Biting is out of control, need advice.

[BertAllen]

What kind of dry treats could I leave him during the day?

Tinker gets pellets during the day when I leave. He also get one nutri berrie and a cracked walnut.
I also leave a baby carrot with him. He eats all the goodies first like a kid before he touches his pellets.

 

[Monica]

Fresh food (not cooked in any way) is okay to leave in the cage for a several hours in many places. (maybe not all) You could also do sprouts.

 

[WindGlider]

I have tried everything with Paco and stepping up on my hand. We do well and then he chomps again. Yesterday I needed to leave for a job interview and I think he senses my stress. I have been giving him a peanut, can't bite with a mouthful.

I think he got confused and tried to step up on the peanut, LOL. Well he got on my arm, placed him on his perch no problem. He promptly turned around and grabbed my hand and then he twisted his beak and I got a real nice bite now.

My arm is bruised from the last bite. I'm at the point that I'm scared to pick him up due to his biting. I talked to his previous owner and she said he never bit her.

I did an experiment last night and placed my hand on top of his cage, yep he came running across the top to attack. I firmly said no and he backed off.

How can I gain his confidence and stop the biting? I feel like its 2 steps forward and then 5 steps back.

I did make changes, he drinks out of a water bowl now instead of that nasty bottle and he has a seed cup and goodie cup. He is out on top of his cage when I am home.

I know this is all new to him but it's been 9 months now. Not sure what to do at this point.

I would start using a dowel for step up.

 

[Snowghost]

We were doing so good. This morning had him step up from top of cag, we were doing it successfully from door with a bribe. Yep he grabbed my hand and twisted my skin in a painful bite. I'm ready to toss in the towel. I've read parrots bite for a reason. I can't understand why we do so well for a month a bam he bites. I just cried. I told him no that hurts, don't bite. I didn't give him a treat. Continued with routine, I have to go to work I live you, bye bye. What else can I do? I do t want to keep him cage bound.

 

[BertAllen]

We were doing so good. This morning had him step up from top of cag, we were doing it successfully from door with a bribe. Yep he grabbed my hand and twisted my skin in a painful bite. I'm ready to toss in the towel. I've read parrots bite for a reason. I can't understand why we do so well for a month a bam he bites. I just cried. I told him no that hurts, don't bite. I didn't give him a treat. Continued with routine, I have to go to work I live you, bye bye. What else can I do? I do t want to keep him cage bound.

Well don't feel bad as Tinker bit me twice real hard this morning at 9:30. I had to leave and did the same routine as always.
But earlier I played with him and managed to lift his wing to look at the gap. I saw that two feathers that broke off weeks ago still haven't moulted out yet.
While doing this he got very friendly and started to play rough so I backed away. He tossed all his toys onto the floor and flew around like a crazy bird.
When the time came he lunged and bit me. Teresa finally convinced him to step up otherwise I would have towelled him.

Tomorrow I'm not going to get him excited and then see how it goes.

 

[Hawk12237]

We were doing so good. This morning had him step up from top of cag, we were doing it successfully from door with a bribe. Yep he grabbed my hand and twisted my skin in a painful bite. I'm ready to toss in the towel. I've read parrots bite for a reason. I can't understand why we do so well for a month a bam he bites. I just cried. I told him no that hurts, don't bite. I didn't give him a treat. Continued with routine, I have to go to work I live you, bye bye. What else can I do? I do t want to keep him cage bound.

I've had 2 greys, both have never deliberately bitten to draw blood. Both knew bite pressure. So usually when they didn't want to something they will either grab my finger softly and push it away. That's a warning that they didn't want to be bothered, or made to Do something they didn't want. Ignore it and the bite pressure will increase much harder. Or they will give a little nip, not hard, and look up at me like. " do you understand"?? ...it's a form of communication, one you really have to come to understand what is meant by it. No need to keep him cage bound, so.e birds will get really pissed off being in cage too long and will take it out on you.
A Macaw is another one that can express anger through a bite. My military had an internal clock. Expected breakfast on time!! Late for breakfast, and you have a mad macaw.
So yea, birds in my opinion, and from my experience, birds bite for a reason.

 

[Fuzzy]

I would teach him to step up on something else rather than your hand. Something that perhaps he is used to inside his cage.... like a multi stemmed perch (not so frightening as a single stick methinks) or a folded rope perch or something else. Then use it when you are not sure if he is going to bite, but have to move him. I am guessing you were asking him to step up to put him back in his cage, since you said you were off to work? It may well have been communication to say "Go away, I don't want to go in!"

If you are getting him to step up to put him in his cage, think about how to make that step up more reinforcing for him. I used to take Kobe (who used to bite a lot) to the window when he stepped up so that we could have fun looking at the birds for a while. THEN I would carry him back to his cage. I'd put him in and stay talking to him and skritching his head through the bars. Lots of reinforcement to step up and then stepping down into his cage.

Another way to move Paco without touching him is to teach him to target... then you can gradually get him to move further to touch the target... eventually you could get him to go inside his cage to touch it. I do that training with Bobbie nightly... she will move quite a distance to touch the target now - from her playstand to right inside her cage and all the way around to the perch by her food bowls.

Paco has used biting as a form of communication in the past - it is already a learned behaviour. A learned behaviour cannot be unlearned. So for those times use a perch rather than your hand. As you know the more he bites, the more he is learning to. Plus hormones might be making him feel a little more agitated. They are certainly surfacing here!

 

[BertAllen]

Plus hormones might be making him feel a little more agitated. They are certainly surfacing here!

I'm sure it's hormones with Tinker as he is dropping his wings and normally wouldn't let me pull his wing out like that so I could see the underside.

 

[BertAllen]

I've had 2 greys, both have never deliberately bitten to draw blood

His beak is like a razor right now as when he clobbered me it wasn't hard at all. I going to get some cheap dollar store nail files for him to tear up tomorrow.

 

[Monaco]

His beak is like a razor right now as when he clobbered me it wasn't hard at all. I going to get some cheap dollar store nail files for him to tear up tomorrow.

Is that a thing? I gave Monaco one yesterday, but I figured it was a pipe dream.

 

[BertAllen]

Is that a thing? I gave Monaco one yesterday, but I figured it was a pipe dream.

Yeah they are a cardboard file like sand paper and it really works well. I should have done it a week ago. They really take the razor edge of the beak. I just went into my work shop and found the last of them.

 

[Hawk12237]

Yeah they are a cardboard file like sand paper and it really works well. I should have done it a week ago. They really take the razor edge of the beak. I just went into my work shop and found the last of them.

View attachment 326678

Yep, grey grey gets one now and then. It fun for them.

 

[Snowghost]

Hormonal, oh lord, I'm in trouble, I know nothing about a hormonal male Grey. He is dropping feathers, I was worried he is plucking, new job does not have regular hours, but I always stick to the same routine, every morning and every evening, just different times of the day. He was finally getting fuzzy with new feathers and his tail feathers were coming in, and now he has dropped two small tail feather in the last three weeks. I did notice I got the stink eye tonight. So maybe he is hormonal. His last owner said he never bit her but then again she neglected him. A bird won't bite if he is left in his cage 24/7.

I am sure I have turned his life upside down. New house, me, new bowls, new food, I'm changing his paper in his cage at least 2 times a day. I got him late March 2018. I thought he would be used to me by now, maybe not? He is healthier, feathers coming in, he has rounded out and has a healthy appetite, has learned new whistles and communicates with me. He now bobs his head when I talk to him and he has the cutest chirps now when I come home from work, he still hoots in the morning. He does tremble when I get close to him. He has learned to scootch over when I tell him I am getting his goodie cup and he does this with out a bribe of a treat.

Am I over reacting?

Gosh darn this guy has me wrapped around his little foot.

 

[Snowghost]

@Fuzzy You are the second person to mention "Target" What exactly is that. Paco's intelligence is amazing.

 

[Fuzzy]

Yep, although hormones are in play, they aren't the reason for biting. There is still "cause and effect" - if your hand wasn't there it wouldn't have got bitten. We just have to be more careful about reading body language before interacting.

@Snowghost Targeting is a wonderful behaviour to teach. Have a look at this excellent video:

 

[Snowghost]

Thank you everyone for your support. @Fuzzy thank you for the vid. Many years ago, (more then I like to admit) I started out with a green normal parakeet. I have had Love Birds, Cockatiels, and one wild caught White Front Amazon for 25 years. This morning, I actually thought on my way to work that Paco is too much for me. I'm not good enough. I don't know that much about a CAG. I have read and Googled and posted here. I do love him so much and want to give him the best life I can. I just don't have the knowledge or education that I thought I had to give him what he needs. All of my birds were surrendered to me. I'm not a crazy cat lady, I'm a beak freak. I truly appreciate everyone's advise! Hugs!

 

[Monica]

Thank you everyone for your support. @Fuzzy thank you for the vid. Many years ago, (more then I like to admit) I started out with a green normal parakeet. I have had Love Birds, Cockatiels, and one wild caught White Front Amazon for 25 years. This morning, I actually thought on my way to work that Paco is too much for me. I'm not good enough. I don't know that much about a CAG. I have read and Googled and posted here. I do love him so much and want to give him the best life I can. I just don't have the knowledge or education that I thought I had to give him what he needs. All of my birds were surrendered to me. I'm not a crazy cat lady, I'm a beak freak. I truly appreciate everyone's advise! Hugs!

Personally, I think it's great when you can see your flaws and thus learn to improve upon them so you can better care for your pets than be unable to see your flaws, thus unable to change your behavior to better care for your pets!

I sometimes wish I lived near people so I could see exactly what's going on and perhaps show a different approach to how I would handle a situation. Like anything, it takes time, persistence and repetition. Even if an animal picks up on a new behavior within the first day, doesn't mean that that behavior has been perfected or they wont slip out of doing that behavior from lack of rewarding the behavior. Just because an animal has learned a behavior in one setting, doesn't mean that that behavior will repeat itself in another setting.

 

[Rain Bow]

I'm going to agree w/ the perch, the education @ this point but I will add this... Hormonal birds need @ least 12 hours of sleep & you guys just went thru so many changes in the last 2-3 months. He's probably a little peeved that you are working. That means that his times for everything have changed & even the slightest schedule change will get Buddy off kilter if he's hormonal. Back off on sugars, & carbs for him to eat. If it is hormones that means, any bread or breaded items (minus a piece of cracker) back off, preferably remove. Also
any white potato's, grapes, bananas & apples. I'm sure I'm missing a few. Raisins down to 1 or 2. Anything really high in sugars. I've got Buddys food trigger down to Banana's. Any banana even a 1/2 of chip turns him into a small bitey green junk when he's hormonal.

It's possible, this morning you may have just moved quicker or oddly & he was trying to say slow down or didn't want to go into the cage (either 1) because he misses you. Try to take a million minutes to get or keep him in the cage till you can get to work. Leave your hair down & no makeup if you have too, just to keep yourself on time & give those minutes to him. You will figure this out! We got you hon!

 

[Rain Bow]

I'm not sure if you read the links here but the veteran members ALWAYS pick the best ones.

A REALLY GOOD Read to Better understand Our Grey's

I found this to be very insightful and informative:) African Grey Parrots: Understanding Them

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Snowghost]

Awe thanks guys! I feel all warm and fuzzy now, LOL. I was worried when someone posted he had learned a new behavior, biting! I do try to keep to our routine, I"ll admit these hours of work stink, but it's a job. Sometimes I wish I had a camera in his room so I can see him during the day, I spend as much time as I can with him, still hand feed him and talk constantly to him. I kind of figured he was peeved about me working. He doesn't eat much of the foods listed here. I will baby him more and watch out for that stink eye!