Cooper biting update..

[Teri]

I'm getting bit by Copper less and less and his bites are no longer drawing blood. I see this as progress though slow progress, however I am a bit confused. I'm unsure as to his motivation behind biting now. He seems to have no fear of my hands as long as i'm holding food. He'll even let me lightly stroke his back if he's eating from my hand, however without food my hands are open game for bites.. He also bites my neck which I can't imagine is biting out of fear. The fact he is now eating out of my hands has me doubting he's biting them out of fear. Is Cooper just being naughty and spoiled using biting to get his way? Cause that's what it' seems like to me. If so what's the best way to correct this naughty behavior? Is the "no bite" command and ignoring enough to deal with this behavior?

[sdgilley]

Good questions!
Biting is a form of communication. Some advice that Barb gave me that has been helpful with my three birds is this:
Try to think about what is going on when you are bitten. Can you tie any of it together? Time of day? Is he hungry? Is it in one room or another? Is there someone around at that time? Have you had him out for a long time? Also, watch your bird's body language. You have to do some detective work here... :)

You might be able to determine what triggers the bite by asking all these questions.

The other piece of advice that Barb gave me was to try to avoid being bitten. Instead of ignoring the pain, and allowing the bite, avoid it. As you study the circumstance and watch his body language, try not to put him in a position of biting you. The longer you delay the bite, the better.

I have a tame hen. She gets nippy if she's out of her cage too long. If she bites me, I put her in her cage. I figured that out, too! :lol Now this same bird is not fond of my childrens friends. They are loud and want to poke at her. If I have her out and they come around, Peepo gets nervous. She'll definitely bite them.

If she's biting me. I gently put my finger on her beak and say "no bite". I've read different techniques for this same thing here, but deliver the message and be very gentle with your lovie.

Good luck!

[Teri]

I'm getting better at reading his signs before he bites. He usually is kind enough to open his beak wide as a warning befor biting. He very rarely snaps at skin without warning. I've tried to figure out what he might be trying to tell me but he seems to bite over ne thing he's unhappy about. "don't want u to take my food dish!" *bite* "want to chew holes in the seed bag!" *bite* "don't wanna go back in my cage!" *bite* "eeee! i'm scared mom!" *bite* Some of the things i'm doing for his own good and have to be done, like the morning battle for his food dish. I'm just tryin to feed the baby and he's tryin to fight me off from his dish!! Or i have to leave for class and he can't possibly stay out!! am not sure how i can give him his way on these matters. He can be quite the brat sometimes! lol ahh but he's impossible not to love. Even when he's a brat he's cute as can be.

p.s. I just had another thought. Could he be grumpy cause he's not out enough? or too much? I've had cooper about two and a half months now and he spends about two hours out of his cage a day. Does this sound about right for the amount of time we've been together? I know too much too soon can be bad for the baby but not enough time out is just as bad. advice on how quickly to increase his time out?

[Xanthus]

I gently put my finger on her beak and say "no bite".

I tried that with the bird I'm training and it seemed to take it as a challenge and increased it's fervor on biting. It's like if I push back, it thinks I'm playing, or fighting, so it bites harder. So I've just been Saying "No." in a low, growly voice, making a face at it and if the bird continues I puff some air at it. The bird seems to be getting the picture. :)

[DebSpace]

Is he getting his "Beauty Sleep?" Mine do best with 10-12 hours. Is he out for 2 hours a day all at one time or spaced apart? If at one time, that might be too long for a young bird. I spend 10-20 minutes with a bird away from the cage (generally in another room) just training. I always try to do this at the beginning of a playtime so they aren't tired to start off with. Hang in there, it really can be done over the course of time.:)

[Xanthus]

My schedule's been a little hectic, so unfortunately, they've only been getting about 9-11 hours. Close, but not perfect.

And, sad to say, but since I got them on Saturday, they haven't been getting any out-of-the-cage time, as they're not clipped yet.

I have clipped birds before, but not for about 10 years...so I'd rather let their vet do it the first time, so he can give me a refresher on how. Their appointment is on the 26th. So, they'll be cooped up for about a week. :'(

Also, what do you reccomend as "playtime"?

[Teri]

Deb -

He probably is a little short on sleep as I'm a college student who's up late. I cover his cage around ten and uncover it usually around 7 or 7:30 am. I'll try to be more diligent about putting him to bed. He comes out for about an hour at time (depending on behavior) twice a day. When i put him back he often paces back in forth in his cage wanting out again. I'm not really sure how much time he should be spending out right now. Hes 6 months old and i've had him for 2 months. Is two hours out too much? too little?

[sdgilley]

Teri,
When I first got Peepo, she was 11 weeks old. I kept her out for long peroids and she did get quite nippy. A friend here suggested that I get her out more often for shorter periods of time. Instead of getting her out for two hours I would get her out for 30 minutes for four times. Young birds do need more rest. Just a thought... they are all individuals, so you have to keep trying until you find something that works.

10-12 hours at night is about right. Mine get around 10. When I first got Peter I didn't know any better and only gave him about 8 hours of sleep. He was a totally different bird, but I quickly corrected the sleep time. To this day, he's my one bird that will sleep in until I get up! :)