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Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

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

Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Sissy B » Mon Nov 21, 2016 4:03 pm

For some reason. Elvis was cuddling g with my husband then Troy said see if he will come to you. I did and the he really bit my husband's hand twice then started attacking him Troy hand to take a towel and swing at him just to get away from being attacked. What do I do I only had him for a little over a month and I'm afraid he's going to just keep attacking Troy and any one else. I don't know what to do.
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Wolf » Tue Nov 22, 2016 9:32 pm

First, allow me to apologise for not getting to this sooner, but I have been having some medical issues that have limited my time on the forum.

I think that this behavior id due to the nature of how cockatoos bond to their humans and the amount of time that this species of parrot normally needs to even approach being happy. As you have already discovered they need a huge amount of one on one personal physical contact with the human that they have bonded with. when cockatoos bond with a human as an adult, not as a juvenile, they view that human as being the same as their mate and they will try to spend as much of their time with that human as they possibly can. They view anyone, human or animal, that interferes with their time with their chosen as a rival, competition and as a threat to their rights to their mate and that relationship. This behavior is often increased in occurrence and sometimes in severity by the bird receiving too much protein in its daily diet, and by living on a human light schedule rather than on the solar schedule that all wild birds live with, the rising and setting of the sun as well as exposure to both of the daily twilight periods of dawn and dusk. When these birds re hormonal they are compelled by nature to defend aggressively, their nesting site, their young and their mates.

This is what appears to me to be occurring with your bird. If he sees you spending time playing with or having physical contact with any human or animal, that person is perceived by the bird as a rival and a threat and because of this may attack in order to drive the rival away from its human. About the only things that I know of to help with this situation is to reduce or eliminate the amount of physical contact between the birds human and any other human and animals, look into the birds diet and see if you can reduce the level of protein that the bird gets on a daily basis and to keep the bird to its natural solar based light schedule.
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby liz » Wed Nov 23, 2016 5:49 am

With Rainbow on my shoulder a man came too close to me. Rainbow could not reach the man and had to attack. I was the one who was attacked. He bit my ear lobe.

One day Myrtle must not have been feeling good. She was not hanging on me like she always does so I took the time to play with Rainbow. That was a very bloody day. She swooped and bit me every time. I was on the edge of pulling my hair and her feathers out.
The next day she was her loving self again. I still don't know what caused it but we all survived.
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Pajarita » Wed Nov 23, 2016 1:18 pm

He is getting over his 'honeymoon period'. All rehomed birds go through what we call the 'honeymoon period' when they are on their best behavior (it's a wired-in survival technique) but, as soon as they start feeling comfortable, they start showing their true colors. Now, usually, people make the mistake of interacting physically with them as soon as they get the new bird and that, believe it or not, makes things worse because it's always better to allow the bird to get used to its new people (and home, and diet, and schedules, etc) on its own and wait for it to choose its human and make the first step to take that relationship further.

The sad truth is that parrots, with rare, rare exceptions, don't make good family pets. They evolved to 'cleave' only to their mates which they will love and protect to death so, when more than the 'chosen one' presumes to have a close relationship with them, the result is biting. But it's not the parrot's fault, he is just acting the way that nature told him to act.

Cockatoos that feel extremely comfortable and secure in their home and their relationship with their chosen one will accept other people as flock mates so the first thing you need to do is to observe the bird and determine who his chosen one is (they change allegiances, sometimes immediately after the end of the honeymoon period, sometimes later) and for only this person to interact physically with him. The others can interact with him but only by talking, singing, whistling, dancing, offering treats, etc. We, humans, are used to having pets like dogs or cats which can love everybody in the family even though they also usually have one single recognized 'alpha'. In my house, my husband is the cats' favorite but I am the dogs' and birds' and he has had to work hard and long to make the birds accept him as a flock member (meaning that they won't go out of their way to attack him). It takes him years to get some of the birds to accept him but this is entirely his fault because he is not a parrot person (so he doesn't understand why they do what they do), he is afraid of them (and acts accordingly) and it takes him a long time to change his mind about any bird that have bit him ("He/She is a BAD bird!"). And, when I say years, I mean years because I've had parrots since 1992 and he has only recently began to establish good relationships with them - it has only been a couple of weeks with Freddy Too even though I've had him for three years or so and Freddy Too doesn't have a single mean bone in his entire body!

So, don't despair, what is happening is actually normal and the only thing you all have to do is for all the non chosen ones pull back with the physical interaction and dedicate themselves to wooing him into friendship. He will always only love one person but the others can be friends.
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Bird woman » Thu Nov 24, 2016 5:33 pm

Pajarita is soooo right. I go through the same exact thing with my too's. Sometimes when people bring 2 hands up at one time or simtaniously the bird being new and unsure may bite out of fear. It takes a long time to settle a too into the family especially if they came from not so good circumstances. Did you get your Elvis from northern calif.? B.W.
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Sissy B » Sat Dec 03, 2016 9:09 pm

I so appreciate everything that you all have told me. But my husband tried to be in the same room with elvis again. Elvis fought to get to him and when he finally did he was clicking his beak and cuddling the bam he bit Troy twice very had and drew blood both times. my husband and can't be in the same room. When he is our of his cage or he will attack him. My husband said he is done with the bird does not want anything to do with him. How do you know if your the chosen one I believe I but not sure how to tell. I don't know what to do anymore I love my Elvis and I love my husband but can't have him attacking my husband or chase him out of the room. Troy's voice even makes Elvis stretch his neck to look for him.

Bird woman no I did not get him from Northern California. I got him from Pennsylvania. Elvis is the sweetest little guy stubborn as heck will step up only if he wants to or first 10 mins when he comes out of cage in the morning. If he is on his cage he will not step up I am so upset that he does not like my husband and now my husband is not liking him. I don't want to have to keep him in his cage and that I will not do but how or what should I do to get him to stop chasing Troy. He loves troys hats and he even was clicking when hubby took his shoes off and Elvis got by them. I just don't know what else to do.
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby liz » Sun Dec 04, 2016 6:59 am

Their little bird brains pick up and retain what we teach them. When you husband walks into the room cage Elvis. He should learn that he cannot be with your husband. This is not a great solution but the only one I can come up with at this time. It is rough on you to try to keep them separated.
I try to keep my kids separated because of sibling rivalry and only give special attention when the other is not around.
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Sissy B » Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:34 am

Thank you Liz so I guess Elvis and my husband may never get along. My eldest daughter who is 26 she is afraid to hold him because she dont want to get bitten. I dont blame her. She and Elvis communicate threw the cage he puts his foot out and he holds her finger. Is this his bonding with her and should she try to pick him up or just leave it the way it is.

I also started taking Elvis cover off his cage at dawn with was at 6:14 and sun rise was at 7:26. Dusk will be at 5:30 so I'm going to cover him up then and give that a shot. I hope this is what everyone was talking about in the solar light post ok n the forum.

Once again thanks to you all for all you do. Truly helps me a lot
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby Bird woman » Sun Dec 04, 2016 2:42 pm

Hi sissy and Elvis, I have many too's all with different personalities and all that have evolved into there placement with home and the flock in there own good time. My Lilly bell sounds a lot like your Elvis when she first got here. She would interact with both of us at first and was a male bonded bird , my husband doesn't take care of the fids just enjoys them on his terms so Lilly eventually bonded to me. Well she would still go to him for love and cuddles but when I walked into the room he would get bit everytime. She loves him but , now on her terms! If he walks into her room he gets chased out but if I'm not there he can come in. Understand these are very smart little cookies , right down to manipulating , tantrum throwing and grudge holding. But on the other hand once everything settles down and everybody learns there place in elvis's life you won't find a better companion ,entertainer and cuddler . Watch Elvis's eyes for indications of his mood, they can be very telling. Too's don't have the dialating or pinning thing going on but you will know how to read his eyes over time. You know how a kids eyes look when there mad at you ,( the squint )well that's a too with a tude. :shock: . If you are Elvis's chosen one then let others interact , feed and give treats when your not around or in earshot or sight. Welcome to the world of tooooo intelligent too's :cockatoo: BW. Any thing I can help with ( way :cockatoo: much experience ) :lol:
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Re: Help!!!! My Elvis really bite my husband

Postby seagoatdeb » Sun Dec 04, 2016 7:22 pm

I dont have a cockatoo, but I can tell you, when you have parrots someone is bond to get bit at times. The most ferocious parrot I have or have ever had is a Red Bellly female. She has never bit me, but given certain conditions and she has bitten others hard enough to leave scars. When I first met her she was in a pet store with a sibling and she had been seperated in confinment because she had had her leg band stuck in the cage she was shipped in and injured her foot and had to have one of her toes amputated. After that she began to attack every human who came near her.

When I first met her she took to me immediately but still attacked everyone else. After bringing her home, I eventually got her to the point where she accepted my then teenage daughter and all was fine. My daughter could walk around with her and pet her. She also tolerated all the other parrots in the house.The first time I went on a short trip, and my daughter was caring for the parrots, my Red Belly flipped out,(because she saw I was not there) and attacked my daughter who dropped her to the floor in shock and then the tiny little bird ran after my daughter attacking her toes. My daughter still has the scar from that, 16 years later. Once I was home everything was fine and back to normal.

Fast forward to a couple years ago and my Red Belly was the only parrot in the house. At breeding time she suddenly began to attack my hubby, to the point of biting him on the neck. I got a baby Meyers, who was not well socialized to people but was socialized well to other parrots because I knew my Red Belly needed that. Once she accepted the Meyers, she decided she liked him and began to preen him. She was now nice to my hubby again, and he could carry her around and even preen her when she is in the mood. She has good relationships with a number of people now. She bites no one now.

I am not telling you to get another parrot, I am saying that every parrot has their own personality and they communicate, by body language and with their beak. As you get to know the parrot and they get to know you, you will all learn about each other and how to treat each other. Parrots are not like cats or dogs but more like a toddler and sometimes like a toddler on sugar. You do learn how to read each other and it gets better. Given time your Too may acccept your husband or may not.
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