Some Uncertainty

[graceyann]

Boy, do I need help understanding some things with Ms. Freckles.
Sunday morning, I was getting her breakfast ready and myself ready for Mass. She plays on the kitchen countertop and "helps" me with all sorts of things. We go through this routine every day without fail......when it came time to put her back on her perch, I offered my right arm (never the left) and the same thing I always say, " time to get on your perch, Freckles is my good girl". She stepped up, cocked her head, raised her feathers and shredded my arm......eight punctures before I could get her back on the counter top. I cleaned, bandaged my arm and went back to her.....she whistled and asked to step up. I took her back, went to church, said some pretty unpleasant things and came home an hour later to a happy, cuddly grey. Sunday evening, she started regurgitating.....every time I pass her cage or invite her to come hang out with me, she bobs her head and deposits what looks like one seed. Monday, she was back on the kitchen counter, no problem, but last night, more regurgitation. This morning, back on the counter, gave her a bite of English muffin, let her have the dregs of my juice and asked her to step up.....four more punctures. My right arm looks a lot like shredded meat this morning.
Sooooo.....what am I dealing with? tantrums? Hormones? Thoughts??
I've suffered dog bites, cat and horse bites.....when you work with critters as long as I have, you know it goes with the territory.....but bloody HECK.....these FLIPPIN' HURT!!

 

[plumsmum2005]

I'll go with tantrums basically, although the hormones may have given her horns? She is exerting the power to choose, unfortunately for you. It looks like it has made her bolder.

Rebuff the regurg and try and head it off at the pass so to speak. Distraction is your friend at a time like this with both step ups and regurg. Yuk! If Freckles is distracted by something else then she cannot bite easily.

Please take extra precautions during this period and be sure to put some antiseptic on your arm.

 

[graceyann]

I've got antibiotic topical and have it wrapped......little stinker. I told her this morning if I wasn't so fond of your feathered butt, this could be a deal breaker.

 

[DRB]

Retrace your steps, analyze everything you were doing, had out in plain sight and were wearing even. Perjo has had some ill timed nips at me that made me scratch my head only to realize two days later it was this item that is usually not in plain sight or a specific item of clothing I was wearing.

Examples: walking in the room with sunglasses on, or on your head above your eyes for quick storage, wearing something around your neck when you usually do not, a noticeable cut on the hand or face, jewelry, even nail polish. Perjo cannot stand colors on a hand, so if I have company or go to the breeder and woman have a color on their manicure Perjo freaks.

 

[graceyann]

not one thing out of the ordinary.....which was odd. the only thing I can really think of, is a friend came over Saturday evening.....we were siting in the LR talking, Freckles was on her perch. she let out a squawk and flew over to the couch, landed on my friend and then attacked....went for his hand and then his face. both of us were calm, I kept saying don't move, let me get her......just don't move. he had a bottle of water in his hand and used that to keep between her and his hand/face. once I got her on my arm, she was happy as could be. just some unsettling behavior the past couple days. I know, as a hand me down bird, I needed to be prepared. I always caution people who come visit, to give her space.....don't try and touch her......she likes to be talked to, but please keep your distance. it was six weeks before she wanted anything to do with me. appreciate the added information.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Do you think there could be any jealousy on her part relating to your friend being there. FYI our parrots are not best impressed with any shows of affection.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

you said eight punctures?

He bit you over and over?

with my two Zon's its one quick bite.
they get the message across with surgical precision.
in and out.

Primor, who is so sweet around us,
I have to cage when we have company.
he is flighted and just too unpredictable.

 

[graceyann]

plumsmum.....Freckles is typically indifferent to visitors. she'll join in the conversation.....and that's what was going on Saturday. two friends catching up......nothing more.....and when Freckles came off her perch, she meant business.
and yes, PrimorandMoxie....she just kept biting and twisting. all I could do to keep from slapping her....and I knew that wasn't the answer....I held my ground with her and said over and over, "Freckles, no".....calm and firm. I was able to rotate my arm enough for her to loose her grip and step off onto the counter. eight nasty punctures on Saturday, four today......not as deep, but still bad enough.

 

[DRB]

Yeah Perjo only goes in for one or two, usually if she's trying to truly bite it's the second of the two attempts that is real and serious in effort. she's only drew blood on me twice, both times on the face, which sucks b/c I needed to go out when she did it.

 

[Billdore]

Make sure Freckles knows she hurt you with an ow. My tag didnt know bite pressure and I would say ow when she hurt me. Now when she bites too hard she says ow. Freckles loves you shes just thinking in birdie terms and rules. I don't have a lot of experience but these things helped me. Timneh seems to already know the fake ows from the real ones lol. Shes bonked her head on the mirror looking at herself not too hard but she said ow its so funny.

 

[LordTriggs]

whilst normally being indifferent to visitors if she is hormonal which I suspect, anyone giving you any interaction is an attempt to steal you away in her eyes. You 'belong' to her as far as she's concerned. The biting in the morning strikes me as a tantrum over your visitor being over working her up, frustration at you not impregnating her and possibly even a little excitement. Even potentially a lack of proper bite training? she may not understand that she hurt you and what she did was wrong. Any time she bites just put her straight down on the floor and shun her completely for a few minutes until she comes back all apologetic, if she bites again back on the floor with her and so on until she learns. Fortunately hormones should only last a few weeks but the danger is her learning bad behaviors and applying them when she's not hormonal

 

[DRB]

One behavior I have adopted is I do not let Perjo know that her bites have hurt me, I play them off (the few I get) as just things that she did and should not do anymore. I try my best to not lunge or pull away to quick and show a reaction that let's her know I am hurt or fearful of her beak.

 

[LordTriggs]

One behavior I have adopted is I do not let Perjo know that her bites have hurt me, I play them off (the few I get) as just things that she did and should not do anymore. I try my best to not lunge or pull away to quick and show a reaction that let's her know I am hurt or fearful of her beak.

very good advice. She may think you're playing a fun game, noise and movement means fun to a parrot. Calm is always the best way to approach, calm purposeful reactions despite the pain, if they clamp on push towards them, they're more likely to let go

 

[Scott]

How old is Freckles? Might help differentiate between the beginning of adolescence and hormones.

A Grey's first nature is often to push away with the beak. But repeated and deep bites are unusual to my experience.

 

[graceyann]

today she was Freckles.....happy to help me with her breakfast, mimic the coffee pot, play with the marble mortar and pestle I keep on the counter (once used for grinding herbs, now a select parrot toy). when I asked her to step up, she did so.....no issues.....back on her perch, talking to me, the TV. such odd, endearing creatures.

 

[Billdore]

They are so awesome. I took a bite today when Timneh got fired up and didn't want to come down off the computer screen. In this instance I didn't say ow cause she was trying to force her will on me so I didn't back down like what you had done. But I'm not so sure I could of taken 8 of those without flinching lol. Glad freckles is doing better today.

 

[graceyann]

Scott.....Freckles will soon be 36 years old. I've only had her since December. It took about six weeks for her to decide stepping up on my arm wasn't going to kill her and we've been good buddies ever since. So when she went all "Cujo", I was really concerned......that and the episode with my friend. The regurgitation behavior had me piecing together it might be raging hormones. She loves hanging out with me at night, when I sit down with a book....preens herself and then me. When I eat my dinner, I fix a plate for her and there are times she thinks she needs to "feed" me.....I tell her no thank you, that's yours.....and I swear she knows what I'm saying. It's eerie, their intelligence.

 

[Scott]

Scott.....Freckles will soon be 36 years old. I've only had her since December. It took about six weeks for her to decide stepping up on my arm wasn't going to kill her and we've been good buddies ever since. So when she went all "Cujo", I was really concerned......that and the episode with my friend. The regurgitation behavior had me piecing together it might be raging hormones. She loves hanging out with me at night, when I sit down with a book....preens herself and then me. When I eat my dinner, I fix a plate for her and there are times she thinks she needs to "feed" me.....I tell her no thank you, that's yours.....and I swear she knows what I'm saying. It's eerie, their intelligence.

Oh, she is a very mature Grey! I believe you are absolutely correct, hormones are the likely culprit. Their intelligence is stunning, just one of the many reasons they are such prized companions. Hopefully these raging episodes will be extremely rare with less emphasis on deep biting.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Ya, when Smokey bit (thank GOD it wasn't often) it was one quick chomp...amy however,has hung on for dear life once or twice

I have noticed hats aren't birds friends...My brother was over one day,always wears a ball cap and BB would NOT go near him. As soon as he removed the cap Beebs jumped right on his arm and ran up his shoulder telling my brother his life story..





Jim

 

[LordTriggs]

oh yes it's terrifying how intelligent they are. In fact intelligence is the big thing that intimidates me about owning a grey over anything else, even with that sharp looking beak.

Amy, My conure had a similar thing with a hoody I own. He was petrified of it, to the point he began nipping at me to try and get me to run away from the monster enveloping me