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Advice Needed

BirdLady13

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Almost 2 weeks ago I brought home a 4-5 month old male parrotlet. I have experience hand-feeding and raising birds, but this is new territory for me. I know the bonding process will take time, but just when it seemed like he was finally settling in and I was beginning to gain his trust he started heading in a different direction. Yesterday he was taking millet from me, and then randomly bit me. He's gently nibbled on my finger before when the millet I was feeding him was gone, almost as if to ask for more, but this time was different. While it didn't draw blood, he definitely did it deliberately (despite there being plenty of millet left). Also, when he gets excited/hyper he tends to get aggressive. Not only does it look like he's attacking his toys rather than playing with them, but if I go anywhere near his cage (not in it, just next to it) he strikes at the side, beak wide open. His body language is much different than any of the other birds I've worked with. He was quiet when I first brought him home, but he has steadily begun freaking out whenever I'm not sitting right in front of his cage. Any tips & tricks you guys can provide would be much appreciated; I'm trying to avoid getting frustrated because I can't figure out how to have positive interactions with him. At the very least how can I get him to step up without angrily biting me?
 

finchly

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Hah welcome to the world of parrotlets, the original velociraptors!
Babies don’t realize that their bites hurt. You have to teach them.
All p’lets get excited and bang on toys, the cage, the perch. It’s just a behavior. I’m sure you could train it out, but why bother?
What concerns me is that you’re the “hand that feeds him” but he’s acting out toward you. Do you spend time with him other than feeding? Could you be grabbing him in a way he doesn’t like?
And when you say biting with the step up, is this the bite they do before stepping up to be sure your hand is steady, or is there another bite? Tell me more.
 

BirdLady13

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Hah welcome to the world of parrotlets, the original velociraptors!
Babies don’t realize that their bites hurt. You have to teach them.
All p’lets get excited and bang on toys, the cage, the perch. It’s just a behavior. I’m sure you could train it out, but why bother?
What concerns me is that you’re the “hand that feeds him” but he’s acting out toward you. Do you spend time with him other than feeding? Could you be grabbing him in a way he doesn’t like?
And when you say biting with the step up, is this the bite they do before stepping up to be sure your hand is steady, or is there another bite? Tell me more.
He keeps getting into a fighting stance with his beak open, so attempting to grab/pick him up has been out of the question. With that being said, since he won’t let me touch him I definitely haven’t handled him in any way he doesn’t like. I can pinch millet and give it to him, but he won’t take it from my palm; instead he lunges. Aside from feeding him and cleaning up after him, I sit in front of his cage and talk to him (usually with the cage door open). He seems to like this, because if I walk away he starts going nuts with his high pitched yelling.
 

finchly

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Ok I’m not really sure what’s going on here, but I’m going to throw out some suggestions. Forgive me if they’re too elementary. Obviously you have bird experience, but parrotlets are from another planet I think. And this poor guy, he’s been traumatized somehow.

Do you work from millet, no finger/ to millet, near finger/ to millet, behind finger— in other words gradual steps?

So you can give food with your fingers but he won’t go to your palm? What about on one finger? Maybe it’s how your hand is turned, it suddenly looks threatening (I have no idea why!). Try asking him to step up on your hand in a different position, or your elbow.

Teach him to station. Put a perch on the outside of the cage and tap it. Tell him to perch or whatever word you want to use. Use millet as a lure. After he’s learned that really well, tell him to perch on you— if he won’t go to your hand try your shoulder. Keep using millet.

One thing hubby and I do is turn our back to them with the cage door open. We stand and talk to each other, pretending to ignore the bird. one shoulder is Positioned right near the door, and lots of times they’ll decide to climb on. This is huge but you have to be quiet and calm the first few times or they freak out.

He needs to figure out you’re his friend. Sing to him, do silly songs and laugh. Make up songs with his name. Dance to music.
 

BirdLady13

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Update:
Mav is 5 days away from being home for 1 month. So far I've made what feels like minimal progress. He still refuses to be held; he won't step up onto my finger or get onto my open hand. I've tried getting him to step onto a perch while I hold it.. I've tried putting a perch just outside of his cage.. I've tried coaxing him with millet, but he can't be fooled into letting me pick him up. Even though he won't let me handle him, he freaks out every time I leave the room even if someone else is there. He's flown/jumped out of his cage 4 or 5 times now while I was sitting in front of it. I think most if not all of these escapes were unintentional; he gets rambunctious, overshoots his jump, and doesn't stick the landing as intended. :laugh: Each time I have to take the swing out of his cage because this is the only object he'll step up on. Despite his fear/hatred of being outside of his cage and being handled, he has started letting me give him head scritches. I can tell he isn't quite sure, but he ends up enjoying it; he fluffs and angles his head.
 

finchly

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, he has started letting me give him head scritches. I can tell he isn't quite sure, but he ends up enjoying it; he fluffs and angles his head.
This is huge! He’s starting to trust you. Good job.
 

Hermesbird

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I can tell he isn't quite sure, but he ends up enjoying it; he fluffs and angles his head.
From my experience which is minimal I've had my baby for 5 months now. Thats a good step in him trusting your touch!!
 

BirdLady13

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Update:
Mav has officially been home for 2 months now and he's gotten so big! I swear the more used to things he gets though, the more aggressive he becomes. On a positive note, he has figured out that the bottom of the cage isn't lava so he actually goes down there now to play with toys. For example, he loves to spin the little Ferris wheel I got him to get the millet I put in the tiny bucket seats.
 

Hermesbird

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I swear the more used to things he gets though, the more aggressive he becomes.
I have a 6month little girl and every time I clean her cage I change things around and keep her guessing. They are territorial by nature. my girl use to bite at me when I would put my hand in the cage to step up so I changed that to just opening the door and letting her come and step up on her own. With some treats to keep her happy
 

finchly

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Update:
Mav has officially been home for 2 months now and he's gotten so big! I swear the more used to things he gets though, the more aggressive he becomes. On a positive note, he has figured out that the bottom of the cage isn't lava so he actually goes down there now to play with toys. For example, he loves to spin the little Ferris wheel I got him to get the millet I put in the tiny bucket seats.
"cage isn't lava" LOL I have a parrotlet that NEVER goes to the floor! I didn't realize it was lava!

Do you think he's somehow being rewarded for his aggression?

I changed that to just opening the door and letting her come and step up on her own.
This is the best way. If you have them come out rather than charging in with a gigantic hand, they think they are in charge and they're happy.
 

BirdLady13

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@finchly @Hermesbird
I’ve attempted to get him to come out by leaving his door open. I thought maybe coming out on his terms would be easier, but he yells at me if I leave the cage door open. He’s the only bird I’ve ever met that doesn’t try to make a break for it as soon as the cage is open.
 

finchly

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Is there a perch on the outside? Or if his door is a swing-out, a perch on it?

How about a nice little bowl of yummy stuff sitting just outside the cage? Things mine loves are freeze dried raspberries, nutriberries, and almost any green veggie.

I’m sorry you are having so much trouble.
 

BirdLady13

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Is there a perch on the outside? Or if his door is a swing-out, a perch on it?

How about a nice little bowl of yummy stuff sitting just outside the cage? Things mine loves are freeze dried raspberries, nutriberries, and almost any green veggie.

I’m sorry you are having so much trouble.
I’ve tried putting a perch outside the cage with a treat, and I recently added a perch to the door. No luck unfortunately.
 

finchly

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I'm probably driving you crazy with questions but this is all so mystifying. Could you make a video and post it?
 

Hermesbird

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Im very curious as well, I do know they think they are cage territorial but maybe having something else to distract the biting like holding something else in your hand like a toy or a treat big enough she can't get your hand. My boo loves her nurtiberrys and goes head over heals for them, my girl only get aggressive when my fiancé come near me or moves to fast then shell bite me to let me know she doesn't like it.
 
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