windharper wrote:In the presence of the bird or not, I'd agree preferably not, but I still think the broom needs to go. Placing something else on top of the spot where Bailey chews might be able to stop him from chewing there.There's no easy solution, however, I think Mona is doing the right stuff like wearing shoes. If you show the bird that biting feet won't do anything, it will learn not to bite. The shoes allow you to do so without fear or hurt. Once the bird stops, you can go without shoes and hopefully it won't remember difference between with or without shoes.
I agree.I have noticed that Senegals can get quite roused up and aggressive when on the floor. Sometimes Kili will hop around with her shoulders high and bite the first thing she sees. What is it about the floor and Senegal Biting? Is it their insecurity of being low that drives a bite or flight response down there?
All Senegals? Very interesting...and not my experience with Tamber at all. When he's on the floor he will come over to me and physically pull himself up along my clothing. Nothing violent. If I am not close, he will go over to the highest thing he thinks he can climb...again no aggression. It does pose for some interesting acrobatics at times.
Deb
Suzzique wrote:Martini is 4 1/2. My youngest daughter is Martini's "mate" he will let her do anything to him. She is also the only one that can pick him up and put him back on his cage with her hand. He has nipped her a few times but never drawn blood. I am pretty sure that I am the rivil and that is where most of the aggresion comes from. Concidering the time of year that could be the sorce of the ramped up aggresion. Martini is very cage aggressive and I have learned to work around this. No Martini hadn't been naping.
Mona wrote:Hi guys:
I ran into a friend yesterday who had a 15 year old male Senegal that just bit her. This bird preferred her husband. When she reached into the cage to pet the bird, the bird "sucker punched" her and bit her. In other words, he asked to be scratched and then he bit her.
I wanted to give her some ideas to modify the problem and I did not have a lot of time to chat so I brought up the usual "use positive reinforcement to train"....but I don't think that advice is always meaningful to people - especially when you are discussing Senegals. She said that her bird is flighted and is caged part of the time but lately, he has taken to running across the room at her with an "attack" posture.
I say "use positive reinforcement" because it comes to mind quickly but I think that the reason that advising "use positive reinforcment" to somebody who is dealing with a bird like a Senegal doesn't help is because people believe that they ARE using positive reinforcement. They ARE giving the bird treats. They ARE being nice to the bird and then, for no apparent reason, the bird bites. In some circumstances, the bird attacks and then bites.
Senegals have a quick bite or flight reflex. They are also intelligent and manipulative and have a high developed social acumen. They also have big heads and can be very hard headed. Once they make up their minds about something, it is difficult to change them....however; you can distract them and THIS can be a useful tool for modifying biting behaviors.
My friend is not the only "senegal caretaker" that gets bit. I am having a problem right now. Bailey (male Senegal, at least 14 years old) has been chewing on the carpet in the bird room. He also wants to chew on the door to the outside of the bird room. For a while, I have successfully tackled the problem by putting an aversive (broom) in front of the door when the birds are all out of their cages. Bailey avoids the broom and therefore; avoids the door HOWEVER lately, the broom has changed its properties. Bailey no longer avoids the broom but INSTEAD he attacks the broom. He full out flies at it and starts chewing the bristles. Not only is he attacking the broom, he is going after my feet. I have to wear shoes in the bird room because he does not back down. He runs, bites, hangs on and fights with my shoes......
None of this is good...and I don't want to reinforce ANY of these behaviors but...he is such a stubborn little critter, it's hard to come up with ideas to modify these problem behaviors without taking away his freedom.....
This is interesting because I can see how other people might have to confront these sorts of problem behaviors that have no apparent catalyst and I can see how difficult it is to work with them.
I have two theories as to the catalyst for the "attack" behaviors in Bailey's case:
1) He really wants out of the bird room. He really wants to come out and sit on my husband's shoulder and hang out with people rather than birds.
2) Chewing on the carpet is also satisfying some sort of a nesting urge for him. In the wild, the male Senegal protects the hen and the nest so chewing on something like a carpet probably "ups" aggressive tendencies..(If he was living in an environment with predators, this is very functional behavior - it's just not so functional in our living environment)
SO.......what to do? What to do?
My first concern is that he could start to see me as ALWAYS being an object to attack. If he attacks my foot and I allow him to continue with this behavior and I try to "kick him off" or use some other tactic that "ups the aggression level" he may change his view of me from being his ally to being a threat and that is definitely not good.....so, my first concern is to absolutely mitigate the possibility that this could escallate into that....
Here is where Positive Reinforcement is key. Positive Reinforcement is "reinforcing the behaviors that you do want".
What behavior do I want? I want Bailey to see me as an ally. I want him to look at me with soft round eyes and I want him to be gentle in my presence.
In other words, if I want to modify the behavior the first thing that I need to do is make a list of the things that I DO want rather than focusing on what I don't want. Then, I need to come up with a plan to reinforce the behaviors that I do want....
What is the first step in that plan?
For Bailey, I took out a ladder and asked him to step up on it. I often step Bailey up on a ladder to take him to places that he wants to go.....the kitchen sink for a drink, the portable perch for a nut, and on this day, out of the bird room. I know he wants out of the bird room so I know that his behaviors will be reinforced by the simple action of removing him from the bird room.
So, the first step was: Ask Bailey to step up....but gently and without aggression.
That step up behavior, performed gently without aggression is KEY and once I get it, I NEVER take it for granted. It's an important behavior that needs to be reinforced, reinforced, reinforced. Why? Because it is a gentle, cooperative behavior.
Bailey did step up gently on the ladder. I was either lucky that day OR (and I believe this) because he had a positive association with stepping up on the ladder over days and years of work with him, the simple act of stepping on the ladder mitigated his aggressive tendencies.
Once Bailey was on the ladder, I took him out of the room...but now the question was, "What do I do with him now?" I didn't want him flying on my husband or flying up into the rafters or chewing up some object in our dining room....so, what to do? What to do?
Second question: What behaviors do I want to reinforce now he Bailey is out of the bird room?
Well.... the first thing I want to keep reinforcing is gentle, cooperation. If he is gentle and his eyes are round and soft, that is half the battle. In other words, I simply want TO REINFORCE GENTLE INTERACTIONS WITH ME. He already likes my husband but I want him to be attentive and gentle when he is with me. I also don't want him to fly away. In the past, out of the blue, this bird has taken a good look at me, let out a crazy scream and flown across the room to a high perch. This is a behavior that signals insecurity and with Bailey, it happens unexpectedly.
So again, instead of thinking about what I want to avoid or stop, the key to effective behavior modification is to focus on WHAT DO I WANT TO REINFORCE.
How do I reinforce gentle, cooperative interactions with Bailey? Well....reinforcing cued behaviors is a great start. You can reinforce a wave. You can reinforce a turnaround. Bailey likes to be target flown. He likes to fly back and forth between the backs of the chairs. I cue, he flies, I give him a treat.....so, we do this for about five or ten minutes. He gets lots of treats. He morphs into a calm, relaxed demeanor and.....HE FORGETS ABOUT BEING AGGRESSIVE.
Senegals are emotional gremlins but in my experience, those emotions are transitive. My hen will throw little "snit fits" and the next minute, completely forget about it. Once the emotion is over, it is over.
SO...That's about it. I didn't escalate the aggressive scenario and instead, I reinforced a calm, cooperative scenario and in time....poof...the catalyst for the aggression dissipates and Bailey's a nice, calm bird....
and at that point, I can take him back in the bird room....find a favorite toy (for Bailey, it's plastic bubble wrap) and leave him in there without watching his every move. So...he gets to keep his freedom....
This is not a quick fix solution. It is always a process. I have not eliminated the problem behavior and there is always the chance that it will morph into something new - which can either be highly acceptable behavior or highly annoying....BUT....either way, my shoe and the broom get to survive another day!
Any body else have success stories on how to modify potential biting and/or attacking issues?
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