Cage Aggression? HELP?

[Reggie]

As many of you know I brought Cooper the GCC home on Thursday night. I noticed right away that he hates when I touch his cage near the door. He tries to nip at my fingers. What I've been doing to solve this problem is holding up my inhaler (because he doesn't know what it is) and he backs away from it so I can get my hand in to change the water, add more food, etc. He only acts aggressive if my hands are near the door, and doesn't bother me if my hands are actually inside the cage, and if I leave him on top of his cage he doesn't like my hands near him either.
I'd love some advice on how to fix this!

 

[JLcribber]

Put him somewhere else while you're mucking with his cage. It's his cage. (Let him hang out in the bathroom for a few minutes)

 

[Reggie]

I would do that, but he doesn't step up yet and he doesn't like my hands being near him.
I just want him to not nip at me when I'm replacing water or giving him more food.

 

[Lady Jane]

Can you get a cage that has outside access to change food and water? Do you know any details of how he was behaving where you got him from or is this a new behavior?
If its new then most likely he is frightened of you and the new home.

 

[Newbie GCC]

Can you place a treat in another area of his cage to distract him while you change food and water? If he knows that you approaching the cage is a good thing, it may help. He is new to you and his cage is his castle. He needs to know that you are trusted in his space.

 

[Reggie]

That sounds like a good idea. I'll try it and see how it goes.

 

[camelotshadow]

Doesn't sound like his cage was cleaned much or he was interacted w in last 2 years.
He's new & his cage is his safety zone. He doesn;t know if you are meaning him harm or stealing his food yet.

A new cage with feeder doors would be nice but I like the idea of putting a treat in a far corner.

Try not to get bit it makes him think its ok to bite. Keep your hands away from him.
Be very careful to do things when he is far from the food bowls.
Maybe when he is on top of the cage. Use a stick if you have to move him til you know he is safe.

You just got him & he did not seem to have been interacted with much so you just have to go slow & reassure him you're the bringer of treats.

 

[Reggie]

Thank you! I'll be sure to do that!

 

[Lodah]

One of the best ways to get your GCC to start to trust you is to try and scratch their heads to relieve the constant itch they have whilst molting! If you can get him to accept food through the cage bars and then try to gently touch the top of his head and rub the feathers in the opposite direction to which they grow! Gently of course! Make sure to take your time with this, as it is not going to happen overnight!

 

[karen256]

I don't think you've had him long enough for it to be true cage aggression. Right now, it sounds like he's just in a new home, scared, and trying to defend the one spot he's had a chance to explore and feel safe in.
Just working to gain his trust and letting him explore outside his cage will help a lot.

 

[Skipper]

This is not uncommon. It took Gilligan and I a while to figure out the rules. When he is in his cage or on his play-stand, that is his territory and do not try and ask him to step up on a finger. Luckily, he is OK with the stick, so that works. I can reach anywhere in his cage as long as it is not near him. He will step up on my finger when not in his territory.

 

[Monica]

I would definitely not recommend scaring him with your inhaler... or any other object he finds scary. This can associate his fear of the object with you.


Definitely a good idea to start with station training and target training. Teach him to target all around his cage, and station on a perch for a treat.


When teaching to station (best done when you *DON'T* need to do anything in his cage! Build up the behavior first before trying to put it in use), you want to reward the desired behavior every 3-5 seconds. This means that it's easiest using a small treat that he can eat quickly. Then slowly, increase how long he stands there for a treat. Maybe it's 8 seconds the next time, then 15 seconds, and so forth.



This also helps him to learn to associate good things with you around the cage, so he may then become less cage aggressive.

 

[AYA]

When my GCC gets in a bite-y mood over me changing out her dishes, I put the fresh dish of water/food on top of her cage and away from me, and she'll climb onto the roof and start investigating it, which allows me to remove the old dish. She only gets nippy over the old dish being touched and gets excited over the new one being put in

 

[Reggie]

Thank you all for the suggestions! I'll try them and see how it goes!