My Bluefront Amazon Is Biting

choongiloonks

choongiloonks

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My bird was hand fed and raised around me and my mom. Always handled and gets to fly around my home. Lately she’s been a bit aggressive to me and my mother. Especially at night time when it’s time to go to bed or be put back into the cage.

Does anyone know why this is happening or how I can get my bird to stop biting?


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Hi and :welcome: to the forum.

How old is your bird now?
And how long has this change in behaviour been happening for?
Has anything changed in the environment the bird is used to...for example, new cage, cage in a different place,
Has anything happened at night that might have caused her to be frightened?
 
My bird will be 6 months old on November 5th.

Actually yes, we moved the cage to the other side of the room because the cage was on carpet and where the cage is now, had hard floor. Easier clean up.

But I bought a nice big cage that I plan to set up tomorrow.

Will this be a problem too?


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And it’s been about 2 weeks but just two days ago it’s gotten worse. Biting out of no where and not wanting to go back in cage. She did it first to my mom and yesterday to me.


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It could be that she feels a little insecure with the change of position. Birds like some feeling of security when in their “home territory”of their cage. Is one side of the cage against a wall? That will help, or you could try partially covering the cage top and a side and corner with a cloth.

With the new cage...make sure you talk to her about what you are doing.....I’m building you a lovely new house, look isn’t it great, wow, it’s got your favourite toys in, etc. If you are upbeat about how great it is, she will pick up those good vibes.

Does she have a favourite foodstuff, it might be a nut, or piece of fruit, etc...... visibly show her this, with appropriate yum, yum noises as necessary, and then take it across to her cage and drop it into her food bowl, hopefully she will learn this as a cue for going in, and when she does she gets the treat along with lots of good girl verbal praise from you and mom.

A six month old Amazon will be transitioning from the baby stage and will be testing the water a bit regarding Behaviours. Have you done any formal training with step up routine or target training?

In our training section
https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?forums/training.69/

You’ll find some pinned topics by Roz, and they will have some ideas which you can use regarding positive reinforcement...I’ll also tag Roz into this post too @Roz
 
Thanks for that info! I’ll definitely talk to her as I put together her cage. As well as giving her a treat to help.

I’ve taught her to step up.. however she just does it when she feels like it. That’s the only thing. I haven’t done any training or anything like that.
Will that help?


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Yes it will build her Confidence and Trust, I would suggest you and mom do separate sessions but cover the same topics and use the same command words...this will help keep her happy with both of you.
 
Already great advice from TomsMum.

Biting is a form of communication. The last resort when trying to say, "NO!" You need to watch her body language carefully... she'll have plenty of other more subtle body language before resorting to biting. Heed that body language. With everything you ask her for, make it extremely reinforcing for her to comply. If she will take a favourite treat from you, use that as reinforcement. It is important to use a continual schedule of reinforcement when learning a new behaviour... ie. it is important to reinforce the behaviour EVERY time, whether it is a step up or going back into her cage. In other words make it well worth her while to step up etc.

Seems like the relocation of the cage has something to do with it too, as TomsMum said. Get her used to going into it during the day. Repetition makes a behaviour more solid. Perhaps have her go in to eat her meals.

To get Kobe into his cage, I have him step up on me and take him to a window to watch what is going on outside for a minute (reinforcing for Kobe!), then I'll carry him to his cage where he has some favourite foot toys waiting in one of his bowls (reinforcing for Kobe!), then I'll slot in his breakfast bowl (reinforcing for Kobe!). Lots of reinforcement for going inside his cage! Remember the bird chooses the reinforcer... going to the window is reinforcing for Kobe, but might not be for another bird. You can also play around with having her go into her cage. Put her in, and let her come straight out again to show her going in doesn't always end in a closed door.

To get Kobe into his night cage, he gets a piece of almond as reinforcement (his favourite treat in the whole world). Then we have a goodnight routine where he gets a couple more pieces of almond, lots of attention and finally a long head scratch. LOADS of reinforcement! I know the routine is reinforcing as Kobe is always very eager to go into his night cage every night.
 
Thank you so much for all of this helpful information. I am soaking it all up and sharing it with my mother so that we can be on the same page.
Hopefully we’ll see some positive results soon.

[emoji3590]


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Patience and time go a very long way in a bird world just remember its not human time you have to work in its birdie time :) rather like a download from the internet …. when it starts off saying 10 minutes to download completion … and then leaps to 1 hour 10 minutes and then readjusts to three minutes and bounces up and down like a jelly bean :nut: some birds get the idea faster than others
Rome was not built in a day …. but they never told us how long it really took to build it :besos:
When you choose to make friends with a companion species like a parrot your both taking different languages and learning each others a two way street. Your BFA's language isn't just vocal its also expression and posture learning is sometimes plain tiring and can go on too long just like at school you just need to blow off a little steam and have some playtime and some "me" time to keep everything in balance. :)
 
Some very good advice given but remember your bird is still young and at a stage of experimenting with its beak but at this stage they may not notice the pressure or the pain it can cause to others. Good things happen be excited and if there is something you do not like it a simple NO or yelp if it hurts. Training too me is the best way of your bird bonding as a friend and it learning good and bad but learning to read your parrots moods and likes and dislikes are just as important. Try not to let your bird want you or another as a partner as this often can lead into aggression to others around you. Positioning of a cage can be very important as I have found out with Oliver a double yellow headed amazon. he has to be by a window or in the garden in his cage if not he will get aggressive and attack. if you bird gets to like cuddles and strokes you have to be carful on how you stoke her in her back Never use one or two fingers down her back this helps the bird later want you as a partner. I have never had a young BF.amazon and have not seen them with there parents to advice on how the parents react to this stage in a young bird life
 
Very, very true. Kupo is still very young and I understand she’s experimenting.
I don’t stroke her back at all because she’s never liked it so I avoid it completely. I also don’t rub my fingers on her belly or any where near her privates because I’ve heard that can also provoke mating.
I give her head rubs, cheek rubs and on her neck— and she seems to love it but I only get to do it when she’s in her cage or very calmly near me. Lately I haven’t been able to as much but I understand the process of patience when dealing with her now.
She doesn’t really cuddle but she loves being on my shoulders- I have so many scratches on my back LOL because whenever I try to get her onto my hand she just keeps moving to the opposite shoulder.
I don’t like her to be on my shoulders because she always nibbles on my hair. :( my hair is already very thin..
When she’s being a bit rowdy and trying to bite my hair, ears, or fingers— My mother and I both say “No bite” very sternly. & “Be nice” afterward. Sometimes she calms down and sometimes she doesn’t care lol.
When she was younger I tried to get her used to people. I would take her to my uncles house to visit and my grandmas too. When I was hand feeding and up til about 2months I had my sister pick her up as well as her boyfriend. And she was okay with it.
But one day she decided to bite my sister randomly and the next bite her boyfriend— so they became too scared to deal with her. My sister eventually moved out and now it’s just me & my mother here. Kupo doesn’t like anyone else.. when people are visiting she doesn’t like being handled near people she doesn’t know either because she’s attacked my ear just because she saw my dad who was visiting on the other side of the room.

My uncle is a breeder and who I got kupo from as a baby but I’ve noticed he loves birds but most are wild in cages & has only actually handled one inside his home who also bites him now (but I understand that birds frustration.. he needs attention but doesn’t get it. It makes me very sad. So I decided I was gonna make sure mine has a good life and gets the attention these beautiful birds need.)
My uncle knows of different type of species and a few tips on them but doesn’t know more than basic knowledge about them in my opinion & that’s why I am so thankful to have found this app as well as this forum because this is the guidance I need. I appreciate it very much! I just want Kupo to be happy!
She is spoiled rotten & I need her to love me back lol.

Thanks so much to all of you!!


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when wanting to tell your bird its wrong whet it is doing keep it simple and just one word "No" by saying more than one word you may be reinforcing the action with out realising it.
 
choongiloonks said:
When she’s being a bit rowdy and trying to bite my hair, ears, or fingers— My mother and I both say “No bite” very sternly. & “Be nice” afterward. Sometimes she calms down and sometimes she doesn’t care lol.
Click to expand...

Punishment like saying a sharp "No bite!" does work because of the immediacy. But it rarely works long term as you have discovered because you haven't taught her what to do instead. Plus, do you really want to pair yourself with the fall out of punishment? If she is being a bit rowdy then calmly remove the reinforcement altogether by either putting her down for a moment or freezing/withdrawing interaction. Then as soon as possible highly reinforce another more acceptable behaviour. In the future she will begin to choose to do the more acceptable behaviour because that gains more reinforcement. Also if you know she's about to get too wound up, you can pause and slow things down and maybe cue another behaviour before she even thinks of biting.
 
She does seem to realize what she’s doing is wrong when I tell her “no bite”.

At the moment I’m currently struggling with getting her to take a treat from my hand. She doesn’t seem to like anything I hold infront of her— she gets scared or flys away. If she’s in the cage she walks to the other side.

Also if anyone knows what kind of treats she might like.. it’d be helpful. I know she likes bananas and apples.. she’ll eat veggies too but I don’t think she likes peas and carrots enough to eat it from my hands.

Again- thank you all for such wonderful advice and tips.. I truly have more hope and confidence now.




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one method I have used to find a birds favourite treat is I get a tray (normally from a chocolate selection box (No chocolates left in it)) and place it on the floor of the cage with fruit and veg it each cup and just watch the bird and whet it chooses first to eat.
 
What does she go for in her dry bowl first? Here favourite treats are almonds or sprouted corn for Kobe, cashews for Ollie and Bobbie, pistachios for Chico. Bobbie also likes a piece of low/no salt corn cake spread with almond butter and she loves goji berries. Chico likes a piece of low/no salt corn cake spread with a dab of honey. Walnuts and pine nuts are other nuts you could see if she likes. Raisins? Maybe she likes sunflowers or safflower or, like Ollie when he first came to me a huge palm nut. Everybirdie here except for Chico loves a bite of millet spray too.

When you find an absolute favourite, remove those items from her normal food bowl and drop one in the bowl (could be her normal bowl, or could be a small extra bowl) each time you pass her. Make sure she notices what you are doing and hopefully she will go and get it when you have gone. Once she knows to go to the bowl to get her treat, then take slightly longer and longer to leave the vicinity of her cage. Then get slower and slower at letting the treat go, until eventually she will take it from your fingers through the cage bars. Then you can work on her taking it from you through the open door. It might take days, it might take months. You can also do this if she has a playstand with treat cups on it.

Is she ever interested in what you are eating? Does she eat at the same time as you? Birds being flock creatures like to eat together and you are her flock. You could eat something healthy and then offer a piece to her.... just to get her taking something from your hands.

Glad you are feeling more confident and hopeful now. :biggrin:
 
Awesome!! Thanks! I’ll be picking up a variety of different things for her to try out. I’m a bit excited for this :) I’m ready to see what she enjoys!!

****Another thing. I’m sorry I feel like this thread is everywhere with all my questions haha, I apologize. I just want to get all the info I can.

Something I forgot to mention that has happened recently:

Kupo bit my mom. My mom yelled “NO!” While placing her on her back.
Kupo has been holding the biggest grudge against my mom, which sucks because when I’m at work my mom is home all day.. she takes Kupo out so she can fly, she sings to her, talks to her etc.
It’s been a few days now and Kupo will not step up to my mom but prefers to go to the other side of the cage away from her.
Last night before bed she let my mom pet her through the cage but still won’t step up or come out of the cage for my mom.
So I asked my mom to walk away & I went to the cage right after and she stepped up onto my hand.
Will she get over this grudge?


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