Rehomed Meyer's Parrot - Nacho, tame but needs work

[jennymrose]

Hi all, you may have seen my intro post yesterday.

I purchased a new friend Nacho yesterday. He is tame, but seems to be afraid of hands. On the plus side, he makes kissy noises, laughs, and mimics well.

Yesterday, his previous owner handled him in front of me with out him biting, but after being on my hand for a minute he decided to bite (broke the skin, didn't bleed much). The previous owner's husband indicated that Nacho didn't like him and would bite him pretty hard after a short time on his hand.

I know the best thing to do is not react when bitten, but this is easier said then done! I returned him to his cage last night when he started biting me. I probably should have moved him to a handheld perch and waited until he was calm. =(

When I am visiting with Nacho inside or outside of his cage, he is always watching where my hands are. They do seems to make him nervous. I have been getting him in and out of the cage with the "step up" command and a handheld perch. He will take treats from my hand. As soon as I open his cage he rushes to the door and clearly wants out, but goes to bite if my hand approaches. He also bites the handheld perch before stepping up to come out. Once out, he is calm, but watches my hands. If they move near him he becomes afraid. He'll take treats, but is clearly wary of my hand. I tried to win him over this morning by eating some oatmeal in front of him and sharing. He ate a little, but not enthusiastically.

I can give him scritches on his neck if I am careful not to startle him with my hand - by saying "scritches" and wiggling my finger the right way. I only proceed if he then turns his head to the side indicating he is receptive.

I plan to buy a clicker to start basic training (targeting a stick at first). I think this will go quickly, as he can already step up (albeit on a perch).

Any suggestion or advice? Should I wait to attempt any more "step ups" on my hand? I am eager to become loved by Nacho! I also don't want to move too fast, as he is adjusting to a lot of change (new cage, new toys, new sounds, new people, new schedule). I have him in a back bedroom right now, and planned to move him to the living room once he settles in. Is that reasonable?

Appreciate your advice and your experiences with re-homed Poicephaluses!

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

First off, be patient and give him time to simply get used to being in the same room as you. You just brought him home yesterday so he is not used to his new home, people, furniture or anything else. Sit near the cage and talk to him, read to him and just show interest but don't expect much yet. He is more afraid of you than you are of him and he's the one that inflicts the pain! Give him plenty of treats through he cage and when he is comfortable enough open the cage door but don't request he come out or step up or anything else. Give him time to get used to you and see how it goes. Always speak softly and see if that breaks the ice.

Someone with direct Meyers experience will stop in with first hand experience. Good luck!

 

[jennymrose]

Thanks Tracy! You're right I should give him time. Do you think the quieter back bedroom is the right call? I also covered the back 1/2 of his cage, as a Poi book I bought indicated this was a good idea for the first few days (also his previous owners covered his cage for bedtime, so I knew he was at least used to it).

 

[MeganMango]

Mango is also very nervous of hands, but will cuddle right up to our faces or any other body part. When he first came he would nip us when we asked him to step up and run away. We ignored it and we were persistent and made him practice and now he doesnt even threaten to bite us when we ask for step up. He will threaten us any time our hands move though, and I expect it will take a while before we can touch him. The only time I can touch him with my hands anywhere but his feet is when we are in the shower. He will roll right into my hands and closes his eyes like hes in heaven and I can pet/scritch him all over and even move his wings (so weird). I was pretty discouraged the first few days we had him because he was so nippy. He hast bitten us hard he just puts his beak on us, but its definitely scary. He gets less threatened by our hands every single day, and since your guy is already happy to be scritched I would guess he just needs to get to know you.

 

[munstersmom]

When I brought Munny home (re-homed 3 year old brown head) he stepped up like a pro for me but he did not want me petting him or giving him scritches. He didn't bite but he growled at me and looked scared. It took some time before he began to trust me and my hands. For the first couple days/weeks I just let him hang out next to me. We watched TV, went on the internet and ate meals together. He started liking me rubbing his break. Now he totally trusts me and I can handle him any way, flip him upside down, etc. LOVES scritches and always begging for more.

There are times when something will scare him and he will be a little iffy about my hand though, like he saw a big hawk sitting on a tree in the backyard the other day. He will get kind of jumpy but I talk to him and he will relax then. It definitely takes time and patience, but if your guy wants attention which it sounds like he does, I bet he will come around and be a big sweetheart in no time!

Some advice I can offer is making sure you say "step up" whenever asking him to. A lot of people just throw their hand in the birds face and the bird might not know exactly what you are asking for. The first words Munny said to me were "step up." lol He usually repeats it after me as he is stepping up.

Putting your bird back in his cage after being naughty is actually the right thing to do since he seems to want to be out and like attention. Do it calmly without making a big fuss about it. Once he is calm you can then take him out again. I wouldn't even put him on a play stand or perch outside of his cage right now or really the first month and only handle him or let him hang out on you. He will think you are the greatest thing ever and associate you with getting him out of his cage, giving him attention and love. Once he thinks highly of you, then you can start letting him have some other fun spots to hang out on but some boundaries must be set first. Of course his cage need to be a place he likes too, with plenty of toys he can entertain himself with when you aren't giving him attention.

 

[MeganMango]

Thanks Munstersmom, its nice to hear success stories. Mango will only let me scritch him with my chin (Im sure we look hillarious).