Well Tinker is home. (Sad update post #865)

[Hankmacaw]

Yep, turning away and not interacting with him even worked on my 19 year old badly physically abused GW wild caught male. I even told him when I would walk away that I didn't like how he was acting in a mean voice. The one thing he could not live without was attention. Once I learned to completely avoid the bites and punished him with no attention, things progressed pretty quickly. Rewarding him with lots of love didn't hurt either.

 

[BertAllen]

Yep, turning away and not interacting with him even worked on my 19 year old badly physically abused GW wild caught male. I even told him when I would walk away that I didn't like how he was acting in a mean voice. The one thing he could not live without was attention. Once I learned to completely avoid the bites and punished him with no attention, things progressed pretty quickly. Rewarding him with lots of love didn't hurt either.

That sure seems to work on Tinker as well. I'm hoping it sorts this out for good.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Never for good or forever - they will test you regularly. Especially a parrot as intelligent as an African Grey.

I really, really wanted an African Grey when i got Hank, but I knew that having a bird smarter than me would be a disaster. Little did I know that Hank and Jasper are/were both smarter than me, but at least not to the extent an AG would be.

 

[NirAntae]

Yep, the 'walk away' punishment is the only thing that is reasonably effective without being potentially detrimental to the bird or your relationship with them.

I knew that having a bird smarter than me would be a disaster. Little did I know that Hank and Jasper are/were both smarter than me, but at least not to the extent an AG would be.

I think all too often people don't actually realize just how smart these birds are, simply because their intelligence is different than ours. But we only know how to gauge our own kind of intelligence.

 

[BertAllen]

Well Tinker has been a treat to be with so far this week. The only thing he got aggressive with was the tape measure I was using to measure the cabinets in the kitchen to close them in at the top.
And did he ever go after it, not sure what he thought it was but he will have to be put in his cage when I use it for sure.

I picked him up a ball that has two balls inside and one of them has a bell in it. Makes lots of noise and I was surprised that he took to it right away. There was no staring this down at all. He flew up to look and started playing with it right away.

 

[BertAllen]

Well I got the cabinets closed in and Tinker made his displeasure well known to me. As I was fastening things down he would land on the fridge and growl at me, a real loud GRRRRRR, GRRRRRR! Never heard a sound quite like it from a bird before.
Teresa wasn't home and I had to keep my phone hidden as he was to take it away when I leave it out.

This is what I did, just got to trim it out now but that's after Christmas work.


And here he is just as soon as he saw me with the phone.

 

[Kodigirl210]

It’s so funny how Tinker hates having his pic taken. I’m so glad Sif just sits quietly for the most part. I’d hate to have to be clever with daughter and my bird. At least one of them needs to be easy to photograph!

Best of luck!

 

[BertAllen]

I can't believe how ignoring him when he gets in the biting mood has worked. Right now (touch wood) my punctures have all healed and I have received no more.

This afternoon he flew over to me and laid on his back in my lap while I scratched under his lower mandible for a good 15 minutes.

Yesterday we had a ball with the mister, I put my arms out and carried on silly with him and he held his wings out and got a good soaking. My Grandson thought we were both nuts carrying on like a couple of idiots needing to be committed.

LOL it was great fun for both of us.

 

[Begone]

I can't believe how ignoring him when he gets in the biting mood has worked.

It works fine, that is the method I'm using for every behavior I don't want. And I'm happy that you tried it too and that it was working..

When Eliy arrived here she was aggressive in a protecting mode almost all the time. (abused rescue)
She was so used to that they where aggressive to her for every "bad" thing she did. Today, you don't see any aggression at all in her. She really is the sweetest. (but she has attitude)

 

[BertAllen]

Well today Tinker had to send more tie in his cage than normal. He took it like a champ and when I let him out several hours later he just purred and treated me like a long lost friend. Later he rolled over on his back and let me tickle him under his lower beak.
This ignoring him for bad behavior is the solution for this guy for sure.

So his pick a colour training can continue on schedule.

No videos till he has it down pat. LOL

He loves to kiss the cameras when he sees it. PITA to get a shot!

 

[NirAntae]

It's the answer for most birds, if only people were patient enough to stick with it I keep having to remind my spouse not to get worked up when Kito misbehaves, just put him down or in his cage.

Glad it's working for you!

 

[BertAllen]

Well Tinker has destroyed the trivets in the kitchen so I replaced them with aluminum ones that he won't touch.
I took the last survivor and tied some finger puzzles to it but at the moment he will not get within 10 feet of it. When he flies by it he screeches at it. LOL


Ah that shiny thing is to close again Dad.

 

[rockoko]

love that take off pic! look at those cute legs!

 

[BertAllen]

So yesterday and today seemed to be a turning point with Tinker or he was just in a real cuddly mood.
He sat on my lap last night while I was watching TV rolled over and let me scratch under his chin and play with his feet for over an hour. The only reason it stopped is I needed to get up and move about from being so stiff. LOL
He hasn't done a running attack on me for awhile now.

At just over 7 months we know he can say Tinker, Pretty bird, Be careful and Hello quite clear when he wants to but this morning he said as clear as could be "what you doing".

It's all coming together and I am so happy about it.

Oh he still won't go near that trivet yet.

 

[Kodigirl210]

@BertAllen - sounds like his turning back into a lover not a fighter. Sounds like he’s also make great progress in the vocab. Hurray!

 

[Begone]

I'm very happy for you all but most for Tinkers sake. ♡
Not all parrots has parronts that listen to them and give them love when they need it.
Now when you find out how easy it was to handle him, think about what have happened if you had done the opposite way. It is so easy to destroy them. That's one of the reasons I think parrot's are not for everyone.

 

[NirAntae]

Every kid, regardless of species, has to test their boundaries. Recognizing it and reacting appropriately makes all the difference in the world. <3 Don't despair when he has bad days - or even bad weeks or months - in the future. He's nowhere near 'grown', and even once he is, they still test boundaries and have bad days, just like people. You know how to handle it, now.

 

[KatelynDeanne]

Wow! See everything is falling in place for both of us! Time and patience pays off! Woo Tinker!!

 

[BertAllen]

I'm very happy for you all but most for Tinkers sake. ♡
Not all parrots has parronts that listen to them and give them love when they need it.
Now when you find out how easy it was to handle him, think about what have happened if you had done the opposite way. It is so easy to destroy them. That's one of the reasons I think parrot's are not for everyone.

Every kid, regardless of species, has to test their boundaries. Recognizing it and reacting appropriately makes all the difference in the world. <3 Don't despair when he has bad days - or even bad weeks or months - in the future. He's nowhere near 'grown', and even once he is, they still test boundaries and have bad days, just like people. You know how to handle it, now.

Wow! See everything is falling in place for both of us! Time and patience pays off! Woo Tinker!!

I thought my old Wild Amazon was a PITA to train but this guy has taught me so much more. I certainly have had to hold my tongue when he pierces the skin on the back of my hands but it has worked out for the better. They have all healed up now. Kind words and encouragement is what it takes for sure.
He now recognizes my evil eye when he goes after my laptop keyboard and the spray button on the sink faucet. But some days it's to the devil with you I'm going to do it anyway. LOL

Either way we are having fun and that's what counts.

 

[FlyingMacaws]

What an amazing first day!



One thing that can give you an 'educated guess' on sex, once your new buddy is more comfortable (or on the perch), is to look at the little red vent feathers beneath his tail (not the actual tail feathers, the vent feathers). Females tend to have a delicate silver edging on the feathers there. It's a teeny tiny detail, and by no means 100%, but unless you get him DNA sexed or end up with an egg, it's the best basis for a guess I've seen.

Visual guide, from my former female (DNA confirmed):

I find this to be true for TAGS as well in regards to their vent feathers. Luna has the delicate/faint slivering on her vent feathers and she proved she was all lady when she delivered me an egg.