How to handle baby GCC biting?

[Frumpydumple]

Merle is going through the nippy phase and I'm not completely sure how to handle it. He lunges and bites very hard sometimes and I don't know what to do when he does this.

I have tried ignoring it, but he just keeps biting harder and he thinks it's okay to do that.

I have also tried saying no, tried grabbing his beak (gently) and I have also tried pushing his beak away, but he still does it. I don't want to do anything forceful like grabbing him when he bites because that just scares him.

I am also doing target training with him.

What should I do? I don't want to accidentally reinforce the biting.

Should I just distract him with something and eventually he will grow out of it?

I just basically want some helpful tips.

 

[MonicaMc]

He may be biting harder because you are ignoring his behavior or punishing him for it.


It would be better to try to learn how to read his body language and figure out what triggers him to bite and lunge. Then, try to avoid situations that will result in a bite or a lunge. I know, easier said than done!



I do recommend to keep up with the target training!



Can you describe the times where he's showing the undesirable behaviors?

 

[Frumpydumple]

Just random times really. Like if he is sitting somewhere and he sees my hand approaching he will just start lunging like crazy. He seems more aggressive when he is in his cage, but he still gets aggressive when he is out of his cage too.

I should also mention that very often he makes a noise mostly when he is out of his cage. I know when he makes the noise he wants to go somewhere or he wants something. The noise is almost constant sometimes. He also acts restless while making the noise. I know Cookie does a similar thing when she wants to go somewhere, but I don't know what he wants or where he wants to go. Also, when I let him out of his cage he often just wants to go back in for some reason.

I will continue the target training.

 

[witchbaby]

I'm right there with you and it's driving me nuts. Luna pinches and holds on to my skin or just straight up bites me constantly. There don't seem to be any triggers to avoid either. This is just what baby GCCs are like. I'm just hoping training, patience and consistency will pay off eventually. I know this phase eventually ended with Bandit. Sorry I can't be of more help. I just wanted to say good luck and don't give up!

 

[Dinosrawr]

Ah, I definitely recall Avery being super, super bitey all the time when she was younger. She never lunges, though. I've only ever seen her do that three times. The first was when a very, very poor vet waggled her fingers infront of her and tapped her on the beak for being a "bad" bird (I was thankful when Avery lunged at her and tried to draw blood, otherwise I would've). The second was when my boyfriend's mother waggled her fingers in front of her after terrifying her by opening a door too fast. Third was when Avery was SUPER territorial of me and decided it'd be a good idea to lunge at my boyfriend when he went in for a kiss.

Every time it's always when she's been scared or territorial as a baby, and like you've said it seems to be the same for him. I think teaching them that fingers and hands are safe and not there to hurt them or take things away helps. I rewarded Avery a lot for letting me touch her, approach her with my hands from the front and from the back, and for letting me open her wings, touch her beak, feet, etc. I'd try that with your target training, too.

Good luck with the nippy baby! At least the Pyrrhura beaks are small!

 

[MonicaMc]

You approaching with your hands resulting in him lunging is not random. That is the act that results in the behavior. Your approach. You could have startled him, maybe you moved too fast, maybe he wasn't ready.

You might try approaching him differently, talking to him before approaching or at least somehow changing what you do to try and avoid the lunge.


When he makes the noise, does he orientate his body in any direction? Does he lean in any direction?


Have you tried training him while he's in or on his cage?

 

[Frumpydumple]

You approaching with your hands resulting in him lunging is not random. That is the act that results in the behavior. Your approach. You could have startled him, maybe you moved too fast, maybe he wasn't ready.

You might try approaching him differently, talking to him before approaching or at least somehow changing what you do to try and avoid the lunge.


When he makes the noise, does he orientate his body in any direction? Does he lean in any direction?


Have you tried training him while he's in or on his cage?

I don't move my hands fast. I often just slowly reach over to scratch his head while talking to him and he starts lunging at me like crazy and mumbling things.

No, when he makes the noise he won't sit still but he doesn't crouch down with his wings vibrating or anything like that, he just runs around making the noise repeatedly.

I have tried that, but I think he is easier to train when he is out. He gets distracted by the food bowls if I have him in his cage. I train him on the back of a chair and when he does what I want I give him cut up sunflower seeds and praise.

I have a small square travel cage in my bedroom and I sometimes bring him upstairs and let him play in it, but once he is in it he will NOT come out of it for some reason. I don't force him, I tell him step up with a sunflower seed in my hand but he just runs away. Its a small cage with not much in it too. I don't know why he stays in it.

 

[MonicaMc]

You might try keeping a diary of when he does undesired behaviors. Note down what happened exactly before the incident, and the behavior displayed.


You might try not talking at all, or maybe change the way you talk. Talking can sometimes get birds over-excited.

You might also try teaching him a signal to say you want to scratch his head, and if he doesn't show that he's ready to accept scritches, then you don't pet him.


Have you tried removing the food bowls to train him at his cage?


He just might find comfort and safety inside the cage. That's ok.

 

[Frumpydumple]

You might try keeping a diary of when he does undesired behaviors. Note down what happened exactly before the incident, and the behavior displayed.


You might try not talking at all, or maybe change the way you talk. Talking can sometimes get birds over-excited.

You might also try teaching him a signal to say you want to scratch his head, and if he doesn't show that he's ready to accept scritches, then you don't pet him.


Have you tried removing the food bowls to train him at his cage?


He just might find comfort and safety inside the cage. That's ok.

I might try keeping a diary, but I often know what caused him to do that (my hand approaching him) and he goes in to a fit of lunging, mumbling, making angry noises and his head feathers are puffed up.

I talk calmly to him. Sometimes I don't talk at all.

With Cookie I move my hand closer to her and wiggle my finger above her head slowly and say tickle (my mother taught Cookie that tickle meant she wanted to scratch Cookie's head, so I always say tickle to her) I do the same thing with Merle, but he just lunges at me so I leave him alone.

No, I haven't tried removing the food bowls.

Yesterday I had a big training session with him on the back of a chair and he did really well. He is perfect at following the target stick and touching it. He learned to target my finger yesterday. He is also great at turning around, waving and jumping on to my hand from a small distance. He is bad at stepping up, but I'm working on that. He isn't aggressive all the time, he just has small moments where he decides to lunge at my hand repeatedly.

I had a baby turquoise yellow sided Green Cheek once and he would lunge at me the same way. I think it is just a phase they go through. I think as long as I don't reinforce it somehow, he will grow out of it.

The most difficult part is not reinforcing it. I'm not sure how to do that. When I brought Cookie home she bit constantly and drew blood. I reinforced the biting somehow and created a huge problem with her. I don't want to make the same mistake with Merle.

I should also mention that when I got him checked out at an Avian vet not long ago they took him out of the room to weigh him and he came back to me with clipped wings. I was angry about it because I wanted him to be flighted, but he is clipped now.

 

[witchbaby]

I should also mention that when I got him checked out at an Avian vet not long ago they took him out of the room to weigh him and he came back to me with clipped wings. I was angry about it because I wanted him to be flighted, but he is clipped now.

Dude. Seriously??

I would be beyond pissed if a vet touched my bird's wings without my consent! That's completely unacceptable behavior from a professional, in my opinion. I hope you gave him a piece of your mind. I sure would have.

 

[Frumpydumple]

I should also mention that when I got him checked out at an Avian vet not long ago they took him out of the room to weigh him and he came back to me with clipped wings. I was angry about it because I wanted him to be flighted, but he is clipped now.

Dude. Seriously??

I would be beyond pissed if a vet touched my bird's wings without my consent! That's completely unacceptable behavior from a professional, in my opinion. I hope you gave him a piece of your mind. I sure would have.

Yeah, I did. Safe to say I won't be going to that "Avian vet" again.