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Started nipping

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Started nipping

Postby kikidee » Sat Jul 05, 2014 11:47 am

So Navi is pretty comfortable in my house and with my family and always asks for attention and for us to hold her. She's a good girl 98% of the time but recently out of no where she'll start biting all over our shirts and i think she mistakes our skin because she'll nip painfully at our necks and faces. I usually will warn her with saying "hey, you behave" or "be gentle" and she'll look at me and move on or do it again or just do it another day. I feel like it is starting to gradually happen more. I just don't want this behavior to become more frequent so how can I stop it at the beginning? I usually will put her down to show her that she wont get my attention if she does this, but is that the best thing to do?
I also take into consideration that she is a baby (2 monthsand a half)and is probably just trying to experience the world around her.

Any input will be appreciated.
kikidee
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Pajarita » Sat Jul 05, 2014 4:30 pm

She's still a baby and going through her beaking stage. Just move her beak away when she nips too hard and always say the same thing (not two different ones, that's confusing) but don't put her down, that's considered 'punishment' by them and, in reality, she is not doing anything wrong. It takes a while and many, many times of saying it (I use 'Gently... gently...) but they do learn their own strength eventually.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Wolf » Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:38 am

I concur with Pajarita on this.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby moderndaydinosaurs » Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:38 pm

There is nowhere to go but through this stage. I used redirection with all my babies. If they got too chewy I might distract them with a toy or by talking to them or put them down but still continue to play somehow so it didn't feel like punishment. Sounds like others feel it is important to do/say the same thing every time and there's something to be said for consistency. But my birds all responded just fine to a varied and intuitive approach similar to what you might do if a baby discovered that it's fun to smack you in the face. You can't punish a baby...you just give them something new to do!
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Wolf » Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:24 pm

While I do think that using the same word for an action that you might want to change is important as it tends to aid in changing the behavior quicker, I don't always do the same thing as the purpose is not to punish the bird, who in its own mind has done nothing wrong. There is a lot to be said for redirection and there are many things that one can do that the bird will like better than nipping too hard. I do tend to use a single term such as gentle for this particular problem, but I have a whole variety of actions in response to what the bird is doing. The bird learns quickly what I am speaking about but never feels any punishment because there is none.
There are always many different ways to approach anything and many different ways to correct any problem. Pajarita offered one way, which does not contain any punishment that she knows works and I agreed with this for the same reason. If you have at any time another way to help anyone who comes here for help and you know that it works, Please offer your way of doing it in detail as the party requesting help should have a choice in how to approach any situation they are asking help for. Besides with your contribution we all may be able to learn something in the process.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby kikidee » Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:42 pm

Thanks guys. She's honestly such a sweetheart and I quickly stopped the punishments. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do this is in early stages to set up behaviors that aren't okay, but now I see that it is necessary. She is a pretty curious bird so it is easy to give her things to play with.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Pajarita » Mon Jul 07, 2014 8:02 am

Re-direction is great and I use it all the time only not for this because, in my mind, redirection is for a behavior that should not happen which is not how I interpret beaking (more on this below). For example, I have a cockatoo that likes to go after feet (this is a VERY common behavior in toos). He doesn't bite my feet (although he would if you are startled by his grabbing your shoes or feet with his big beak and reacted by screaming and jumping up or moving them too quickly -which is the mistake my husband and other people have made, with the inevitable consequence that he goes running after them and scares the bejesus out of them -LOL) but it's not safe for him to be so close to my feet because I might inadvertently step on him so I either bend over and ask him to step up or I pick up one of his billiard balls and send it rolling on the floor and he promptly goes running after it.

The reason why I don't do it with beaking is because I believe that this is a baby behavior that will 'adjust' in due time and with a bit of guidance on our part. I see beaking as a precursor to preening or kissing us or to touching with his beak to judge the firmness of the perch so I don't want him NOT to do it, I just want him to learn to do it softly. It's like when you are holding a baby on your lap and he smacks your face, he is not trying to hurt you (he is actually trying to caress you only he doesn't know how) so you would not actually prevent the baby from doing it, you would just tell the baby "No, nice... nice..." while grabbing his little hand and moving it in a caressing way against your face so he would learn to do it the right way. Same thing.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Wolf » Mon Jul 07, 2014 9:01 am

Excellent explanation there, Pajarita. I loved the way that you put it.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby Tman007 » Mon Jul 07, 2014 11:12 am

with my green cheek he is 4 months old, he will grab my finger moving down and each time he will grab harder and harder. Once it get to hard I tell him to quit. But also I will ask him to step up and give him a treat for stepping up. and then when he is finished with the treat I will give him another. and scratch his head. that way his mouth is busy. By doing this he now steps up without any major grabbing. Also remember that he may grab you a little to step up on you just to make sure your finger is ok to hold on to. Just my 2 cents.
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Re: Started nipping

Postby moderndaydinosaurs » Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:37 pm

I like your style, Tman! Redirection at it's finest. "Yes I see you're an excellent chomper but can you step up? BRAVO! Here's a treat!"
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