I Guess Cracker Was Cranky

[Winston1Smith2]

Me and Cracker did not have a good day yesterday. He bit me twice. I pushed back against him just hard enough to knock him off balance from his perch. He did release my finger very fast. After the second bite I decided to put him back in his cage and go to a movie. I thought I would let him cool off for a while. When I came home and went to get him out of his cage he was in a classic aggressive pose. His tail was fanned, he feathers were ruffled, his head was down, and his beak was open. Needless to say, I just left him alone.
Today, however, he is a totally different parrot. When I called to him he cheerfully came to me which is what he usually does. He has not bit me once, and is currently softly chirping away on my shoulder. I know that there are people I like that on certain days I do want to be around. I still like them but I just do not want to around them at that particular moment. The only way I can account for Cracker's behavior yesterday is that he just did not want to be around me yesterday or was just being cranky. l

 

[parrotqueen]

Please, make sure he gets a good night sleep. As frustrated as you may be, don't try to knock him off of his perch; the bird is feeling angry about something and he doesn't know any other way to get it out.

Please, be kind and understanding to the bird, keep in mind that he can't speak. I know I wouldn't like it if I was angry and I couldn't speak...

 

[Winston1Smith2]

I was not trying to hurt Cracker. I got the idea of pushing back against him when he bites from a book I read by Nikki Moustaki titled Parrots for Dummies. Mousktaki wrote the following:

"The natural reaction to being bitten-or to any pain-is to pull back and move away from it. The natural basic reaction to wanting something away from you is to push, hit or force it to move away. You know it: your parrot knows it. It's instinctual. So if you have the opposite reaction, you'll throw your parrot off guard, and you'll cause the biting not to work anymore. If the biting doesnt work, the parrot won't do it. (unless it's terrified: then all bets are off). Instead of pulling away when the bird bites, push back. Push the bird right off the perch if you have to (gently please). I guarantee you that this will put a look of surprise and shock on your bird's feathered face. He will be genuinely bewildered"

Of course I was pulling away when Cracker bit me in the past, and I think I was inadvertantly encouraging his biting behavior. I gave him what he wanted. He got my annoying finger out of his way. He bit me and he got rewarded for it. Positive reinforcement. I am no longer going to reward him for a behavior I want to discourage. I am not slapping Cracker around. I try to be as gentle as possible. I just push back against him until he stops biting. I do not think I hurt Cracker, and I do not treat animals I keep as pets in an abusive manner. We are still friends and his is not afraid of me. In fact as I am typing this post he is sitting on my shoulder.

I am not going to pigheaded in this regard. You have probably forgotten more about parrots than I know. I am open to other suggestions. I have tried putting on a jacket and gloves when I take him out of his cage but he is afraid of me when I am wearing all that extra protection. I have tried putting him in his cage for a timeout for an hour after he bites. I have tried saying no to him in a firm manner. I have tried giving him a dirty look when he bites me. None of those options seem to have worked. He is biting me less frequently than he used to bite me. I think I was not bitten by him for at least a week, until recently. Like I say I am open to other suggestions.

 

[parrotqueen]

Okay, I feel better knowing that a professional actually said that. And kudos to you for reading up!

My mistake, sorry. It sounded as though you weren't being gentle, but if you know you are; then that's good enough for me.

I suppose if I ever want a conure (because I am actually considering it), then I might have to try that.

 

[KJS]

Sometimes the "ignore and/or direct the attention away from the situation" usually works too. They will stand their ground if the antagonizing thing or situation is still there......brazen little guys!! Patience, understanding and love.........and you will still get a bite here and there because it's a form of communication. You will start to understand body language and the reason for some bites (Kiwi knows why she's biting me, but I still can't figure out why I get the bite sometimes!!!) as your relationship grows.