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Conure biting

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

Re: Conure biting

Postby jojovaliente » Tue Jan 12, 2010 4:38 pm

aaAAAAHHHHhhhh....I learned something new again today. I guess I never really looked at it that way. I guess i really have to step off the gas pedal, get out of the car and actually take a nice stroll. :D Get my bird to know the environment more, the new daily routine shes having in her room and cage. Get her as comfy as possible. :thumbsup:
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Re: Conure biting

Postby Michael » Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:39 pm

Most people do the opposite. They are so nervous (especially if they've never had a bird before) and want to "give the bird it's space." They end up not interacting with the bird anywhere from the first week to month and the bird does settle down. But it begins to prefer its cage more than people. This is probably the first case I've come across where someone is so confident that they outran the bird in the getting to know you phase.

If you got to the place you are at with training without any adverse affects, I would say congratulations on being an efficient trainer. However, as you can see, the biting came as a side effect of going too quickly and not giving the bird enough time to get comfortable. You may be comfortable and ready to go for it, but you gotta give some time for the bird to catch up to you. I too started to interact and get close with my birds but I took it slower so I didn't run into that kind of problem.

parrot learning curve.jpg
parrot learning curve.jpg (52.47 KiB) Viewed 6458 times


Here is what I propose the parrot learning curve is from the time it is acquired. It starts off knowing little about what you want from it and how to live in your environment. There is explosive growth in the first weeks but it takes a little bit to get that started. Then approaching roughly (very roughly) 2 months, there is a slow down and possibly even negative progress. This is a stage where the parrot gets confused about what you want from it because you are asking for too much or sending contradictory messages. This could be teaching a second trick, changing diet, spending less time, etc. Once this barrier is over stepped, progress resumes but at a slower rate. Then you will continue to encounter plateaus along the way as the bird acquires a major skill but does not know how to learn beyond it. Then it will make a break through and start learning a lot again.
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Michael
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Re: Conure biting

Postby jojovaliente » Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:28 pm

Awesome! Thank you soooo much Michael! I am now seeing the light thanks to you. :thumbsup:

Does your senegal nip at you here and there as of now? or is she just super comfortable around you that she never bites anymore?

I'm curious to know that if a parrot are well bonded and trusts its owner, are there still less biting or nipping going on?
jojovaliente
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Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Types of Birds Owned: Hahns Macaw, lovebirds, white dove
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Re: Conure biting

Postby Michael » Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:44 pm

She never bites me unless it's a crazy circumstance. For instance she bit me when I brought her in to get groomed because she was trying to get out of my grip to flee the groomer. She never bites me out of aggression. She does have some of her own Senegal Parrot specific biting issues but I wrote extensively about them here. She unpredictably bites other people and she can sometimes get feisty with me. Normally the worst thing she will do is put my finger in her beak and squeeze a little to pronounce her disapproval. She has painfully bitten me on the neck a few times but I don't think it was out of aggression. I think that has more to do with her chewing my shirt and eventually hitting my neck. But I never had biting problems (toward me) from Kili cause I took things reasonably slow at first where we both got to get used to each other. I didn't get really hands on with her until I've had her for 3-6 months.
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Michael
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Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

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