Types of Biting/Behavior Mods

[SoCalWendy]

Accidental biting:

Don't get them too wound up. When the bite pressure starts getting harder stop the game and calm them down before continuing...

AND FOR GOD SAKES BITE PRESSURE TRAIN YOUR BIRDS!!! THEY DON'T ALWAYS KNOW THEIR OWN STRENGTH. THEY SHOULD PINCH, NOT BITE!

How exactly is this achieved?

 

[SoCalWendy]

Loved the Sennie-Tude behavior discription. Made me laugh, more like Sennie-rude behavior. And those bite are MORE than a pin prick. I've been lached on to more then once. I try not to react, but it happens so fast it's hard not to react. I really want to learn more about pressure biting because I'm not sure if I completely understand the concept. There times when Rio with mouth on me and if she applies too much pressure then I tell her to be nice and no bite. Then she will bow her head as if to say sorry, but gores right back to the behavior. Many times I will just put her down. Other times I just stop touching her and she gets ignored. So I'm not sure is I understand when or when not to react or how not to react. Sometimes when she know she is going back her cage and she would rather stay with me, she will bite my shirt or even my skin in protest. If I am inistant, then she retaliate and bites harder. I always get my way though, in the end. I do know how to read her body language and I know better not to try an play with her toys with her. She get too over stimulated and aggressive about her toys, so we don't do that anymore.

 

[RavensGryf]

Although everyone knows how much I LOVE the Poi's, I think Sennies and family are a beaky genus with attitude. Their first 'knee jerk' reaction is to bite. It's more about how to manage it and work around it, rather than trying to stop it. You can't entirely. They do a good deal of communication through little nips.

I hear you though about the full on biting. Although their body is Sun conure size, that head and beak is bigger, and they do bite very hard and many times hang on and grind a piece out of you. Robin usuallly only does it when hormonal. Pretty soon as the days get shorter here.

Griffin the other Poi is still a kid at 8 months old, and in addition to his little communicative nips, is experimenting with what happens when I go to step him up and he bites hard. Well, hard for a youngster still learning how hard he's capable of biting.

He knows the word "gentle" fortunately, and obeys most of the time. That's how I personally have pressure trained Griffin. But like I say, he is obeying a little less nowdays as he's experimenting now what he can get away with. Any tips for that? He DOES know what "gentle" and "no biting" means. He's just being a typical little boy seeing if he can get away with it. Time outs DON'T deter him either.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Rio will be two in February. She definately has her good days where she is all happy, and completely content being out of her cage with us, but by herself, those are bite free days. Then there are the days when she wants to be on me all the time, but will bite me if I try and put her down, in her cage or in her orb. I don't think she sees me as her mate, just her preferred person. She is quick to go from completely content to a major brat in a split second, so no shoulders are allowed for her.. She would love to be on my shoulder but I don't want to lose part of my ear or face when she is in one of her moods, so we just stick to limbs. The other thing she does is she will roll over on my lap but I do not dare touch her. If a foot manages to grab my finger in this state she will bite me. I don't know why?? She is all happy playing and rolling over, then if I'm not paying attention and touch her I get bit. Ouch!

 

[Birdman666]

A friend of mine had one we nicknamed "Sybil."

I don't think I have to explain that nickname. Funnier than hell, but at times, a funny little hellion...

Sennie's seem to have to prove they are tough little birds, and are not to be messed with, every now and again.

 

[Birdman666]

Loved the Sennie-Tude behavior discription. Made me laugh, more like Sennie-rude behavior. And those bite are MORE than a pin prick. I've been lached on to more then once. I try not to react, but it happens so fast it's hard not to react. I really want to learn more about pressure biting because I'm not sure if I completely understand the concept. There times when Rio with mouth on me and if she applies too much pressure then I tell her to be nice and no bite. Then she will bow her head as if to say sorry, but gores right back to the behavior. Many times I will just put her down. Other times I just stop touching her and she gets ignored.

At least you didn't see bone... I've seen finger bone twice now.

Actually, my evil little dusky once put his beak CLEAN THROUGH my finger. The point was sticking out the other side... so trust me I know. Little bird, big pain. But nothing a band aide didn't cure...

Well, like I said, with Poi's you pretty much improve the behaviors, but they never seem to go away entirely. It sounds like you're doing everything right.

Their feisty playfulness is part of their charm, and it's also part of what makes them a pain sometimes...

And that playing on the back thing... "Oh, look at me, I'm stuck on my back and vulnerable... go ahead, I dare you! I double dare you!"

Yeah, and that hunched over amazon with the flaired tail and the crazy eyes wants me to pet him too!

Not fallin' for it pal! THAT IS THE CLASSIC "GOTCHA" GAME!!! Oh, yeah, that's a fun one to play. Lots of drama! Very entertaining...

 

[JessieRosie]

Thanks Birdman,

I'll keep going and let you know of any progress.

Jessie and Rosie

 

[Anansi]

Accidental biting:

Don't get them too wound up. When the bite pressure starts getting harder stop the game and calm them down before continuing...

AND FOR GOD SAKES BITE PRESSURE TRAIN YOUR BIRDS!!! THEY DON'T ALWAYS KNOW THEIR OWN STRENGTH. THEY SHOULD PINCH, NOT BITE!

How exactly is this achieved?

I can tell you my methods. For Bixby, I always used the "wobble technique" if he was on my arm when it happened. Basically, as soon as his beak pressure passed an acceptable amount of pressure, I would wobble my arm enough to threaten his balance (though not so much as to actually make him fall. Bit of a tightrope, that.) while telling him "No", or warningly saying, "Nice", in a stern, even voice.

Eventually, he came to associate heavier beak pressure with the unpleasant sensation of a loss of balance. He also came to associate the word "no" with the same.

And if he actually latched on while on a perch or something other than my arm, I never advocated the method of non-reaction. I always calmly used my other hand to grip his beak and gently leverage my finger/hand/arm out from his beak while telling him no.

After the first warning, a repeated offense always got him put on time out. And when on time out, I would turn my back and ignore him for between 5 and 10 minutes. This was most effective when I remained in his line of sight, pointedly ignoring him, rather than in another room.

Bixby now rarely nips, and never bites.

Now, since getting Maya, I've had to amend my method somewhat. She has never given me anything but the gentlest pressure, but she has drawn blood from my wife. So I gave my wife these same pointers and learned, much to my surprise, that the wobble portion of the techniques that worked so well with Bixby didn't work with Maya at all! In fact, they would send her into a rage fueled biting frenzy that would force me to intervene.

See, her balance and grip strength is just superior to Bixby's. So all wobbling did was further annoy her. So we've had to adapt. Timeouts are now her principal deterrent. And we make sure to use it consistently. It's still a work in progress, and she sometimes holds a grudge against my wife after the timeout, but overall things are improving between them. (Especially now that I always play the bad guy who puts her on timeout, and she plays the good guy, rescuing her from the timeout.)

Don't know if any of that helps, but figured I'd share.