My Alex getting obnoxious

[Mrs_peters]

My Alex was the sweetest and gentlest the first 2 months and now he got to meet a lot of people when we went over to my mother-in-law's for a few weeks and I'm not sure if it's after coming back from there or something else has changed? But he just keeps wanting to fly from his cage and many times gets annoyed with me and today he bit me twice. I do have a new bird (IRN) but he's been around for more than 2 weeks now, Alex is jealous? I thought he was angry with me. And he's quite nippy. I was getting so stressed with him today. Gave me a hard time. And especially when he wants to climb out of his cage, and I try to open the top and put his perch on there, he's out so fast and trying to bite me. I am not sure when he'll be more friendly with me? I still use a glove to handle him and he almost always steps up on my hand with the glove. He's more unsure of my bare hands! But I want to move beyond the gloves but I'm not sure when he would bite.. Sigh! I'm a first time bird owner

 

[Mrs_peters]

And my husband's getting disappointed too as we thought they are non nippy and docile? Is he going through something? So hard to understand!

 

[Christinenc2000]

I don't have any answers for you but bumping this up to gain attention.

 

[OrnithAudrey]

How old is your Alex? They go through a (at least in my experience) horrible bluffing period during adolescense that can last from a few weeks to several months. Clover's lasted about 8 months when she was 1 year old, granted she came from a bad situation that also contributed to behavioral issues. They can most certainly be sweet, docile companions, but if left unhandled for too long, will resort back to wild tendencies quickly.

Ditch the glove. I know it seems counter productive as he's exhibiting "good" behavior, but the glove is hindering his trust in you and will make it more difficult to get him used to your hands the longer you use them. He WILL try and bite. Trust me, of all the birds I've worked with, Clover has given me the most bites by far, and with those huge beaks, they are painful. Look for warning signs. The easiest "subtle" sign for an Alex is to watch their eyes. With their yellow eyes, it's very easy to see when they are eye pinning (rapidly changing the size of their pupils) Other obvious signs include hissing and lunging. If he is exhibiting any of those, proceed with caution. To help save your hands, offer a closed, bent back of your hand. There's nothing to grab onto that way.

It will take time and patience on you and your husband's end. Word of advice, Alexs tend to pick their "favorite" and try and shun the rest of their family. That makes it even more important for you to both work with him and not give up or grow impatient with him. Don't get discouraged. Clover has been my most difficult parrot to ever work with/rehab (not trying to scare you, once again, she came from a bad situation. Most Alexs are MUCH easier in comparison to her.) But ever since we've overcome her fears and behavioral issues, she is also the most rewarding. They do make fabulous, smart as a whip companions, you just have to learn to understand them.

 

[Mrs_peters]

He's about 5 or 6 months now. Thank you so much! I took your advice and tried to get him on my hand. Boy, was it hard! He's so used to my glove! Anyway after a lot of patience and persuasion with treats etc, he climbed onto my hand and then would refuse again. But he's slowly getting used to it. Today he's doing much better. He's been with me a lot and happier.

 

[Regan]

For his age I would think it may be bluffing. Mines coming into it now. The only option is to really push through it and wait for the storm to pass. Easier said than done, try not to react to bites or punish. Treat him like you normally would and ignore any unwanted behavior. Don't acknowledge it.
Good luck