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Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

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

Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Ryan1300 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:42 am

Hi guys,
About a year ago I got a young rainbow lorikeet. He got very attached and i could do alot with him such as stairs with my finger, rolling over and rubbing his belly, playing games etc. About three months later my final year of schooling started and being such a busy year i didnt spend much time with the bird. He started becoming quite scared of my hands for some reason and has begun running away from them. Whenever my hands go near his food or near his toys he occasionally gives me a nip, sometimes to the point of bleeding. It's quite scary now to do anything with him as i fear getting bitten. Now having finished school i have alot of time to spend with him but i cant seem to take away his fear of my hands. How can i train him?
Ryan1300
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Lorikeet
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Pajarita » Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:53 am

Well, you have two issues going here. One is that the 'nice' bird you had was a baby and you now have a young adult [two completely different animals in terms of temperament] and the second is that you have an aviary bird that was neglected. I am not trying to make you feel bad, mind you, I am simply stating with different words what you stated on your posting in order to give you a clear perspective of what is going on. Aviary birds revert VERY easily when not handled properly and very often. It's the way they are and why it's so difficult to keep them happy when adults and living only with humans [they would much, much rather be with birds of their own species].

You need to go back to square one in terms of taming. Spend as much time as you can with him in the same room, keep a strict and steady daily schedule of routines [but don't try training until he feels more comfortable with you] and keep your hands away from him. If you take your time and do not try to force him to accept your hands, it will happen [I have a wild-caught, ex-breeder conure that is severely handicapped and was terrified of my hands but now he doesn't even blink when my hands are half an inch from his face]. For now, use a stick to make him step up, if you need to, and always praise, praise, praise profusely whenever he does step up or takes a treat from your hand. Always let him when you are going to need to put your hands in his cage by repeating the same phrase {I use: "Excuse me - excuse me - excuse me"] and move your hands VERY slowly toward the bowls BUT, personally, I would recommend you let him out of his cage so you can clean it without him in it.

And do not do 'ladders', it's considered a flooding technique and no longer recommended as it backfires [as it happened to you]. Do NOT rub his belly, it's a highly erogenous zone, and do not put him belly up.
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: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Ryan1300 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:07 pm

Pajarita wrote:Well, you have two issues going here. One is that the 'nice' bird you had was a baby and you now have a young adult [two completely different animals in terms of temperament].....


Thanks for all that very useful info. I just have a few more questions in regard to my situation in particular. just for clarification when I said he's scared of my hand I meant that I could put my finger up to his cage and he would step up (without me touching him) but I couldn't touch him in any way. knowing that I can safely get him to step up onto my finger would training with a stick like you said still be necessary? Also if I do train with a stick what exactly should I be teaching him?

Lastly I mentioned that he doesn't like my hands near his food. This includes treats. would hand-feeding him be the best way to discourage the biting behavior or is there a better (and less painful) way?
Ryan1300
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Lorikeet
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Pajarita » Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:48 am

If you can move him from point A to point B on your hand, then use it instead of the stick and don't worry about training him to step up to it, if you don't want. I only mentioned the stick because you just said he was afraid of your hands but he is not, he is fine with your hands, it's just that he doesn't want you to touch him -which is another common trait of aviary birds although some of them do like to have their heads scratched.

Personally, I don't see any need to train a bird not to want human hands near his food - what purpose, exactly, would that serve? And this not a rhetorical question but an actual one so, if you do have a reason why you need him not to mind, please tell me because, in my mind, It's not as if you need to put your hands near his food when he is nearby. All you have to do is simply let him out to fly and then clean the cage, feed and water before he goes back in. But I will admit to curiosity about this... because, in my personal experience, even wild-caught ex-breeders know that we are the bringers of food and don't mind our putting fresh food or water near them. Even my male amazon, which can be a real stinker during breeding season when his hen is in a nest with eggs [I don't breed them, I just allow them to go through all the motions] backs off when he sees me coming with the water [I always say: "Water - water - thirsty - water"] or the food [I use the 'Excuse me - excuse me - excuse me' for food or cleaning the cage]. They are very smart and learn very fast that:
1] I am bringing food
2] I won't do anything else than what I am telling them I will do
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: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Navre » Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:26 am

We have a brown lorry who is super friendly, but never fails to bite my hand while I'm trying to give him nectar. He never bites my hand when I give him water or pellet, but only nectar. I think he is so excited to get it the he gets worked up.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Ryan1300 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:16 am

Pajarita wrote:Personally, I don't see any need to train a bird not to want human hands near his food - what purpose, exactly, would that serve? And this not a rhetorical question but an actual one so, if you do have a reason why you need him not to mind, please tell me because, in my mind, It's not as if you need to put your hands near his food when he is nearby.


Yeah it's mainly the part where i am giving him treats as rewards during training. i do implement a lot of the methods you suggest when giving him food but when trying to reward him i worry he'll bite my finger :D
Ryan1300
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Lorikeet
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Ryan1300 » Thu Jan 25, 2018 1:20 am

Pajarita wrote:If you can move him from point A to point B on your hand, then use it instead of the stick and don't worry about training him to step up to it, if you don't want. I only mentioned the stick because you just said he was afraid of your hands but he is not, he is fine with your hands, it's just that he doesn't want you to touch him -which is another common trait of aviary birds although some of them do like to have their heads scratched.


Right, so i found out today that the only reason he would step onto my finger....was to climb up onto my shoulder to groom my hair. So, I guess i'm using a stick then.
Ryan1300
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Lorikeet
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Pajarita » Thu Jan 25, 2018 2:27 pm

Does he bite your face or your ears? Because I can understand not allowing a bird on your shoulder if all it wants to do is hurt you but if the only thing he does is preen your hair, why not? Allopreening is a social activity that brings them comfort and cements the bond between a human and its parrot. Personally, I LOVE it when my parrots preen my hair - it's soothing and a sign of affection.
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: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Navre » Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:02 pm

Lory bites don’t even count!
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Cant train Lorikeet because he bites...

Postby Pajarita » Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:16 am

:lol: I agree! But that's because you and I have been bitten by much larger birds! After a cockatoo or an amazon gives you a good one, you kind of change your perspective on what is a bad bite and what is not! But not everybody is like that... My husband refuses to sweep the living room and dining room until Javi Caique is put in his cage because he is afraid of getting his feet bit! I keep on telling him it's just a playful little bird and not a vicious Rottweiler, for heavens' sake!
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


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