Aggressive GCC, Please Help

[SadZhongli]

Hello, all,

This is my first time on this forum, and I'm looking for some advice. I'm sort of at my wits end and I'm not entirely sure what to do at all. The GCC that is the subject of this forum post is not mine, but belongs to my sister, who is away at college. I will try to make this as short as possible, but this may be long. Also, apologies for this being all over the place.

So, for the past seven years, my family has had a GCC named Zero. Zero started out friendly enough, nipping gently every now and then as conures tend to do, but nothing extreme. At around the 1-1.5 year mark, though, he got very, very aggressive with us. He would bite, and bite hard. He has bitten myself and other family members numerous times hard enough to draw blood. He would fly to us just to bite us and not let go. The only person he does not bite is my sister, who he is bonded to and is very tame around.

Both of my parents are older and so I do not want to give the responsibility of taming Zero onto them. However, I've tried everything with Zero. New toys, respecting his boundaries, spending more and more time with him to get him used to me, but it isn't working. His diet and sleeping schedule have been the same since we've had him, so I don't think it could be that.

The thing with Zero is that his biting is extremely unpredictable. He will want to be let out of his cage and he will step up onto my finger, but then he will latch onto my skin and bite down hard and not let go. He will come to my hand and want pets, and I will pet him, but then he will turn and start biting very hard once again. He does not seem afraid of hands, he is comfortable eating out of hands when he allows and wants to be pet. But for some reason, he will change his mind and bite down aggressively. When this happens, I will put him back into his cage without any big reaction (even though it hurts like hell) or I will try and make a "ch-ch-ch" sound, a piece of advice I'd gotten from somewhere on one of these forums a while ago.

This behaviour has continued for years, and I'm at my wits end and not sure what to do. We let him out of his cage for hours at a time and will try to avoid touching him, since he is so prone to biting, but he will either want to be pet or come near our hands for some reason or another, and this usually will lead to him biting. Again, he does not seem afraid of us or our hands in the slightest, he just seems... aggressive. Mean, almost? I don't want to be pessimistic or project these negative feelings onto him. I know that he is an animal with the mental capabilities of a toddler who doesn't know any better, but I'm just not sure what to do anymore. He and I were making some progress these past two months where I could get him to come onto my finger without biting me, but for some reason, for the past week, he has been Very aggressive and biting again. I don't know if it's the season, my sister says that it's too early for him to be hormonal. Again, I don't entirely know and am not sure.

I know that he's just a bird that doesn't know any better, and I want to keep trying with him, but I'm just not sure what to do. Lately I've been afraid to let him be near me since he's so prone to biting. Hands, cheeks, lips, etc. you name it, he's bitten there. I just don't know what it is that's made him so aggressive, and I may sound hopeless, but it's because I am. I don't even need him to be particularly affectionate towards me, I just need him to not tear my hands up when I'm around him. Please, if you can offer any type of advice on what to do, I'd appreciate it greatly. He's just a little creature who doesn't know any better, but I just don't know what to do. Thank you.

 

[Tommy95]

It does sound like Zero is not afraid of your hand, but it also sounds like Zero is confused as to what he wants (sometimes wants pets but will bite after). You mentioned that he does not bite your sister, perhaps there’s a clue in that.

Is there anything different in the way you treat him versus your sister? Did the unwanted behaviour happen after your sister left for college? After all, a broken bond can be stressful for a bird who bonds for life.

 

[Pixiebeak]

Hi , welcome!

My GCC of ten years is a sweetie, and also would offer to bite me many times a day . I refer to her like a cat, pet me , pet me ! Ohh you tried to kill me I'm going to bite you! Hey? Why you stop petting me ?
I do avoid bites, because I'm reading her body language and know it's fluid . When she thinks I've bumped a feather and been rude, or o er stimulation, or whatever, and her body language changes, I pause and talk to her , usually in a few moments she settles and we continue on . Normally at this point I share it's been so long since I received a completed bite that I can't remember, even tho daily would . But the other day I was giving kisses to her beak and got an ouch to my lip .

GCC bites definitely hurt a bunch because of that pointy sharp tip, all most all successful bites results in blood . My sympathy, they do definitely hurt.

Your guy has learned to be beak bossy, ( beak bully) I don't really consider it aggression, he has learned that what you listen to . At this point he may be giving you less body language warning, because he learned that didn't work, and just going straight to bites. You want to show him you will listen to body language, and that's going to take time , and both parties you and him are going to have mistakes and have to build up trust . You can video your interactions, go back and watch to see subtle signs you might have missed . Write down things that you think might have triggered bites .

When my GCC is in her cage, she is very likely to bite me if I try and interact. When my GCC first comes out of her cage , her energy is high , and she is likely to offer to bite me , being both all excited to see me , but also just in to much a heightened state . So what I do , I greet her first and just talk a little, then I open the door and step back , I let her come out on her own , she usually climbs to top of cage and struts around and vocalizing a little. I just sweet talk her and wait. When she. Calms down and focus on me , I might offers treat and then have her step up , or have her step up first the offers treat. Safflower seed is my go to . Then I move her to an out of cage perch , or set out her breakfast veggies. Clean her cage . And interaction later.

I suggest having a routine. Doing short interaction at first , and ending on a good note before bites . Building on that . Doing simple things for treats, keeping to s out 3 reps then a break and doing same or different later. GCC are pretty smart and quick to pick up things. The simple things I do, I tap a spot or perch ( out of cage perches, I have lots on the outside of cage and elsewhere,) ask her to come there for a treat. I take her around and ask her to step from me to different spots for a treat then back to me for a treat. I ask her to touch an object or toy for a treat . Then I work up to pickup an object for a treat . Just little things like that . Turn around for a treat

 

[SadZhongli]

It does sound like Zero is not afraid of your hand, but it also sounds like Zero is confused as to what he wants (sometimes wants pets but will bite after). You mentioned that he does not bite your sister, perhaps there’s a clue in that.

Is there anything different in the way you treat him versus your sister? Did the unwanted behaviour happen after your sister left for college? After all, a broken bond can be stressful for a bird who bonds for life.

Hi, thanks so much for replying!
So for the way my sister treats him, she can treat him in pretty much any way and he will not bite. Not that she mistreats him at all, but he is much more willing to be handled by her in any way. For example, she can grab him at any time in any way, pet him, play with him, sit with him, etc. and he will not bite. If ever he does become irritated with her, which is extremely rare, he will yell out a little chirp/scream as a warning and back away a little bit, but will quickly be happy again.

This behaviour happened while my sister was at home, before she’d gone away to college. She’d left about three to four years after the behaviour started? Back then she was still at home and could spend time with him so the rest of us didn’t have to. Considering that she’s at college though and only home about three to four months of the year, the responsibility to socialize with him and spend time with him has fallen onto me. When she’s at home for break and then has to leave again, he does become upset for a little while but eventually evens out.

 

[SadZhongli]

Hi , welcome!

My GCC of ten years is a sweetie, and also would offer to bite me many times a day . I refer to her like a cat, pet me , pet me ! Ohh you tried to kill me I'm going to bite you! Hey? Why you stop petting me ?
I do avoid bites, because I'm reading her body language and know it's fluid . When she thinks I've bumped a feather and been rude, or o er stimulation, or whatever, and her body language changes, I pause and talk to her , usually in a few moments she settles and we continue on . Normally at this point I share it's been so long since I received a completed bite that I can't remember, even tho daily would . But the other day I was giving kisses to her beak and got an ouch to my lip .

GCC bites definitely hurt a bunch because of that pointy sharp tip, all most all successful bites results in blood . My sympathy, they do definitely hurt.

Your guy has learned to be beak bossy, ( beak bully) I don't really consider it aggression, he has learned that what you listen to . At this point he may be giving you less body language warning, because he learned that didn't work, and just going straight to bites. You want to show him you will listen to body language, and that's going to take time , and both parties you and him are going to have mistakes and have to build up trust . You can video your interactions, go back and watch to see subtle signs you might have missed . Write down things that you think might have triggered bites .

When my GCC is in her cage, she is very likely to bite me if I try and interact. When my GCC first comes out of her cage , her energy is high , and she is likely to offer to bite me , being both all excited to see me , but also just in to much a heightened state . So what I do , I greet her first and just talk a little, then I open the door and step back , I let her come out on her own , she usually climbs to top of cage and struts around and vocalizing a little. I just sweet talk her and wait. When she. Calms down and focus on me , I might offers treat and then have her step up , or have her step up first the offers treat. Safflower seed is my go to . Then I move her to an out of cage perch , or set out her breakfast veggies. Clean her cage . And interaction later.

I suggest having a routine. Doing short interaction at first , and ending on a good note before bites . Building on that . Doing simple things for treats, keeping to s out 3 reps then a break and doing same or different later. GCC are pretty smart and quick to pick up things. The simple things I do, I tap a spot or perch ( out of cage perches, I have lots on the outside of cage and elsewhere,) ask her to come there for a treat. I take her around and ask her to step from me to different spots for a treat then back to me for a treat. I ask her to touch an object or toy for a treat . Then I work up to pickup an object for a treat . Just little things like that . Turn around for a treat

Hello, thank you so much for your reply!!
Conures definitely are rather nippy creatures, as I’ve learned. I’m so glad you have a good relationship with yours! Interesting to learn though that the instinct to bite never really goes away, haha!

For Zero, I think part of the problem may be that he is overstimulated? When I go to his cage, he’ll cling to the bars and start screaming, or when my parents come home from work or being out of the house, he’ll also start screaming. Not sure if it’s excitement though. Sometimes he’ll fly to them just to sit on them and scream before attempting to bite. And when petting, he’ll like it! But when I’ll pet the side of his face, it’s like he suddenly becomes aware that it’s MY hand and try to bite. Which is definitely frustrating/confusing to work through, since he wants me to pet him there by angling his face.

He doesn’t seem to have much interest in the toys I’ve bought him, so I’ve gone ahead and purchased some clickers to try and start target training since he is very turned off by hands at the moment. Hopefully through this it can help establish some sort of discipline too? Thank you so much for the advice you’ve given, it helps a lot. I am a little afraid, but hopefully it can work to get him more comfortable with me and less bitey :’))

 

[Pixiebeak]

I believe in you! I absolutely believe you will have progress. Sometimes progress is slow ..

For example when I first got my quaker she had a hand phobia as in run screaming from any hands , or bite if cornered. Took a good six months to get past . That was 4 years ago, unfortunately something happened in her mind at least , that caused her fear of hands to resurface, as in wint step up , bites if does step up , bites a hand coming towards her , quit allowing pets, and even progressed to bites if offered treats(treats! From grub hound! ) it has been about 25 days now. I'm absolutely able to hand treats again with no bites, she doesn't run from from hands anymore ( again) and I back able to pet her and give head rubs. I'm not really working on step ups again yet, but we have had a couple of step ups with light warning nips . So when I say it can go slow lol I mean weeks or months . But it can go quicker for sure , and or you can start having little improvements or progress.
It took a while for issues to get established, it takes awhile to progress back to trust or good habits.

All birdies are themselves, and different in how they respond. My first GCC who I had fir 27 years , only nip as a baby then never again. Unlike Ta-dah who doesn't like hands coming from a ove her head, gets over excited, and definitely seems to think I purposely rub afrstere wrong and would bite , try to , but gives me warning so I avoid.

It took @April sending me some awesome toys from one of our vendors, for my GCC to finally enjoy toys!

 

[Emma&pico]

Pretty please would love to see zero

I think a massive part of problem is the fact your sisters his chosen person and as you say rest of family haven’t built that bond with him so at some point he’s decided your a threat to his bond with your sister
Then hes only left with you while his bonded friend left him and comes and goes which he’s probably very confused about

do you still pay him same attention when your sisters there ? Or is it your sister back to doing everything personally if you are going to be his main carer even when your sister back you still should be the main carer one who feeds him lets him out gives him treats etc
@Pixiebeak as posted brilliant ideas before how your sister can bridge the gap and show him you can be trust

what types of toys have you tried a lot sold at pet stores aren’t any good woods too hard you need toys with basal sola cardboard paper things that are softer to destroy
Foraging toys that he needs to work for food from all this will keep his little brain entertain which means when he comes out it’s not so much high energy as he had things to do inside cage you can also add toys outside his cage so his main focus isn’t just you and biting you

training brilliant recall having him fly to you treat then back to a perch treat safflower seeds are gcc crack they love it will do anything for it make sure he only gets his favourite treat from you non in his bowl in his cage you give best treats and he as to work for them

I say no bite in a even voice but louder than my normal voice and put them down turn my back my baby new gcc bites harder as draw blood but he’s leant so fast he getnothing from me if he bites
I also held him on my finger for a few secs if I got no bites I gave him a treat if he bite he got put on a perch over time the secs turned into minutes I can now hold him on my finger without bites I think a lot of time it’s boredom and testing I also do tricks on my fingers arm like wave turn around flip around my finger or even give them a foot toy to sit playing with

my lovebird is a no hands bird bites and flesh she see so I don’t show my flesh if I am doing recall I tap my arm covered by long sleeves if she’s in a mood I offer a bigger piece of millet if she being nice safflower seed

I would take your hands out of it and train him to come to perch when you tap it making him work for a treat

as @Pixiebeak said I don’t get mine to step up when first coming out they climb out themselves I will change their water so they fly to bathroom with me and have zooms around room I normally then clean there papers while they forage then they will come for some attention once some of that energy is out then we go tricks or play or sit have snuggles

I am not saying what I do is right or perfect mine are still babies and my female lovebird is far from a good relationship with me
But it’s things I’ve found have helped so much especially with indie my lovebird if she got things to do foraging or recall or tricks she flys at me to attack a lot less