help with my new ringneck?

[aliyaamelia]

I got my baby cookie roughly 3 weeks ago. Im calling it she even tho i dont know yet.
So she is soon 4 month's old. We get along very good. She calls for me in morning to come let her out. She comes out, plays, steps up and started taking treats from my hand a couple of days ago. Love her to bits already.
Yesterday we ran in to a problem. Cookie started lounging/opening her beak at me. Like she wants to bite me. She dont actually bite but as if shes going to. And if she puts her beak on my skin its not hard. Just like shes moody.
i dont know what caused this. Is this normal?
Anyone knows how to deal with it. Dont want it to get worse
thankful for help.

[Wolf]

You are being very skimpy with information, the more detailed information that you can give us the better we are able to answer your questions. We are not there and must depend on you to be our eyes and ears.
The best that I can say at this time is that whatever you are doing at the time that this behavior occurs, the bird doesn't want any part of, and has likely tried to tell you so, but for whatever reason you were not receptive to it saying no. This behavior is the last step before you actually receive a serious bite from the bird. So what ever it is that you are doing stop it.

[Tman007]

Like Wolf said you need to break it down for us. It will really help. Also just a thought if you mite want to wash your hands before you try to pick up your bird. Also try talking to her through the cage with the door closed. Sometimes they just get moody. If she has come out before if you sit by the door and talk to her she may come over to be let out. Try and give us a better idea of what happened, any little thing that mite of accrued.

[Pajarita]

It could be beaking or simply using her beak as a 'steadying hand' when she moves to step up so yes, please, more details as to when, how, etc.

[aliyaamelia]

When i first got Cookie 3 weeks ago i was told that she was handtame, steps up etc. So i took her home.
and really just assumed that she would be ok with me. Ofc i was wrong i know that now.

i would push my finger on her chest and she would step up. I stroked her neck.no reaction really. I put my hand feeely in and out her cage without really thinking...but she would not take any treats from my hand. Witch i thought was wierd becouse she wasnt afraid of me.
She didnt really show much reaction to anythinh now when i think about it.
Slowly she started to take treats from my hand i thougt well now were best buds. . .

Then one day out of nowere she started lounging after my hand when i wanted to open the cage.
After getting the cage door open and she came out. Touching was out of the question.
would bite at my finger if i tried her to step up. And really wouldnt have any of it.

So after lots of reading on behaviour and body language ive come to realise in the last days that. She must have been terrified. Doing this things simply becouse she didnt have any other option. And boy do i feel bad

so now instead of pushing her to do things i let her choose.
instaed of telling, im asking.

When i aproach her cage in the morning i give her a treat and then moving very slowly i open the door and leave her alone.

she comes out and sits on her perch and i walk by her giving her treats every now and then.
yesterday i putted my finger infront of her without touching her with a treat in my other hand and asked her to step up. At first it didnt work but after e few tries she actually steped up. And she didnt bite me.

ive been watching cookie and can now see that when i get close in a way that shes not comfortable with. She leans her body back. And slightly opens her beak. When she does this i stop what im doing and let her calm down. When shes calm i give a treat and i walk away. And try again later.

So a day and a half without getting bit and im hoping im doing the right thing and this wount backfire on me...

So i think im starting to understand what ive been doing wrong. Please correct me if there is something i shouldnt be doing. Or if you have any other ways to make her feel safe with me.

[Wolf]

Very good, I am proud of you. Yes the things that you were doing were wrong and counterproductive, but we all make mistakes and you listened to your bird, understood that you were wrong and have taken steps to correct the problems that you were building. Yay ! Good for you.

I think that you may be able to enhance the taming and bonding, in the relationship that you are now beginning to build with your bird, by stopping when you open her cage in the morning and spend a few minutes talking to her and randomly offer her a couple of treats while you are doing this. Take about 10 minutes to do this and also when she goes in her cage just before dinner. It lets her get accustomed to the sound of your voice and helps to reassure her while you are spending valuable bonding time with her.

Keep up the good work.

[aliyaamelia]

Many thanks
That sounds good i will definitely do that. Thank you

[Pajarita]

Indeed, we all made and still make mistakes, the important thing is not to deny the fact and try our best to correct them. I've always said that there is nothing as humbling as living with parrots...

Now, a couple more pointers. When she tenses up as you are approaching her cage, don't just wait until she relaxes and then approach it, anyway (you must do this if you are giving her a treat then). Take a step back and avert your face. Sit down or simply stay standing up there sideways (showing her your profile) but not looking at her, just talking, singing, whistling and looking at her out of the corner of your eye. The idea is not to reward her calming down after a while but to slowly and very gradually show her that you respect her wishes, that you pose no threat to her. You will find that you will be able to slowly approach her cage all the way without her reacting at all and, later, with her actually happily anticipating your closeness.

Also, don't insist on the step up too many times or too often. I know that we all want our birds to step up for us but, in truth, there is no need to train them to do this as human-imprinted birds that have no reason to fear humans would do it on their own given enough time (they just want to be close to us). Wait until she is eager for your presence and then ask, she will step up immediately. And, if she doesn't, give her another couple of days.

[aliyaamelia]

Thank you for very good advice. Very helpful

[AnimalAffinity]

Bluffing?