strange behaviour

[lee ireland]

thanks for the reply, i dont think its something to do with attention as he gets a lot of it, i work from home so im here 80% of the time with much time on my hands

i let him out from 4-6 hours daily with the odd time its been 2-3 hours since i joined here and was advised to let him out before becoming hand tame, i spend anywhere between 1-3 hours daily with him so maybe too much?

he sits on the perch watching people, flies around every now and then but mainly sticks by the cage and walks around from time to time

[lee ireland]

iv been checking the web and found a lot of gcc do this, some say its territorial and that would make sense as im the only one who places my hand inside of the cage for certain reasons so maybe he knows this and is defending his home,

i read not to let them out until this period is overcome is this true?

[Wolf]

I hope that you noticed that I am not saying what it is at this time and that is because I don't really know. I am trying to get some clue as to what may be going on in his mind. I really do not think that this is territorialness as they usually only act aggressive when you reach into the cage.
He could be reacting to a change in hairstyle, the addition or absence of glasses a change in nail color, a change from neutral colored clothing to brightly colored clothes. A change in the room. Putting a new object near his cage, it could be nearly anything. It could be something that we have already responded about, and we are over thinking things.
Ireally don't think that locking him back in the cage will help any, but you are welcome to give it a try. Without some idea of the cause or some indication of what he wants or is trying to say I can't make any suggestions, sometimes you may have to go with your gut.

[lee ireland]

Well thank you for the help

Iv had a think and for now and the foreseen future im just going to focus on talking to the bird, allowing feeding out of hand and placing my hands on the cage

as well as allowing the bird to be out all day from 7am to 8pm if it wants to, the cage will be open during those times and then just see how things go

[Wolf]

Sounds like a wonderful plan to me. do you suppose that you may have inadvertently pushed ahead in some areas before the bird was actually ready ? Have I provided you with a link for learning your birds body language ?
Sorry for the questions, but I am trying to improve my understanding of birds and bird human interactions.

[lee ireland]

Yes most likely, I was trying to use the birds behaviour to my advantage but found that even though he is not comfortable with me he still comes if I have treats or if he knows I have them, iv noticed that he doesn't do that if I don't so in effect he is using me for treats as and when he wants and has nothing to do with being close

The dance is dominant as he doesn't do it away from that cage, he seems to guard it also not leaving unless I get him to with an offering treat, after that he goes back and does the dance if I come up.

From now treats won't be in the picture until real training is involved but rather general foods such as fruit with be the only things offered from my hands for now

I'm also thinking that maybe the pellets may be causing the mood changes so will cut down on that and use maybe 30% pellets and the rest will be researched to find out what exactly he needs and what foods will provide that unsure if that's a good idea but worth a shot unless advised not to

Seeds will go completely as I think the addiction to them might be making it desperate enough to go into an uncomfortable position

For now I will leave him be fpr 1 entire day still allowing the cage to be open but no interaction at all.. then start fresh, he is a very fast learner and learnt step up onto stick within 1 minute, says hello that took 1 day, follows and targets also took within minutes so maybe 1 day of me time might make him think about things then a fresh start maybe something that might undo the damage iv probably done yo this early stage of taming but we'll he wasn't tame and isn't tame so starting fresh isn't actually loosing anything

Yeh no worries il provide all I can

[lee ireland]

No you haven't, I have researched but no pics and seems to be either parrots and small parakeet

[Pajarita]

It's not aggression, he is desperate to come out, that's all. Birds that were parent-raised not only do not regard humans as family but they are also used to a flock environment so they suffer when they go to a place that is not only a new home but also a place where they are alone because although they are used to seeing humans and are not really THAT afraid of them, they don't regard them as part of their flock from day one.

I would not eliminate treats. Parrots, as you already observed, don't do tricks for the love of learning (as some people incorrectly claim when they see their eagerness) or for the fun of it (their fun is to be with another bird) or because the behavior itself is a natural one (I am not counting stepping up or recall as tricks because, in reality, they are not), they do them for the reward. But treats are more than just rewards for a job well done, they are also a way of making them want to be with us, to trust and love us so a parent-raised bird needs more of them than the handfed ones because the idea is to 'win him over' and the way to a parrot's heart is, partly (not entirely, mind you) through its stomach. Now, birds also do what we tell them to do if the command is, directly or indirectly, related to a natural behavior and they love us. And this is one of the reasons why I always tell people not to start training until the bird has bonded with them: because training becomes much more effective when there is a bond in place. Parrots did not evolve with the 'eager to please' gene (like dogs, for example) but they do appreciate our love tremendously and pleasing us becomes part of the 'love protocol'. The other reason is that parrots take quite a long time (going by a human timetable) to start feeling 100% comfortable in a new home. Parrots are prey and, as such, they not only have a natural and hard-wired distrust of the unknown (people, places) but they also don't have to work for their food (like predators do when they hunt) so the mere fact that we feed them means nothing to them in the sense that it doesn't elicit any gratitude (as it would do with a dog or a cat) so, although treats are always welcomed, one needs to be careful to create a balance between training - treats - and love because, if you don't, the only way they do the tricks for the rewards is when you make them hungry, and that's a terrible thing to do to a little bird!

[lee ireland]

Thank you for the help

So do you think this bird will be better off within a flock? If it's better for the bird I may just gI've him to an avian keeper who has flocks of them,

Can he still be tame with the correct bonding ect or will he always be wild in some sense?

Have ypu got any step by step guide to bonding and taming that I can follow rather than making mistakes and then seeking for advice

As for the dance being him wanting to come out im still very unsure about as he does it even when out but only at his cage, I have an open top and does it on the top open perch also

Thank you

[Wolf]

I also worry about people starting to train their birds too soon, because we get caught up in that to the exclusion of the bonding activities and so many trainers try to tell you that training will not only enhance but create the bond so that you can begin with training right away. While training can help with deepening a bond it is only after it is already there and it is a side effect of training done properly and not a direct result of the training. Here is a link to body language. It may well use cockatiels and other parrots but except for the movable crest of cockatiels and cockatoos most parrots have very similar body language so understanding the body language of a Conure will still help you to understand a Macaw or African Grey or even a budgie.
The behavior in the video was not at all aggressive it was of a bird that was very excited at the prospects of coming out of the cage for interaction, which to a parrot is the same as being on you. It could also have been that he was excited at the prospect of coming out and getting treats. I think that all you need to do is back off of the training aspects and concentrate on teaching him how to live with you as a person instead of learning tricks. Parrots explore the world around them with their beaks, we call it beaking. They are not the only ones that do this, babies stick everything in their mouths, puppies all go through a chewing stage as do horses. Birds beak and in the process they bite and you have to calmly and patiently teach them how much pressure is acceptable and how much is too much. In fact they are very much like babies in the fact that they are born knowing nothing. Their parents must teach them such basics as how to eat and drink and everything that comes after that is a process of learning. If you have a parrot that is capable of talking then you must teach it how to talk in much the same way that you would teach a child to talk.
I would not totally start over with him, I would concentrate of communication with him, talk and sing to him and watch his body language closely. He is watching you intently trying to understand what it is that you want. The sound of your voice reassures him as well as gets him accustomed to you being there for and with him. So he starts off all excited, don't open the door, wait until he calms down and relaxes and then offer him a treat, he must stay relaxed while taking the treat. If he is not calm and relaxed then he is not yet ready to go to the next step. Most biting by parrots is done out of fear and distrust, so most of the time if your parrot bites you it is because he doesn't trust you or that you have scared him in some way.
I feel that this is my fault to some degree as I was busy answering questions and not watching as close as I should have been. Everything that you do with your bird must come from a state of trust and if he is not relaxed then he is not trusting you. All your bird really wants is to be out of its cage and to spend most of its time on you as that is what they do in the wild. They wake up and locate their mate and together with their flock they goof off and then go to find food and drink then do bird things for a while with their flock and mate and so forth always with their mate.
We are not as good at reading and understanding body language as they are so for instance they see the difference in the states of excitement much more readily than we do and this is important as excitement is very close to aggressive and for this reason do not handle your bird if he is not calm and relaxed and do not move on with training until he responds in a calm and relaxed manner. Also you are your birds flock and he does want to be with you but he was not born knowing how to behave in an appropriate manner he must learn this and you are the parent and your job to teach him. Even in the wild the parent birds must teach the young bird what is acceptable behavior and what is not. It might help to look at it as if you have a young child that will never grow up and has feathers.