Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Don't know what else to do with Elvis

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

Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby Sissy B » Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:43 pm

Not sure what else I can do with Elvis and my husband to get a long. My dear brave husband has once again taken another bite to the arm. Troy was holding Elvis and Elvis was on his lap heap basically laying on his leg clicking his beak and out of the blue he attacked Troy. This time he did bleed but really brusied him pretty good. I don't know what else to do we. Got Elvis liking my daughters and at Christmas time we took him with us to visit family and he did not bite one person. Seems like he only bites Troy. Any suggestions on what to do would be truly greatful.
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
Sissy B
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 22
Location: Cap Vincent, NY
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Umbrella cockatoo 2 yrs old and a blue fronted Amazon (rescued) who is 32 yrs old
Flight: No

Re: Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby liz » Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:17 pm

Rainbow used to flog my son Charles. Charles thought Rainbow hated him. Why would Rainbow learn his name and call him if he hated Charles. Charles was her entertainment.
User avatar
liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby Wolf » Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:03 am

I am not afraid to hazard a guess or two in the interests of trying to help out but for me, I could really use more information to help me along. Things like what was going on before the bite as well as that occurs after the bites, Was Troy petting Elvis or what, these types of things.

this could perhaps be hormonal, although since I don't have cockatoos, I am not sure when this species begins puberty, I think that for most cockatoos it is around 5 years of age, although with commercial foods containing so much soy this is changing resulting in birds entering puberty at ever younger ages and is one of the reasons that Australia is trying to ban soy and soy products in all bird foods sold there. So I would look again at the ingredients in any commercially prepared foods that he gets as well as a good look at the diet in general.

It may have nothing to do with diet or light schedule but I would evaluate the light schedule as well, I may just be that Elvis is wanting a bit more attention whils sitting there or perhaps want the petting to stop for a while, it is difficult to say. With a bird of this size even just a " love nip" may cause sever bruising to a human or even draw blood. If you have a parrot it is not likely that you will never get such a bite as this, it is part of their nature, It sounds to me like this last is what occurred in what you described and if so then you just need to have Troy work on teaching Elvis to bite nice. By this if Elvis bites too hard then let him know and telling him to be gentle and putting him down for a few minutes and ignoring him for those few minutes before letting him back on him.

Also pay more attention to Elvis' body language just in case a subtle clue was given,

I don't know if any of this will help but this is where I would begin.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby Pajarita » Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:58 pm

Well, the fact that he did not bite anybody when he was taken to an unfamiliar place means nothing because this is the way they always behave when they feel they are in danger (it's not that they actually are in danger, it's that they think they are every time you take them to a strange place with strange people). Wolf is correct, we need more info: at what time of the day did this happen? Were you in the room or could he hear/see you nearby? What was your husband doing? Just standing in one place with him on the arm and not touching him? Or was he moving, touching him or what? Was there another animal nearby -like a dog or a cat?
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
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,
Flight: Yes

Re: Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby Sissy B » Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:48 pm

Thanks guys for the response back. Well as for as what my husband was doing the multiple times he has gotten bite. The first time was Elvis was on his are and clicking awhile troy was petting him the out of the blue he bit Troy. Yes I was I. The room sitting next to Troy on our double recliners. This last time Elvis was on The side of Troy while he was on the recliner clicking and sorta putting his face in the blanket Troy had. The once again attack Troy's arm this time not so bad didn't draw blood. I was by the cage and Troy said ouch he's attacking me. I do have Elvis and Irish both on a light schedule and he has been slowly being introduced to fruits and vegetables he's is on a veggie pellet diet and a mix of wheat oats and seeds. His favorite thing is cashews he gets them when he is a good boy or when reading just small pieces. I hope this gives you a little idea of what my baby boy is like. Thanks again for all your advice
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
Sissy B
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 22
Location: Cap Vincent, NY
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Umbrella cockatoo 2 yrs old and a blue fronted Amazon (rescued) who is 32 yrs old
Flight: No

Re: Don't know what else to do with Elvis

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jan 29, 2017 12:48 pm

Please clarify which light schedule you are following: human, solar or the old 12L/12D because it makes a difference.

If you are Elvis' human, your husband should not be interacting physically with him yet. Contrary to what people believe and expect of them, parrots are not family pets. They are one-person pets that learn, in time, to tolerate and even like the rest of the family. But this takes time and it implies the other people not presuming on a relationship that is not there yet (parrots are not patient with presumption, especially when it involves touching their bodies). I suggest your husband ignores you and Elvis when you are all in the same room and interact with him only when you are not around and without any sort of physical touch. He can let Elvis out of his cage, talk/sing/whistle/dance/play with him and even move him from point A to point B but only on a T stick. The worst thing you can do is to establish a biting precedent with a parrot and your husband has already done this so he needs to be super vigilant and never give Elvis another chance (reason) to bite him because he now needs to undo the damage so he can start again on square one of the good path with him.

I don't know what you mean by 'clicking'. Amazons make a clicking noise in their throat (it sounds like a rapid Cahcahcahcah) when they are overly excited and angry (could Elvis have leaned it from Blue?) but cockatoos also do a clicking noise only it's by opening and closing their beak rapidly so the upper part, hitting the lower part make a noise very similar to the one we can make with our teeth. My Freddy does this with me every single morning. It's his personal 'thing' with me - but only with me and nobody else. I am not 100% sure what this does for him or what it means but he is extremely insistent and consistent about it - and he follows an actual protocol that he never deviates from: he asks me for it (he goes 'Pahpahpahpah' to me) and, when I agree, he climbs on a perch placed at my face level and putting his face about one inch from mine, he turns it sideways (always to the left) and starts doing it (I have to do it, too, and I have to follow the same rhythm he does) while staring straight into my eyes and stretching out his right foot for me to hold it in my hand and caress it with my fingers. This makes me believe that it must be a wooing (breeding) behavior or display that males do to females. Now, if Elvis is over 2 years of age, he is already producing sexual hormones and, if he has been fed and is still been fed soy and not kept at a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk, he could be already sexually mature -the burrowing into the blanket (cavity) is also a breeding display. People say that cockatoos become sexually mature between 3 and 5 years of age but, in reality, this is the age they become sexually active - they start producing sexual hormones way before they become active.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
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,
Flight: Yes


Return to Taming & Basic Training

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store