How could I get my bird to stay away from somebody

[mothhteeth]

I don't know if this is the right thread to post this in but recently my bird (Pineapple GCC) has taken a liking to my father. He has a habit of feeding the bird treats like salted pasta, bread, cheese, chips and even chocolates. He doesn't want to cooperate on not allowing the bird that kind of food so I need to get the bird to avoid him. I've considered trying to put my bird in timeout in his cage everytime he goes over to my dad but that may have the affect of the bird going back to my father to seek comfort after being locked up.
My bird also is very aggressive towards me chomping and breaking skin anytime I go to get him away from my dad.

 

[Mizzely]

Rewards are stronger than punishment. Your dad giving him the foods he shouldn't have is a reward. So long as your dad keeps feeding him, you'll have little to no luck keeping them apart.

 

[merlinsmom13]

Sometimes Merlin gets excited about new people. After he sits on them a few times, he ignores them. I agree about the reward thing. Also he may have picked his "person".

 

[Tazlima]

Oof, that's a tough situation.

Taking the bird from your dad and locking it up after it's already on him won't make the bird avoid your dad... it will make him avoid you. Think of it from the bird's perspective. He's there with his friend, enjoying a nice snack together, and every time you show up, it means the fun is over. I'd bite you, too.

Obviously your dad loves feeding the bird. Could he be convinced to use a substitute food? If your bird has an absolute favorite treat (one that's on the approved list of foods), such as sunflower seeds, maybe you could leave out a little airtight container, and when Dad eats, he could offer one of those instead of whatever he's eating himself. If the treats are right nearby, there's no extra work involved in getting them out, and that way they could still enjoy their treat time together, but not put your bird's health at risk.

I've had similar issues with my boyfriend, who is the biggest softie in the world when it comes to begging pets, and we literally keep a jar of birdseed on the coffee table for just these situations.

That said, the birds still do get their share of people food, and I've learned to pick my battles. I make sure Boyfriend knows what's toxic (chocolate, garlic, onions, avocado, etc) and let it slide with things that aren't necessarily healthy, but won't do any harm in small quantities. Bird wants his hamburger? Bird may have a piece of the bun or lettuce or tomato. The bird is eyeing his plate of garlicky pasta? We set aside a couple pieces of pasta with no sauce (Boo goes NUTS for plain spaghetti noodles).

You could even post a list on the fridge of foods that are toxic to birds. That way Dad would know that if it's not on the list, it gets a green light.

Cheese was the toughest one to deal with, because it's Boo's absolute favorite food (she came to us a cheese junkie), and I wasn't willing to risk crop impaction. I found the solution in this lovely stuff called "nut cheese." It's a vegan cheese alternative, and she doesn't know the difference. (NOTE: If you go looking for nut cheese, you have to vet the ingredient list carefully, many nut cheeses contain ingredients that are just as bad or worse for a bird than normal cheese).

 

[MnGuy]

Sorry to hear you're going through that. How frustrating.

Like others have said, educate your dad and give him other food options. I'd add that to repair you bond with the bird, you should also entice him with healthier treats when you want him away from your dad.

Good luck.

 

[mothhteeth]

I have lists of bad foods anywhere I find it to be helpful. He feeds the bird chocolates and garlic bread and chips. It almost feels like he's doing this as a big "F You." He also leaves food out everywhere, even after being repeatedly told to put it away when he's not around. He sits around as the bird crawls down from his shoulder to his plate of sweets and does nothing when he digs in claiming that he "didn't see it" when he was right there staring at the bird. It feels almost as if he doesn't believe that the bird can die from chocolate.
Our car has broken down at the moment and we can't get him to the vet and I've been extremely worried because he's had so much chocolate because of this man. This absolute moron. The only thing I've been able to do is feed him as much vegetables and rice and other things healthy as possible. His favorite veggie is corn but we dont have any at the moment.
If I can't get the bird away from him I need some way to prevent him from dying from all that chocolate and salt.

 

[Birdbabe]

I wish your dad would listen,,,if he likes the bird so much, how would he feel if the bird got sick from his stubbornness?

 

[Pockets]

I have lists of bad foods anywhere I find it to be helpful. He feeds the bird chocolates and garlic bread and chips. It almost feels like he's doing this as a big "F You." He also leaves food out everywhere, even after being repeatedly told to put it away when he's not around. He sits around as the bird crawls down from his shoulder to his plate of sweets and does nothing when he digs in claiming that he "didn't see it" when he was right there staring at the bird. It feels almost as if he doesn't believe that the bird can die from chocolate.
Our car has broken down at the moment and we can't get him to the vet and I've been extremely worried because he's had so much chocolate because of this man. This absolute moron. The only thing I've been able to do is feed him as much vegetables and rice and other things healthy as possible. His favorite veggie is corn but we dont have any at the moment.
If I can't get the bird away from him I need some way to prevent him from dying from all that chocolate and salt.

Unfortunately, as others have said, the bird will go to where the treats are. Chocolate will kill your bird. If there is no safe way for your bird to be outside around your father, it is your responsibility to leave the bird inside its cage when your father is around.. You cannot reasonably keep exposing your bird to toxic foods. If your dad likes the bird enough to give it treats, he should like it enough to not poison it on a regular basis. I'm sorry you're in this position, but you have to do what's right for your bird.

 

[Tazlima]

If there is no safe way for your bird to be outside around your father, it is your responsibility to leave the bird inside its cage when your father is around.. You cannot reasonably keep exposing your bird to toxic foods.

This. If your dad simply won't listen to reason, you'll have to treat him as a threat similar to a dog or cat and keep the bird locked up whenever he's around. I'd close the little fellow in the cage before he even comes into the room. At least that way, you're not spoiling any fun-in-progress, and if you give treats when you lock him in and make it as positive an experience as possible, hopefully he'll learn to be agreeable about going in there for you.

 

[MnGuy]

I have lists of bad foods anywhere I find it to be helpful. He feeds the bird chocolates and garlic bread and chips. It almost feels like he's doing this as a big "F You." He also leaves food out everywhere, even after being repeatedly told to put it away when he's not around. He sits around as the bird crawls down from his shoulder to his plate of sweets and does nothing when he digs in claiming that he "didn't see it" when he was right there staring at the bird. It feels almost as if he doesn't believe that the bird can die from chocolate.
Our car has broken down at the moment and we can't get him to the vet and I've been extremely worried because he's had so much chocolate because of this man. This absolute moron. The only thing I've been able to do is feed him as much vegetables and rice and other things healthy as possible. His favorite veggie is corn but we dont have any at the moment.
If I can't get the bird away from him I need some way to prevent him from dying from all that chocolate and salt.

That sounds really frustrating. My dad is the same way -- ignores the truth and makes up his own version of the truth and logic. When we got a puppy when I was a teenager he would constantly feed it human food at dinnertime, which it vomited back up at night and which I had to clean up. I begged him to stop and told him the puppy vomited every night, but he said I was wrong and the puppy wasn't vomiting. I started to leave the piles of vomit where they were and stopped cleaning them up, and my dad finally wised up.

As others have said, keep your bird away from your dad to begin with. Can you keep its cage in your room?

Good luck.

 

[mothhteeth]

My father is basically always around due to the ongoing quarantine and I can't keep him locked up for so long. He gets super upset if the door in my room is closed and he can't go into the living room whenever he wants to.
I'm now trying to see if making my dad start to dislike the bird (letting him poop all over his desk and laptop, chew up papers, stealing keyboard keys) could get him to make himself less appealing to the bird and have the bird go back to staying away from him. I'm gonna allow the bird to cause mischief in my father's office doing nothing but removing the treats. If that doesn't work I'll try putting things he's afraid of in places that he's not allowed.

 

[JLcribber]

He doesn't want to cooperate

So get yourself a water squirt gun. Every time your dad gives him something he should not have, squirt your dad right in the ear. He's not going to like it but he will learn. Be persistent.

Some people just need a smack.

 

[Pockets]

My father is basically always around due to the ongoing quarantine and I can't keep him locked up for so long. He gets super upset if the door in my room is closed and he can't go into the living room whenever he wants to.
I'm now trying to see if making my dad start to dislike the bird (letting him poop all over his desk and laptop, chew up papers, stealing keyboard keys) could get him to make himself less appealing to the bird and have the bird go back to staying away from him. I'm gonna allow the bird to cause mischief in my father's office doing nothing but removing the treats. If that doesn't work I'll try putting things he's afraid of in places that he's not allowed.

Again - sorry you have to deal with this, but again it seems like your only options are:

A. Keep the bird away from your father. You're in charge. If this means spending more time in your room with your bird with the door closed, so be it. Saying "he doesn't like not going to the living room" isn't enough for me, as you are in charge of his environment. If the living room is where the poison is, he isn't allowed to go there. If there's poison candy in a room, would you let a toddler go eat it just because they're being loud and fussy? I sure wouldn't!

I don't mean to sound harsh - I know you're probably stressed about this - but I do want to treat it with the seriousness that it warrants. Is there a way to make your room more inviting to stay in for your pet? Consider making as many fun activities as possible - foraging, training, healthy treats.

B. Change your father's behavior.

Keep us posted. Wishing you lots of luck!