Terrible twos

[CrashSmAshley]

Nitro is about 2½ years old. I know what youre thinking:

TERRIBLE TWOS!!!! RUN!

Well...youre right lol.

I got Nitro a few months ago from a family who got her for their 11 year old daughter and had owned her for about 2 years. Well, at 13 the girl didnt pay much attention to her anymore so they put her on CL, which is how I discovered her. So now, being separated from the person shes been with for 2 years plus the "terrible two" thing and going into a totally new home, you can probably guess how handling her was...

Ive had her for a couple months and shes a totally different bird now, but she still bites (not as often) and sometimes steps up. She definitely has attitude. Ive clipped her wings (for now) and wont let her above eye level to help reduce some of the aggression. She has plenty of toys so her beak stays busy when inside the cage (which is rarely).

Does anyone else have ideas on how to help calm her down? Is this really just a phase that will pass?

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I believe some of the problem is trust issues you need to find her favorite treat or toy foot toy if on you and give it to her before she starts the aggression if that makes since you need to divert her attention and reward for good behavior

 

[Chicklette]

Chiquita and Boomer were both biters. Chiquita once in a while will still nip. But you can try blowing on him gently when he is about to bite. It may work, this is how I got Boomer and Chiquita to stop. I would give it a shot and see if that helps.

 

[JLcribber]

2 months is not a very long time to a bird. Not long enough for him to trust you completely IMO. If your wanting him to do something against his will he's going to argue. When a bird argues there is a standoff and then they will usually lunge or bite if we do not recognize to back off. If you had not clipped him he would have just taken off during an argument. You have taken away that option so his only choice now is to bite.

 

[Macawlvr]

2 months is not a very long time to a bird. Not long enough for him to trust you completely IMO. If your wanting him to do something against his will he's going to argue. When a bird argues there is a standoff and then they will usually lunge or bite if we do not recognize to back off. If you had not clipped him he would have just taken off during an argument. You have taken away that option so his only choice now is to bite.

That's wisdom right there. Give them more choices, not less.

You also need to back up and notice what is going on and happening 'before' they lunge or bite...take note of that behavior.

I always think of it as "the wonderful two's"...full of wonderment and adventure.

Give them a choice/option about what is going on. Be extremely patient. Sit by their cage and just talk and visit with them. Leave the cage door open while you are sitting there. Sit to where they have the choice as to whether they stay on their cage or step onto your arm. Play with a toy in front of them or act like you're eating a treat, all the while seemingly paying them no attention. And then one day you will feel your feathered friend step onto your arm to join in on the fun with the toy, or to share a treat you have in your hand. Let them choose 'when' that happens.

 

[Saemma]

In the past I've wondered whether "the terrible twos" in parrots was just a myth. I'm still not sure.
My african grey Emma turns 2 in March. Lately she seems alot more "hyper" and has been doing alot to test boundaries where as in the past she would be very calm and pretty compliant. She also seems to be badgering my little pionus parrot alot too.

I've also learned not to push her when asking her to step up. If she refuses after the first time.. I walk away and she usually comes flying after me.

I know I'm in the beginning stages of this behaviour and I am wondering whether things will subside soon.

 

[Artagiel]

Noodle, Abby and El are all 2 and are absolute angels.

Abby and Elvis came to me from craigslist in August and are now just learning my hands are not going to hurt them. They would scream, lunge and bite at fingers but closed hands, arms and sticks were fine to get them to step up on, now they will step right up on an offered finger without a problem and Abby let me scritch her. Birds earn trust at different rates just like people and depending on how badly he/she was neglected by the child it may take a bit.

The couple of months that Nitro was with you might have been a good long honeymoon period and now the past behavior issues are coming out to play. Don't get discouraged just take it slow.

I don't know how good keeping her below eye level will work, I know some people think birds need to be dominated but some small birds see our heads as us and the hands and such as something alien and scary. Abby and El both opened up to Bill and I by coming down on the ground with us and exploring our faces and hair, hands were hella scary but the head was A-OK to them. See how she reacts to different things carefully, if she is biting your face by all means keep her distant.

Good luck with her!

 

[Sharpie]

Hang in there, most conures are known to go through a nippy phase, but with patience and work on positive training, you'll get through it!

 

[cmoore]

Have you tried any training with Nitro? I've found that clicker training (and positive reinforcement principles in general) have worked wonders with my two caiques. Figure out what Nitro's favorite treats are (my caiques love nuts of any kind, banana chips, sips of herbal tea or juice, licks of fruit baby food) and start carrying around some dry treats in your pocket. (I like to use banana chips, walnuts, or pecans because it's easy to break off a tiny piece when I need a treat.)

Now you're ready to reward Nitro when he does something good. You're "paying" him for his good behavior, giving him an incentive to do what you want him to do.

How are you asking Nitro to step up? I've found that the best way to avoid bites is to not push parrots past their comfort zone. If you've asked him to step up in the past by pressing your fingers against his chest or belly, he may be uncomfortable stepping up because it's associated with some bad experiences: being pushed off balance, being forced to do something he doesn't want to do, being put back in his cage and/or the end of playtime.

Instead, try putting your hand an inch or two away from Nitro. When he looks at your hand, say "Yes!" and give him a tiny sliver of nut (or other treat that he likes - just make sure it's tiny so he doesn't fill up quickly or take too long to eat it). Repeat! You're getting him used to the presence of your hand near him without having it do anything scary or unwanted. You're also rewarding him for interacting with your hand on his own terms (at this point, just by looking at it).

When you've practiced this a half-dozen times or so, you can up the ante: don't give him a treat when he looks at your hand, but if he leans toward it or takes a step, say "Yes!" and give a treat. Continue practicing each step and then slooooowly, gradually upping the criterion for which you're rewarding until he's placing a foot on your hand, then shifting his weight, then putting both feet on your hand in a full step-up.

In the meantime, anytime he does step up onto your hand, praise him and give him a treat. That's his paycheck for his good behavior!

Don't let him see the treats beforehand - that's bribery. You want to know that he's going to do the behavior even without treats in the future, so keep them in your pocket or closed in your fist until he's done the behavior.

If he's too freaked out by your hand, or if you're afraid of being bitten, practice having him approach and step up onto a stick. You may need to introduce the stick very slowly - my parrots found the stick (an old dowel perch that came with one of their cages) scary at first.

As was said above, by clipping him you've taken away his choice of flight, leaving him with only the option to bite. This means you've got to be really aware of his warning behaviors so you can avoid bites! Here's a good article on avoiding bites: Parrot Biting

Show Nitro that his good behavior gets him good things, and that good things come from you! Let him know that you listen to his warning signs and won't push him past his boundaries, so he doesn't need to bite you. Once you've set up good communication between you and Nitro (by paying attention to his warnings and backing off, and by teaching him how to earn good stuff from you), his "bad behaviors" will subside.

If you like training, try teaching Nitro some tricks! (Flap on cue, spread his wings, wave a foot, etc.) These will give him ways to earn even more positive attention and treats from you, building your good relationship up even more.