just joined the forum

[friend2parrots]

Hi everyone, I joined this forum because I have found this entire website, the blog, the forum, and the articles so helpful and informative. I also find that many of the posters here are very well informed on parrot care and behavioral issues.
A little bit about myself: I have two parrots: a green cheek conure and a bourke's parakeet, both 5 years old. Both birds have always (historically) gotten along beautifully with both my husband and myself, but I am pretty much the one who really plays/hangs out with them. The GCC has recently developed some aggression/clingyness /jealousy related behavioral issues that I am currently working on. the bourke is a generally well adjusted and placid bird.
My GCC was perfectly sweet for five years, never ever biting. His behavioral issues began suddenly after being spooked by some extremely noisy road work right outside my house which occurred while I was away at work,. That was six months ago. This incident created, overnight, a severe biting and panic problem which I have been trying to solve through positive reinforcement/clicker training/target training, etc. We've come far in the past six months, but I know we have a VERY long way to go.
I have found a number of posts on this forum helpful these past six months as I navigate this difficult healing process with my GCC.

[marie83]

Welcome to the forums

As you say there is alot of advice already out there but if you need any further help don't hesitate to ask questions.
I have a green cheek who went through a nightmare phase. Once they start nipping they are hard to stop because they are so bloody minded lol but it can be done. Mine rarely bites me any more or anyone else who handles him if they dont react to his bite. My boyfriend is a different story, he has already been bitten at least four times this morning because he will not listen to the best ways to handle it.

[friend2parrots]

Great to meet you, and thanks very much for your reply. Sorry to hear that your green cheek is biting your boyfriend. I am going through pretty much the same thing in my household. RIngo (my GCC) used to be such a mellow, sweet and personable little guy until this incident. However, after that day he became a totally different bird. It was as though all his wild Amazon jungle instincts of self protection came out, and he began to divebomb and attack both me and my husband. For the past six months, I have been doing positive reinforcement training with him every day for at least two hours, first through the cage bars (for one week, until he stopped having panic attacks) and then through direct handling. I am 100 percent committed to helping Ringo come back to normal, so I am willing to go through whatever it takes (bites, bombing, whatever)and I know that he is improving, because he now lets me preen him and cuddle him. I'm trying towatch his body language to avoid bites, and for the past three months, I've only been bitten three times (a great improvement to before). Unfortunately, since Ringo started biting, my husband has become terrified of him (and all parrots in general), and refuses to handle him ever again, but is otherwise supportive of my efforts to interact with Ringo. The downside for Ringo is that this now deprives him of a valuable socialization that he needs now more than ever as he heals.
Anyway, its good to know that there are other GCC owners out there who are dedicated to their little feathered gems. Even if Ringo never fully improves I will always love him and give him the best I can.

[marie83]

You will get there but it will be easier with your husband (and anyone else who handles him)following the same rules but it can definitely be done.

[friend2parrots]

thanks a bunch for the encouraging words. it really helps!

I totally agree with you about the consistency issue... hoping to put it into practice

[CaitlinRice413]

[friend2parrots]

Caitlin, thanks very much for your reply. That's a really good point, very perceptive, and you know something, you are absolutely right, my GCC did develop a phobia for the spot where his cage had been. I had to move his cage setup to a different room just to help him settle down, and even now, when he flies aroung the house he refuses to go near the window where his cage had once been.

your post reminds me that I have more work cut out for me than i initially thought i did: i not only have to work on his aggression issues, but i also have to socialize him to accept strange and sudden things in his environment so such "freak out" episodes dont happen again in the future. this might mean taking him out more in his travel cage and feeding him treats as he encounters disturbing things.

thanks for your feedback!