new bird, are all of them this way

[dreadly]

hello, im a new member here so if this is in the worng place or something i apologize. i was kinding hoping for some advice/info from some senior/veteran parrot owners.
i used to own a yellow sided green cheek conure named floyd. when i first got him he was so sweet and would let me kiss on him and apsolutely adored me after just a few days of me having him. but after awhile he slowly started to be different eventually he got to the point where every night i would get a bite on the face then he was chill with me. so a friend of mine with several other birds took him and he is doing fine with her.
i think it was the fact i was at school all day and usually out till ten or eleven at night he was holding a grudge for not paying enough attention to him. is this a possiblity?
i am moving to florida, right near da beach, and my career is outdoors and i would be able to spend alot more time with a bird. do all parrots and such get tempermental like that? i really want an african grey or a macaw. thank you, sorry about the lengthy message

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Do all parrots get temperamental like that?

Yes. And No.

Depending upon the age of the conure when you got him it may have been hormonal changes. Everybody loves the kitten, but unfortunately some want to get rid of the cat. The changes to adulthood in a parrot can be more significant than in cats. Hormones can have a huge impact.

None of this however means that such behavior is inevitable.

Your story of your GCC sounds just like my experience with Auggie: when he was young he was the sweetest thing ever, he would cuddle and kiss, and he would tolerate anything. Now he's an adult, and there are new rules. I do not let him hang out in the collar of my shirt anymore, because for whatever reason he occasionally turns around and chomps into my neck... and I'd like to keep my jugular where it is.

That doesn't mean Auggie and I don't still have a great relationship, but the relationship has to grow with the parrot. They are individuals with their own personality and their own ideas, they are not a cuddly stuffed animal who will do just what we want them to.

I doubt he was "holding a grudge," but changes in schedules can affect them. And interfering to much with their sleeping schedule can turn the sweetest bird into a homicidal maniac.

Anyhow, if you do get a new bird I'd say you should absolutely expect challenges. But you can also expect that you can get through them. Behavior is malleable. If a bird takes to biting you can train them not to, or you can learn not to do certain things - like I don't allow Auggie in my shirt collar anymore.

Unlike other common pets parrots will not be a doormat. Dogs and cats usually are quite flexible with being there for us whenever we want and not complaining. Parrots are bold and outspoken with their feelings. This can make owning a parrot much more challenging, but also much more rewarding. Having a parrot is having a relationship with another individual, not so much having a pet.

 

[dreadly]

thanks. that was pretty much the perfect response. i have been reading alot, because i was very inexperienced actually i knew nothing of birds when he was givin to me at a very young age, the bird i meen. i allowed him to see me freak out when he bit me so he got a response, i allowed him to be above me at all times, doors, cage, shoulder perch. all were above my head so i think he belived he was dominate. and i wasnt so much throwing off his sleep as it was only spending maybe two or three hours a day with him. collective not all at once. a half hour here, ten minutes there. i was only fifteen and was just givin a baby bird. but i feel now that i understand this isnt a cat or dog to smother wtih affection. i really want an african grey. badly. are females more calm than males? she would think i was her mate maybe. thanks for the help.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Hopefully others can chime in on specifics for a grey, but generally there aren't many significant differences between males and females of many species.

As far as pair bonding with you gender does not matter at all. A bird will (potentially) form such a bond with whoever they are closest to. Many bird owners don't even know the sex of their birds; and I suspect even fewer birds can tell the sex of their owner.

 

[dreadly]

right on. thanks for the help.

 

[Tracy842]

Auggie's Dad gave a great response! I know Popsicle my Senegal will hold a grudge if she is mad with me. If I leave for a while I always get a nip when I get back but it doesn't last much longer than that. Once birds go through sexual maturity they can change quite a bit.

 

[dreadly]

yeah i think in about a year ill get another bird. im goin for an african grey. what do mean a nip? my bird would attatch itself to my face, lip, or nostrile for a moment then fly off freaking out cause im dancing around yelling

 

[shadowme]

I know with my the bite really hurts. My husband was bit on his thumb nail and he said it felt like he was hit with a hammer. As for now with my new macaw I don't let my bird get ahold of my fingers. I want to keep them for a while. lol

 

[Tracy842]

Just a small bite. She knows how hard to bite to hurt you and break the skin but she also knows how to bite to just let you know she is mad at you. She has never bitten me to actually break the skin, thankfully.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

"my bird would attatch itself to my face, lip, or nostrile for a moment then fly off freaking out cause im dancing around yelling"

I have had MANY such experiences. Some of them left me wondering if I could keep Auggie. That was quite possibly the most painful time in my life, and I don't mean the actual bites, though they were in the running, but rather facing that decision.

Auggie is still here, and such bites are all but eliminated through a little learning for both Auggie and myself. I say ALL BUT eliminated, because every so often he gets me again (maybe once every couple months). Perhaps others are lucky enough, or skilled enough in owning birds, that they don't face these bites - but those of use who jumped into bird owning head first with little knowledge have learned the hard way. But learning is possible, and those kinds of bites can become the very rare exception rather than the rule.

 

[danewillow]

Greys are challenging. We have a male so I can't tell you how a female might be. They are very sensitive birds. Ours likes me only. He'll bite my husband and it hurts! I've suffered a few bites from him and he can draw blood. He's always on the move. While our Amazon Rocky is napping, our Grey Einstein is attacking a toy or twisting his head around like Rosemary's baby. They are very intelligent. Comparing Rocky to Einstein, Rocky mimics sounds while Einstein associates those sounds to something or an activity. Open a door in our house and Einstein calls the dogs (and knows which one is out there). He poops and then says "No pooping." Rocky says Buh-bye when nobody is leaving. We've gone through difficult phases with Einstein. There was the plucking phase, biting phase, shrieking nonstop phase. Luckily, he no longer plucks, only occassionally bites, and seems to be quieter with the addition of Rocky.

If you feel you're better able to control your reactions to a bird, then you may be ready for a Grey. Make sure your schedule is pretty regular before getting a bird. Ours interact with us from the moment we get home from work until we go to bed.

Julie