Biting, Chewing and Anger

[Spearmint]

Hi all,
Just want to start off by saying, I know that birds are prone to bite, they will bite at some point or very often, but I feel this is getting out of hand with Spearmint.
When he gets angry, he gives no warning via body language, simply snaps and bites,most of the time drawing blood. I try to figure out what causes such sudden anger, but it seems to be that he just gets angry? As much as I love him, it's difficult now to find motivation to spend time with him due to this anger and painful nipping. I've tried to use positive reinforcement when he is being well behaved, but it doesn't seem to work. I'm fine with the occasional painful bite,if i've done something he's allowed to get angry, I just feel that he should learn that it needs to be expressed differently to get what he wants. He's got loads of toys and enrichment outside the cage, foraging boxes, playstands,shredding toys etc, but he's more interested in attacking me. Compared to the other peoplein the household, he is closest to me, as he will snuggle up when tired, fly to me etc, but I seem to get bitten the most too. Along with this he gets very frustrated if we try to pu thim back into his cage. He has a large flight cage, with lots of toys, good pellets and a nice spot in the house. He is out for roughly 6-7 hours each day but I can feel myself becoming less motivated and excited to take him out due to this recent behaviour, and it doesn't seem to be him being hormonal either.
Don't get me wrong, I love him loads and I don't blame this behaviour on him, it's probably something i've accidentally conditioned him to, but I do need some help.

Thanks

 

[Xoetix]

What kind of bird is he? How old?

 

[Spearmint]

What kind of bird is he? How old?

Green Cheek COnure, turning 2 on saturday.

 

[Xoetix]

Green Cheek COnure, turning 2 on saturday.

From what I’ve read, while GCCs are one of the sweetest species, they’re also moody. But if I’m not mistaken, at this age they go through a stage where they’re… we’ll, kind of like toddler humans, the “terrible twos”. What sorts of toys and enrichment and what not does he have already? Anything complicated to make him take his time?

 

[TikiMyn]

Could you try taking a video of him? I understand you don’t know when he will get angry, but perhaps you will get a lucky shot? Perhaps @webchirp could see something that set him off. She has loads of experience with conures.
I would recommend keeping a journal of when he gets angry/bites. Write down what happened before, during and after the bite.
How do you respond to him biting? If he doesn’t want something, do you push him(sounds so bad, but it can be innocent little things that make your bird feel like his boundaries are not accepted where as you think you are being nice )
I have a conure whose boundaries were not accepted, and he didn’t seem to show signs before lashing out sometimes. Now I can read him better and see his head feathers raise just the slightest, the way he suddenly moves his head, or the way he freezes and stared a split second before lashing out. Those are his ‘tells’ but still he surprises me sometimes.

 

[Spearmint]

From what I’ve read, while GCCs are one of the sweetest species, they’re also moody. But if I’m not mistaken, at this age they go through a stage where they’re… we’ll, kind of like toddler humans, the “terrible twos”. What sorts of toys and enrichment and what not does he have already? Anything complicated to make him take his time?

I wasn't aware of that stage, i'll keep that in mind.
He's got about 20 shredding toys that get changed and moved each week as so he doesn't get bored, and he has 3 foraging boxes, different difficulties, with little treats in them. He's also got one of those 'indestructible bells' as he loves to make noise or scratch his head with it lol. I will admit i've gotten a bit lazy with his enrichment, but his birthday is tmr and he'll be getting a load of toys and stuff. Outside of the cage I do try offer him toys such rattan balls, cardboard rolls, foraging trays and shreddable wood, but he's not all that interested in anything other than my phone or keyboard haha.

 

[Spearmint]

Could you try taking a video of him? I understand you don’t know when he will get angry, but perhaps you will get a lucky shot? Perhaps @webchirp could see something that set him off. She has loads of experience with conures.
I would recommend keeping a journal of when he gets angry/bites. Write down what happened before, during and after the bite.
How do you respond to him biting? If he doesn’t want something, do you push him(sounds so bad, but it can be innocent little things that make your bird feel like his boundaries are not accepted where as you think you are being nice )
I have a conure whose boundaries were not accepted, and he didn’t seem to show signs before lashing out sometimes. Now I can read him better and see his head feathers raise just the slightest, the way he suddenly moves his head, or the way he freezes and stared a split second before lashing out. Those are his ‘tells’ but still he surprises me sometimes.

I will absolutely try to!
Now that you mention it, I might have been pushing his boundaries lately without realising. I do have to pick him up in my hand (sort of grasping around him) to put him in his cage, and I wouldn't say he likes that too much. I'll try to rather lure him into the cage with treats and rewards, im realising i've probably made a negative association with the cage, and probably my hands too! I'll work on fixing that .

 

[Shezbug]

I honestly would assume that hormones are at play at this time of the year and also given the age.

If you know your birds most fav treat then I would hold that back and only ever give it inside the cage and then let your bird choose if it is going to go in and get it. Might not go in straight away but I am willing to bet that it will eventually give in and go in for the yummy stuff in there.
If you really have to grab him to get him in the cage for some reason then make sure to leave him in there with a decent high value reward to enjoy instead of just dumping him in and closing the doors.

 

[Wardy]

Can you give a few examples of when he has bitten ?

Sounds hormonal is spearmint trying to get into dark places ?