Shouldn't have let my guard down!

[RavensGryf]

Bad Raven! This morning Raven sliced my finger hard right on the index finger pad. Since he's been letting me touch him more lately, I let my guard down, and kept trying him, the way I do with Robin. Bad decision.

Robin will generally give about 20 little warning nips if his body language is showing relaxed. In other words, when Robin is in a good mood, he is 'extremely' tolerant with me. Raven on the other hand, is more like your "average" parrot, in that you better respect the 'wild animal' that he is, and pay close attention to slight warnings. I really learned my lesson today not to push my luck when I had started to take for granted that I could just touch him whenever.

While he is not a big bird, at 260 grams he is the size of a small amazon, so that's enough to have a cut deep enough that it wouldn't stop bleeding for hours until I went and got it cauterized and closed.

I type pretty well, which is why I can still type (albeit a little slower) without an index finger . Watch those warnings people! Griffin also got me this week, but that was only a small hole .

 

[GaleriaGila]

The RB got me a good one yesterday. I was bragging in Rookiebird's thread about how I never get bitten anymore and sure enough, my husband and I passed too closely in the hall, with RB on my shoulder AND my hair up (ear exposed). A perfect storm: he chomped me a good one on an inner cartilage that left a baby pea-diameter crater. Oh yehhhhhhhhhhhhh..... I have this bird completely under control!

 

[SailBoat]

It is soooo easy to let down the guard! After all, we have a developing relationship here, everything is good and than WAM, BAM!

Thanks for the reminder! Sorry about the bite! It's like they learn quickly where it hurts the most!

 

[GaleriaGila]

So true. I ll have hurt feelings, still, after all this time, but it only takes a few of his antics, and I'm over it!

 

[wrench13]

Salty is 260 to 270 so about the same size as Raven, but so far he has never bitten me that hard. He gave me a grinding bite awhile ago, it I could feel his jaws working back an forth. I distracted him and got my finger out a there. Hope yours heals quickly.

 

[BeatriceC]

Goofy got me pretty good a few months back; for the sin of reaching around his cage to change the water (that bird can move fast when he wants to...I'd leaned my hand against the side of his cage in an attempt to not lose my balance...bad decision). My fingerprint on that finger no longer matches what it was previously.

 

[GaleriaGila]

RB yells OWWW before he bites, but there's just not enough time to register that and respond...

Kisseszszsz on all your boo-boos to make them feel better!

 

[RavensGryf]

Thanks guys . Raven will NEVER bite his dad... only me. I will have to remember this!

Gail I'm sorry the Rickeybird got you too . Beatrice, a YNA bite... yikes!

 

[SirEdwin89]

I feel your pain! I've been pretty lucky with finger bites (avoiding them that is) my hands and fore-arms however not so much. Had to get a couple stitches to close up a bite on my fore-arm this weekend that one wasn't fun.

 

[Tsali]

Sounds like you were a victim of "Parrot Bait and Switch". You know, parrot advertises himself as being in good parrot mode when really he is in bad parrot mode. I think all parrot owners need styptic powder handy at all times as well as a good antibiotic.

Hope you heal quickly.

 

[GraciesMom]

Owie @ all the boo boos Hope everyone heals quickly.

Thanks for the reminder .. I haven't been nailed by Gracie in about 3 mths so yea I get super lax with her.

 

[RavensGryf]

I feel your pain! I've been pretty lucky with finger bites (avoiding them that is) my hands and fore-arms however not so much. Had to get a couple stitches to close up a bite on my fore-arm this weekend that one wasn't fun.

I did read that, and cringed in pain! I'm sorry that happened, that is a serious bite from a cockatoo.

Sounds like you were a victim of "Parrot Bait and Switch". You know, parrot advertises himself as being in good parrot mode when really he is in bad parrot mode. I think all parrot owners need styptic powder handy at all times as well as a good antibiotic.

Hope you heal quickly.

Thank you. Yeah, he was even saying "good boy" right before! The nerve! lol. No actually he was warning me with an open beak, so it was my fault. Now I know he's serious when he does that haha. I guess I had a false sense of security because he started letting me touch him a lot more just lately.

 

[GraciesMom]

Yeah, he was even saying "good boy" right before! The nerve! lol.

Ok I admit I really belly laughed @ this one. I swear they have a bizarre understanding & sense of humor. The very first really bad bite I got from Gracie right before it she said "Gimmie kiss" .... Ummm that was SO not a kisss Gracie! Kisses don't involve blood lol

Hope it heals quickly Julie!

 

[RavensGryf]

Thank you Kelly! I'm glad some humor came from this lol! Raven ALWAYS says "good boy" before doing something questionable. It's hilarious when he says it with a question mark... "good boy?" I say "no, you're NOT a good boy!

 

[GraciesMom]

Yep Gracie will argue the good girl / not a good girl with me too lol

If I tell her "att at ah" "don't do that" "stop it" "no" or any variation she'll sometimes proceed anyway & say Gracie's a good good girl when I call her out on not listening. I've heard the unspoken question mark too lol It's hard not to laugh @ it

funny how some things are universal & cross species.

 

[BeatriceC]

Goofy is the master of the parrot bait and switch. He'll drop his head like he does when he wants me to pet him, and then CHOMP. Really? You know I won't touch you unless you ask, so why did you lure me in just to bite me?

 

[GraciesMom]

Goofy is the master of the parrot bait and switch. He'll drop his head like he does when he wants me to pet him, and then CHOMP. Really? You know I won't touch you unless you ask, so why did you lure me in just to bite me?

I don't get bit by Gracie anymore (lol did I not learn ANYTHING from this thread) but anyone else is fair game if they approach her and attempt to touch her in any way. The problem is she does the same thing, she whistles, tells em to c'mere, lowers her head and makes lovely eyes then whammo you're getting stitches.
My boss, the kids & a few others have learned the hard way .. took my boss over a month for his hand to heal .. ugh! His words right before "I think she's ready to be buddies" nope.. not ready.

There is 1 employee that went right up to her and just started petting her head lol she had no idea how to react.

She does let our 16 yr old do floor rescues and she will call her over to take her off her cage when she wants Megan to bring her to where ever I am. I swear she treats her like an uber driver. Megan's tip every time is a lil nip - she doesn't actually bite her just barely a nip. Almost as if to say "Remember I can use this & don't push your luck k?"

 

[BeatriceC]

Goofy and I aren't really buddies, but we have a reasonable truce. I stand by his cage and say hello. If he wants to be pet he puts his head down and if he doesn't he stares at me and I walk away. He knows I'm not going to touch him without that invitation. But sometimes he changes his mind faster than I can blink.

 

[GraciesMom]

That's a cool truce ya'll got going ... well except when he's violating it lol
Gracie isn't to a point yet where she's willing to sign any truce pacts with anyone else with anything except "hands off" but we're working on it. I can at least pass her to someone or the vet with an "easy no bite" command & she will behave. Her reward is usually being allowed to play in my purse for a bit (weird I know but she loves to take all my stuff out of it and beak the daylights outta the purse)

 

[Anansi]

Ouch! So sorry you got tagged, Jules. Sounds painful. Especially the cauterization part! You're hard core! Lol!

Yeah, Raven's following the lead of your resident bad boy, Griffin. Crazy thing is, it can seem as though birds can be mean-spirited sometimes. But the truth is, I think we exasperate them sometimes. They rely on body language so much more than we do, which means they're also far more perceptive to it. Ever notice how two birds will just look at one another and will instantly know whether the other is receptive to them? Without a squawk or a single sound? Because they're communicating on levels we simply can't match.

Which is where their exasperation comes in. We only begin to scratch the surface when it comes to understanding their body language. At least, compared to their fellow avians. So I think sometimes their bites spring from exasperation. "I KNOW you see how I'm standing! And the follow up warning twitch I just gave you! Why are you just ignoring what I'm telling you?!?"

And then, one heedless attempt at a head rub later... "Gah! I SAID I'm not in the mood! Okay, you asked for it!" Aaaaaaaaaaand CHOMP!

Some are quicker to bite, but I think that's because of their individual personalities. Like people, some just have more patience than others.

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