BarbieH
08-30-2005, 08:52 AM
I wanted to put this out here for everyone who thinks their bird is an incurable biter that they will never be able to touch. :) Sorry for the long post here. For those of you who know Gracie's background with us, please feel free to skip to the end. ;)
Some of you know Gracie. She was our first lovebird, the one who started it all. We adopted her as a stray, and she was pretty darn wild (although she retained her step-up training). My introduction to her outside the cage came with her attached to my finger, and she broke the skin. It was blood at first sight.
For a long time, we searched for ways to reduce the biting outside the cage. This was more than just biting when we tried to hold or carry her. She would chase hands, fingers, and armpits whenever, wherever. We tried to distract her with food, but that only seemed to make her more territorial. She started shredding from the moment she entered the home. It was like being in a new home put her into territorial overdrive, and we didn't even know what was going on in her little brain.
We used water bottles, the earthquake method, a clicker, and other things to try to distract or discourage her. Probably the two most effective methods were reaction deprivation (I scooped her up onto a dowel and held her at arm's length, not saying or doing anything) and limited time out of the cage (out of cage for short periods of time, so that she would be returned before biting). In short, we deprogrammed the bite response.
We also got George for her. :) Giving her a mate gave her a lovebird to bully around and snuggle up to. She became less frustrated with us humans because she was able to interact with George.
We have been able to give her beak pets through the bars of the cage for some time. It's like she only trusted fingers when there was a cage separating her from them.
Lately, though, when she comes out with me by herself (very important time for both her and me), she tucks her head back and pretends to sleep. I blow gently on the back of her neck, which she loves. While I'm blowing, I softly lift my hand and stroke her neck feathers in the direction I'm blowing.
This is huge progress in Gracie-land. I used to try to do this before, but all it would take was for me to move my hand and she would be awake, keeping an eye on those fingers. Eventually she will still start turning her head while I'm petting her feathers, and that's my cue to stop. If she wanted to, she could snap her head around and nail my fingers.
Anyway, it's been a little over three years, or maybe four, since we adopted Gracie. The message here is, do not give up hope. Just love your bird for who it is, and know when the time is right to push your luck. ;)
Best wishes,
Some of you know Gracie. She was our first lovebird, the one who started it all. We adopted her as a stray, and she was pretty darn wild (although she retained her step-up training). My introduction to her outside the cage came with her attached to my finger, and she broke the skin. It was blood at first sight.
For a long time, we searched for ways to reduce the biting outside the cage. This was more than just biting when we tried to hold or carry her. She would chase hands, fingers, and armpits whenever, wherever. We tried to distract her with food, but that only seemed to make her more territorial. She started shredding from the moment she entered the home. It was like being in a new home put her into territorial overdrive, and we didn't even know what was going on in her little brain.
We used water bottles, the earthquake method, a clicker, and other things to try to distract or discourage her. Probably the two most effective methods were reaction deprivation (I scooped her up onto a dowel and held her at arm's length, not saying or doing anything) and limited time out of the cage (out of cage for short periods of time, so that she would be returned before biting). In short, we deprogrammed the bite response.
We also got George for her. :) Giving her a mate gave her a lovebird to bully around and snuggle up to. She became less frustrated with us humans because she was able to interact with George.
We have been able to give her beak pets through the bars of the cage for some time. It's like she only trusted fingers when there was a cage separating her from them.
Lately, though, when she comes out with me by herself (very important time for both her and me), she tucks her head back and pretends to sleep. I blow gently on the back of her neck, which she loves. While I'm blowing, I softly lift my hand and stroke her neck feathers in the direction I'm blowing.
This is huge progress in Gracie-land. I used to try to do this before, but all it would take was for me to move my hand and she would be awake, keeping an eye on those fingers. Eventually she will still start turning her head while I'm petting her feathers, and that's my cue to stop. If she wanted to, she could snap her head around and nail my fingers.
Anyway, it's been a little over three years, or maybe four, since we adopted Gracie. The message here is, do not give up hope. Just love your bird for who it is, and know when the time is right to push your luck. ;)
Best wishes,