Help 6 month old Rosie

[Jcatz]

Hi, I got a make rose breasted cockatoo about 3 weeks ago. He seems really content. I have him out of cage alot.. most of the day. I take him outside in a carrier so he can get fresh air and sun. I ask him for a kiss and he sometimes does it softly but others he intentionally does it harder. I raise my voice and say no easy be nice. Sometimes he will do it nice after that but today I gave him 4 chances and 3 out of 4 were hard. I've tried using a roasted sunflower seed as a reward if he does it nice and I swear he knows what i mean and does it nice. But if i don't have the seed with me and ask he may do it hard. I really want too be able to hold him all the time and do things with him without him bitting. I mean I just got him and he's young and i feel discouraged that it's going to be nothing but bitting and me not being able to trust him. When he did it a little bit ago I told him no again and said that's it your going to bed. I put him in his cage for bed a little bit early and covered him. He did not want to go in but i wanted him to understand that I'm not happy and he was too rough. ADVICE PLEASE how do I work with him so he don't do this.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Oh, my new friend, I don't much advice, because it sounds to me like you're really taking good steps!
I myself have a little demon whose behavior has never been under good control because I am such an inept behavior modifier. Buttttt... I commend you for your ambition and good heart. I hope you get some good help here. Oh, and... the search engine is really good and the more you read, the more you might find out, of course.
Good luck!

 

[wrench13]

Biting, whether intentional or not, just over preening your skin or actually taking chunks of meat out - all are PAINFULL! In the wild that sort of behavior is not tolerated by the flock. They ostracize flock members who continue to act like that. We call it 'Shunning'. This WILL work, but needs to be done correctly to get the message across and it needs to be done IMMEDIATELY so the parrot can associate the bite with the shunning action. And it needs to happen every time and with anyone involved with the parrot.

When the bite or over preening occurs:

• Say in a forceful but not shouting voice "No Bite" or other endearments.
• Immediately place the parrot on a nearby, handy chairback. NOT the cage (that would only teach the parrot to bite when he wants to go back to his cage).
• Turn your back to him and ignore him for 1 minute. No peeking, no talking about or too him, NADA. NO eye contact. No less or the message is lost, no more or the bird will not associate the action with the bite.
• After a minute you can try to re-establish contact.

Rinse, repeat as needed. Most parrots get the message after a few times, some may need more. Also very important - make sure the bite is not your fault. Annoying your parrot, asking him to step up when he is otherwise preoccupied with eating or playing, bothering him during known moody times like mating season, or ignoring the warnings and body language of your parrot - these are bites that you deserve! Learn, and be a better parront !!