Teach your bird *Biting* is not OK

[OscarTheGrouch]

I can admit I never knew this before I watched this video and it sure makes sense why ignore biting when you can show them it hurts? I myself used to just ignore biting with my African grey and now I have started to show her it hurts and I haven't got bitten hard in a while, She did bite me yesterday when I asked her to step up but it was just a scratch you see what I mean? She now knows how much pressure will hurt me and she didn't have to bite too hard because she didn't feel threatened she just wanted my hand away.I recommend you watch this video to fully understand and by the way Tiko was sorry for biting me and stepped up and I brought her to the bathroom for a shower and then she came on my bed to chill lol and we both got Pasta for dinner and ate together.

[easttex]

I can see where this might be useful in limited situations, but in general I prefer the "avoid the bite" approach. It has worked very well with Allie. I had to learn her body language first, but that's not difficult. I used to get a nice chomp when I thought it was time for her to come out of the cage (or whatever), and she thought differently. Now, when she signals she's not ready for something, I remove my hand and don't keep insisting. This doesn't "spoil" the bird. It tells her I respect her wishes and that I view our relationship as a partnership. I believe it strengthens the bond. She now knows she doesn't have to bite me to communicate, and even when I do have to insist on something (like getting up off the floor where she's busily turning the wooden baseboards into splinters), I don't get bit. She will often go through the motions of fluffing up and lunging for my finger, but I don't get more than a soft beaking.

[OscarTheGrouch]

Sept 22, 2016 10:06:47 GMT easttex said:

I can see where this might be useful in limited situations, but in general I prefer the "avoid the bite" approach. It has worked very well with Allie. I had to learn her body language first, but that's not difficult. I used to get a nice chomp when I thought it was time for her to come out of the cage (or whatever), and she thought differently. Now, when she signals she's not ready for something, I remove my hand and don't keep insisting. This doesn't "spoil" the bird. It tells her I respect her wishes and that I view our relationship as a partnership. I believe it strengthens the bond. She now knows she doesn't have to bite me to communicate, and even when I do have to insist on something (like getting up off the floor where she's busily turning the wooden baseboards into splinters), I don't get bit. She will often go through the motions of fluffing up and lunging for my finger, but I don't get more than a soft beaking.

Oh yes of course always avoid it but if you happen to get bit give a reaction just like how a wild bird would scream if bitten by a flock mate and probably turn his back.

[easttex]

He says this only works if you are bonded, but the thing is, if you have a truly bonded relationship and you pay close attention to body language, it's not likely that you're going to be bit. I can see it might be useful with a very young bird where you're responsible for teaching it not to bite. If one is annoying a bird enough to cause it to bite, it's learning that the way to make you stop it is to bite you. Maybe it works in the short run, but it's not what I want to teach Allie.

[OscarTheGrouch]

Sept 22, 2016 16:23:19 GMT easttex said:

He says this only works if you are bonded, but the thing is, if you have a truly bonded relationship and you pay close attention to body language, it's not likely that you're going to be bit. I can see it might be useful with a very young bird where you're responsible for teaching it not to bite. If one is annoying a bird enough to cause it to bite, it's learning that the way to make you stop it is to bite you. Maybe it works in the short run, but it's not what I want to teach Allie.

Well if you just brought a new bird home of course your not gonna try this but a bonded bird can still bite like my African grey does and she can bite very hard and this method is better than ignoring the biting which should never be done.

[easttex]

I don't think it's really possible to ignore the bite of an African grey.   But I'm certain that Allie was well aware of the power of her jaws when I got her as an adult. By the time we had developed a close bond, I no longer had to worry about her biting me. That's partly the trust, and partly the fact that I pay very close attention to her body language. She has my undivided attention when she is on me or is about to step up. By a close bond, I mean one that takes a lot of time and effort to create with a grey. It took longer with her than with any bird I've had, even though I was able to handle her and she showed me affection almost right off the bat. It probably took as long as five years to get there. I always adopt rather than going to a breeder, and the individual histories can make a big difference. 

[OscarTheGrouch]

Sept 22, 2016 19:41:28 GMT easttex said:

I don't think it's really possible to ignore the bite of an African grey.   But I'm certain that Allie was well aware of the power of her jaws when I got her as an adult. By the time we had developed a close bond, I no longer had to worry about her biting me. That's partly the trust, and partly the fact that I pay very close attention to her body language. She has my undivided attention when she is on me or is about to step up. By a close bond, I mean one that takes a lot of time and effort to create with a grey. It took longer with her than with any bird I've had, even though I was able to handle her and she showed me affection almost right off the bat. It probably took as long as five years to get there. I always adopt rather than going to a breeder, and the individual histories can make a big difference. 

I don't think it would he hard with a African grey because they do like attention but most likely a new African grey will want to make you leave which the bite will result in.I got my African grey when she was 12 weeks old and she is now 8 years old and we can all hold her but she can bite and I start bringing her up to my bedroom to the other birds on Monday and planned to do that everyday but now she is not wanting to come upstairs and wont step up, This is because my mam stopped letting her out of the cage unless she was taking her out herself because she was biting the kitchen chairs and Tiko prefers to be downstairs and shes also scared of the little birds.

[easttex]

If you ever adopt a parrot who has been neglected or mistreated, you'll find it can be a lot harder to bond than it is with a young bird. They can bring an awful a lot of baggage with them, the origins of which will always be a mystery to you. It's very rewarding, though. 

I am a big fan of Barbara Heidenreich's force-free training methods. Are you familiar with her work?

[OscarTheGrouch]

Sept 22, 2016 23:11:49 GMT easttex said:

If you ever adopt a parrot who has been neglected or mistreated, you'll find it can be a lot harder to bond than it is with a young bird. They can bring an awful a lot of baggage with them, the origins of which will always be a mystery to you. It's very rewarding, though. 

I am a big fan of Barbara Heidenreich's force-free training methods. Are you familiar with her work?

Well I know that because im in that situation with Mango lol, Yes I am familiar with her work.