Keiko is Terrified of hats

[ParkersMom]

so twice in three days Keiko bit the crap out of my hand, both times I was wearing a hat... I didn't put it together till this morning... the first time it was a crunching bite and the second was a piercing bite...yay battle wounds...but at least it was me that she bit and not someone else...I think I handled it pretty good too...I didn't pull away, but I did yell both times, how can you not...lol. Oh well live and learn...i will post some pictures later... on a good note I can now keep her off the top of the cage, all I have to to is put a hat up there.

 

[ParkersMom]

that mark you can see is from the lower jaw the beak tip landed in between my ring and pinky finger...this was the first bite/ crunch

 

[ParkersMom]

this is the second bite /pierce the beak tip landed on the inside of my hand

 

[Bird_Mom_to_Coby_the_GW]

That looks like it hurts alot. I personally have been fortunate that in the three + years that I've had Coby he has never bitten hard enough to break the skin or leave a serious bruise. Sorry to hear about your injury. Hopefully it heals quickly.

 

[ParkersMom]

the first bite hurt really bad but only for about an hour...We have only had her for about 2 months so we are still getting to know each other...she just has a funny way of telling me what she doesn't like...lol

 

[Jtbirds]

my one blue and gold billie loves hats lol, but most of them hate them. Good thing you figured out the issue will it was still easy to fix.

 

[weco]

Birds can be spooked by the oddest things. A hat changes your looks & some birds do not approve.

Bright red or other bright/garish nail polish can set a bird off.

My niece thought her conure, Moon Unit, was dying – wouldn’t come out of her cage, cowered on the bottom for 3 days, hardly ever eating.

THEN, a Mylar (silver) balloon that had been up on the ceiling lost enough air to float to the floor, and immediately she became her old self. Moon Unit thought that balloon was a predator stalking her.

 

[tab_xo]

Oh no! Hope your hand heals soon!
They do dislike the strangest things, Fargo will attack my hair if i put it up in a high ponytail or bun, he only likes it when its down! Maybe he thinks i look better with it down haha

 

[Featheredsamurai]

You should leave the hat in a random part of the room far from the cage, and every two days move it closer until it can be next to your birds cage without them freaking out. While your doing that associate your bird licking/touching a object with the words "want to see?" or something similar. Once Keiko gets that down try it with the hat for a few days. After Keiko is doing that really well and isn't freaked out(or angry) at the hat start putting it on for a few seconds then removing it after she has touched it. It may work, and you might have to do it with multiple hats until Keiko is ok with them, and she may never fully tolerate them but it should help at least a little.

 

[WharfRat]

hmmm, never thought about this since I wear a hat alot, only reaction I get is the GW's want to chew on it, the Zon's and Lani completely ignore it. I was probably wearing a hat when I picked them up from the breeder as well.

 

[ParkersMom]

the strange part is that I had the hat on for a few minutes the first time before she bit me...but those have been the only bites I have received since we got her a few months ago...so that is the only thing I can figure...she is a very nervous bird around almost everything anyway... new toys, new people, new places, I can't go near her with the harness and it has been hanging right next to her cage for at least a month...I can't wait for some warm weather so I can take her out and try to get her use to new things...She is a very strange character... but I love her so it's all good

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm giggling, but NOT at your battle wounds. I'm giggling because ALL my fids HATE nail polish - NO kidding!! I never wear any since my hands are usually always dirty from playing with dirt/gardening, but the RARE occasion I put color on my nails, NONE of my birds want to step up. :54:

Hunter, my YN gets SO agitated with nail color, she's tried to remove my nails before.

 

[WharfRat]

makes mental note........quit using nail polish:18:

 

[Cami]

Yep no more mylar balloons here too. Tab you hit on something, everytime I put my hair up is a ponytail/scrunchie, Spencer lunges at it. I don't do it that often, just had 10 inches chopped off, but now I can put it up in a small ponytail, I always thought that he hit an aggressive moment, and I'd put him in the cage. Now I'll experiment; Maybe he likes the longer hair so he can grasp on and pull it easier!:10:

 

[JerseyWendy]

makes mental note........quit using nail polish:18:

 

[WharfRat]

LOL was hoping you'd have to clean your monitor after that one Wendy

Yea when Deb puts her hair up it's an automatic target for the Zon's and the GW's. She uses something called a schrunchy or something, they LOVE going after that thing!! Miri however does have an awful habit of just reaching over and grabbing chunks of hair to try to "style" it to her liking.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Most DEF a cleaning moment, Scott!!!! I am STILL cracking up about it!!! When I go to the gym I put a hair band in my hair, and Niko wants NO part of it, LMAO. He's destroyed WAY too many to count by now.

The part I like MOST about all this is: My birds realize THE slightest change in me...while my husband.....(oh..never mind) :09:

 

[Turquoise]

Since my hair is up & down as I need it so much. And especially I have to have it all up for work, none of my birds give my hair a 2nd thought. None like it if they are chewing on my clothes & get some in their mouths tho. They will do the equivalent of spitting it out.

Roscoe is afraid of my mop & bucket even if it is across the room from him. He will watch it as if it were alive & is coming after him. I have had him since he was 4 1/2 months old & he has never been 'attacked' by the mop unless it snuck in his cage while I was gone. He will fly all over crazy-like if he is out & I am using it on the floors. To mop his aviary floor I have to move his play perch as far away from where I am & sometimes he still gets upset. Crazy idea he has about mops. LOL

 

[WharfRat]

I haven't put my hair in a pony tail in years but since I'm letting it grow out again I'm sure it won't be long before I do, No doubt the birds will go after it.

 

[Shayne]

My macaw seems to be scared of a couple of plush toys that I have. I like the idea of putting them ontop of his cage as it made him come and cuddle with me instead of sitting on top of his cage.