Working with mango

[SpotsandSally]

So Mango is a doll. Well she looks like one yet is the she devil.

So far she LOVES to bite... With a tiny, piercing beak. As she's gotten more settled it's become better, yet if she comes near my neck she pinches it. Not sure why, when she does that I blow in her face and she carries on..

I'm afraid to touch her, hence blowing in her face to get away from my face. Kiwi gets annoyed but will tolerate being picked up or having to step up when not wanted. Mango bites and won't let go.

And she's cage aggressive.

And she enjoys landing on heads.

I will begin clicker training her to help with cage aggressiveness and stepping up. Does that sound good?


She's good about stepping up on her terms, but often I find myself clenching my jaw, picking her up and getting bit. Mostly on the floor since she won't step up on there yet I don't want her getting squashed so....

 

[Featheredsamurai]

sounds like a handful lol I'm a supporter of clicker training, it's very useful and parrots learn quickly when they know exactly what you want. do touch training, so you can target her to leave the cage where she is less aggressive.

Sucks she's cage aggressive, I've never had to deal with a cage aggressive bird before. Good luck in your training

 

[TessieB]

Keep working with her. Sometimes those little pitbull birds can make the best pets.

 

[MonicaMc]

So far she LOVES to bite... With a tiny, piercing beak. As she's gotten more settled it's become better, yet if she comes near my neck she pinches it. Not sure why, when she does that I blow in her face and she carries on..

She might be bored or curious. Can you redirect her attention with toys or something to eat prior to this behavior occurring, thus effectively keeping her busy?

I'm afraid to touch her, hence blowing in her face to get away from my face. Kiwi gets annoyed but will tolerate being picked up or having to step up when not wanted. Mango bites and won't let go.

If blowing in her face isn't working, perhaps try to prevent the situation where Mango starts to nip and bite may help? In other words, stop the behavior before it has a chance to happen.

And she's cage aggressive.

Have you worked with her stepping up from her cage? Do you reward her every time she steps up?

And she enjoys landing on heads.

Have you worked with her stepping up from a variety of situations? Just because she may know how to step up from the floor or step up from hand to hand doesn't mean she understands how to step up from her cage or from your shoulder or head. Many birds don't generalize training so stepping up from two different areas can be completely different to them.

I will begin clicker training her to help with cage aggressiveness and stepping up. Does that sound good?

If you do it right, yes!

 

[SpotsandSally]

She doesn't really play with toys! Sometimes, for example a box full of fun things with paper in the way, she will play, but she spends most of her day wandering around finding food to eat. She's a little pig.

She loves millet though. And pellets. Those are her food choices.

I've tried, but I'm rewarded with a bite she has to be out of her cage before she's ok with stepping up. I've just started working with getting her to step up more often, since she's become more comfortable (and more willing)
Yes, I try to always reward her

Most of the time I let her choose if she comes out, and the way the doors are, she gets a little 'platform', so for the most part, haven't stepped up in cage. I will start though.

Thank you'

 

[MonicaMc]

If she loves millet and pellet, then why not incorporate those two things into foraging activities for her?


Again, if she loves millet and pellets, have you tried training her using those items? Millet being the easiest because you can offer her a sprig and reward her behavior without her being able to touch your hands! If she's ok eating millet from a sprig, then you can lightly rest your hand at the end of the cage door and gently coax her over using millet. If she actually steps up onto your hand, give her a lot of millet to eat!

 

[SpotsandSally]

Haha... You haven't met mango.


Millet = phsyco. Seriously. She'll bite your hands, fly at your face, bite at anything... Quite awful really. That being said I've been using it to train her... So so success. I had to trim her wings - she began flying at faces & killing them (loyal bird really... Faces are a huge threat)

4 feathers shortened, she can fly but not all that well.. She seems to have accepted it.

I need to get her to be won over... Family doesn't like her so much. She's been good about biting. Stepping up more w/ less bite. I figure even if she's not the most affectionate bird, she can at least have a cozy home, eh?

Also, I wanted to train her with different foods, since she goes a bit bezerk, but she doesn't even look at them!

I'm gonna start carrying millet and a clicker everywhere... See how that goes. Reward anything that's contact (jumping up on, letting me touch her foot, sorta thing) that doesn't result in getting bitten.

I feel bad. She spends an awful lot of time in her cage. Doesn't even play toys!

I'm going to see if I can build a play stand.... It'll be a while, but in the meantime I'm trying to make foraging toys like you said.... I need to go to a thrift shop or something for baby toys, since she seems to like those.