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African Grey Bites When Playing?

KatelynDeanne

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Okay, so many of you may know this has been a long journey of trying to bond with my bird. She is getting better at flying, and knows how to land in the kitchen now, seems to be trying to explore the house more. Tonight I felt like it was some bitter sweet progress. So she flew to the kitchen counter from her cage. She started playing with random objects I layed out for her, along with her dinner I cooked and sat in her bowl on the counter. She would eat, and I even made some air popped popcorn and put in a ziplock bag and she would walk to me, take a piece, nibble, and then proceed to walk around the counters and play with paper, etc. She perched in the kitchen, so I went to set across the room on the recliner. My back was turned to her as I was sitting there on my phone. Had my tablet in my lap as well, with a blanket over my legs. She flies over to the back of my chair, to me! (yay) and starts lunging at my head yet playing with my hair at the same time? I knew it was a bite because it hurt pretty bad.. I asked my husband and he said she was "agressively playing with my hair" . So I ignored her. She walked down the arm of the chair, to me, hopped on my lap (yay again!) and then started attacking my phone. I pulled it away from her, and then she immediately started going after my tablet in my lap. She managed to punch a hole in the case. (bummer) and took that away from her slowly and placed it in the floor where she couldnt see it. Then, she bites my arm, broke skin... and then, she begins to attack the blanket, biting holes in that, then biting and attacking the arms of the chair, and then walks over to my CAT and starts trying to attack him. I know im using the word "attack" a lot, but im just saying she is actually BITING, not beaking. I am not sure if shes nervous, and just trying to open up, yet telling me that she is showing dominance, or what shes doing but im not quite sure how to react and even how to correct this because its bitter sweet she is coming to me now, but shes biting me, including everything around her. And this isnt every single time either, like she will occasionally settle down and just sit there but then out of no where, BAM. So far, I just politely say "no honey" or I dont react to it at all, unless its something valuable like my phone, in which I grab it away from her slowly and she tries tugging it back, almost like a tug of war sort of thing. HELP guys! Idk what to do and need advice ASAP. Right this moment, she is perched in the kitchen and I have to figure out how to get her in the cage for bed because she is treating my husband the same as me, and he hates getting bit. He pretty much avoids her now and she will just look at him, sometimes bobbing her head in which she does for me as well now too. :blink::chin:
 

KatelynDeanne

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UPDATE: okay guys, I walked over to the counter and she was quivering her wings like she wanted to fly or something. I braved my a** up and asked her to step up. SHE DID. Then, she flew to my husbands computer chair, asked her again to step up, she DID. So I took her to the perch in the living room, shes chillin. Guys I am so confused this is unreal. You would know if you have been keeping up with my post. Should I be excited or nah? LOL
 

Shezbug

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I am not sure what it is all about but I just know to leave my phone out of Burt's reach. He is interested in it but he does not want to explore it gently (most times). If it is in my back pocket he will toss everything he can on to the floor so I pick it up then he lands on my back and investigates my phone, when he checks it out when it is in my back pocket he is rather gentle, if the phone is in my hand it is a whole different story, if I leave it on the bed or anywhere else he can get at it then he tries to kill it so I am baffled by how gentle he is with it when it is in my back pocket. It is only my back pocket that he is like this, if it is in my jacket or cargo pants pocket he will try to crush it too.
 

KatelynDeanne

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I am not sure what it is all about but I just know to leave my phone out of Burt's reach. He is interested in it but he does not want to explore it gently (most times). If it is in my back pocket he will toss everything he can on to the floor so I pick it up then he lands on my back and investigates my phone, when he checks it out when it is in my back pocket he is rather gentle, if the phone is in my hand it is a whole different story, if I leave it on the bed or anywhere else he can get at it then he tries to kill it so I am baffled by how gentle he is with it when it is in my back pocket. It is only my back pocket that he is like this, if it is in my jacket or cargo pants pocket he will try to crush it too.
So you think it could be a technology thing? Maybe they don' like the light or something?
 

sunnysmom

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She could have simply wanted your attention. Also, sometimes birds have a weird thing blankets. So maybe don't use one when she's around. I think a blanket contributed to some biting of my fiancé with my cockatoo.
 

KatelynDeanne

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She could have simply wanted your attention. Also, sometimes birds have a weird thing blankets. So maybe don't use one when she's around. I think a blanket contributed to some biting of my fiancé with my cockatoo.
Yes I agree. Her coming around me is new, so I put the blanket there to protect my legs bc she was biting them. SHE bites everything, hard too. Lol. Lord what am I gonna do with this little monster, that so happens to be a difficult species to read!?:arghh:
 

sunnysmom

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Yes I agree. Her coming around me is new, so I put the blanket there to protect my legs bc she was biting them. SHE bites everything, hard too. Lol. Lord what am I gonna do with this little monster, that so happens to be a difficult species to read!?:arghh:
With my cockatoo, I think it initially freaked him out because legs and arms moved under the blanket but he couldn't tell what was moving. Then, I think it also make him nesty.

What I have learned with my cockatoo and my fiancé is that if Elvis is out with him the fiancé must give him total attention. So if that means they only interact for 10 minutes then it's total attention for 10 minutes and then I either take Elvis into another room with me or he goes back in his cage. He doesn't bite me but he will bite my fiancé.
 

KatelynDeanne

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With my cockatoo, I think it initially freaked him out because legs and arms moved under the blanket but he couldn't tell what was moving. Then, I think it also make him nesty.

What I have learned with my cockatoo and my fiancé is that if Elvis is out with him the fiancé must give him total attention. So if that means they only interact for 10 minutes then it's total attention for 10 minutes and then I either take Elvis into another room with me or he goes back in his cage. He doesn't bite me but he will bite my fiancé.
That makes sense about our legs moving under the blanket. It sounds like you have found a good method that works for you and the fiance. I am hoping she grows to like both of us.. This morning has been interesting. She is flying so she knows how to get onto things around the house. She seen me cooking an egg this morning and went after it. Same with beef at lunch. Progress, slowly but surely.
 
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