Sun conure attacking my toes

[BoomBoom]

Oh Boomer, if it's not one thing its another! As of two days ago, he started biting my toes but only when I'm vacuuming. He's never had a problem with the vacuum cleaner in all the 3+ years I've had him. Now, he will literally seek out my feet when I have the vacuum cleaner out. I tried distracting him with his favorite activity - a box full of shredded paper in another room but he'd drop what he's doing to come to where my feet are. I'd tell him 'No Bite' and take him to his perch for a time out but he'd just fly back down. For two nights in a row now, I've had to resort to putting him in his cage for bedtime (1 hour earlier than his normal time - I vacuum after dinner).

He's bitten me before on the neck, belly or cheek when he was hormonal. I seemed to have trained that out of him with the proven time-out method. But this toe biting - it's new and so scary to see him charge my toes, so unnerving!

When I put the vacuum away, he's fine. Should I just cage him in when I vacuum? Since I'm at work all day, the few hours before dinner and evening clean-up is his chance to be out so I feel bad. Should I continue training him? Somehow I feel it's harder because all his rage and attention is on the vacuum cleaner. If it's hormones, do I let it pass? When the vacuum's not out, he's back to his sweet, normal self. So calm even, when I'm on the pc and tv. Help!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Perhaps vaccum the first thing you do when you get home? Then he's free to be out afterwards. My birds start bathing when the vacuum is out. But I keep everyone put up when I vacuum regardless since all the doors are wide open with cats roaming around.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks, Mikey. I guess I could always do that. Only reason I want to do the vacuuming last is because I clean the cages first. I have budgies too so there tends to be a lot of stray seed husks that fly around as I clean. I feel it's more efficient to vacuum it all out when I'm done.

It's better than getting my toes attacked though - that's for sure. It's honestly quite unnerving to see him do it. I feel like I'm in the open ocean and Jaws is swimming beneath. I tried wearing socks but he bit through them. I'd hate to have to wear shoes at home, and I feel like he'd still attack those anyway so it's like I'd be encouraging the behavior. Do you think I can train him out of this? Somehow I feel it's different from when he used to bite my neck and belly - those I can handle and control, and to a great degree, corrected. With the toes, he just seems to fixate so much on the vacuum and making me stop it at all cost.

 

[MikeyTN]

He's got a vendetta against the vacuum, that's harder to curve as he wants to whack it. Kinda hard to show them vacuum cleaner is our friend.....lol

 

[BoomBoom]

I hear you.

Funny thing is, he was in love with that vacuum for over 3 years. He'd regurgitate on it when it's out. He would waddle around on the floor and follow it when I'm cleaning (I'm real careful so no accidents). When I'm done and I start rolling out the vacuum, he would 'escort' it back to it's place. It was our routine.

Not sure what's changed? It's like he broke up with the vacuum lol!

 

[MikeyTN]

:18::18::18::18::18:

or maybe your toes were too close to his love for his comfort.....

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Sunnies are the weirdest thing sometimes. Skittles has this thing with tape measures. I've no idea why, but he will go ballistic if he sees one.

As for the vaccuum, Skittles likes to 'remake' messes that I have just vaccuumed up. So I usually vaccuum after I put him to bed. Otherwise it's just pointless.

 

[sadiebird]

Maybe put on shoes to keep your toes safe?

 

[2BadBadger]

Buy one of those robotic hoovers that come and go from its charge pad when you program it to.

You no longer have to hoover (Yay! ) and your bird gets a cool new ride to roll around on!!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Oh I can only imagine how much hell Skittles would raise if I had one of those iRobots. LOL.

I can totally see Boomer doing that with the vaccuum though. Even the toes. Skittles used to 'attack' my toes whenever I sat in my chair with one leg over the other. If both were on the ground, he'd be fine. If I lifted one over the other, he'd attack.

 

[BoomBoom]

Hi, everyone. Thank you for the responses. I've been googling toe biting and was surprised to see that it's a common occurrence with parrots (especially conures and cockatoos). Some would even bite just at the sight of feet. I hope Boomer never gets to that point

For now, I followed Mikey's advice and vacuum right when I get home. That way he has no chance to take it out on my toes. Did it last night, so far so good. Honestly I still don't know why he started hating on the vacuum after 3+ years of peace. He loved that thing. Unless I misunderstood and what I perceived as affection for the vacuum was really his way of telling it to go away. Still, it's easy to see when he likes and hates something. So yeah... Not sure what's up wit that. Who knows with these birds, lol! I am adding the vacuum to a growing list of things he hate.

The shoes suggestion is a runner up. Only thing I'm worried about is that he'd just attack them anyway and I would be inadvertently encouraging the biting behavior. Still it's worth trying. As with the automated Hoover, I'm with Skitty's Dad here. Boomer will think it's an invader and would probably bite me to warn me of the danger.

 

[Kyoto]

Kyo thinks that my toes are delicious too. I have to wear socks around her, otherwise she will persistently chase me around the room going after my feet.

As for the vacuum, I only do it with her in her cage because she loves it and wants to be right with it when it's on.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Yeah, anything "foreign or unknown", a sun conure will DEFINITELY go on guard about. They don't call the the 'watchdogs of the parrot world" for nothing! LOL.

When he sense danger or something he perceives as a threat, you'd think his initial reaction would be to hide for cover. But that's not him. His reaction is always to fly over to me (if he's not on my shoulder already) and he will grab my shirt and rapidly shake it up and down. Screech a few times then pinch me.

If it's not in fact an actual threat, I do one of two things. I either 're-assure' him of the safety OR I remove the threat from the equation until a time when he's not exposed to it.

I get what he is trying to do so I don't discipline him. That sad thing is there are probably a lot of un-educated people out there who's initial reaction to that is to discipline their bird.

It my opinion, a bird never screeches or bites for no reason. There is ALWAYS a reason. We just have to figure it out. Sadly, not everyone makes that effort.