Male Red Bellied Behavior

[AMidnightSoul]

Hi all. I haven’t been on here in quite a while, but I’ve been pondering a question lately. Forgive me, but this will be a little long. I recently took my male 14 yr old Red Bellied parrot for his biannual exam and something the vet said got my wheels turning. He says it every visit, but this time it stuck with me. First a history of my bird. I adopted him when he was almost 10 years old. He was turned in for being a “biter”. I was told he could bite but he’s really sweet with the people he likes. Luckily, he seemed to like me. I had read that male Red Belly’s could have an attitude and were “nippy” compared to many other birds, but nothing that can’t be dealt with. Since they told me his history of being a biter and since I saw him bite a few volunteers, I knew his issues went beyond being “nippy” and I went into it with my eyes open. In the beginning, he would bite out of fear, with little to no warning, wouldn’t let go and after an incidence, regardless of how calm I was during the incident, he would be petrified for at least 24 hours. I assumed he was treated poorly, wasn’t listened too and therefore didn’t give much warning, and was treated very poorly after biting someone which would explain him not letting go and being so scared for so long after biting.

Time has passed and he’s no longer scared. He’s a very loving bird that solicits a lot of attention, does a lot of baby talking and mock petting to get my attention and prefers to be close. He still bites, but it happens rarely now because I limit the chances he has to bite. He still gives little to no warning. He doesn’t let go when he bites, but he’s not scared afterwards. In fact, usually, after I get him to let go (the only successful way I’ve found is by reaching around with my other hand and closing it over his eyes), he turns his head sideways, lifts his wings and starts baby talking and soliciting for more petting. I think now he thinks he’s playing when he bites. He’s been known to launch himself at me in the same manner he launches at his toys and hangs from them. He’s been known to step up on his stick and dance on it, only to look down at my hand holding the stick and launching himself onto one of the fingers with his beak. Removing the stick does nothing except add the pressure of his body weight hanging from my finger by his beak.

This obviously limits how much hands on attention I can give him, but we make due. I spend a lot of time dancing with him, talking to him and petting him with creative implements like really long crochet needles. So we’ve worked out a system, but when he bites, he does damage. He was sitting on a play stand many feet behind me once, and launched himself at the back of my head, ending up attached to my eyebrow and cutting quite deeply. That’s the only time he’s launched himself at my face, but it shows how seriously he could hurt someone. My eyebrow healed except for a scar, to match the ones on my hands. He frequently launches himself across a table or a playstand to get my hands if I am doing something like changing his water bowl or setting someone down on the table. He’s bitten to the bone on a few occasions. Damaged nerves in my fingers on more than one occasion that luckily haven’t been permanent but weren’t fun during the healing phase. He’s latched on so hard that my bones have ached and once I was worried he fractured my finger because the bone was so sore. Since I’ve had him for several years now, I’ve managed to figure out a system to work around him, so I rarely get bit now, but that’s mainly due to limiting hands on attention. He gets out and is allowed free time for most of the day, every day and can remain close to me pretty much all day. I just don’t’ let him by my face or too close to any of my skin. I would have no problems petting him on a regular basis but to do that means I am accepting a really bad bite to come, and his bites are too risky to allow that, so I don’t do hands on petting at all anymore. We can go six months without anything happening and then have three attempted (or successful) bites in one week. Could be hormonal, but it happens at odd times like the middle of winter or late summer. It doesn’t correspond with molting either.

His bites aren’t “nippy”. He is not what I would describe to someone as “having an occasional attitude”. When people who are unfamiliar with him come over, I tell them “Don’t’ touch him or reach out to him. He can put you in the hospital.” My vet is a well-respected, highly experienced Avian Vet. At Gizmo’s last appointment, he asked how his biting was doing and I said it’s the same as ever, unpredictable and damaging. He replied “Sounds like a mature Red Belly. That’s why they aren’t one of my favorites.” He’s said it at past appointments but I never really thought about it until now. I’ve also heard that a local breeder in this area that has Red Belly’s tends to persuade people to consider a female over a male, even though she charges more for the males, because the females are better adapted to being pets and less bitey.

I always thought Gizmo’s issues came from his past, but now I wonder if this is normal male Red Belly behavior, considering what the general consensus is about Red Belly’s being ‘nippy’ and ‘attitudinal’ and if it is, why do people say they are ‘nippy’ or ‘can have an attitude’ when that does not adequately convey the behavior? Gizmo is a dangerous pet for someone who is not prepared to deal and who can’t or won’t educate themselves on how to handle/deal with him and his issues. I could easily see Gizmo being hurt, or worse, killed, in a home with someone not prepared for his level of bites (just because he won’t let go and the pressure of his bite is so severe, most people would try to fling him or squeeze him too hard to get him off) and I could also see someone having a serious medical issue because of one of his bites if it’s not properly taken care of, or if adequate precautions aren’t taken around him. So what are people’s opinions? Is Gizmo an exception due to an unknown past, or is this really what people mean when they say mature, male Red Belly’s are “nippy and can have an attitude” and they are inadvertently downplaying it? Mind you, I’m not unhappy with Gizmo and have no regrets. He will be with me until he passes and will have enlightened my life by being here, but I thought his issues were due to his past, at the very least, a lack of training and time commitment from someone and never considered that he has normal behavior for a male Red Belly of his age until I started hearing people imply it's normal so often. I spent a lot of time getting to know Gizmo before I adopted him and knew how serious his issues were, but I was also lucky and they were honest with me. I can only imagine an unsuspecting family who hears they can be nippy or can get a little bit of an attitude when they get older and so they think it won't be that bad and adopt one as a baby only to end up with a Gizmo in a few yearsl! That would be horrible for them and the bird. Is he a normal male red belly like my vet implied?

 

[iamwhoiam]

It really varies with the bird but to generalize red-bellies can have a tendency to hbe nippy (to be more specific...this can range from gentle biting to very hard and painful, breaking the skin/blood) and exhibit "attitudes"/be temperamental. My males are more nippy than my females but the youngest female will bite unpredictably. Her sister, though, is extremely sweet. None of my males have ever "launched" at me but if I have them step up it's probable that at some point they might bite. I can pet and give them scritches, though, and no biting. I can even pet them under their wings. In fact they will come over to me and put their heads down so I can pet them. Most of them will step up onto perches/dowels and towels so it's a good thing to have those nearby. BTW, the breeding season for red-bellies is supposed to be winter in their natural environment. You can work with Gizmo to decrease the behavior. Check out Barbara Heidenreich and Susan Friedman.

Except for my breeding pair, I have had my red-bellies since they were eggs so I know their history and how they were raised.

I really try not to overreact when bit....screaming, yelling, calling them bad bird over and over again, jumping up and down, etc. because I just think it makes things worse and it gives them extra attention thereby rewarding them for that behavior.

 

[AMidnightSoul]

Thanks for the response. I guess when I hear the terms nippy or attitude, I don't think of a severe bite, lol. In all fairness to Gizmo, I think the bites where he is being temperamental are few and far between. I think most of the time, he really does think it's the proper way to communicate or that he is playing. He acts very normal afterwards now, although it took a lot of work to get that point. In the beginning, he would panic after he bit and would fly back to his cage, get in the corner, breath heavy for a while and stay there for a day or two afterwards, clearly afraid of something, but that behavior is a distant memory. Now when he bites, after I get him off of me, he's back to bowing his head and asking for petting or baby talking to get me to talk to him. Although, if he bites me, or attempts to bite me, I will put him in his cage and leave the room for a short time. He's also great with a dowel and steps up every time he's asked. It just needs to be a long dowel so that if he starts inching towards your hand on one end, you can grab the other end with your other hand, so he doesn't nail you.

I've done a lot of reading from Heidenreich and Friedman and it helped a lot in the beginning and I think is part of the reason why things are so much better now than they were. He went from being fearful of any little peep or movement or new thing to having the heart of a lion, for the most part and truly enjoys interaction now and is very curious about new things and noises. He also tries to bite much less frequently, but with the severity of his bites, I don't pet him with my hands. He asks for petting a lot, spending a large portion of his day with his head bowed, and if that doesn't work, he pets himself as if I'm not getting the message and he needs to show me. He's probably not thrilled that I no longer pet with my fingers and use a crochet hook instead, but it's safer that way and he accepts the petting, so it probably doesn't upset him too much.

I just really find it curious that in the past, when I've searched or read up on Red Bellied's I haven't read anything that would give me the impression that Gizmo's behavior is anywhere near normal, but when I talk to experienced people face to face, they think it's totally normal and male red bellied's are not the best in a captive environment. It's just odd. Maggie, my Brownhead would nip on occasion (mainly if I answered the phone when I was too close to her) and it would draw blood, but it was no big deal, more like a paper cut that was forgotten as soon as it stopped bleeding. That's what I think of when I think of a nip (although I never thought of Maggie as nippy, because it was so rare). Not the same with Gizmo, lol. I guess it's too hard to determine what is normal vs. abnormal behaviorally for captive parrots since there are too many factors involved and too little research.

 

[Heather F]

I don't have this species but what you're saying makes me think of @JLcribber and his arms length, man eating cockatoo that has nailed him real good several times including nearly taking his eye out - he might have some advice for handling a hair trigger bird but it sounds like you've got a pretty good understanding worked out already. I know there are some male red bellies here who aren't bloodthirsty - I certainly haven't heard of @saroj12's Rudy being a crazy little piranha. If I had to guess I would hazard that you have a species tendency for aggression combined with a bad background making for a bird that is aggressive even for its species.

 

[iamwhoiam]

It sounds as if you are doing the best that you can so keep doing that and continue trying the Friedman and Heidenreich suggestions and techniques. I do believe that Rudy has bit a few people but not very often, although I might be wrong, but I think I remember reading that in one of saroj12's posts. If he can stay on the dowel and not come near you to bite then I would click and reward him if you are using a clicker. If not just some verbal praise and a reward. I think you just have to continue taking small steps with him. You also need to try and figure out why he is biting and that can be very difficult to do. When does he not attempt to bite? Definitely reward those moments.

 

[JLcribber]

Hi all. I haven’t been on here in quite a while, but I’ve been pondering a question lately. Forgive me, but this will be a little long. I recently took my male 14 yr old Red Bellied parrot for his biannual exam and something the vet said got my wheels turning. He says it every visit, but this time it stuck with me. First a history of my bird. I adopted him when he was almost 10 years old. He was turned in for being a “biter”. I was told he could bite but he’s really sweet with the people he likes. Luckily, he seemed to like me. I had read that male Red Belly’s could have an attitude and were “nippy” compared to many other birds, but nothing that can’t be dealt with. Since they told me his history of being a biter and since I saw him bite a few volunteers, I knew his issues went beyond being “nippy” and I went into it with my eyes open. In the beginning, he would bite out of fear, with little to no warning, wouldn’t let go and after an incidence, regardless of how calm I was during the incident, he would be petrified for at least 24 hours. I assumed he was treated poorly, wasn’t listened too and therefore didn’t give much warning, and was treated very poorly after biting someone which would explain him not letting go and being so scared for so long after biting.

Time has passed and he’s no longer scared. He’s a very loving bird that solicits a lot of attention, does a lot of baby talking and mock petting to get my attention and prefers to be close. He still bites, but it happens rarely now because I limit the chances he has to bite. He still gives little to no warning. He doesn’t let go when he bites, but he’s not scared afterwards. In fact, usually, after I get him to let go (the only successful way I’ve found is by reaching around with my other hand and closing it over his eyes), he turns his head sideways, lifts his wings and starts baby talking and soliciting for more petting. I think now he thinks he’s playing when he bites. He’s been known to launch himself at me in the same manner he launches at his toys and hangs from them. He’s been known to step up on his stick and dance on it, only to look down at my hand holding the stick and launching himself onto one of the fingers with his beak. Removing the stick does nothing except add the pressure of his body weight hanging from my finger by his beak.

This obviously limits how much hands on attention I can give him, but we make due. I spend a lot of time dancing with him, talking to him and petting him with creative implements like really long crochet needles. So we’ve worked out a system, but when he bites, he does damage. He was sitting on a play stand many feet behind me once, and launched himself at the back of my head, ending up attached to my eyebrow and cutting quite deeply. That’s the only time he’s launched himself at my face, but it shows how seriously he could hurt someone. My eyebrow healed except for a scar, to match the ones on my hands. He frequently launches himself across a table or a playstand to get my hands if I am doing something like changing his water bowl or setting someone down on the table. He’s bitten to the bone on a few occasions. Damaged nerves in my fingers on more than one occasion that luckily haven’t been permanent but weren’t fun during the healing phase. He’s latched on so hard that my bones have ached and once I was worried he fractured my finger because the bone was so sore. Since I’ve had him for several years now, I’ve managed to figure out a system to work around him, so I rarely get bit now, but that’s mainly due to limiting hands on attention. He gets out and is allowed free time for most of the day, every day and can remain close to me pretty much all day. I just don’t’ let him by my face or too close to any of my skin. I would have no problems petting him on a regular basis but to do that means I am accepting a really bad bite to come, and his bites are too risky to allow that, so I don’t do hands on petting at all anymore. We can go six months without anything happening and then have three attempted (or successful) bites in one week. Could be hormonal, but it happens at odd times like the middle of winter or late summer. It doesn’t correspond with molting either.

His bites aren’t “nippy”. He is not what I would describe to someone as “having an occasional attitude”. When people who are unfamiliar with him come over, I tell them “Don’t’ touch him or reach out to him. He can put you in the hospital.” My vet is a well-respected, highly experienced Avian Vet. At Gizmo’s last appointment, he asked how his biting was doing and I said it’s the same as ever, unpredictable and damaging. He replied “Sounds like a mature Red Belly. That’s why they aren’t one of my favorites.” He’s said it at past appointments but I never really thought about it until now. I’ve also heard that a local breeder in this area that has Red Belly’s tends to persuade people to consider a female over a male, even though she charges more for the males, because the females are better adapted to being pets and less bitey.

I always thought Gizmo’s issues came from his past, but now I wonder if this is normal male Red Belly behavior, considering what the general consensus is about Red Belly’s being ‘nippy’ and ‘attitudinal’ and if it is, why do people say they are ‘nippy’ or ‘can have an attitude’ when that does not adequately convey the behavior? Gizmo is a dangerous pet for someone who is not prepared to deal and who can’t or won’t educate themselves on how to handle/deal with him and his issues. I could easily see Gizmo being hurt, or worse, killed, in a home with someone not prepared for his level of bites (just because he won’t let go and the pressure of his bite is so severe, most people would try to fling him or squeeze him too hard to get him off) and I could also see someone having a serious medical issue because of one of his bites if it’s not properly taken care of, or if adequate precautions aren’t taken around him. So what are people’s opinions? Is Gizmo an exception due to an unknown past, or is this really what people mean when they say mature, male Red Belly’s are “nippy and can have an attitude” and they are inadvertently downplaying it? Mind you, I’m not unhappy with Gizmo and have no regrets. He will be with me until he passes and will have enlightened my life by being here, but I thought his issues were due to his past, at the very least, a lack of training and time commitment from someone and never considered that he has normal behavior for a male Red Belly of his age until I started hearing people imply it's normal so often. I spent a lot of time getting to know Gizmo before I adopted him and knew how serious his issues were, but I was also lucky and they were honest with me. I can only imagine an unsuspecting family who hears they can be nippy or can get a little bit of an attitude when they get older and so they think it won't be that bad and adopt one as a baby only to end up with a Gizmo in a few yearsl! That would be horrible for them and the bird. Is he a normal male red belly like my vet implied?

Your story is very similar to mine.

You know what your doing. This is not a pet. You are a zoo keeper who is "managing" this bird. And doing a good job IMO. A zoo keeper uses tools and environment to get the desired results they are looking for. You certainly would not handle a shark with your bare hands. Even a friendly shark. We own sharks.

You could armour up a little better. A straight stick is easily foiled as you know. A rather large "T stick" is a much more effective tool. It gives you more control when the bird is on it but more importantly it keeps your flesh out of target range. You "can" keep the bird slightly off balance should the need arise. You can spin it around to always keep it facing away from you (again should the need arise).

The biting is a learned behaviour and will always be in his tool box because it is effective and does work and he knows it. He's probably a fine specimen of his species and would have been a leader.

Are you sure he's not a white cockatoo named Tika?

 

[JLcribber]

I carry my T stick religiously when Tika is out. He does not travel or move on my body. In the case of flyover attacks it goes up as a defensive shield. Land on the stick or go somewhere else.

Blind attacks? Well you lose. The only defence against that is a caged bird or a clipped bird. Never let the bird be in your blind spot for any length of time.

When you say launch does that mean he flies and attacks or just leaps that far?

 

[AMidnightSoul]

Ha! I've often said to Gizmo I think he's a hormonal Cockatoo in the wrong clothing. Yup, he is definitely being "managed" as a wild animal, and not a pet. I can only imagine living with a Gizmo the size of a Cockatoo. My hat is off to you, sir! I think that would give me post traumatic stress disorder, lol.

When he launches himself, it's more of a running leap. The time he launched himself at my eyebrow from behind, I didn't see whether he hopped across obstacles to get to me, or flew over, but I did hear his wings flap at the last second, so he might've flew over but that that was the one and only time that's happened. He is no longer allowed behind me. He occasionally flies over to the couch to try and sit on it behind my head, but I immediately get up and move him. Normally, when he launches, it's a running leap across a surface. He starts running with his head down, beak dragging along the surface and then jumps full bodied onto my hand or the object he's going after. It looks like territorial behavior but it happens even if it's a new location that he's never been on, and it's not just hands that he'll go after in that way. In the mornings, he'll sit on the kitchen table to look out the sliding glass door while he eats his fresh foods and anything that I sit on the table will get the running launch/attack (toys, paper, purse). I'll try to get a video and post it when he's on the table tomorrow morning. It should be easy to recreate since all I need to do is sit something on the table while he's sitting on it for him to do it, lol. I don't have any issues walking by him. He doesn't launch himself at me when I pass by him. It's just when I'm interacting with him, or with the surface he's sitting on, with the exception of the eyebrow incident a year ago, and the dowel.

When he decides to attack on the dowel, he'll try to be sneaky and inch over a little at a time until he is in the middle of the dowel, looking at me, talking or dancing. Then he'll look down at my hand and I know it's time to take evasive action. Once he looks at my hand, he's getting ready to wind up his legs for a full bodied leap onto my finger, where he'll latch on and hang from it. The look he gives my hand in that moment is almost exactly like the look Raptors give their feet & perches, when they are examining themselves and their environment. I used to volunteer in a Raptor rehab facility and they often look at their own feet or the perch they are standing on, with a very distinct gaze and that look is what Gizmo reminds me of when he looks down at my hand before a bite.

I'm glad you mentioned the T Stick. I have one I tried to use when I first got him, but he was scared of it and it ended up in the basement, forgotten. I will retrieve it and start to work on training him to use it instead of the regular stick. It would be a good implement to use in more ways than one since it would make it easier to weigh him.

After several years, I'm still in awe of what complicated beings they are. I often think Gizmo has more going on in his head at any given time then I ever do on my busiest day.

 

[JLcribber]

It's rough in the big league but you're a good player who knows how to hold her own. Coach always told me when you get in the corner keep your head up or you'll get taken out. Words I live by.

 

[saroj12]

It sounds as if you are doing the best that you can so keep doing that and continue trying the Friedman and Heidenreich suggestions and techniques. I do believe that Rudy has bit a few people but not very often, although I might be wrong, but I think I remember reading that in one of saroj12's posts. If he can stay on the dowel and not come near you to bite then I would click and reward him if you are using a clicker. If not just some verbal praise and a reward. I think you just have to continue taking small steps with him. You also need to try and figure out why he is biting and that can be very difficult to do. When does he not attempt to bite? Definitely reward those moments.

He nipped the bird sitters toes when she got too close to his bowl on the floor. He has become so mellow now. I can tell when he wants to bite but he just applies gentle pressure as warning. Used to be if I tried to break up his bowl game he would fly into a fury and bite my fingers to the bone! I can't get over his transformation.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Rudy was protecting his property.

It sort of sounds as if Gizmo is playing but not in the way you would want him to play. He's running at things and then biting them and trying to be the one in control. It's almost like a game to him. Will be interesting to see the video. My red-bellies will run towards things they are interested in and grab them and then throw them around. They have what I describe as the red-belly stare and, although it sounds a bit similar to what you describe, it's not a sign that they are going to bite. I generally know if they are getting ready to bite me and can distract them from doing that. My hand is not usually something for them to latch on to but something to scratch and pet them.

You really are doing a lot of good things to try to resolve the issue and it's great that you haven't given up on him!

 

[AMidnightSoul]

Hello! I took some video's this morning. They aren't natural since I was setting up the situations, while trying to film and not get bit, lol, but I think they show the gist of what Gizmo goes through on a daily basis.

The first is an example of me setting things down on the table and then taking them away. It's off frame, but the part where he flies to the left is because I was picking up one of the containers and was removing it. He was going for the hand that was picking the item up. It's hard to video and recreate the behaviors at the same time.

The next is what happens when you sit something on the table:

I put the camera down to get a shot of the whole thing but Gizmo was on to me and the whole thing looks staged (which is was, lol). I have to use objects to get other objects away from him.

All of this looks normal since these objects are just like toys, but unfortunately, it's the same behavior he displays with me, only when skin is involved, he seems to latch on tighter and not let go as easily, like he's super excited. I try to keep a subdued reaction when he bites, but since it hurts so bad, I imagine my heart rate goes up and the atmosphere changes because I'm working quickly to try and remove him from my skin.

He displays the same behavior regardless of where he lands, but luckily, he has his comfort zones and usually sticks to only those spots. I can hand him food and he takes it gingerly. I can sit in front of him and talk and dance with him and he does fine. I used to pet his head when he would ask, but he frequently whips his head around to bite. If I was quick enough and could get my hand away in time so that he didn't make contact, he would go back to lowering his head for more petting, but if I was too slow and he made contact, he would latch on, swing around to get leverage with his feet, and not let go, so I quit petting him with my hands. He's just an overexcited little guy almost all the time, lol.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Interesting videos. I see what you mean. It's almost as if he sees the objects as threats and tries to attack them. Perhaps the objects are in what he considers his territory and he wants them gone. This could be some kind of fear behavior or some type of anxiety and the way he has learned to react is to go after the items or you. When you work with him do you do that in a small area with few distractions? Does he go after objects if they are not being moved or does he only go after things once you move and manipulate them? How does he interact with toys in his cage? John's suggestion of the T-stick was very good and you can continue to take small baby steps with him rewarding him for acceptable behaviors or behaviors that come close to what you want which can then be shaped. I realize you have probably done this but it may just take him awhile to relearn/unlearn behaviors.

 

[AMidnightSoul]

I usually work with him while he's standing on his playstand. Sometimes when I'm on the computer, he'll fly over and sit on the monitor, and I'll work with him then. But I have to move him when we're done. Once I ignore him and start typing, oftentimes, he'll hop down to the keyboard and try to get my fingers.

Sometimes he treats the toys in his cage the same way, jumping on them, hanging from them and tearing at them, but more often than not, he's more of a light touch with them, nibbling on them from a perch and holding them steady with one foot, without all the drama. Likewise with stationary objects. Sometimes he gets excited with a foot toy and latches on and flops around with it, (he's fallen off the table before because he got too excited with a toy) but usually if it wasn't moving before he started playing with it, he's more gentle with it when he starts playing, with the exception of the playtop above his cage. Sometimes, he flies up to his playtop and gets overstimulated while playing and thrashes about, trying to play with all the toys at once, rolling around on his back, only to get distracted when he rolls over a different toy and then he'll hop on it and start over, going from toy to toy. That isn't a regular thing though. I've only seen him do it a handful of times.

I do get the feeling that when he initiates roughness with his toys/objects that are just sitting around, he's doing it for my benefit. He never does it when I'm distracted or not paying attention. It's only when I'm watching or talking to him. When I leave the room and peak in on him or when I'm busy doing other things, he does play with his toys, but it's calm and just involves him chewing on them, but not jumping/latching on.

I dug the T-stand out this morning and I sat it on the bottom on his cage, so he can get used to it tonight. Tomorrow, when he gets out, I'll move it to the table so he can get used to it some more, lol.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Do you know anything about his history before you got him besides the fact that you were told he was a biter? What was his human family like...kids, adults, etc? How did they interact with him? Just curious. I was attempting to play basketball with two of my r-b boys today and no lunging or running at me. I can easily pet them. I do have towels and dowels available just in case. They would throw the wiffle ball around a bit and one of them tried to move the hoop.
Maybe he is just trying to show you he is boss or maybe that he doesn't want certain items around. It's not easy to get into their minds and figure out what is going on in there.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My RedBellied, Oscar, is a wild and crazy guy. His former owner "petted" him by toweling him to remove him from his cage and then stroking him with an oven mitt! For two and a half years, he has ignored me or bitten me whenever I offer him food or pets. Suddenly, he has begun to come over and seek me out for interactions, usually talking to him, giving him treats he will not eat or singing to him. Just recently he has allowed me to scritch his neck/head gently for thirty/forty seconds before he whips his head around to bite/nip. Usually it is a nip, but now and then he does "latch on" and not let go like your Gizmo. Oscar wants one on one interaction, but I don't think he knows how to react to it. He assiduously has tried to talk my Senegal hen and every cockatiel hen into pairing off with him while being dominant and physically aggressive to the cockatiel cocks. He ignores the love birds and budgies, but they give him a wide area when they pass him or sit near him. His behavior is very like my Meyers Parrot, Hobbs, who was a bite to the bone jealous bird when I first got him, but over a three year period was able to change his behavior with a behavior mod program I got from Sally Blanchard when she still made sense about bird behavior.

Gizmo's reaction to things on his table, was very much like Hobbs' reaction to anything which took my attention away from HIM when he was out of his cage. He would literally attack the object (magazine, phone, TV remote, etc) forcing me to drop it and then punish me by latching onto my fingers and grinding his beak until he got down to the bone sheath. I have about eight nice white scars from areas where he did this feat. I had to carry a tea towel on my shoulder just in case he starting his grinding bite because the only way I could stop his grind was to drape a towel over him and gently squeeze his body until he realized he couldn't take a deep breath and would then stop his grinding and let go of my skin. It took six episodes of this stand-off to teach Hobbs to not bite me this way! He was stubborn. But toweling him, removing him from my presence and putting him in the time-out cage until he calmed down worked to eventually eliminate his jealous behavior and produce a loving bird who enjoyed scritches and could be trusted to sit on my shoulder and nap three years after behavior modification started. Gizmo is definitely defending his table territory, but in addition, he has taught you to treat it like a game and it is his way of interacting with you. My first suggestion is to stop interacting with him on the table and on the top of his cage and remove him to a "strange" room or area where he has no "territory" to defend. Bring toys into the situation, things like a ball you can gently roll toward him and allow him to "fight" with until he burns off his energy and becomes more easy to interact with. Then introduce other interactive toys, like stacking rings for him to remove from a tower, etc. Eventually your goal is to teach him to stack the rings on the tower, but it is easier to initially use his energy to remove the rings, so you start there. Gizmo has two problems: he is high energy and he is territorial. You have to defuse his behavior before you can teach him to interact socially. And I am sure he wants that social interaction with you, but has no idea how to go about interacting appropriately so the interaction lasts longer than the thirty seconds it takes for him to whip his head around and nail you while you try and scritch his head!

It is a long and bite-loaded process, fraught with two steps forward and three steps back episodes, but it can and does work and he can become a loving pet if only you can find a way to get past his problems. Good luck with Gizmo and I very much hope you can break through his current behavior and turn him into a loving pet. I am making show progress with Oscar but I know I can win him over; after all, I have until either he or I kicks the bucket!

 

[Lodah]

He's just an overexcited little guy almost all the time, lol.

Sheesh... and I thought I had problems with Pilo! Pilo is a saint compared to your fid! My heart goes out to you just the same! Keep up the great work!

And just my two cents worth... I know that Parrots are wild creatures and you should always be aware of that fact... but sometimes they just want to be loved also! Sometimes its hard for them to understand our behavior as well and God knows how many parrots have been mistreated or abused by idiots! I'm sure they never forget that either!

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

What is really the issue is that, like humans, parrots are social creatures and individual parrots form loving and lasting bonds to another parrot for mating and emotional support. We can use those factors to win them over to a nice companion animal interaction, thus giving the parrot what they crave and the human a loving and interactive pet to spend time, money and emotion on!

 

[JLcribber]

Yea you got a feisty one. I like your "stick handling".

He seems very much an aviary type bird that would do well with a bunch of others like himself in a big space.

 

[JLcribber]

but over a three year period was able to change his behavior with a behavior mod program I got from Sally Blanchard when she still made sense about bird behavior.

I thought I was the only one that noticed she has "changed"?