Heads up

[helijohn]

How do we feel about Conures landing on heads? Encourage, discourage or something else|?

 

[LordTriggs]

I would discourage personally. Landing on my shoulder is okay but discouraging head landings so he isn't in a place I can't easily see/get to. Also other people are scared of birds and the last thing you want is someone to come over and the bird tries to land on their head and cause a big panic

 

[helijohn]

I would discourage personally. Landing on my shoulder is okay but discouraging head landings so he isn't in a place I can't easily see/get to. Also other people are scared of birds and the last thing you want is someone to come over and the bird tries to land on their head and cause a big panic

My GCC will insist on going to my partners head. She has long hair and I am sure that is part of the attraction. When he used to try to land on mine which is short I could easily wobble him off but he grabs her hair like a rope.
Being used to birds that do not bite I was always happy to have them on my shoulder but I am a little concerned about this one landing on my shoulder. I have sort of trained him to do this which was before he started his biting.

 

[wrench13]

Biting , real biting, looses shoulder priviledges until more bite training is completed. I dont like Salty onmy head. No control, who wants poop in their hair.

 

[helijohn]

Biting, real biting, looses shoulder privileges until more bite training is completed.

What do you class as real biting. I have had nipping to bruising and some blood drawn now and then. I have had worse from my Eclectus, much worse she took chunks out. I assume there is some bite training info on the forum. It is fading now but this is his last go.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I let my birds land on my head. I’ve never had a problem getting them off, no biting problems whatsoever. I don’t encourage it, but when they land there, I might let them ride there for a little while before asking them to step off. I see no problem with it for my birds.

 

[SilverSage]

I prefer my head because I usually wear tank tops and I don’t like them scratching my shoulders. But birds that bite (nipping included) don’t get to be on my head or my shoulder until they learn to be polite.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[helijohn]

I let my birds land on my head. I don’t encourage it, but when they land there, I might let them ride there for a little while before asking them to step off. I see no problem with it for my birds.

I do that. If I am moving from room to room he will either land on my shoulder or my head so I just carry on for a while then take him off but if I am sat and he goes to land on my head that I discourage. He is a very active flyer so does not stay long as a rule. In fact his flying is making training hard.

 

[YUMgrinder]

Jojo likes to climb up from my shoulder to be on my head. Then he chews on my hat. Sometimes I let him stay if I am busy doing something. It usually gets some good laughs and awws if customers are watching. I generally don't let him stay up there. I worry about poop and although I have little hair, I can see it a problem if someone new comes in and freaks out if he gets tangled in long hair. I wish people wouldn't freak out when the bird lands on them or tries to perch on them. the quick movements make it worse and scares the bird so now there's a human AND a flock going crazy and me trying to manage it ugh.

 

[AkridChaos]

What do you class as real biting. I have had nipping to bruising and some blood drawn now and then. I have had worse from my Eclectus, much worse she took chunks out. I assume there is some bite training info on the forum. It is fading now but this is his last go.

Nipping isn’t biting. Bruising and bleeding, that’s biting. If it hurts to you or someone else you allow around your bird, that’s biting. The simplest form of bite training is: if it hurts, set your bird on the floor or somewhere away from you that is NOT their cage. If you set them on their cage, they may mistake it for “when I bite, you take me home, so *chomp*”. When you set them away from you, it’s like you’re banning them from the flock temporarily. They can’t stand that. They come back with a somewhat nicer attitude. They will bite again, you set them away from you again. They will learn fast “when I bite, you ban me from the flock. Therefore I shall not bite unless necessary because human is upsetting me somehow and my body language isn’t getting across to you.” Took my conure, who would break skin, three days of no bite training to understand that when he bites, I set him away from me. Now with my bird after no bite training, he got testy. As in, he would bite various parts of my body in differing pressures, trying to understand what was ok and what was not. That took about an extra two days. Now he doesn’t bite...me. Other people he will bite though. To which I have to save them with more no bite training.

 

[helijohn]

Bruising and bleeding, that’s biting. If it hurts to you or someone else you allow around your bird, that’s biting. The simplest form of bite training is: if it hurts, set your bird on the floor or somewhere away from you that is NOT their cage. If you set them on their cage, they may mistake it for “when I bite, you take me home, so *chomp*”.

Thanks. I am now clearer about biting. I have had bruising with blood and he has bitten my cheek and my lip as well as my hand a good few times to draw blood. To get my lip he flew at me. To get my ear he flew at it. I read this may be a search for food but to me it was deliberate. So now I do distrust him.

The biting now is when he is let out - used to be when he had to go in so it is both now. He comes out like a rocket. I offer him the hand to come on and until a few weeks ago this was perfect. Now he takes advantage and digs his beak in. I assume it stems from being put in the time before

I have seen a few suggest placing on the floor but how do I do this when he has a solid grip that he won't release.

Also, putting him in the cage is something he hates. Once out it is really difficult to get him in. He knows when it is time to go in and much of the nipping goes on when he is to go in. We have tried lures, and many of the other suggestions like open house and staying near after but he is determined he wants to stay out. I appreciate that being out is way nicer than being in and after the time he was in the cage in the pet shop (and who knows what while being hand reared) it seems like freedom is his only objective.

So to him, putting him in the cage is the baddest thing.


His liberty time is reduced now because of the time it takes to get him in.