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Trying to not rehome 4yr old GCC

britbrat

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Britt
I have been following this forum for five years now, it's actually the forum that helped me when I was just learning about birds and what kind would be best in my home. Four years ago I brought home a six month old GCC that the breeder described as 'wild' because she was unable to interact with her huge group of GCC due to an injury. For the sake of not knowing the gender of my GCC, I will use 'they'. My hubby and I named our GCC Atlas and immediately got to work on bonding.

Atlas chose my husband over myself, but we worked through it, and I have my own unique bond with Atlas. Once Atlas was about a year to 2 years they became super aggressive, very territorial, and became loud all day whether someone was home or not (I had a camera set up to watch Atlas). We had already gone through stick training, flight training, daily little tricks, rewards with treats for being calm and sweet, alone time when being a bit bratty. But all of a sudden Atlas was unmanageable, and I figured the hormonal time had come. The only problem is they never actually got over it. I understand that GCC's have a stubborn streak, but it seems that once I get Atlas used to stick training all over again (have to reintroduce it every six months or so) and try to wean off using a perch for picking them up every time, then a couple weeks later Atlas is aggressively attacking my hand, flying at my face and biting my nose/mouth. Occasionally, Atlas has attacked my hubby, but not as often as myself (I am home the most of the two of us). I've switched things around in their cage, not to mention their cage is set up in their own room away from their stand (in the living room) to try and prevent cage aggression, but it has never worked. Atlas is also very aggressive on their stand.

They are extremely reactive to noises, alarm screaming to any sort of noise such as the tv on, microwave running, keyboard on a computer clicking, music playing, the wind chimes outside dinging, Tupperware snapping- and this is occurring when Atlas is with us/on us/near us, but Atlas is even more reactive to such noises at their cage. That was my first major concern with Atlas, and I had an avian vet run numerous tests to make sure that Atlas was 'all right' and didn't have any needs that weren't being met medically. Atlas had a clean bill of health! Four years on, the reaction to noises still exists. To the point that I can't even be home on the weekends because the screams/alarm mode Atlas goes in is so loud and continuous that it makes staying home extremely unpleasant. I have read everything on this forum since 2018 and screaming typically is associated with loneliness and boredom. Atlas has plenty of toys (which on camera they play with quite frequently throughout the day), 3-4 hours of daily interaction with my hubby and/or myself, fresh veggies along with pellets. Atlas is put to bed every night by 7 p.m. and is woken up (or wakes us up) by 7-7:30 a.m. **edit: Also, we have always made sure to not be reactive to the screaming, there is a parrot sanctuary nearby and the individual who runs it always told us to ignore all screaming, unfortunately it almost seems like that has made Atlas scream louder. They're a flock animal so maybe the ignoring somehow inadvertently taught them to scream louder and longer? This is my only possibly idea on the insane nonstop screaming.

As of May 2022, Atlas is four years old, nearly five. And this has been a constant problem since 2020, with some of it already starting in 2019 shortly after getting them. Every single day this week Atlas has been out at my hand, and gotten me twice really good. This is abnormal for them as the aggression typically is random throughout the week, not consistently every day. Nothing in their schedule has changed, and they refuse to participate in stick training or any training at all really. As soon as I come home for lunch Atlas begins loudly vocalizing and as soon as I try to open their cage I am immediately being attacked/bitten. I've even tried only handling them with a perch, but they refuse to get near the perch, not for a treat, not to come out of the cage.

Does this sound hormonal? Should a GCC be this aggressive and loud nearly all year round? I have one more thing to mention, my hubby was home during covid for a couple months and said that Atlas would only start screaming and become aggressive when I would come home from work... not sure what that would mean. I'm at my wits end and I have no idea what to do with the parrot. Atlas has his good moments where they are cuddly and affectionate, but they are increasingly becoming few and far in between.

Help please!!!
 
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Pixiebeak

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Hi,
That's a lot going on, and screaming is never easy on a home.

I've dealt with screaming in several birds successfully. For me ignoring does nothing to fix. What has worked for me and my rescues, is first rule out health ( as you have), put them in a good diet ( as you have) , make sure cage placement is good like in the main living area but with a back against a wall nit near a door but able to observe people coming in. Large enough cage and cafe raised so when they perch they are at chest height. A visual retreat fir sleep like a high perch in an upper corner with a big toy or something infront of it. Provide plenty of different perch options and easy to chew stuff... sounds like you have. For parrots exhibit behavior issues recommended to increase out of cage time to 6 hours a day. And time outside in a very secure cage, I zip tie bottom grate, and all doors and openings then roll the cafe outside to a shaded or light shaded area and always stay with them. A half hour a day when possible is great r when you can more if able . Being outside has an immense help on mood. These are the basics and its good to cover them and start there. O would also give them their own spaces to hang out when out of the cage, lots of perches on the outside and top of cage. You can use ceiling hooks abd heavy weighted fishing line to hang some big spiral rope perches or swings or such in a few other areas as their own furniture and place to be.

For your relationship with your bird, I always feel it is repairable and can improve. As I've taken on the ones from terrible situations with fear and behavior issues and win them over with time.

Often it's advice to start completely over, and pretend this is day one and you just brought your burd home. Start from scratch doing all the bonding and getting to know your bird as you would a new one. Lots of just walking up say hi and hand a treat ( safflower seeds work incredibly with my gcc) do this many many times a day. Create a routine and explain everything to them use sane phrases. Like I'm coming to feed you and clean cage, its time to let yiu out . Always greet first thing in morning, always tell them when leaving home, always greet first thing when you returns. This let's them know what's going on who's home and it can be very powerful. Use permission based training and always reward, allow refusing and never force. Really really read behavior and body languages.

For screaming, be zen and approach with humor and reward and cheer on every small step in reducing. Try and set your burd up for success, try and have distractions before known triggers. Food often works best. If you know your burd will start screaming 10 minutes after being let out if cage, then st 9 min give them a tiny apple slice and say aren't you a nice quiet bird. Or if you know as soon as yiu return them to tge cage tgey start screaming, then have a millet spray or some treat waiting fir then in the cafe before you out them back. Do as much as you can to prevent any screaming sessions from starting. Remember to do a lot of rewarding when they are quiet .

If screaming starts I react immediately before they really get going. For mine that could already step up I go over have them step up move them to a different perch hangout area . I put them in one side then have them walk over to me for a treat. Nearly always in their mind it has reset and now the asked behavior is getting the treat. If they know simple tricks like spin around or touch this or wave I have them do that for a treat. Then after a couple of miniuts I move them again and maybe have some simple foraging. And reward and say aren't you nice and quiet. This moving them seems to rest brain and screaming. And in the beginning I had to work and reward just miniuts of quiet and build on that. As I had round the clock screamers. Fir those who didn't trust enough yet to step up. I stood on the far side if the perch from and had them walk over for a treat. Then moved to far side again abd had them walk over fir a treat. Then tried to proved a foragingitem. Walked away and cane back beforescreamingstarted again a d told them how great and quiet they were.

For me it was all about preventing, interruption, and redirection and creating longer and longer times of quiet and rewarding those. Fir most it took a few weeks to start seeing big reduction. For my hardest case it was a few months. I also built in a 2 hour mid day cage quiet and rest time ..but that started as a few miniuts and I built on that. Id start by encouraging a bath, then caged with treats and back out before screaming started. It's now part if the day and I kinda think my flock looks forward to often putting themselves in the cage before I do.

You can aldo work to pattern and pair with soothing music. You start by playing sift music at their bed abd nap times. When thst pattern is established you can often plsy tge soothing music when they are frustrated and wanting to scream and they calm down.

I hsve a couple if links I will add
 

Pixiebeak

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This article talks about soothing music, comfort feeding, and importance of routines.
 

Pixiebeak

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This is one i really like on target training, and its good for explaining, showing mistakes, and importance of keep sessions very short with breaks. Its called one day miracle so you know the average is going to take longer and spread out overtime.
 

Pixiebeak

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And I've had times I've broken my gcc trust and then she did as you describing fly to attacks, running to bite hands. We worked past and regain trust by doing the things i previously shared. Lots if feeding treats and sweet talking. Paying close attention to body language no forcing interactions. Showing and earning trust back.

If cage protective i accept and work around. Have a perch attached on outside of cage and have them step to that and get treat and talk to them fir a few minutes before asking them to step to me. Then moving them to a perch area outside of cafe if I need to do food and water and clean .

Sometimes when my gcc first comes out she is over excited. So I let her run around in top of cage while I chat with her and she calms dien before interactions.

My gcc is incredibly lovey. And also would probably bite me daily with some quick mood changes. But I pay attention to body language, usually a pause of a few seconds while she sorts herself. And I avoid any bites.

Some things gcc do to warn you they are upset, and these will come back if she passed that and thinks you only listen to bites. As you show them you are paying attention and are respectful. Lowering head over feet crouched ( not to be confused with lowered head and fluffed feathers asking for scratch) , extended neak and weaving head I call this snake neck, rapid head twitching often while standing tall( high excitement or pissed ) stylized marching, flattened feathers leaning with beak open, keeping tail flared, leaning away from you, leaning away and lowering body. Squint eye narrowing eyes. These and probably more are telling you back off or I will bite. Sometimes my hand coming to fast or from above mines head will have her do this, like omg you are trying to kill me. I'm like no silly girl I'm not, I pause and ask are we good? In a couple of seconds she's like yeah we good why aren't you petting me?
 
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