Overly excited?

[Mrspy]

Hey guys, ever since laste November my parrotlet has for some reason become EXTREMELY excited whenever you rub any kind of cloth, surface, object, or even your hands. I thought it was funny at first, until every time I went into the room with him he would get SO excited and come right to the front of the cage. He looks so cute and i know he wants me to pet him. But he get's so excited that he bites me, really hard. I get very annoyed when he does this. Should I worry? He's been doing it for quiet a while....and finally I thought I should look into it.

 

[Mrspy]

Can I please get an answer for this? This problem is getting worse and worse and now Peeps refuses to come out of his cage.

 

[antoinette]

Mrspy sorry I honestly can't be of assists to you. This has been happening for almost 10 months, I sincerely hope it can be solved.
Will search the net, and hopefully come up with some answers.

 

[nofearengineer]

Can you perhaps post a video of what you are doing, and his reaction?

It would help a lot in trying to figure out what's going through his little bird brain.

 

[Beilana]

How old is he? Perhaps he is going through a hormonal phase???? hmmm a video would definitely help

 

[Mrspy]

I'll get a video for sure guys. He turned 3 last May. I'd think he'd be out of his "teenage" years by now.

 

[Aussie Ben]

I'm with beilana in that this sounds like a hormonal thing. I know most of the time when Eddie bites, it has been a hormonal thing (he starts doing all his courtship displays etc). However, I don't know what 'stages' a parrolet goes through, when they occur and how long they last. The video may help us .

 

[Vivica]

I second the hormonal diagnosis. They can get mighty strange when they go into hormonal changes.

 

[wildheart]

EXTREMELY excited whenever you rub any kind of cloth, surface, object, or even your hands.

This problem is getting worse and worse and now Peeps refuses to come out of his cage.

Does hormones really change a bird for 11 months on end?

I dont understand what you are saying? Peeps gets excited when you rub something - so much so that he does not want to come out of his cage when you rub things?

Biting you and not wanting to come out of the cage tells me that he clearly hates the sound and can even be scared of it. So stop doing it. My girl is scared of a WHOLE LOT of things, a broom especially. I am not going to wave a broom in front of her every day for 11 months because I like her excited reaction - no - I try and keep brooms away from her.

You need to AVOID all things that makes your bird scared / 'excited' / cause biting / cause not wanting to come out. If you've been doing this rubbing for 11 months already then Peeps most probable associates you with this sound. CAUSE AND EFFECT. Rubbing is the cause and biting is the effect. Biting did not work so Peeps are now becoming completely withdrawn and choose to stay away from the cause.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Does hormones really change a bird for 11 months on end?

......

You need to AVOID all things that makes your bird scared / excited / cause biting / cause not wanting to come out. If you've been doing this rubbing for 11 months already then Peeps most probable associates you with this sound. CAUSE AND EFFECT. Rubbing is the cause and biting is the effect.

I guess if Mr Spy has accidentally been rewarding peeps when the behaviour occurs, then theoretically it could have become a habit. In some species (eclectus for example), breeding can occur year round, so you always have to deal with the problem. Not sure bout P'lets though.

Linky is right that you need to remove the source/cause of the problem, regardless of whether this is a hormonal thing or simple behaviour thing. It may take time to figure it out, but it is important. I have found this to be the best method with any problems I have had. I found Eddie would attack things I was holding (and sometimes my hand) when he was in my room....solution, don't take him down there anymore lol.

 

[Mrspy]

Ok guys sorry it's taken so long to get back to ya'll. No I don't think Peeps is scared of the rubbing because it actually makes him want to associate with us more and more and more. He isn't afraid of it one-I-Ota.

I'll put the video on. Click on the link and you'll know then. Hope I can fix it.

(btw the rubbing is actually what we use to get him out of the cage he loves it so much.)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWNRWG7ua1Q]YouTube - MVI_2504.AVI[/ame]

Please lemme know what you think.

 

[wildheart]

I am sticking to what I said and your video only shows me that Peeps, after years, still do not trust your hands. The rubbing annoys him and that is why he bites you.

But he get's so excited that he bites me, really hard. I get very annoyed when he does this.

This problem is getting worse and worse and now Peeps refuses to come out of his cage.

You can not gain his trust by doing things that he does not like, even if you think he loves it - his actions speaks differently.

Biting you and not wanting to come out of the cage tells me that he clearly hates the sound and can even be scared of it. So stop doing it. My girl is scared of a WHOLE LOT of things, a broom especially. I am not going to wave a broom in front of her every day for 11 months because I like her excited reaction - no - I try and keep brooms away from her.

You need to AVOID all things that makes your bird scared / 'excited' / cause biting / cause not wanting to come out. If you've been doing this rubbing for 11 months already then Peeps most probable associates you with this sound. CAUSE AND EFFECT. Rubbing is the cause and biting is the effect. Biting did not work so Peeps are now becoming completely withdrawn and choose to stay away from the cause.

I cant say that Peeps will ever trust your hands cause your methods of doing things should not be used on birds.

I told him "no" and put my finger behind his Cheeks and shook him.

What does this mean?

Hopefully somebody else has the time to explain positive reinforcement to you.

 

[Mrspy]

I am sticking to what I said and your video only shows me that Peeps, after years, still do not trust your hands. The rubbing annoys him and that is why he bites you.

But he get's so excited that he bites me, really hard. I get very annoyed when he does this.

This problem is getting worse and worse and now Peeps refuses to come out of his cage.

You can not gain his trust by doing things that he does not like, even if you think he loves it - his actions speaks differently.



I cant say that Peeps will ever trust your hands cause your methods of doing things should not be used on birds.

I told him "no" and put my finger behind his Cheeks and shook him.

What does this mean?

Hopefully somebody else has the time to explain positive reinforcement to you.

Geeze I did it GENTLY!

And Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place. The breeder I got him from wasn't top notch and he does act like an angel(and trusts my hands)when he's outside of the cage.

This wasn't my idea to sh ow him the "rubbing" thing. My brothers started with a sheet that they dryed their hand on after washing them. The cloth was next to Peeps cage and so I thought it was kinda cute at first. But then I noticed Peeps behavior and told th em to stop but it still continued. That might sound like a dumb excuse but that's what happened. I've only recently been able to get a room to myself and put Peeps downstair where he can't be bothered by these things.

I do have a training program but I don't know if that will work seeing as Peeps NEVER bites outside of his cage, only inside. Maybe I shouldn't invade "his privacy?"

I never wanted this to happen in the first place and I regret the very day it did happen.

 

[Mrspy]

I am sticking to what I said and your video only shows me that Peeps, after years, still do not trust your hands. The rubbing annoys him and that is why he bites you.

But he get's so excited that he bites me, really hard. I get very annoyed when he does this.

This problem is getting worse and worse and now Peeps refuses to come out of his cage.

You can not gain his trust by doing things that he does not like, even if you think he loves it - his actions speaks differently.



I cant say that Peeps will ever trust your hands cause your methods of doing things should not be used on birds.

I told him "no" and put my finger behind his Cheeks and shook him.

What does this mean?

Hopefully somebody else has the time to explain positive reinforcement to you.

I rechecked the posts in this thread and can't find anywhere where I said that......

 

[antoinette]

Mrspy Overly excited? Sorry I beg to differ Overly petrified

I viewed your video, Peeps is petrified of you, anyone can tell you that.
Look at his reaction just by you opening the cage door, that is definitely not an overly excitable bird at all.
He could not get away from you any quicker if he tried.
He does not want you to take him out, the way he lunges at you should have been a warning sign.

Have you ever considered he does not want to be taken out, and will come out when he wants to.

I am not picking on you Mrspy, just want to point out a few things which you quoted

You quoted Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place
There is your answer

You quoted No I don't think Peeps is scared of the rubbing because it actually makes him want to associate with us more and more and more. He isn't afraid of it one-I-Ota.


Then you quoted The cloth was next to Peeps cage and so I thought it was kinda cute at first. But then I noticed Peeps behavior

This "problem" has been an ongoing on since November last year, something should have been done much sooner.
I suggest you take a few steps back, and start from the very beginning with Peeps, as if he was a "new" bird
Sit near his cage, talk to him, let his gain your trust, something obviously he has not been able to achieve thus far.
How long have you had Peeps by the way?
Offer him treats from outside the cage at first, with your hands.
At a later stage, place a treat near the open door, again leaving him to decide if he wants to take the treat OR come out his cage.

 

[Aussie Ben]

I think I MIGHT have a solution for you (or at least a place to start). I do agree with the above in that you need to rebuild that trust, and through positive reinforcement. One thing I have learnt from my fids, is birds will rarely get 'used' to something, but they will always be able to 'learn' something e.g.:A bird may never become 'used' to being handled, but he can 'learn' to accept it. Difference between the two is the former is rushed and stressful, the latter is a slow, positive process. (I think school/university often enforce the former when it comes to study lol :54.

what do I recommend to you? I will explain as I have had a similar situation:

After buddy spent a week in hospital some years ago, fighting death, she became quite scared of hands. She NEVER EVER bit, but she put up a big fuss and did laps of the back of the cage. Maybe this was because of the way myself or the vet handled her while she was sick (we had to do everything for her, she had severe paralysis), but I don't know. I am not going to speculate too much about what caused it, but something did and I had to fix it. I found she was only fearful of my hand while she was in the cage. Anywhere else, including the top of the cage, she couldn't care less if I went to pick her up....sound familiar? So, I figured, if I can get her to comfortably come out of the cage, then I can pick here up and no one has to get grumpy, it wasn't rocket science. My solution...Target Training. I started training the behaviour in her cage (she had done targeting before but it had been a long time). Everytime she nib'd the stick I gave her a reward. Over time, I got her to move closer and closer to the cage door and was able to guide her to the top of the cage and she would step up without a fuss. I did this every time I went to get here out, until one day, I went to her cage, opened it, turned around to pick up my target stick and when I turn back......guess who is coming out of the cage all by herself?

BEST part of this story is, she's happy because she was rewarded in a positive way and I am happy because my bird is happy.

Word of caution - BE CONSISTENT! Every time I skipped a day of teaching this behaviour, it set me 2 days back.

Hope this helps

 

[wildheart]

I told him "no" and put my finger behind his Cheeks and shook him.

What does this mean?

Geeze I did it GENTLY!

Even gently or GENTLY is still considered as abuse in my eyes. Your bird does not understand punishment and when you treat them like that then you strike fear into them.

And Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place. The breeder I got him from wasn't top notch and he does act like an angel(and trusts my hands)when he's outside of the cage.

It is not the breeders responsibility to hand you a tame bird (you were lucky with the new one), you have to work and earn the trust from your bird. My girl came to me completely wild and abused, flying and attacking us in the face. She is a completely different bird today and you will not even say that she was abused.

But then I noticed Peeps behavior and told th em to stop but it still continued. That might sound like a dumb excuse but that's what happened.

You did realize that Peeps were upset by the rubbing, I therefore do not understand why you deny it in the previous posts?

LETS FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEEPS LIFE BETTER.

I will firstly get Peeps a new cage, I think his current cage is too small and he is therefore over protective of it. When you stick your hand in there, it feels to him as if he does not have any space to escape in and this makes him very scared. A bigger cage might give him a little bit more confidence. I also see that the current cage is covered almost on 3 sides, why? This can also cause him to feel even more claustrophobic. Remember he is born to be free, his territory does not have an end.

After putting him in a new cage you can start with trust building. You bring your hand towards him, showing him a treat, and if you see that he backs off then you STOP. You must take note of how far you could reach in before he backed off and then always keep that distance. He MUST COME TO YOU or you must be able to bring your hand right to him without him backing off. Only then you can start with stepping up.
Come on you LOVE Peeps! Get him a bigger cage and start with trust building on his terms and his pace.



Plus NEVER rub anything around him again, please.

 

[Mrspy]

Mrspy Overly excited? Sorry I beg to differ Overly petrified

I viewed your video, Peeps is petrified of you, anyone can tell you that.
Look at his reaction just by you opening the cage door, that is definitely not an overly excitable bird at all.
He could not get away from you any quicker if he tried.
He does not want you to take him out, the way he lunges at you should have been a warning sign.

Have you ever considered he does not want to be taken out, and will come out when he wants to.

I am not picking on you Mrspy, just want to point out a few things which you quoted

You quoted Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place
There is your answer

You quoted No I don't think Peeps is scared of the rubbing because it actually makes him want to associate with us more and more and more. He isn't afraid of it one-I-Ota.


Then you quoted The cloth was next to Peeps cage and so I thought it was kinda cute at first. But then I noticed Peeps behavior

This "problem" has been an ongoing on since November last year, something should have been done much sooner.
I suggest you take a few steps back, and start from the very beginning with Peeps, as if he was a "new" bird
Sit near his cage, talk to him, let his gain your trust, something obviously he has not been able to achieve thus far.
How long have you had Peeps by the way?
Offer him treats from outside the cage at first, with your hands.
At a later stage, place a treat near the open door, again leaving him to decide if he wants to take the treat OR come out his cage.

Gee thanks, now I feel like an even bigger bird owner failure.

 

[Mrspy]

I told him "no" and put my finger behind his Cheeks and shook him.

What does this mean?

Even gently or GENTLY is still considered as abuse in my eyes. Your bird does not understand punishment and when you treat them like that then you strike fear into them.

And Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place. The breeder I got him from wasn't top notch and he does act like an angel(and trusts my hands)when he's outside of the cage.

It is not the breeders responsibility to hand you a tame bird (you were lucky with the new one), you have to work and earn the trust from your bird. My girl came to me completely wild and abused, flying and attacking us in the face. She is a completely different bird today and you will not even say that she was abused.

But then I noticed Peeps behavior and told th em to stop but it still continued. That might sound like a dumb excuse but that's what happened.

You did realize that Peeps were upset by the rubbing, I therefore do not understand why you deny it in the previous posts?

LETS FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEEPS LIFE BETTER.

I will firstly get Peeps a new cage, I think his current cage is too small and he is therefore over protective of it. When you stick your hand in there, it feels to him as if he does not have any space to escape in and this makes him very scared. A bigger cage might give him a little bit more confidence. I also see that the current cage is covered almost on 3 sides, why? This can also cause him to feel even more claustrophobic. Remember he is born to be free, his territory does not have an end.

After putting him in a new cage you can start with trust building. You bring your hand towards him, showing him a treat, and if you see that he backs off then you STOP. You must take note of how far you could reach in before he backed off and then always keep that distance. He MUST COME TO YOU or you must be able to bring your hand right to him without him backing off. Only then you can start with stepping up.
Come on you LOVE Peeps! Get him a bigger cage and start with trust building on his terms and his pace.



Plus NEVER rub anything around him again, please.

Ok thanks for the help wild heart

I will firstly get Peeps a new cage

You'd do that? lol. I think either you worded it wrong or you're being extremely kind.

You know I did notice that when I put Peeps in Kiwis cage(don't worry Kiwi was outside and I never left him, just wanted to see what he did in a big cage)and he was very happy inside there. And also when I put my hand inside he didn't run away from me and instead hopped onto my hand like he would outside.

After buddy spent a week in hospital some years ago, fighting death, she became quite scared of hands. She NEVER EVER bit, but she put up a big fuss and did laps of the back of the cage. Maybe this was because of the way myself or the vet handled her while she was sick (we had to do everything for her, she had severe paralysis), but I don't know. I am not going to speculate too much about what caused it, but something did and I had to fix it. I found she was only fearful of my hand while she was in the cage. Anywhere else, including the top of the cage, she couldn't care less if I went to pick her up....sound familiar? So, I figured, if I can get her to comfortably come out of the cage, then I can pick here up and no one has to get grumpy, it wasn't rocket science. My solution...Target Training. I started training the behaviour in her cage (she had done targeting before but it had been a long time). Everytime she nib'd the stick I gave her a reward. Over time, I got her to move closer and closer to the cage door and was able to guide her to the top of the cage and she would step up without a fuss. I did this every time I went to get here out, until one day, I went to her cage, opened it, turned around to pick up my target stick and when I turn back......guess who is coming out of the cage all by herself?

Thanks for the help Ben. Yeah i'v tried Target training, it didn't really work but then again I didn't real REALLY try. I'll give it a try though!

I also see that the current cage is covered almost on 3 sides, why?

I did this because I heard that you shouldn't let your cage be open on all sides. It might make Peeps(and other birds)always on the alert because he has no "safe place" to go. Which would probably lead to stress. But if you think it's not gonna help i'll sure take it off.

You know the cage Idea is probably my best option, I think i'm gonna buy the same cage as Kiwi, more later and thanks!

 

[antoinette]

Mrspy Overly excited? Sorry I beg to differ Overly petrified

I viewed your video, Peeps is petrified of you, anyone can tell you that.
Look at his reaction just by you opening the cage door, that is definitely not an overly excitable bird at all.
He could not get away from you any quicker if he tried.
He does not want you to take him out, the way he lunges at you should have been a warning sign.

Have you ever considered he does not want to be taken out, and will come out when he wants to.

I am not picking on you Mrspy, just want to point out a few things which you quoted

You quoted Peeps never trusted my hand in the first place
There is your answer

You quoted No I don't think Peeps is scared of the rubbing because it actually makes him want to associate with us more and more and more. He isn't afraid of it one-I-Ota.


Then you quoted The cloth was next to Peeps cage and so I thought it was kinda cute at first. But then I noticed Peeps behavior

This "problem" has been an ongoing on since November last year, something should have been done much sooner.
I suggest you take a few steps back, and start from the very beginning with Peeps, as if he was a "new" bird
Sit near his cage, talk to him, let his gain your trust, something obviously he has not been able to achieve thus far.
How long have you had Peeps by the way?
Offer him treats from outside the cage at first, with your hands.
At a later stage, place a treat near the open door, again leaving him to decide if he wants to take the treat OR come out his cage.

Gee thanks, now I feel like an even bigger bird owner failure.

No one is calling you a failure, that never ever crossed my mind.

We are members of this forum, with good intentions
To assist and help one another

You were basically verbally attacking wildheart, with each reply you posted. Wildheart is trying her best to assist you, pointing out certain things, which could make a big difference where Peeps is concerned.