refuse formula except one syringe in the morning and one at night. The a vain vet said she is doing good. She is eating her pellets and fresh foods as well a lot of the time. Her attitude is getting much better! I believe as does the vet that she is trying to wean herself. She is enjoying eating regular foods.

I am glad Demi is getting better. I think it was all because everything was new to her as well. She didnt know you, she didnt know the place. She is very young as well so she will get more comfortable with everything fast. Keep us posted. Did you send in the DNA test yet?

 

[rypie]

I sent the DNA test in yesterday ! I am just a bit worried about her food intake. Only 35 mls in the morning and then again at hight scares me. But she just refuses it! She likes her pellets and fruit