Hi Everyone. :-)

[VeronicaJ]

I'm not new to bird keeping, nor am I new to forums and online communities. I don't know how often I'll even post, but I plan on gleaning info on a bitey GCC. I'm coming to believe I may just have to wait it out and let "her" grow out of it and continue to put her away when she gets chompy.

So anyway...I've ran my own exotic animal rescue for house-kept sized pets...or so... ... for 14 yrs. Some of those were birds. Doves, 2 yellow-naped macaws, a CAG, 'tiels and I've had my own parakeets and now this little GCC. I also live with my sister who has an umbrella cockatoo from a weanling, 24 years ago.

So I have had this GCC in quarantine in my room since Halloween night. The night she was found by Sis. We've done all the right things. Vets, the big bird store here in this part of FL, the online bird 911 forum, and just a couple of days ago, I finally traced the leg band to her breeder. Now I have her birthday! :04: Jan of 2017. I reluctantly called the number. I still haven't gotten call back. I already knew I wanted to keep her from the beginning!

I bought a cage the next day and a really good choice of foods {nutriberries, avicakes, Zupreem and millet}. She loves to be with people. She doesn't seem to know what to do much with toys. We'll work on that some more. She has fallen asleep on me and wants to be where I am, but when she's pissy...she breaks serious skin. I'm not afraid to get bitten {well...maybe a little. It does hurt.}, but I sure prefer NOT to be!

I took her to the vet this past Wed for a general physical . She has a foul odor to her so that was priority. DNA sexing and getting tested for psittacosis is Saturday.

So Emoji is here to stay as far as I'm concerned. Two days before I had a dream I was collecting newspaper for a cage to a new animal I couldn't see. Precognitive dreaming? Anyway, It's good to be here.

 

[Jen5200]

Welcome! Thank you for taking her in and looking for her owner. If the owner isn’t found, it sounds like she’ll have an amazing home .

Lots of good info on here about biting and nippiness.

 

[noodles123]

Have you tried a bird-safe probitic? I am not saying that all probiotics work, nor am I saying that this should supplant a vet visit....but, often times, a foul odor is due to yeast. I use Bene-Bac powder (1/4 tsp x2 daily for a large Umbrella Cockatoo). If you have access to bird-safe probiotics, it can help as long as you don't overdo it.

 

[Laurasea]

Have you tried a bird-safe probitic? I am not saying that all probiotics work, nor am I saying that this should supplant a vet visit....but, often times, a foul odor is due to yeast. I use Bene-Bac powder (1/4 tsp x2 daily for a large Umbrella Cockatoo). If you have access to bird-safe probiotics, it can help as long as you don't overdo it.

Yep! Noodles recommend this for my GCC whos feathers smelled yeasty! She got better fast.
Also I am in the camp bites are always your fault. So figure out what you are doing wrong, GCC run a tight ship lol! A lot of the bites might be fear, fear of the other bird or pets in the house. Welcome.sorry the little guy lost his people, I still hope they are found. But I'm glad he made his way to you, and is receiving great care and love.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you! Your new little one is just entering into puberty!

 

[ChristaNL]

Welcpome here
I am looking forward on reading more about you all.

 

[Allee]

A warm welcome to you and yours. Thanks for joining us and sharing your adventure! Enjoy your stay.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. A bitey bird should neever be happening. Anything approaching a nip or bite should be treated with the time out (Shunning) method. The bird is IMMEDIATELY put on a chair back and totally ignored for 3-5 minutues. No eye contact, no verbal contact. ALL familiy members must treat the parrot exactly the same in this situation. Do not use the cage for this - cages are places of refuge and to put the bird back when she nips or bites may be exacty what she wants. There are other ways she can signal for cage return besides a nip or bite. This whole process is called Shunning and is practiced by all parrot groups to let new commers know the rules of the road. It should be done immediatley so the parrot can assocciate the action more readily.

Ony time I ignore this rule is whenI KNOW I am violating it for some reason - emergency handling ( like open window or dangerous pet nearby. If your connie is at all 1/2 smart she should get the message failrly quickly.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Emoji!

Might try bite pressure training: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html Birds this age have a propensity to bite, though training may alleviate the worst tendencies.

 

[VeronicaJ]

Thank you everyone for the responses!! I was having serious issues trying to respond last night from my phone. The site isn't really phone friendly. :30: This morning the pc decided to do a windows update and now I have to head off to work. But I have read the links I was given. When I get home this afternoon I'll respond to some of the suggestions I've been given. Have a great Sunday morning!!

 

[Laurasea]

I forgot to add, with other people abd other pets in the house, you might try working one on one in a bedroom too see if things go better that way

 

[noodles123]

If your bird is biting out of fear or to escape unwanted interaction, putting he away/in cage may actually be what he/she wants.
If you can figure out the motivation behind the biting (function of the behavior) you will be better able to respond without inadvertently encouraging the behavior.

If you know for a fact that your bird desires your attention, then putting him/her up would work, as he/she cannot be in time-out and getting your attention at the same time.

Do an ABC chart for biting. Antecedent (A) = what happens directly before the bite (e.g., Bob touched water bowl). Behavior (B) is what the bird does in concrete terms (e.g., screamed, ran up and bit Bob on the finger). Consequence (C) is what happens directly after the bite and it doesn't have to be a punishment..(e.g., Bob screamed, Bob laughed, Bob ran away, Bob gave bird a toy, Bob looked at the bird, Bob turned into an alien, Bob did a jig, Bob put the bird down).



Keep track of where you are (environment) and the time of day...and any unique features (such as lack of sleep the night before or the addition of a unique wardrobe item, such as a hat). These are "setting events" (variables that may impact behavior).



Eventually, you will be able to look back at the consequence column of the ABC chart and get a better idea of what the function of the behavior might be. The 4 main functions are 1) escape from a person, situation or task, 2) attention from people, a specific person or animals 3) tangibles (to get something), and 4) sensory (e.g., sleeping when tired, scratching when itchy etc).

 

[Scott]

Thank you everyone for the responses!! I was having serious issues trying to respond last night from my phone. The site isn't really phone friendly. :30: This morning the pc decided to do a windows update and now I have to head off to work. But I have read the links I was given. When I get home this afternoon I'll respond to some of the suggestions I've been given. Have a great Sunday morning!!

I don't use my phone to interact with this site, but many members do with Tapatalk. Seems to enhance the experience!

 

[Jenypher]

Throwing out right away that I'm no expert (especially compared to many here!!). Here's my experience: I had a GCC that bit everyone who wasn't me, but tolerated them nearby, and would step up and such for other people. If someone stood up to him (he would bite and get no reaction), he usually simmered down. He was a very bratty, one-person bird! Perhaps your new friend is similar. In the absence of his person, hopefully he'll bond to you. Good luck!

 

[VeronicaJ]

Welcome to you! Your new little one is just entering into puberty!

Oh brother!! Just what I need!

I forgot to add, with other people abd other pets in the house, you might try working one on one in a bedroom too see if things go better that way

She's not bothered by other pets at all unless they get too close, but she is still in quarantine in my room for another few days. LOTS of one on one!

....but, often times, a foul odor is due to yeast. I use Bene-Bac powder...

Excellent to know!! I may still have some from when I did rescue work. If not, I'll go pick some up.

If the owner isn’t found, it sounds like she’ll have an amazing home .

Oh...you couldn't speak truer words! LOL!

Yep! Noodles recommend this for my GCC whos feathers smelled yeasty! She got better fast.
Also I am in the camp bites are always your fault. So figure out what you are doing wrong, GCC run a tight ship lol!

Thank you! I'm looking forward to a fast NOT smelly birdie. As for bites always being the fault of the keeper - That I have a hard time swallowing. Sometimes its simply reacting like a spoiled two yr old when setting boundaries. So yes...its a direct reaction to an action a keeper has made, but it's not a negative "it's so and so's fault you got nailed". Sometimes setting boundaries with birds just hurts, and not knowing how long she's been lose or where exactly she came from...and PUBERTY......I don't believe there's fault. Just a learning curve and behavior modification in a sassy bird. :04:

So now for an update! We are making progress in leaps and bounds!!! She hasn't broken skin at all today. She's letting me caress her wings and she even lifted them just a little before she did that little "no touchy touchy" screech. She's awesome with kisses (although I feared for my lips at first - won't know if I don't try.). She's learning what "Ow" and "No" means. Emoji is fearless! Her personality is coming out and I am learning what kind of toys she likes. Ropes and tassels she can run through her beak.

Yesterday was a trip back to the avian only vet for DNA testing, psittacosis just to be safe and she got her nails trimmed. Her flight feathers were trimmed last Wed. along with a couple of other tests.

Shwew! I think I'm caught up. Still no response from the original owner. Yay for me...I mean...what a shame.

 

[TiredOldMan]

You will fit in very well in this community and be a valued asset.

As long as you love the birds and other furry, feathered, and scaled friends or kids Welcome.

 

[Inger]

Thank you everyone for the responses!! I was having serious issues trying to respond last night from my phone. The site isn't really phone friendly. :30: This morning the pc decided to do a windows update and now I have to head off to work. But I have read the links I was given. When I get home this afternoon I'll respond to some of the suggestions I've been given. Have a great Sunday morning!!

I don't use my phone to interact with this site, but many members do with Tapatalk. Seems to enhance the experience!

^^^this. Tapatalk is a breeze. We even have a much easier method to post photos!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Inger]

Welcome! Glad you’re here. Thank you for making the best possible effort to find Emoji’s people and for being so enthusiastic about keeping her if they don’t respond [emoji3526] we’re glad to have you here in the nicest corner of the internet!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[VeronicaJ]

Thank you everyone for the responses!! I was having serious issues trying to respond last night from my phone. The site isn't really phone friendly. :30: This morning the pc decided to do a windows update and now I have to head off to work. But I have read the links I was given. When I get home this afternoon I'll respond to some of the suggestions I've been given. Have a great Sunday morning!!

I don't use my phone to interact with this site, but many members do with Tapatalk. Seems to enhance the experience!

^^^this. Tapatalk is a breeze. We even have a much easier method to post photos!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok then. I hope its that good! Imma gonna give it a try...:51:

 

[sweetpeamusic]

I remember Nico went through a nippy phase for a few months, where he bit basically everyone but myself if anyone tried to touch him. To be honest I didn't change anything because I just assumed he was uncomfortable with being touched by people he doesn't know, but now he's fine with everyone and only bites me because I do things he doesn't like (cut his nails, take his food bowl, put him somewhere he doesn't want to be, etc). It could be the bird's personality, it could be improper training, or it could be a phase.