aggression

[amp]

not sure where to post question about aggression. I have a meyers who is just under a year old. for the most part he is a pleasant bird (except to my husband). he has his cage and a big play station on top of his cage. he steps up to come out of the cage and will step up to be held when on the play station. When it is time for night night he will try to bite my hand when i tell him to step up which i can understand. but twice in the past few weeks while just holding and interaction with him he has turned and lunged biting my lip very hard. I tell him bad bird and put him back in his cage. Is this normal 1 year behavior? what can i do to stop it? Any advice or direction would be appreciated.

 

[Clueless]

I can't answer your question but I'm bumping your thread for you. Hopefully someone with a Meyers or far more experience can answer this for you.

 

[arwyn031313]

I have a female meyers who will be 2 in march and she can also be a little stinker. I just learned Meyers hit maturity at 1.5 years old so at this age he is testing the waters of what he can get away with. Arwyn will always protest having to go back in her cage. She will yell at me first and if I still try and put her on her cage she will nip at me. not very hard but enough to let me know she is not happy about it. How long have you had him? You are probably his person and wants to be with you 24/7,that's how my girl is. How long does he have out of cage time? Arwyn's cage is open as long as someone is home. Meyers are fantastic bird but they do have little attitudes. I hope I answered some questions for you.

 

[SueA555]

I had a Meyers who got very vicious, when he was about 12. He had been difficult since his hormones kicked in when he was around 2. He could be the sweetest bird when he wanted to be. He wouldn't go in his cage either -- I wound up using a stick to get him back in.

 

[dolldid]

I DO NOT LIKE PLAY STATIONS ON TOP OF CAGES REASON BEING BIRDS ARE TO HIGH UP AND ARE IN CONTROLL
WATCH FOR SIGNS WHEN HANDELING ANY BIRD IT WILL SHOW YOU HES HAD ENOUGH AND IF YOU MISS IT YOU WILL GET BIT
TRY AND HAVE PLAY STATIONS AT EYE LEVAL IT IS SAFER , I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM REMOVING MY BIRD BUT THEN AGAIN HES CAGE FREE AND I BELEAVE IN GIVING CHOICED , IN DOING SO I HAVE FOUND OUT I ALWAYS HAVE CONTROL ,, WHE EVER I WANTED MANGO TO DO AS I WANTED I ASKED AND IF HER REFUSED ID WALK AWAY THEN COME BACK , WELL IN DOING THIS A FEW TIMES I JUST STAYED AWAY AND BY DOING THAT HE CAME TO ME IT HAS WORKED FOR US I HAVE NEVER FORCED MANGO OF ANY THING WHICH IS HIS I JUST PLAY HIS GAME , BUT THEN AGAIN HES CAGE FREE
YOU HAVE TO LEARN WHAT WORKS FOR YOUR BIRD AND ALSO REMEMBER HIS THINGS ARE HIS YOU ARE ENTERING HIS AREA YEP LOOK OUT DO YOU LIKE SOME ONE WALKING IN TO YOUR AREA AND PUSHING YOU AROUND WELL WHAT MAKES YOU ANY BETTER THAN YOUR BIRD TO ME ITS THE SAMR THING MINE IS MINE HIS IS HIS TRY AND THINK LIKE A WILD BIRD WHEN YOUR DOING THINGS WITH YOUR BIRD IT HAS HELPED ME UNDER STAND THINGS AND IN DOING SO HELPS YOU IN KNOWING YOUR BIRD
HOPE THIS HELPS A BIT

 

[amp]

Clueless Thanks for the bump.

Amber he is out of his cage also when ever anyone is home so he is out a lot. he is generally good until I go get him for night night its like he knows. I have had him for about 10 months now. But the turning and lunging at me has only happened twice and it not during night night time. its usually during the day maybe its because i take him into another room, but my daughter can take him all over and he doesn't lunge.

Sue usually i get a something and hold it near him and he will then step up.

Dolly I know I wasn't crazy about the play station up there at first but the only other place was my kitchen table and it was a pain to move all the time. I understand him being protective of his space but i don't understand why he does the lunging and going for my lip. that is usually when he is on my finger and we are interacting.

Thanks everyone for the responses

 

[dolldid]

I AM NOT SURE BUT SOME WHERE I READ OR HEARD THEY ALWAYS GO TO THE FACE I NOW MANGO DOES IF HE CAN I HAVE LEARNED TO READ HIM MOST TIMES I AM READY FOR HIS ATTACKS IM SURE YOUR BIRD HAS SHOWN IN SOME WAY WHEN HES GOING TO LUNGE COULD IT BE A FAST MOVEMENT OR IF ON YOUR ARM YOU HAVE MOVED IT WITH OUT KNOWING SOMETHING TRIGGERED HIM TO LUNGENOW ITS UP TO YOU TO PUT A THINKING CAP ON , ONLY ONE TIME DID MANGO GET ME AND I DIDNT KNOW WHY BUT I FOUND OUT WHY , I HAVE TO COVER MY SCHOOTER AND WHEELCHAIR THIS IS THE ONLY THING MANGO WILL DISTROY REASON IT TAKES ME OUT IS ALL I CAN THINK OF ONE DAY I WAS CLEANING OTHER END OF ROOM AND MANGO WAS YELLING SCREAMING ,LOL I WANTED TO FINISH WHAT I WAS DOING FIGERED HE WANTED HIS BATH THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HE ATTACKED ME YEP I GOT A GOOD BITE I TOSSED HIM AWAY AND HOLARED AT HIM WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOUR A BRAT I FINISHED WHAT I WAS DOING FILLED HIS SPRAY BOTTLE AND CALLED HIM IN THE BATHROOM FOR HIS SHOWER I SPRAYED HIM AND TURNED TO THE SINK AND NOTICED LITTLE BITS OF BLACK BALLS ON THE FLOOR STARTED LOOKING WHERE IT CAME FROM THEN I SAW THE ARM OF MY WHEELCHAIR WAS NIBBLED ON , I HADNT COVERED IT NOW I NEW WHY I GOT BIT CAUSE I DINT COME AND STOP HIM HE KNOWS HE IISNT ALOUD ON EITHER ONE I CHASE HIM , NOW YOU MIGHT THINK IM NUTS BUT IM SURE THIS WAS WHY THE BITE THIS IS WHY I SAY THINK THINK BACK YOU DID SOMETHING TO GET A BITE SOMETHING YOU HAVE NOIDEA OF DOING AND I CAN PROMISE YOU WHEN IT HITS YOU YOU WILL BE SHOCKED ALWAYS HEEP HIM AWAY FROM YOUR FACE WHEN HES ON YOUR ARM OR HAND KEEO IT LOW IF YOU CAN TO YOUR WAIST IF ON YOUR SHOULDER KEEP YOUR HEAD YURNED AWAY BUT NEXT TIME YOU GET BIT DONT WORRY ABOUT THE HURT THINK WAT YOU DID WHY IT HAPPENED SMALL BIRDS ARE NO DIF FROM BIG ONES , THEY ALL HAVE THERE REASONS ITS UP TO US TO DISCOVER AND PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING
GOOD LUCK HUN IM SURE ONCE YOU CAN FIGER IT OUT IT WILL STOP HUGS

 

[InTheAir]

Is this correct: Your bird is biting when you ask him to go to his cage at night?
I think there are a few things to think about in that.
What is in it for him if he steps up? Is there a really good reason for him to leave his comfy perch and go to his cage?

There are a few strategies that can be used, like putting some yummy treats in the cage so the bird climbs into the cage himself or rewarding stepping up and rewarding going to the cage, for example.
I have a bedtime routine for my birds where they have some yummy veggies in their cages before the lights are turned down and they go to their sleeping perches for a couple bedtime treats.

What Doll said about recognising the signs that your bird doesn't want to interact and backing off is so useful. I really like not getting bitten!
But I wouldn't worry about how high his playstand is, parrots like high places. Just make coming down from the play stand when asked more rewarding than staying there.

That's my 2cents anyway.

 

[Wulfgeist]

I had the same problem with Jasper not wanting to go to bed. He was out all day and knew when I said ti was bedtime he would be locked in his cage. It was a struggle at first but like Claire said, make it rewarding for him. I would put a couple nutriberries in his dish or some pine nuts (which he really loved). Coax them in there with something special and then give them a bit of attention and praise.

 

[Irishj9]

If hes not going to his place to sleep, I suspect his night time cycle is out of whack. All mine go to bed when darkness falls and get up with the dawn.

Are you keeping him on human time using artificial light?

He needs 10-12 hours of sleep every night

JP

 

[amp]

I usually put him in around 9 and he is covered until 8am. My daughter has been taking him off his perch to go do the fish food and then I take him from her and put him in. It seems to be working much better.

I guess they go through moody periods. Thanks for all the help.

They are such opinionated little creatures .