My new Green Cheek

[PaulaK]

Hello everyone. I am so glad I found this site. I have read my threads and I hope that I can also find some help and maybe even advise from fellow bird owners. Now a little about my little girl, well not sure if it is a girl or a boy, but that is what the pet shop owner was calling her so i just kept it up. Oh by the way we named her Mattie as in Avast Ye Mattie. Well I know the pet store owner very well, and she wouldnt even let me leave the pet shop untill she saw that both the bird and myself were ment for eachother. She told me that this little girl was about 1 year old and the previous owner have purched her at Petco. They gave her up after the owner got a divorce. Now I was in the market for buying a baby bird, but I felt that adopting the bird was a better option as so many birds are just given up. Well the bird took to me well and off we went home together. Now I have only had her for 5 days now and she already knew the step up, but was not sure and is still not to sure about the step down. She loves to sit on my hand but I have on major problem. She starts of with beaking my other hand ( I dont move away or jurk) than bam she bites me. I dont jurk my hand away. I just gently push my finger in a little farther till she lets go and I tell her NO. I will then again let her beak my hand and prais her and pet her behind her head, but I can say the most of the time she would rather bite. I dont put blame on the bird nor do I hit her beak because I know this is her way of telling me she dosent like something. I just would like to know how I can stop her from doing this. I can not even teach her how to "ladder" becuse she atacks the other hand. Is this something the other owners may have done, If so how can I fix this. I want a bird to know that she is in a loving carring family and that she can fill safe.

I will like to say thanks in advance, and I hope that I make some great friends while I am here.

 

[roxynoodle]

I wonder if she is only used to being held on one hand? Is that the only time she bites?

As for a step down, I would try to position her to step up onto something and use the step up command if you can.

 

[DannyA93]

Maybe her other owner would grab her with that hand? my bird would do that cuz earlier i had to grab her to clean some oil off her tail and she's just fine with my right hand but my left hand she doesn't like cuz thats the one i had to grab her with:/

 

[PaulaK]

First of all thanks to Danny and Roxy. Rox.y as being a one person bird this may or not be true, she does go to other family members. And to Danny today was the first day she started this, so that may or may not be the case. I am home all day and I talk to her everytime I pass the cage and let her out atleast twice a day. Now I never thought about it till now when it was suggested that it may be because of having to be grabed. Yesterday she was stuck on my shirt and I had to grab her inorder to get her off. Now if that is the case with some work will this matter be solved?

 

[roxynoodle]

I have arthritis and 2 of my birds are kind of a load, so they are used to switching hands pretty frequently. Plus I'm pretty good at petting with either hand. But, I bet some birds get used to their owner being right or left handed and always approaching with that hand. Or they see the other hand as bad because they were grabbed, or the towel came at them with that one, or they were petted and didn't like it. May just have to keep introducing it slowly. Get it closer, little by little.

 

[roxynoodle]

I didn't say one person bird, I said maybe only used to stepping up onto one hand, meaning only being used to a right hand or a left hand. I take that back though since it just started.

Yes, I think grabbing her is the factor that started this (esp since it only started today). It will take some time to earn trust back.

 

[PaulaK]

Roxy that all makes sence. I will just take it easy. They are smart birds. Im sure in time I can get her use to the other hand and let her know that it is not a threat to her in any way. She loves to be cuttled with that hand as long as it stays away from her beak and feet.

 

[roxynoodle]

She now sees that hand as the bad hand. Isn't that funny how they can be afraid of one hand and not the other?

I think working on getting it closer and closer, little by little until she accepts it again will help. Maybe the bad hand can feed her treats.

In the future I would try not to grab her if possible. Try getting your hand under her and forcing her off your shirt with her on top of your hand. Many birds after being grabbed develop a fear of hands altogether. You could also try bribing her off of you with a treat. My conure would go anywhere for a Nutriberry.

 

[PaulaK]

Thanks I will try. I am also going to be careful what shirts I wear in the future, It was a cotton tee shirt that was loosley stiched and she got her toe stuck in the stich. It was just a reaction on how to get her off. I will try the other suggestions first. Plus how can you blame the bird. I would be afraid of something that comes at me like I was pray.

 

[roxynoodle]

Ah, I can understand why you felt you had to grab her with a toenail stuck. If that happens again, maybe a finger under the foot/toe could lift it off. My cat constantly sticks her claws into my clothes, but she is not a bird and accepts my getting her out much better. I know you said she doesn't like her feet touched, but I bet she would like it better than a whole hand around her. I once sort of grabbed my amazon when he tried to not go back into his cage, and he was mad about it for awhile. I haven't done it again, lol! Today he did it as well, and I just let him run up to the top of his cage until he felt like being cooperative.

 

[PaulaK]

Yes I also do the same with my cat. It will take some getting use to not grabbing her like you can a cat. I will try the treat thing with the hand she does not like and see if that works. It may take time but I am patient. She has such a great personality to her dispite the fact she likes to eat my finger LOL. She "churps" when I enter a room just to say hi. She begs to come out so and she turns her head so I can scatch her behind her ears. She sceams at the cat when it goes past and to say this has scared the cat so much that she now tiptoes past the bird. On the other hand she makes a differnt noise to get the dogs attention, and the dog comes a running to see if she is ok and the bird dances as to say you stupid dog I got you trained LOL. I know that they do not SING like other birds but when my 5 year old walks past she almost sings. At this point in time I do not let my 5 year old hold her as I fell she is just to young. also as a note, I do not let the bird out untill I put the dog and cat away, I dont trust all three of them, you never know what they will do.

 

[roxynoodle]

Oh, I can't trust my cat at all. She actually tries to get my big amazon to play "terrorize". He could rip half her face off and she isn't afraid of him. I, too, have to lock her up to let the birds out. I know both bird and cat would be hurt if I didn't.

We all make mistakes with our birds. The simple fact of the matter is we think like humans because that is what we are. And in what can seem like an emergency situation, we react before we stop to think like a bird does.

I'm sure as long as you are patient, she will come to accept the bad hand.

I wouldn't let a 5 year old hold a conure either. Just in case the bird bites, because even a little conure hurts when it bites. If it can hurt me, I wouldn't want it to happen to my small child. I think that's a good plan.

 

[SunMommy]

I let my 5 year old hold Pyro all the time. I just supervise all of their interactions. Pyro is a very calm conure though and has never truly bitten anyone. He has nipped, but never drawn blood. Maybe once you've had your bird longer you will be able to let your 5 year old hold her.

 

[roxynoodle]

It does depend on the conure I guess. I don't think my Blue Crown ever bit me. Rowdy though can be bossy, dominant and moody. Once she bit me hard enough to rip into an artery in my finger because she knew I was going to take her back to the vet (I'm sure I gave off vibes or something). So I couldn't trust Rowdy with a child just in case she got it into her head to be a snot. And she would know a child would be easy to push around.

 

[roxynoodle]

Do bear in mind that eventually Pyro will have hormones, and when hormonal it is hard to say how any parrot will act. Some go through it with hardly a blip except they are very distracted and don't really want to come out and interact, and others can suddenly turn into a monster, even if for just a day.

 

[PaulaK]

I agree with the both of you. I do belive once I have the bird longer my 5 year old may be able to hold the bird. She does pet the bird and plays with the bird when it is on the floor. But at this time I think my 5 year old moves to fast and this may give the bird a reason to think I better grab on when I can or i may not get picked up.

 

[PaulaK]

Just to let everyone know that Mattie was put in a "birdy" time out last night due to her constant bitting. I was hoping that this is not what she wanted, but anyways, I would sit by her and talk to her. I would not just ignore her. She was going to the bottom of her cage to come out, but I just wouldnt let her. I felt bad, but it was close to bed time so its not I didnt let her out all day. Well today after she ate, she went to the bottom of her cage. Did her pop training and I let her come out. Now at first she would again try to bite my left hand, but I gently set her off ballance and she stopped. When she would just beak my hand I would give her a treat with that hand. After about 5 minutes she was once again stepping up onto my left hand with no HARD bitting, just a slight movement of my hand and she would stop. After another few minutes she was back to laddering. I must of proved to her that that hand is safe. She even cuddles with that hand again. I must of formed a strong bond with this bird. Its all about trust and love. Now if I can just get her to be nice to my boyfriend as this is HIS bird. I dont want her to be a one person bird. But Im sure that will come along also.

 

[roxynoodle]

So glad to hear it!