| My African Gray - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Kim |
Hi everyone! I have an AG which I have had for 15 years. She will
let my husband handle her but she tries to bite me. I can pet her
through the cage but that is about it. Is there anything I can do to
let her know that I will not hurt her. I think this is a game to her
and I need to stop the behavior. I am scared of her as well and I
think she knows this.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Kim
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| Kenwood |
That sounds normal for a Grey.
Best bet is to handle the bird when the bird is NOT in his/her territory.
Tips that I use.
* Give one stern "NO BITE" when the bird bites.
* If the bird is on your hand/fingers... shake your hand up and down so the
bird must focus on balancing and not biting you. This stops all birds I have
tried this with. (Greys, Cockatoos, Amazons and MacCaws)
* Keep the handing sessions short in the beginning to build trust.
* Have your husband put the bird on the ground out of it's normal room.
* You offer your hand for the bird to step up AFTER your husband has left
the room. Birds are vulnerable on the ground and will most always accept a
stranger's offer to step up to higher ground.
* Praise the bird when he/she steps up.
* Don't try to touch the bird with your free hand.
* Hold the bird a foot away from your chest so he/she doesn't try to bite
jewelry/hair or buttons on your clothes
* Keep the bird below your eye level to maintain that YOU are the dominant
one. (some people disagree on this)
When you approach the birds territory, prepare to be biten. I'd suggest
quickly offering the bird to step down on the cage and pull your arm back
fast. Praise the bird for being good and leave him/her alone for a while.
All of this worked in getting my Grey to accept my 10 year old son.
Another helper was to have my son offer the bird treats when he comes over.
After a month, my parrot no longer nips at my son when he walks by the cage.
I think he sees my son as the kid who offers treats instead of the intruder
in his space.
Good luck,
Steven
"Kim" <kimberly_pye@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:472f2e01.0308151054.54a64a5a@posting.google.com...
> Hi everyone! I have an AG which I have had for 15 years. She will
> let my husband handle her but she tries to bite me. I can pet her
> through the cage but that is about it. Is there anything I can do to
> let her know that I will not hurt her. I think this is a game to her
> and I need to stop the behavior. I am scared of her as well and I
> think she knows this.
> Any advice is greatly appreciated.
> Kim
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| Louis Boyd |
Kim wrote:
> Hi everyone! I have an AG which I have had for 15 years. She will
> let my husband handle her but she tries to bite me. I can pet her
> through the cage but that is about it. Is there anything I can do to
> let her know that I will not hurt her. I think this is a game to her
> and I need to stop the behavior. I am scared of her as well and I
> think she knows this.
> Any advice is greatly appreciated.
You should be happy that she likes your husband. Birds crave
companionship, but one companion is enough for many of them. She knows
you aren't going to hurt her or she'd tear up your hand rather than let
you pet her, She's just showing loyalty to her companion, your husband.
All of the eight birds in my house were acquired by my wife. One likes
only my wife, two like us both (and are bonded to each other), three
like only me, and two don't like either of us (or any humans). No doubt
they have their reasons, but why is something of a mystery.
The one bird which likes my wife and not me is much more willing to
interact and not bite me when my wife's away for a few days. Other
times he's like a little T-Rex to me.
--
Lou Boyd
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| John Hines |
"Kenwood" <noneya@biz.net> wrote:
>All of this worked in getting my Grey to accept my 10 year old son.
>Another helper was to have my son offer the bird treats when he comes over.
>After a month, my parrot no longer nips at my son when he walks by the cage.
>I think he sees my son as the kid who offers treats instead of the intruder
>in his space.
Never underestimate the power of bribery, even a parrot can understand
it.
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| Kim |
Thank you all for your advice! Now, I'm going to take a deep breath
and give it a try. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again,
Kim
kimberly_pye@hotmail.com (Kim) wrote in message news:<472f2e01.0308151054.54a64a5a@posting.google.com>...
> Hi everyone! I have an AG which I have had for 15 years. She will
> let my husband handle her but she tries to bite me. I can pet her
> through the cage but that is about it. Is there anything I can do to
> let her know that I will not hurt her. I think this is a game to her
> and I need to stop the behavior. I am scared of her as well and I
> think she knows this.
> Any advice is greatly appreciated.
> Kim
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