My Senegal Paulie.

[Cymrudragon]

Hello Everyone,

I'm Matthew I am new to the forum. We own a Senegal Parrot, Paulie. Paulie hasn't been with us for long and is my first Bird. I'm finding Paulie "temperamental" and "unpredictable" and I'd really like to get closer to Paulie, but I'm finding it a bit difficult, I'll take you through a few examples.

I have a routine, I get up in the morning and take the cover of the Cage (Paulie has a large cage with lots of toys to play with which we rotate from time to time, she seems very happy with her environment), she always makes an effort to come over to me and I always get close to the cage and give her a treat before I feed her and stoke her head and beak which she seems to like because she makes a purring sound and I always talk to here in a calm manner, She seems very happy in the morning.

I come home from work, I always make a point of stroking her head again, talking to her and stroking her beak, the problem comes during getting her out of the cage. I find some days she will quite happily step up, I always position my hand by her perch, she will come over willingly. Other days she won't come no where near me and if I try and get close to her, she shows her tell tale signs that's she wants to give me a peck, either she opens her beak, fluffs her wings up, or her eyes pierce and she'll go in for the kill I have learned not to react to bites, I just push my finger toward her she leave go in the end (she can give a pretty good bite though), I then leave her alone.

Other times then, like tonight, I'll she'll step up (although gingerly as if she was unsure) and she'll come out of the cage, sit on my shoulder, let me stroke her head, beak and she generally has a little fly about, then all of a sudden she's turn into a little devil. If I try and get her to step up, she'll turn aggressive and start trying to bite, I tend to leave then until she calms down, or other things she'll do is pick a spot and when I go near her she starts running away, sometimes it takes me a while to get her back in the cage (unless I handle her, which causes her to try to bite, I hold her around the neck, although I do get pecked at when I try and get the position wright)

To get her in the cage I try and make it rewarding, I will put her favorite treat (Apple) in a bowl put it in the cage and I'll give her a piece, sometimes she'll go in the cage no problem, but like tonight, she gingerly stepped up, I gave her the apple, then she gave me a real good bite, I didn't react to it and just put her in the cage.

I normally try and get her out at 20:30 when the kids go to bed, (Paulie doesn't like the kids and she just about tolerates my wife, but my wife can't stoke her etc, just feed her/talk to her) and I leave her out for between an hour and 1 hour and a half, she is caged all day beforehand, but my wife will interact in the day and talk to her.

I don't know if that's sufficient enough time to Tame/Teach Paulie, I'm a little unsure about if she should have her food bowl all day, I've just started taking the feed out in the night, My wife will take it out in the afternoon after she has breakfast and then will put the bowl in when I try and get her in the cage, with her favorite treat inside.

So I can't really work her out ! ! in the morning she seems really calm and I can interact great, but come the evening it's different or when it's cage time, she hates me, like I said sometimes even I try and get her out of the cage, sometimes I'll just go near the cage in passing and she'll get aggressive as I'm passing, or I'll be stroking her head and then she'll all of a sudden bite me.

I'd appreciate any help/advice, even if it means I have to go back to basics and start teaching her all over again, like I said it's our first bird and I don't know if I'm doing things right. Paulie is 2 years old and she was raised by another individual.

Thanks a lot

Matthew

[marie83]

Tbh, I think Paulie needs more out of cage time, if not every day but most days. Sometimes it isn't practical to have them out loads which is why mine get variable times and durations. It's no wonder she doesn't want to go back in really, it would be like keeping your children in the bedroom all day and just sticking your head round the door to talk to them until it was their time to come out for an hour and a half, after being cooped up all day do you think they would be happy about getting shut back in their rooms? Is she attacking your partner and children?

I think it may benefit your partner to work with her alone for a while, say whilst your at work and your children at school (assuming that is the case). I haven't got time to go into detail but I suggest you and your partner read Michaels blog, then re-read it, it's very good and will explain things much better than I ever could.
Once the bird tolerates your partner you can start working with the children assuming they are old enough to understand and sensible enough to take things seriously. Bare in mind your sennie may never ever like other people but you can most definitely train Paulie to tolerate others.

[pennyandrocky]

hi, marie is right more out of cage time is needed.when putting paulie back in the cage don't give any of the apple outside, if he wants the apple he goes in.if he shows signs of not wanting to be bothered step away before the bite your creating a bad habit where he believes to get his way he bites.i never touch cages unless i'm cleaning or reach in to get them out that's not to say it's the only way but it builds trust with you and your bird to give him his own space he can go to be left alone it may work for you too.

[Cymrudragon]

Thanks both for your response. I thought it may be requiring more cage time. My wife does interact in the day and she can treat Paulir through the bars, when Paulie is out, at the beginning she used to fly at her, but she don't do that now, but Joanne can't go near her. My eldest Elle who is ten can tickle her through the bars and Paulie dips her head to do so, but again, Elle can't interact outside the cage. I've been giving Paulie lots of time to do what she wants outside the cage, and I know when she don't want to be bothered, but I can't get around the biting etc a described.

I was thinking of re-enforcing step up training (I've read the blogs now on taming etc and they are great), so I was gonna start again following that starting with the target training. I was going to use a little glove to help with now getting bitten ? Progressing then to letting her out at earlier and let her have more time out. When she's happy then and I can get her in and out, my wife can start engaging ?

Is that a start do you think ?

Thanks for all the help, sorry if I sound silly in places, but it's all new to me, I like Paulie, she does do funny little things and she like to copy the phone I just want to interact more with her.

[pennyandrocky]

sounds like a good start. has your wife approached her away from the cage? or is she aggressive near you? parrots can be very possesive when it comes to what they feel belongs to them.mya until past few weeks decided my boyfriend belonged to her so she would fly at me if i was in the same room with him i would just go to where she landed and pet her to let her know she couldn't bully me. if she stayed on his lap i would walk by and say hi to her.then i would walk by and give her a quick pet on the head. now we can sit all of us together.

[Cymrudragon]

So I've been trying to Paulie tonight. I took her food away a couple of hours before I got her out, I've been trying to target train, she kind of got it when I clicked (mouth sound) and I treated her after.

There was a little resistance when I got her out of the cage, but she did step and and stop biting me. I'm with her in the front room now, I've tried more touch training, but she's a little aggressive, but I have managed to stroke her without biting. After a little while she started to step away, so I've left her now just to chill out, let her get familiar with the surroundings.

I have noticed tonight she is making a lot of clicking noises with her beak, is that a sign that she's enjoying herself ?

she's not flying about though and not biting anything in the house, she seems quite contended.

[Cymrudragon]

So Paulie has nw gone back into the cage. It went ok tonight, however she did have an episode where flew to my shoulder and after a few minutes (I was talking quiet to her) I was facing forward and she bit me just bi the side of the ear and took a big chunk out of my face, hurt a bit I have to say, but I did my best not to react, I moved my head toward her and she did let go, I wonder if it was to get my attention.

Anyway I let her fly off, I thought I won't put her away other wise she may think she being punished, so instead I did try and establish just getting back close to her and ticking her head, which went kind of OK.

For bed I showed her her favorite food and put the bowl in the cage, took me a while to get her to step up (I don't want to be forceful), as soon as I walked her over to the cage, she gave me a few bites, but again I didn't react and I placed her back on her perch.

She was a little stroppy when I got near the cage, but I left it a while and she did then come to me at the side of the cage and allow me to stoke her head.

Not sure If I'm right or wrong here, but I have left her food out now till the AM, I'm going to try more target training in the AM so she may do the work for treats, I'll leave the food in so she can have breakfast, my wife will then take it out till I come home from work(about a 6-7hr gap) I'll again do more target training and get her out of the cage. She had about 2:30hr out of the cage this evening.

Any feedback welcome

[Wayne361]

One thing that hasnt been addressed is the fact that Paulie is 2. At this age they are becoming sexually mature/hormonal....call it the terrible twos. Their aggression will be heightened and is probably playing a part. Keep doing what you are doing in terms of earning trust. As for going back in the cage....once Paulie realizes that he will be rewarded by food by going back in he will be very willing to be put back...

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[Sheila88]

I am very new here. Just curious how much night time sleep Paulie gets?

I have a bird from the same family, a brown headed parrot, that I am just starting to work with.
Trying to wean bits of info as I can.
Thanks, Sheila