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Aggression to glasses

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

Aggression to glasses

Postby Bird woman » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:21 pm

Anyone have any ideas on how to desensitize a parrot off aggressive behavior when wearing glasses? AKA: wanting to rip them off your face and anything else that's attached to them. Eyes nose face etc. :o
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Bird woman
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Michael » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:45 am

Don't let parrots on your shoulder.
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Bird woman » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:37 am

Rule #1 I already know that and don't. This particular bird lunges off cage or where ever she is at to get at anyone that wears glasses and I'm sure accociates glasses with a very bad experience from previous owner. Is there any recommendations on how to break her of this ? Trying different things already to make glasses a positive but need some good constructive ideas.BW
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Bird woman
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Michael » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:50 am

Do you mean the bird bites other places only on people who have glasses or just tries to get at the glasses themselves?
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Pajarita » Thu Jan 18, 2018 11:48 am

If I understood Patti correctly, it seems to me that the bird reacts to the glasses and they become the trigger for aggression to the person wearing them. It could be that a prior bad owner wore them and the bird now associates glasses with something bad happening to him/her but, in my personal experience, parrots react to anything we might put near our faces that doesn't belong there but, usually, when this happens, the bird just wants to get it off -like protecting us from that 'bad thing that shouldn't be there'.

I don't wear glasses, rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hats or anything with mine but I would assume that if you buy a lot of the cheapy reading glasses they sell in the 99 cent stores and a big doll and start by giving the bird a pair to destroy every day and, as it's beginning to lose interest [which might happen later rather than sooner but will, eventually, happen] start putting them on the doll's face and sitting it first far from the bird so it can get used to seeing it and later closer so the bird can pluck them off the face, it will, in time, lose its appeal. Desensitizing is just another word for 'getting used to it to the point of no reaction' and that means exposure exposure exposure but always in a safe way - thus, first the glasses on their own and then the doll. Until then, I suggest you don't wear glasses when with the bird.
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Bird woman » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:32 pm

Yes she gets out of control and isn't exactly careful to rip only the glasses off your face. I have thought about the dollar store glasses for toy making and even giving treats on the lenses to try to make it a positive instead of a negative. Any ideas are greatly appreciated and I'll keep you posted on progress.
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Re: Aggression to glasses

Postby Pajarita » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:41 am

I would not use them as food or treat bowls, I would start by just leaving them laying around close to where the parrot is, but I guess using them as toys -as in hanging from some sort of 'mobile, for example- would work too.
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Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
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