Treat Aggression

[TamerofConures]

I’m currently training my GCC to poop on command in her cage in the mornings before I take her out. She’s very good and picked it up quickly. The problem is that I reward her with dried mealworms, which she adores, and she gets, I think, over-excited, and bites me hard when I offer it to her. Does anyone have any advice for curbing the biting? Should I try something she still likes but doesn’t get so wound up about, like millet seed?

 

[Zara]

 

[Lady Jane]

Training a bird to eliminate on cue is not a good idea. It can cause issues up the road. Ask your vet about this and let us know what is said.

 

[JLcribber]

I’ll second that. Training poop on command is dangerous.

so he bites your finger with a treat. Eliminate the finger. Offer the treat with a spoon/stick/tweezer whatever. Change the way you do it.

 

[Mizzely]

I would also just remove my hand from the equation A shallow bowl or tweezers would work great

I agree though that pooping on command can be problematic. They can prolapse trying to poop when they don't need to, or if you aren't there to give the command, they can hold the feces too long and give themselves a bacterial infection.

 

[TamerofConures]

Hm, okay that's useful to know, thanks guys!

 

[Monica]

I would kind of worry about mealworms being too much of the diet, but then I don't know how much is really okay to give.

Agree though... remove your hand from the equation.... either use a spoon to feed treat *or* drop into a dish.

 

[Leih]

I'm having this same issue with my 9 month old conure and nipping me when he snatches the treat. I'd think if he does it to the tweezers he's not going to like it as much as likes biting me and then should stop? And then give it some time before trying to bring my hand back into the situation? He's not really hand shy, I think he's just growing up and trying to be the boss of me!

 

[Monica]

I'm having this same issue with my 9 month old conure and nipping me when he snatches the treat. I'd think if he does it to the tweezers he's not going to like it as much as likes biting me and then should stop? And then give it some time before trying to bring my hand back into the situation? He's not really hand shy, I think he's just growing up and trying to be the boss of me!

Birds aren't trying to boss us around, be the alpha, dominate us or any of that other crap. This is just made up when people don't know how to communicate with birds and the birds are trying to communicate with us in a very loud way.


If your conure is nipping when going to take the treat, then stop offering a reward by hand. Offer it via a spoon, a treat cup, setting it down or any other method that avoids you getting a nip. You can bring your hand back into the equation later, but for now, remove your hand, thus preventing bites.