Help with Mean Baby Conure

[Karyns]

Hello.....I was so excited about getting my new Baby Green Cheek Conure as he is a sweetheart....at least he was in the store!!! He has been home almost 3 weeks now and he is down right nasty! My teenage kids are afraid of him and I am getting hesitant with holding him now! He constantly bites and today he got my daughter to the point of tears and he went after my husband when he tried to remove him from his cage. One minute he seems he is nice and sweet and the next he's attacking. I'm actually regretting getting him and considering getting rid of him cause everyone is afraid of him. He's only 13 weeks old and we've only had him about 3 weeks....can anyone PLEASE offer suggestions as to how we handle his behavior and is their a chance he will get out of this 'nasty' stage?

 

[friedsoup]

Read my post in training forum "Stick trick described" that should help if you need anymore help just post and ask.

 

[basia]

seems like you are having some real trouble.Just try sitting beside his cage and feeding his favourite treats and talking to him,being nice and all that.If he bites you give him a firm "No".Also you cannot be afraid of him because he will sense that and will go after you more.just gain his trust,as it seems to me like he bites when you are trying to take him out and touch him,start from the beginning and slowly progress until he feels more comfortable with you.Just remember do not be scared of his bites,I do not know if it is like this with most birds but mine if she senses you are scared she will try to boss you around.Just don't let him win.Also the biggest thing is you have to start from the beginning and gain his trust.
hope this helps a bit.

 

[Karyns]

He actually comes right out of the cage...as soon as you approach he flies right over to the door and steps right up on your finger its when he's out and we are trying to interract with him. One minute he'll let you scratch his neck and the neck he's trying to take your finger off!

 

[evesta]

Aww, he's just going through his naughty bitey baby stage. You can't be afraid or react. As soon as my boys got home they did the same thing but I was firm and fearless. They stepped up on a stick or towel at first. If they tried to bite I would wiggle my hand so they would lose their balance. Learn their body language and respect it. I also use time out if they are having a nippy time and ignore them. When I go back they are ready to step up and be nice. They are just like teething toddlers testing their limits I have a daughter doing the same thing now lol

 

[AFP520]

After watching shows like the dog whisperer and my cat from hell, as behaviorists they explain that your reaction to things they animal does is what feeds them to continue to do it. They understand that by biting your fingers, they get a reaction that usually means you leave the bird alone, right? That's exactly what they want. Lucy is still pretty nippy, but we've started being more firm and she is starting to let up a little.

You must realize that the beak is pretty much the birds only defense against you. No matter what you do, the biting will probably never fully stop, so it's up to you to change your behavior when it does. I'm sure it will become less frequent and painful if the bird learns it does not affect you.

 

[The_Big_Sleep]

My Green Cheek is a sweetheart for about 58 minutes out of every hour, but still has that minute or two where he decides to get a little fresh - such behavior is pretty normal. It's important to identify what's causing the bite in the first place - there's a difference between aggression/territoriality and the bird trying to tell you "hey, you did something I didn't like!"

When I worked at a local pet store that sold tropical birds, we'd often see perfectly friendly & sweet birds bite the @#$% out of people simply because the person didn't understand how to interact with the bird. I've found with my Green Cheek that at least 75% of the times when he bites me it's my own fault - it could be that I've moved to quickly and startled him, patted his head a bit too hard, tried to pick him up when he's focused on playing with a toy, or somehow broken routine in an offensive way. He does nip in these instances and it does hurt, but it's his way of telling me "hey stop doing that!". Needless to say, every individual bird is different; you have to just get to know the little guy and feel out his preferences & dislikes. As people have suggested, spend him with him in a non-threatening way like sitting next to the cage, talking/whistling to him whenever possible, giving him treats when he's well behaved, etc. Try to avoid situations where it's likely you'll get bitten, but if you do, remember to not react. It may also help to do 1 on 1 sessions with him as having many people present at the same time can be overwhelming.

Try to ignore all bites as a general rule, but also try to pay close attention to the moments leading up to a bite - slightly modifying your behavior around the bird may lead to a big change

Good luck and hang in there!!!

 

[DebsFlock]

Well, they don't really come in "mean". When they bite, there is a reason. He's young, so it's unlikely it's a deeply ingrained behavior. It could be that he's getting a little afraid or a little over-stimulated. It could be that he's trying to preen you back and getting carried away. It could be that he has learned biting is a good way to either get you to stop interacting when he's had enough (in which case you need to learn when he's getting there and put him in his cage or on a play-stand sooner) or else he's learned when he does it, you sing and dance... drama of any kind can be highly rewarding to a bird, especially a GCC. He doesn't necessarily realize he's hurting you.

I'd suggest slowing down a bit. Handle him less. Stop before he bites. Find behaviors you like and reward those. Put him away on a good note. Feed him treats when he's been sweet. Handle him less and talk to him more.

I agree with avoiding the bite as much as possible. It's much easier than not reacting, I think it is very hard to avoid producing any reaction. At best you wind up freezing, which is still a reaction. And those little beaks can be quite painful, really.

Punishment is tricky and probably best avoided. Physical punishment is dangerous and yelling or even giving time-outs can unintentionally reward and reinforce the behavior. I've had much better luck trying to catch and reward behavior I like, "Oh what a good gentle bird!" than trying to discourage behavior I don't like.

GCC are actually not easy birds IMO. They are small, so they often are selected as first birds, but our GCC is way more difficult than our Cape Parrot. So give yourself some time to figure him out. Slow down and don't expect him to always be cuddly on your terms... read about parrots... target and trick training is probably a good way to go, but may require more discipline than you had in mind.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

I really have to agree with DebsFlock! My personal recommendation would be if and when you get bitten, give a stern "NO" and then immediately set him down on the floor. Don't give him to another family member or let another family member pick him up. Never, ever, after you are bitten respond by saying "NO" and then petting, kissing and telling him that he knows better, etc. By doing that you are teaching him that when he bites then he gets some love or gets to go to his favorite person. Birds are very much like people and not much like pets. They have varied personalities and sometimes that just have a bad day, snap back at you for touching them a bit too hard or don't want to be picked up because they like where they are for the moment. It is very possible that he may be overstimulated like someone else said. If you have four different people handling him, everyone needs to be consistent in their methods. I wish you luck and please if you have questions please ask. Find someone you trust and PM them if you wish. I'd hate to see you have to return him or re-home him. It happens all too often.