The little white screamer..

[AmyMyBlueFront]

....sighhhh...continues. Most of you know the situation I am having with The Cockatoo Man..and it still continues.

I have been in contact with a local rescue place that will gladly take Jonesy. Our heart is breaking. We love our Fids..Jonesy included lol but his screaming and jeckyl/hyde 'too'd is just overwhelming.

I was thinking maybe more "out" time is what he needs. Generally when he IS out his screeching is far less but he is so unpredictable. He will allow head scratches then suddenly turn and go CHOMP! his biting has drawn blood from both Arleen and I..to where my hand needed two stitches in the palm. This behavior is NOT acceptable!! He has also drawn blood from Arleen,and she has known Bonesy a heck of a lot longer than I..18 yrs.

So I thought I'd give him one more chance,see how it goes before I turn him over <its killing me really..9 months and I just adore him>
So he has been out a lot more. Last night <new years eve> we had two friends come over for munchies and play cards. Both Jones and Amy joined us,and Jonesy was the comic of the evening lol. He knows our friend Joe,and allows Joe to scratch him,but doesn't know Ethel.
Jonesy climbed down my arm,onto the table,the UP Ethels arm <who just froze there lol> and took one of her cards from her hand!

He did very little screeching,did some talking..imitated Ethel's laugh,which she thought was the cutest thing..ate peanuts from the bowl,and was just a groovy bird..did his "too dance for us,and hung out with his new BBF Amy.

He is out now,being very sociable,and QUIET!!

Lets see how long this lasts..:54:

Jim

 

[ToMang07]

Good luck.

 

[Scott]

I hope this is Jonesy "turning over a new leaf" and making a New Year resolution to be nicer.

Nah, he has no idea, and neither do any of us know exactly what is going on in the mind of a Too. For sure there is lots going on, and you may just crack the code by giving him more "out" time and praising him when he behaves well.

Time will tell, and yes, good luck!!

 

[Sucre]

It sounds like Jonesie is a long lost twin to my Sucre.

You've survived 9 months or did I misunderstand? Do you mind telling me how you wound up with him and a bit about the "early days"?

 

[Birdman666]

SCREAMING BEHAVIOR MODS ARE POSTED:

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/48649-screaming-behavior-mods.html

GOTTA BE 100% CONSISTENT FOR IT TO WORK. NOT SOMETIMES, EVERY TIME.

Screamers need added structure to their day, they need a set schedule.

And they need to be taught to self entertain. Activity boxes when you go back to your cage goes a long way towards keeping them quiet, especially when you build it in front of them, and they watch you load it with goodies...

Then YOU PUT IT BACK IN THEIR CAGE. Suddenly, they don't mind going back so much, and when they get there, they have something new and interesting to do. [Other than pitching a flaming fit!]

Mix up the contents of the box on them... make it different every time.

 

[Birdman666]

It sounds like Jonesie is a long lost twin to my Sucre.

Sucre has A LOT of long lost twins out there...

These behaviors are NOT unique or uncommon. They happen A LOT!

Give them structure, structure, and more structure. Don't let them get spoiled bird syndrome... then you're really in hell!

 

[Siobhan]

Just a suggestion, which worked on Rocky 'Too, but might not work on Jonesy if he doesn't have the same sort of history:

Rocky has had many, many homes. At least some were abusive, and in the last two, his abuser was a man who bore a passing resemblance to my husband. He decided my husband was scary and he began attacking and biting, nasty bites. I was the only one who could approach or touch him. He would bite me, too, but not break skin, just pressure bites.

We were at the same point: We couldn't do it, we had to give him up. We hated it. Then Hubby got an idea. Let's "hit the reset button." Because Rocky's first couple of weeks with us, he was a sweetheart. We could both handle him, he didn't yell very much, he was affectionate and a model parrot. So ... we got him into his carrier, since he refused to leave sight of his cage otherwise, took his cage apart and took it to the car wash, where it got the first really thorough cleaning it had had for possibly years. I stayed home to reassure Rocky, who was convinced he was going to yet another new home. Hubby brought the cage back, we put it back together, we rearranged it, and released Rocky, who was stunned. Wait, you're not sending me away? Wait, my cage is clean? I have new toys? I can stay?

He is not a model parrot by any stretch, but it did "hit the reset button." The biting stopped. He screams, but only at approved parrot times. In the morning, at bedtime, when the garbage truck comes, when we're not paying enough attention to him, times when any parrot would shriek. The Big Clean seems to have convinced him that even if he were acting like a monster, we weren't going to give up, and he settled in.

It could be worth a try. Move the cage, clean it, replace some things.