I've cried every day for the past 8 months...please help

[Debrawhite]

Where do I begin.
I will explain our entire relationship so you can better understand and help me. Please I'm so desperate

We bought fancy, a turquoise green cheek when he was 3 months old...cute little bugger. The second we got him we were able to hold him..didn't bite..nothing. I bought him 2 huge cages. One is an actual cage and the other is more of a very large play stand..both are about 5ft tall and 4 ft wide..very spacious for this tiny guy. Now I'm a first time conure owner...I read up on all I could and honestly thought I knew enough...I've owned parakeets and cocktails so I kind of thought it would be about the same..considering I NEVER had any problems with my other birds.my first goal was to make this bird as happy as possible...now I have the 2 huge cages....I bought bags upon bags upon bags of toys. I got those ceiling hooks and bought him probably 2000 colorful chain links and I ran them from the top of his cage to the ceiling and I made multiple rows and columns...then I hung toys EVERYWHERE. This bird is SO SPOILED. Then I buy all this feet toys and scatter them on top.. The insides have ropes and toys as well. I bought 3 separate huts to sleep in. Hung one up at the ceiling. One in the cage and one above the play stand. I wanted him to be able to have a comfortable sleep wherever he choose.. I tried to always keep him active and interested. The next week I would switch everything around.

diet...I feed him Zupreem special selects. It has a variety of things including dried peppers in it. I don't give him bird seed or sunflower seeds. I might sprinkle some in here and there but other than that, no. Every day he gets fresh water. Fresh broccoli. Cauliflower. And if we made it to the store..banana, strawberry...kiwi...some grapes....blueberries....he gets a VARIETY.....peppers. The lot.
for the next 2 1/2 years we were BEST FRIENDS him and I. My bf didn't pay attention to him much because it was my bird, I'm the one that wanted him.

This is how our days look.

At first while I went to work we would put him in his cage until I knew I could trust him. When I got home we would hang out immediately for the rest of the night. He started saying "hi honey. Hi sweety pie. I love you." Because we made sure to say it to him every day. He's VERY loved. We would roll around on the couch throwing balls around...go make smoothies together...everything I did until I went to bed was with that bird. I gave him CONSTANT interaction cuz I kno how important that is. We took naps together...showers..shared some food...
Then it got to the point we trusted him and left his cage door open indefinitely..he was now a free roam bird. But very well behaved and VERY sweet. Stayed on or around the cage..didn't care to go elsewhere. I then quit my job and started working from home. Now I'm with him 24/7. He's always on my shoulder..my head..arm...lap...always. Rolling around..giving me kisses....and was starting to climb down his cage and come visit me on the couch..he would just crawl right up. I loved it. Then we'd take a nap...he'd tuck himself up under my chin and I'd put my arm over to give him darkness and we'd nap. Then he wake up and give me kisses and be ready to play. When night time came we put him on his cage and he chose which bed he wanted and we'd shut the lights off until he was the first one up in the morning.

Here's where it starts turning. I understood that he was gonna go thru hormones..I never had any of my birds be hormonal so I Didn't think much of it..but i still was prepared for the biting and what not. I did as much reading as I thought I could..but for some reason none of the pages I was reading said anything about cuddling or back petting and boxes being bad. It was never Mentioned..so.....we learned he loved playing with tissue paper and boxes and I LOVED seeing him happy so I would keep a supply of it. He had tissue paper and boxes on top his cage AND under his cage (cuz he liked to go down there and knock his balls around)....Everything seemed fine..just seemed like a bird having the time of his life. Then he started rubbing his head on my feet just like a cat and then giving them soft kisses..I thought HOW CUTE. So I'd take my big toe and scratch his head and pet his body...yes..his entire body..I didn't kno. He'd climb up on my lap and id pet from his head down his body to his tail. He just seemed happy..nothing more. Just content...and since we hung out literally EVERY minute unless I was sleeping...I was always stroking this bird....unknowingly that I was triggering hormones....I could even take this bird into my bed and take a nap while he rolled around on my stomach and I could trust him to be by my face while I was asleep....he was NEVER a mean bird. NEVER. He was literally my best friend. AGAIN...my bf did not hang out with him. Only me. I did EVERYTHING for this bird..I was the primary caretaker. Also I should mention he NEVER bit. He NEVER wanted to fly..and he WOULDN'T jump any further than a couple inches. He just wouldn't.

Now 2 1/2 years later of love and sweetness....I'm sitting at the table and he walks over to my feet and snuggles them as usual....I get up to throw something in the trash and he follows me...so I turn around and pick him up and all is normal. Then ALL OF A SUDDEN he JUMPS off my finger and flies at my face with his feathers all fluffed up and his beak wide open and latches onto my lip, I grabbed him to pull him off and we ended up playing tug of war with my face. He wouldn't let go. My lip was torn...bleeding and swollen for the next 2 weeks. I had to call my bf to run into the room to pick him up and put him on his cage.....we then went to go into town....so I figured by the time we get back home hell be cooled off. We get home and I go up to him and he looks normal..I talk to him gently and show him my hand and he seems fine...then he ATTACKS me again. But then my bf went to touch him and he gave him kisses......for the next following months this bird literally would fly to wherever I was in the entire house just to land on my face and Attack me. Either that or he'd walk down the hall and into the bedroom and bite my feet until they bled. Now I was conflicted....he's been a free roam bird for 2 1/2 years I can't just take that away from him..he'd be so confused and I don't want him to get depressed...that's my biggest fear. So I would wrap my hand in a towel and scoop him up...all while he's tearing at the cloth to get to my hand and fluffed up and growling at me....and I bring him back to his cage and tell him no. I walk away. I go do the dishes and I feel a TERRIBLE pinch and I scream. He's attacking me again. The kitchen..bedroom..living room..dining room..bathroom..everywhere I am..he follows me and hurts me. Every. Single. Day. I started putting him in his cage for 10 minute time outs.

This happened in September 2019...it is now APRIL 2020. Here's what we've changed. Removed boxes and tissue paper. Removed newspaper. Removed huts. Started putting him in his cage at 7pm and covering it and leaving the room entirely so he gets 12-14 hrs. I no longer give him sugary fruits. No seeds no pellets. He still gets his variety Zupreem and his broccoli and cauliflower and other veggies/peppers. My bf is only one that hangs with him now . He NEVER attacks him and he was guilty of petting his back too. Which we completely ended when we learned what we were doing wrong. We also walk away when he hunches over and shivers his feathers... Yet he acts COMPLETELY normal with my bf. Doesn't seem hormonal with him. But as soon as I enter the room his eyes lock on me and he climbs over to me almost like he WANTS to hang out with me..but then just attacks me. Then taunts me by being nice to my bf in front of me.

Its been 8 months since I've touched my bird..each and every day I try..I talk to him gently. I show him my hand. I only offer to scratch his head.and I offer a seed. No matter what I do this bird finds a way to latch onto me and make me cry until I'm a mess. I've been doing everything I possibly can. I've been patient but it just doesn't seem to do anything. He's been hormonal since September..I thought they only lasted 3 months? Why is it lasting longer then 8 months?

I understand that WE are guilty for urging the behavior....but once we learned that's what was going on...we've corrected it and changed everything and NOTHING has changed towards me. Now he's my bfs bird and my bf never hung out with him until 2 1/2 years in. I don't get it.

I love this bird with everything...I've had many Pets but I've NEVER had one this mean. It's honestly baffling. It's stressed me out so much that I've confined myself to the bedroom for the past 4 months because I became EXTREMELY depressed and stopped taking care of myself. This bird has brought me to an all time low. This NEEDS to work... I can't live like this...I don't plan on getting rid of him...but if I'm being honest..one of us has to go if this doesn't progress. It's been almost a year since I've felt my own bird.

Now all I get is my heart beat sped up because I'm SO SCARED of him. If I see a shadow i automatically jump and scream and then start crying because I thought it was him chasing me again. I've NEVER had an animal ruin me or make me cry like this. I've literally cried every single day. I'm crying right now as I type this. I'm so heart broken. I'm so depressed. I kno its our fault this happened...we made it worse.....but we corrected it. I kno its not gonna happen over night...but 8 months? Theres not even a LITTLE progress. He's absolutely evil to me . the meanest animal I've ever met...and he used to be my best friend. And now I'm afraid I have to move out because like I said....I don't plan on getting rid of him...but i can't live in my own home with him. He terrorizes me. It's THAT bad. And it's put a strain on my relationship.

Please help. I've lost the will.

 

[Laurasea]

On page 10 of my Ornithology thread, I will link, are a bunch of behavior articles, included on that is titled do you think your bird hates you. You can read all the links.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general...hare-discuss-scientific-articles-parrots.html

I know you can get past this. Why? Cuz a few years ago I tried to harness train my GCC , and I did it all wrong. Forced her into the harness...ect..
I broke our trust, and she became angry, and would seek me out to bite and attack me. It took me six months to work through this! I understand shaping behavior better now, so if I had to redo I think would go faster. We have had several breif times since then that I caused fear of hands and had to earn back trust.

I can tell you the most helpful is to break everything down to tiny baby steps. To actually apologize outloud to your bird, somehow the intent gets through to them.. abd to keep a post attitude, pretend you just rescue this bird, and work to earn trust all over again.

 

[noodles123]

I'm sorry.
I am sure you will get good advice, but my biggest suggestions are 1) NO petting or stroking anywhere besides the head and neck. 2) NO snuggle huts/tents/shadowy spaces/boxes/blankets/tubes/drawers/under furniture/pillows etc , 3) 10 hours of sleep on a routine each night and 4) yearly vet check-ups by a CAV who can perform blood-work etc + a solid diet without a bunch of junk foods (e.g., salt, too many seeds, sugar, preservatives etc)

All of these things are huge hormonal triggers and a hormonal bird with no outlet can turn on a dime.

OH--- and lots of enrichment activities/time to exercise that doesn't involve cuddles. They do need to be taught to play in many cases.

They can tell when you are afraid and they do feed off of those reactions. I know it's hard...You will have to rebuild trust, remove any hormonal triggers, make sure he is sleeping on a schedule/eating well/healthy and go from there. Don't jerk your hand away or make a reaction if he scares you (and for now, avoid putting yourself in a situation where this can happen). They can already tell you are nervous, but reacting like you are nervous will only aggravate it further.

Also---MAKE SURE if you live with anyone else, that they are not cuddling the bird. If your bird sees you as a threat to its "mate" (e.g., boyfriend, girlfriend, child, husband) that can also amplify this behavior. NO PETTING ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE HEAD OR NECK...and no mouth to mouth contact (PERIOD).

Try not to keep him locked up if it can be done safely. A cage-bound bird develops lots of issues on top of these.

Sometimes birds get mad and hold onto that. Sometimes at puberty, they push away from the person they loved before. I think you are probably pushing too much by just TRYING to touch him and that that is damaging your trust and setting you back on a daily basis. If you do it more on his schedule (and attend to him without invading his space) you will likely see a change once triggers are removed and trust is restored.
ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST--- they move in slow motion and you have to become an expert at reading them/respecting boundaries. They bite to communicate--- so make sure you know their language.

My bird was an adult re-home. I couldn't touch her PERIOD for 3 months. After that, it was still hit or miss. I went out of town once (broke her trust) and couldn't touch her consistently without getting bitten for another week (even when respecting boundaries etc). People see my bird and they describe her as a "sweet-heart" etc--- it takes A LOT of work. She is sweet because we have traveled a long road together and it is always a work in progress, but don't give up...You will be fine.

 

[Laurasea]

Also this is a great article!
I do shape behavior, but I don't use a clicker, I just say good birdie, and give treat it's the same thing without the annoying clicker lol
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

 

[wrench13]

I think you are getting excellent advice here. In particular the pushing away stage of pubescent and post puberty birds, and the advice about re-building trust with him. We see quite a bit of both behaviors here and they can be worked thru, it just takes time and sometimes a lot of time.

You are so attached I know your going to see this through.

 

[fiddlejen]

Hi, I don't know if this will be helpful or not. IF it's not, I apologize in advance. But reading your story -- I feel for you! Also my own conure has not yet reached the hormonal phase (at least I don't think so), and I know I may face struggles.

(Also - with everything else you've already been told -- please Never Sleep with your bird, nor even sleep when your bird is free to fly to you. It is terribly dangerous to the bird, I have read some terrible stories. )

After reading your story, I suddenly thought of your bird's point-of-view. From the time you got him, you gave him everything he ever wanted. No limits. Your BF? Not So Much.

So, Birdie did Not expect satisfaction of his every desire from BF. Birdie was always good for you -- but he wasn't Trying to be. There were no limits from you. He did not happen to be biting you, so you did not have to set a Limit on biting. You did not Know that you should have set limits on hormonally-triggering behaviors and did not know how dangerous certain other activities could be (ie being near you whilst you were sleeping), so you did Not Limit those behaviours either. You gave him whatever he wanted, and you were Pleased by whatever he did.

So, Birdie's expectation of you has been, that You will Meet All his desires, with No Limitations. Birdie has No such expectation of your BF.

Then Birdie got hormonal. Your normal interactions were no longer Meeting his Desires. Probably that First biting of your lip, was possibly not even aggressive really. It was just frustration, he was trying to communicate to you that he Wanted something (something More) which you were not giving him.

But, that interaction led to a Big change. He probably feels hurt and betrayed. YOU--who were previously Pleased by All his behaviours, which were just him-being-him, and who always gave him Everything he wanted needed desired--YOU have suddenly Ceased to Always Approve of Everything he does. Further, you No Longer give him Everything he Wants and -- -Horrors!- -- YOU are even setting LIMITS. From His perspective, YOU are the one who has changed.

What about BF? Well he never had that expectation of BF. To Birdie, BF is acting the same as he ever did. So to Birdie, BF is probably the safer person to whom to turn for now.

So is it hopeless? No. It's not at all. You can win back his trust. Read the stories of the others who have had to re-start their relationships with their birds. Follow all the great advice about avoiding the hormonal triggers & etc. It's a process, but you can do it. It's tough right now, but you Will have a Better relationship than you did before, after you walk through this.

 

[noodles123]

Hi, I don't know if this will be helpful or not. IF it's not, I apologize in advance. But reading your story -- I feel for you! Also my own conure has not yet reached the hormonal phase (at least I don't think so), and I know I may face struggles.

(Also - with everything else you've already been told -- please Never Sleep with your bird, nor even sleep when your bird is free to fly to you. It is terribly dangerous to the bird, I have read some terrible stories. )

After reading your story, I suddenly thought of your bird's point-of-view. From the time you got him, you gave him everything he ever wanted. No limits. Your BF? Not So Much.

So, Birdie did Not expect satisfaction of his every desire from BF. Birdie was always good for you -- but he wasn't Trying to be. There were no limits from you. He did not happen to be biting you, so you did not have to set a Limit on biting. You did not Know that you should have set limits on hormonally-triggering behaviors and did not know how dangerous certain other activities could be (ie being near you whilst you were sleeping), so you did Not Limit those behaviours either. You gave him whatever he wanted, and you were Pleased by whatever he did.

So, Birdie's expectation of you has been, that You will Meet All his desires, with No Limitations. Birdie has No such expectation of your BF.

Then Birdie got hormonal. Your normal interactions were no longer Meeting his Desires. Probably that First biting of your lip, was possibly not even aggressive really. It was just frustration, he was trying to communicate to you that he Wanted something (something More) which you were not giving him.

But, that interaction led to a Big change. He probably feels hurt and betrayed. YOU--who were previously Pleased by All his behaviours, which were just him-being-him, and who always gave him Everything he wanted needed desired--YOU have suddenly Ceased to Always Approve of Everything he does. Further, you No Longer give him Everything he Wants and -- -Horrors!- -- YOU are even setting LIMITS. From His perspective, YOU are the one who has changed.

What about BF? Well he never had that expectation of BF. To Birdie, BF is acting the same as he ever did. So to Birdie, BF is probably the safer person to whom to turn for now.

So is it hopeless? No. It's not at all. You can win back his trust. Read the stories of the others who have had to re-start their relationships with their birds. Follow all the great advice about avoiding the hormonal triggers & etc. It's a process, but you can do it. It's tough right now, but you Will have a Better relationship than you did before, after you walk through this.

Agreed. If they start to see you as a mate, they DO get mad when you don't allow them the full "advantage" of that relationship *cough cough*--which is why you must re-frame expectations and boundaries, while re-establishing trust.

 

[Scott]

Very sorry to read your internal turmoil. You've perfectly framed the issues and received some superb advice. Your bird seems "hard wired" to view you as mate, and of course you are unable to comply. It may take a while and concerted effort to change this behavior. However, if the impact on your life is so severe, there may come a time when re-homing is the best option for both. But I don't think you are quite there yet.

I'd recommend an exam by a certified avian vet. Step one is to ensure he is healthy and absent hidden medical issues. Hormonal therapy is a last-ditch effort for excessively laying hens, not sure if anything is available for males. Might be beneficial to seek a qualified and recommended animal behaviorist. Sometimes having a third-party "coach" is helpful.

One last controversial recommendation as final resort - short term use of psychotropic medicine. Use of Haldol (Haloperidol) will mellow a bird and potentially facilitate a breakthrough. This was recommended to me post-surgically for a female macaw who was marginally tame. A 10-day course of meds and change of dressings required intervention. She was amazingly compliant while dosed and there was a lasting halo effect after completion. But I did not try hard to tame her as she had a mate. I would discuss this only with a well qualified vet.

 

[Siobhan]

Try starting over, as if you and your birdie have never met before today. Sit nearby and talk and sing but don't try to touch. Eat something he can have and give him a piece of it. Never walk by without saying something. Keep a distance, very, very gradually closing that distance over a period of days or even weeks. Always use soft tones and baby talk and consciously slow your heart and breathing. They pick up on your agitation and that's part of what's wrong here. You expect an attack, and he senses it, and it agitates him, too. You can do this!

 

[T00tsyd]

I really feel for you. It's a two way stretch. You don't trust him and he doesn't trust you so you both have to learn. I live alone with Syd a turquoise GCC who is now just over 3yrs. I went through a biting phase with him a year ago when I really thought I would never trust him again. You have to differentiate between being best friends and being his parent and it's a parental relationship that has been missing so far.
Like any child he has to learn boundaries and given time he will, but in the meantime it's really important that you avoid getting bitten. My only thought is that it's time to put your needs before his. If he is chasing you around the house then either he goes in a cage or you start closing doors. Wear gloves, a hoodie, a scarf round your face so he simply can't get at you. I spent about 3 months dressed thus just to protect myself when Syd was out of his cage. The advice here is brilliant but don't forget to remember that you and your feelings are as important if not more so than his.
I took Syd back to the beginning often in that first 18 months that he adopted me and it allowed us to both re-assess where we were, and even now there are times when I won't put up with his tantrums and demands and he now understands that bad behaviour has consequences. You are the parent! Be calm be cool but be firm and determined so that treats come to him for good behaviour only.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'm so glad you're here, getting great advice and support. Nothing is sadder than love gone wrong, but nothing is stronger than the will to improve such a situation.

May I add some thoughts about expectations? I hope I don't sound preach-y. I also want to make it clear that I completely support all the great advice on training!
My bird is "difficult", and so I have expressed these thoughts so often that I made a cut-and-paste (below). Apologies to those of you who've heard it a zillion times!

My bird is pretty awful. He's a fun mimic and a real character, but...
Even after all these years, I sometimes find myself putting myself or my bird down... stuff like...
I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS OR THAT.
WHY CAN'T HE BE SWEET AND NICE, LIKE THOSE OTHER BIRDS?
PEOPLE NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY I PUT UP WITH THIS.
Stuff like that.
Since he's fully flighted, the ONLY way I get him into the cage is to toss a chile pepper in and he flaps in after it. So food reward is a necessity for me. Time-out doesn't exist in the Rb's kingdom.
But the Rb is a parrot... in his particular case, one generation out of the wild.
I do all the right things, as much/well as I can, but in the end, I just LOVE my bird,
Some parrots are SO SWEET, some are NOT. I'm a bit JEALOUS of those successes.
I have lessened my psychological and physical wounds over the decades... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered.
Consequently, I have a Tazmanian Devil on my hands. I love him. I have no complaints, really. He's HIMSELF. And I'm MYSELF. And the result... check my Signature for videos. etc., if you like.
BUT THERE'S LOTS OF GOOD TRAINING ADVICE HERE... DO READ AND LEARN AND DO YOUR BEST!
Over the years, I have sometimes been very embarassed/downhearted/sad about having a pet that was so... out of my control. But it is my choice to indulge and adore him.
Finally, I accepted that I have an amazing half-wild being who shares my life! It's magic enough for me!

Parrot-owners usually wind up determining their own personal comfort level with various behaviors, and it's okay to be okay with that.

 

[LaManuka]

Your situation sounds quite similar to mine about 4 years ago (OMG has it really been that long?!) Our problem did not persist for the same length of time so did not get a chance to become quite so entrenched but I offer you my experience in the hope that it will help along with all the other great advice you've had thus far, even to hopefully just provide that emotional circuit breaker that you need.

I had a GCC for a sum total of about 4 years prior to his premature death from pancreatitis in August 2018 (still cry over him too) so I do not pretend to know everything about them. What I can tell you though is that my beloved sweet snuggly baby named Baci turned into a vicious and bitey demon practically overnight at the age of about 2 and a bit. Now this was at a time before discovering this forum and I had no idea what had happened to him. It was the middle of a summer heatwave and I’d been working a few long day shifts in a row so he’d been stuck in his cage in a hot house for several days and I just thought he hated me for it. Anyway, like you, I found myself in tears and utterly confused, convinced that I had lost my baby boy forever, he had become so vicious. I couldn’t get near him for days without him LACERATING my hands, and he was lashing out biting my ears and nose which he had never done before and drawing blood. In desperation I looked up all sorts of crazy things online to try to find a solution, and there’s a lot of stuff out there like the “earthquake” method (doesn’t work with green cheeks, it just makes them latch on even harder!) and dropping them suddenly on the floor (NEVER an option as it could obviously result in injury!) Bribery with treats didn’t work on my Baci either, he would take the treat and then bite me anyway, and quite savagely too! I think I was also lucky that, although i never clipped his wings, he was an extremely reluctant flyer so he never actually flew to attack me.

What saved our relationship in the end was the procedure of "laddering". I would stick a few protective flesh coloured band aids on the parts of my hand most likely to get bit, thus lessening my reflexive flinch when I thought he was about to bite, and in turn lessening his reaction to my flinching. Then I would ask him to step up, and if/when he bit me, I’d ladder him onto my other hand and back and forth until he stopped biting, usually only a step or two or three until he stopped. Then I’d pop him down somewhere neutral like the back of a chair and walk away for 5 minutes or so until he cooled off, then go back and repeat the process once or twice. Where possible I would repeat the procedure in neutral territory away from his cage, as green cheeks are also prone to cage aggression, where their cage quickly becomes their territory which they will defend to the death! Baci was a smart boy and it didn’t take him long to work out that he wasn’t going to get away with biting, which was pretty much the only thing I didn’t tolerate from him because he bit so dang hard! He’d grumble at me a little but I’d (carefully!!) give him a big kiss and tell him how much I loved him, then pop him down and he would go about his business quite happily. I also constructed what I would call my "armour plating" - about three bandaids permanently stuck together that I would leave within easy reach if I could tell that Baci was going to be bitey that morning that I could strap on quickly if/when the need arose.

Looking back on it now, and having learned a lot about GCCs from other members on this forum, I now realise that his behaviour change pretty much coincided exactly with his reaching puberty. I wish I had known this at the time because if I had it may have changed the way in which I dealt with the behaviour. Undoubtedly there are better ways of handling the situation, and I know some will say laddering is not the ideal solution to an issue like this. It by no means meant that he never bit me again, but as a short term circuit-breaker in this type of emotionally fraught situation I found it very useful indeed!

Baci was the love of my life and I was devastated at the idea that I might have lost my relationship with him - but even more so when he passed away.
I hope you are able to salvage your relationship with your little guy :smile015:

 

[Debrawhite]

Your situation sounds quite similar to mine about 4 years ago (OMG has it really been that long?!) Our problem did not persist for the same length of time so did not get a chance to become quite so entrenched but I offer you my experience in the hope that it will help along with all the other great advice you've had thus far, even to hopefully just provide that emotional circuit breaker that you need.

I had a GCC for a sum total of about 4 years prior to his premature death from pancreatitis in August 2018 (still cry over him too) so I do not pretend to know everything about them. What I can tell you though is that my beloved sweet snuggly baby named Baci turned into a vicious and bitey demon practically overnight at the age of about 2 and a bit. Now this was at a time before discovering this forum and I had no idea what had happened to him. It was the middle of a summer heatwave and I’d been working a few long day shifts in a row so he’d been stuck in his cage in a hot house for several days and I just thought he hated me for it. Anyway, like you, I found myself in tears and utterly confused, convinced that I had lost my baby boy forever, he had become so vicious. I couldn’t get near him for days without him LACERATING my hands, and he was lashing out biting my ears and nose which he had never done before and drawing blood. In desperation I looked up all sorts of crazy things online to try to find a solution, and there’s a lot of stuff out there like the “earthquake” method (doesn’t work with green cheeks, it just makes them latch on even harder!) and dropping them suddenly on the floor (NEVER an option as it could obviously result in injury!) Bribery with treats didn’t work on my Baci either, he would take the treat and then bite me anyway, and quite savagely too! I think I was also lucky that, although i never clipped his wings, he was an extremely reluctant flyer so he never actually flew to attack me.

What saved our relationship in the end was the procedure of "laddering". I would stick a few protective flesh coloured band aids on the parts of my hand most likely to get bit, thus lessening my reflexive flinch when I thought he was about to bite, and in turn lessening his reaction to my flinching. Then I would ask him to step up, and if/when he bit me, I’d ladder him onto my other hand and back and forth until he stopped biting, usually only a step or two or three until he stopped. Then I’d pop him down somewhere neutral like the back of a chair and walk away for 5 minutes or so until he cooled off, then go back and repeat the process once or twice. Where possible I would repeat the procedure in neutral territory away from his cage, as green cheeks are also prone to cage aggression, where their cage quickly becomes their territory which they will defend to the death! Baci was a smart boy and it didn’t take him long to work out that he wasn’t going to get away with biting, which was pretty much the only thing I didn’t tolerate from him because he bit so dang hard! He’d grumble at me a little but I’d (carefully!!) give him a big kiss and tell him how much I loved him, then pop him down and he would go about his business quite happily. I also constructed what I would call my "armour plating" - about three bandaids permanently stuck together that I would leave within easy reach if I could tell that Baci was going to be bitey that morning that I could strap on quickly if/when the need arose.

Looking back on it now, and having learned a lot about GCCs from other members on this forum, I now realise that his behaviour change pretty much coincided exactly with his reaching puberty. I wish I had known this at the time because if I had it may have changed the way in which I dealt with the behaviour. Undoubtedly there are better ways of handling the situation, and I know some will say laddering is not the ideal solution to an issue like this. It by no means meant that he never bit me again, but as a short term circuit-breaker in this type of emotionally fraught situation I found it very useful indeed!

Baci was the love of my life and I was devastated at the idea that I might have lost my relationship with him - but even more so when he passed away.
I hope you are able to salvage your relationship with your little guy :smile015:

I am absolutely going to try the bandaid method. That gives me a little hope...not a tremendous amount because he's extremely vicious and may Just bite right thru....but this makes me feel like I have somewhat of an option. Ty

 

[LaManuka]

I hope it works for you! It may not work for everyone or in every situation but it sure did work for me!

 

[noodles123]

Remember when I said Noodles was mad at me for leaving town (**for 2 days- while leaving her with people she LOVES?**) this was the result, and this isn't even close to full-throttle damage..this is like---"hey, I'm annoyed"...vs the blood shed that CAN and DID happen years ago. We ARE past it. There is hope!!!

I know it's hell, but think of the behavior in the way you would with a toddler. It will get better.
Noodles trusts me SO much-- but there are certain things that upset her and leaving town is one,
My point is, she is generally an "angel" but even angels can do things like this..and previously, she did much worse--
Hasn't even done this in years...but just saying..
If we can get past it, there is hope!!
I haven't gotten a hard-core bite in over 3 years, but about once every year, I get a decent bruising chomp.

 

[Cagzo]

noodles123. Ouch!

 

[noodles123]

noodles123. Ouch!

Yes- but at least she didn't draw blood. The worst ones were the ones to my fingers and wrists early on...ugh...
My point is, these days, 99% of the time, she doesn't do either, but it took a long time and it really depended on me slowing down and moving at her pace.