Loco is a biter!

[kimn818]

Hi everyone! Its been a while since I have posted. Besides posting pictures and letting you all know what Loco can say now (he is quite the talker), I haven't had a reason to. Until now...

Loco is now almost two years old. I've had him for almost 1 year and 8 months. He was nippy as a baby, but we gained an understanding of each other and I learned what he doesn't like and we have been fine. Well, I went on vacation for the first time since having him and was gone for 5 days in October. He stayed with my brother and sister and law, so i know he was treated well. Since I got home and picked him up, he has been a different bird. I was prepared for an attitude, but its been 3 months now, and he bites me any chance he gets... not just a little bite, full on biting to draw blood and take chunks of skin.

I am at a loss. I don't even attempt to reach in to get him out in the mornings.. hes never been territorial.. now, i go to unlatch the front door of his cage and he lunges and attempts to attack through the bars.. so I quickly open the door and his cage top before he can reach me. He doesn't even care for sunflower seeds anymore, he bypasses the seed and only sees fingers and an opportunity to bite.

Could this be because hes almost two?? Hormones? Help! Please

 

[Unicornnlood1533]

Maybe it's mad because you've been away for a while?

 

[OneHorseRanch]

I'm going to guess hormones. My vet said not to push the issue. eventually they'll get over it and start to get lonely and want your company. we've been gone for almost 2 weeks and I would expect Sheldon to be a jerk because we've been away to long. but he's as loving as usual. good luck. be patient, but three months does seem like a long time.

 

[Flboy]

Hormones! Avoid creating new habits, bad ones. For now just use a stick all the time to have him step up and just be real pleasant to him all the time. Also, every time you walk by the cage give him his favorite treat, and then back off giving him his space. All the time not acting like anything is different!

 

[Hawk]

Could be Hormones, though those little guys can get nippy at times. It's that time of year when they get hormonal. My Zon made hamburg out of my hand, arm and face a
couple days back. She's seriously hormonal and very testy lately.

 

[JerseyWendy]

... It's that time of year when they get hormonal. ......

Unfortunately GCCs do not have 'that time of year', meaning they can and will reproduce throughout the year in captivity - unlike Amazons.
Popular Conures and Their Breeding Habits | Voren's Aviaries Inc

 

[Hawk]

... It's that time of year when they get hormonal. ......

Unfortunately GCCs do not have 'that time of year', meaning they can and will reproduce throughout the year in captivity - unlike Amazons.
Popular Conures and Their Breeding Habits | Voren's Aviaries Inc

So...still hormonal as my guess. Might even bite from over excitement of being petted.

 

[Kyoto]

My little girl is a biter too. I've just accepted that I will get bit every day. She doesn't bite as bad as you describe, but still enough that it is unpleasant. She makes up for it with her adorableness.

I have found teaching tricks and making fun games with her has helped keep her mind off of eating me.

 

[MonicaMc]

Has your brother and sister in law cared for Loco in the past? If yes, was this in your home or in theirs?

 

[kimn818]

My little girl is a biter too. I've just accepted that I will get bit every day. She doesn't bite as bad as you describe, but still enough that it is unpleasant. She makes up for it with her adorableness.

I have found teaching tricks and making fun games with her has helped keep her mind off of eating me.

I know that GCCs are naturally nippy and use their beaks for everything. He rarely bit before I went on vacation (was gone for 5 days). He knew what was too hard of a bite as I bite pressure trained him. I refuse to accept that biting and drawing blood is okay

 

[kimn818]

Has your brother and sister in law cared for Loco in the past? If yes, was this in your home or in theirs?

They haven't cared for him, but they've both handled him and he seemed to really like my sister in law when he was around them. He was in their home for the 5 days I was away.

 

[MonicaMc]

From the sounds of it, it's something that happened while you were away. It could have simply been the fact that Loco was in a different home while you were away, or maybe something in their home (another animal? an accident?) that changed Loco's behavior.

Did either one of them mention him acting differently at all while staying there?


Since I got home and picked him up, he has been a different bird. I was prepared for an attitude, but its been 3 months now, and he bites me any chance he gets... not just a little bite, full on biting to draw blood and take chunks of skin.
Going over your first post again.... can you avoid getting bitten by avoiding putting him in a situation that will result in a bite? What about leaving him in his cage and work on target training through the cage bars? If you know that taking him out will result in a bite, then leave him in his cage until he can target well through the cage bars. Once he's got that down, target through the open door, then slowly work on teaching him to come out of his cage with target training. It may even help to put a perch no the door, and if you target him to the perch, when you open the door, he's automatically out of his cage!


now, i go to unlatch the front door of his cage and he lunges and attempts to attack through the bars...
The more chance he has to practice lunging, the more it reinforces him to lunge. As I mentioned before, don't open his cage until he's target trained. Don't let him out if it's going to be a hassle handling him. It may seem like a worse idea *NOT* letting him out, but it's only temporary. Conures have a *long* lifespan! Even the little guys have the potential to live 25-30 years! So a few days or even weeks "stuck" inside his cage while you work on training isn't that big of a deal in the scheme of things.

So.... try to avoid instances where he'll lunge. Maybe try moving his cage to another location. Try walking and moving slower. Try talking to him before you do something. Try whatever you can to avoid him lunging at you or biting you.

He's had over 3 months to practice these undesirable behaviors, it's better to attempt to change the behavior now rather than later, when it becomes more ingrained.

Since I have already shared some videos with you, perhaps this thread may be a good refresher?

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html


He doesn't even care for sunflower seeds anymore, he bypasses the seed and only sees fingers and an opportunity to bite.
What is his current diet? When do you attempt to work with him? Is this before or after breakfast?