Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    Jeanne,
    
    That is not an encouraging experience. Obviously John's reaction to
    Taco is very natural. However it isn't very fair to the bird from his
    part. 
    
    Taco is just an animal that responds to instincts and you can be quite
    sure that he doesn't act out of malice.
    The responsibility of its behavior lies with us humans, specially if we
    "convert" them into pets.
    In other, more direct, term, John spoilt Taco and will have to learn
    Taco the bounderies of acceptable behavior too.
    I sure enough feel very sorry indeed for his mishap, boy that would
    realy have hurt indeed. Even so he shouldn't reject the little bird for
    this as Taco realy can't help it.
    Hope his ear heals, that's a nasty place to get bitten.
    
    Now about the problem.
    You can be sure that Taco will scream for attention indeed. He will
    probably keep it up longer then you'll endure it too.
    Wether John will ever be able to trust Taco depends on how suuccesfull
    he is in learning Taco to behave. As it is he certainly can't trust
    him.
    
    A word of encouragement:
    When our captive bred, handraised, male GSC cockatoo was around 1,5 
    years old I began to have serious problems much like you describe them
    too. He was VERY tame and friendly but started to get less and less
    reliable. First he was a little boisterous, then ouright cheeky, then
    demanding and gradually started to claim his rights support by
    threatening behavior. This escalated to deep bites into my fingers and
    hands.
    I got angry when bitten too. IT HURTS! Not only the fysical pain but
    the fact that he "betrayed" me too. I kept reminding myself that it was
    just a stupid bird reacting in a natural way. At times not at all easy
    but I kept my patience and after a three month strugle for "dominance"
    he learned that at least I was more intelligent then he was.
    He became his friendly lovely self again.
    Then he started to replay the tape with my wife. She, at one point, had
    plenty of reason to be real weary of him. She'd seen me succeed and
    persevered. Now he gave in after "only" two months.
    During this proces we named him "Boefje" meaning little scoundrel but now
    he is the sweetest of birds
    He is a very friendly bird and allows me to clip his wings and nails
    without the slightest hesitation.
    Our female GSC has yet to become one year old so.......?
     
    What to do:
    Keep taking him out of his cage and start following the routine that
    you eventually want him to settle into. Routine is of paramount
    importance when raising/training a parrot.
    Be prepared for his attempt to bite and correct him if you see him make
    an attempt by: 
    - Sharply saying AH..AH..AH, imitating the warning they issue to other
    parrots.
    - If he pushes it, tap him on the beak.
    - If he "wins", put him back into the cage. You can take him out again
    when he's quited down.
    If he gets himself all worked up about something, just leave him be
    don't attempt anything, he'll just get worse.
    
    When he behaves you give him something he likes, attention, a piece of
    fruit or whatever.
    Sooner or later he'll get the message. 
    Pionus parrots are known for their soft nature albeit not their
    intelligence so it'd be anybodies guess about how long he'll take.
    
    Alternative:
    Get him a mate.
    This doesn't solve your problem completely. You'll still have to learn
    him how to behave with humans but it will sure turn most of his
    attention away from you. 
    
    Good luck to the three of you and best wishes to John,
    
    Peter

    Thanks for your advice Peter.  I think you're right on the mark,
    particularly about the emotional aspects of being bitten.  John did
    feel betrayed.
    
    All in all, things went well yesterday.  John put Taco (in his cage)
    out onto the back patio in the morning and by the time I got home for
    lunch, this was my report.  John said, Taco's been eating up storm,
    playing with all his toys and had been very quiet.  When I went over to
    see him, Taco looked at me and mumbled a bit and went right back to
    preening himself.  He showed no desire to come out of the cage.  I
    think he actually appreciated being left alone for a while.
    
    John brought him in during the late afternoon and let him out of his
    cage.  Taco spent about 3 hours out of his cage by the time I got home
    from work.  I took him and played with him for about 5/10 minutes and
    put him back in his cage with some treats while we had supper.  I later
    took him out  again for about 20 minutes and did the "scratch the head"
    routine before putting Taco to bed.  John did come over during this
    time and petted Taco a few times but did not want to pick him up.
    
    I do feel "forgiveness" in the air on John's behalf.  I talked to John
    last night about parrot behavior.  He's heard all this stuff before but
    never believed me until now.  I think he now realizes that birds cannot
    be treated with the same level of excitement that you can treat a dog
    with.  
    
    I've not had any problems with Taco except when John hands him off to
    me after a play session when he's (Taco) is all flustered.  Even then,
    Taco has only nipped me a few times and never enough to draw blood.  I
    think now John will finally adhere to MY training rules and not his.
    
    One of the reasons I got a Pionus was the fact that they are
    independent and don't need constant attention.  I really think that
    John's constant attention level towards this bird was causing him lots
    of stress and I think this final bite along with all the smaller ones
    was Taco's way of say "back off, I've had enough, and leave me alone
    for a while".  
    
    Taco really is a sweet bird and very loveable.  I'm sure things will
    work out in time.
    
    Thanks for the advice and for listening to my lament!
    
    Jeanne
    

    Jeanne,
    
    Thanks for the feedback. I am glad for all three of you.
    
    Peter

    Update.  Taco has been better this weekend and after watching him very
    carefully I really think his change in behavior is caused by his
    moulting.  He is 14 months old and this is the first moult he has gone
    thru.  He's just "coming apart at the seams" as they say.
    
    I find he likes to be in his cage most of the day and is eating up a
    storm.  He will come out during the day but is quite nervous about it. 
    Come evening time, he's just as sweet as ever.  
    
    John has been handling Taco despite his vow to never touch him again and
    is doing quite well.  
    
    Has anyone else experienced this change in behavior when their birds
    were moulting?  I'd really like to know how other birds react and if my
    bird is normal.  
    
    Taco has a great diet (better than mine!).  Eats all kinds of fruits
    and veggies along with EXACT pellets, beans, cheese, breads, etc...
    He also gets Nexton and acidophilous (sp) sprinkled on his food.  Is
    there anything else I can do to make this time pass more comfortably
    for him?  
    
    thanks,
    
    Jeanne (and Taco)
    

    Jeanne,
    
    Make him more comfortable? Sure! Get him a mate.
    
    During maulting you should spray Taco with water at least once a day very
    thouroughly. The new feathers grow in a horny sheeth that becomes more
    brittle as the feather grows, finally to desintegrate from the end.
    exposing the develloping feather. If the bird is kept too dry this
    sheeth can become too hard and not break up easy causing great
    irritation.
    Especcially in houses with the central heating on the air usually is 
    far too dry for parrots and this can cause great irritation during 
    maulting. So spraying is quite important.
    
    Peter
    Peter

    Update!
    
    Well, Taco has been a real mind bender the past week.  He's good one
    day and obnoxious the next, actually he can be good one minute and bad
    the next!  I just don't know what's going on with this guy (or girl).
    
    John has given up and hasn't touched him in two days now.  I haven't
    been bit but then again, I don't handle Taco as much as John used to,
    hense less opportunity, and I think I can read his moods better than
    John can.  All in all, Taco has been grouchy with me too.  
    
    Taco is now on a strick routine.  Out in the morning for about an hour. 
    He's with me while I get ready for work and fix birdie breakfasts. 
    Back in his cage for the day.  Depending on the weather, he may spend
    several hours out on the patio (in his cage of course) which he loves
    to do.  John let's him out of his cage around 4:00 and I get home
    around 5:30.  We play and cuddle for about a half hour and then I take
    time to clean up and play with the other birds, then its lights out.
    
    Taco is adjusting quite nicely to this routine but he is usually a bit
    pent up by night time.  He tries to get onto my shoulder and when I
    won't let him, he tightens his feathers and I can tell he will bite. 
    This is when I put him back into/onto his cage.  Seems he gets bored
    with things quickly and bites when we don't do what he wants (although
    I don't think he really knows what he wants himself)
    
    After closer observation, I noticed that Taco is afraid of things that
    never bothered him before such as going through doorways, or the noise
    his cage makes while its being pushed around.  What would make him
    afraid all of sudden?  Needless to say he bits when he's afraid.  
    
    Taco understands the "up" command very well and will always obey but
    will bite as he's getting up if he feels the conditions warrant a
    bite.   What's a bird mom to do?  
    
    Now that you have all patiently listened to my lament, I do some
    questions.
    
    1.  With Taco's new routine, am I spending enough time with him?  he
        does seem content all day and never screams for attention until
        late afternoon.  
    
    2.  If this change in behaviour is due to sexual maturity, how long 
        will it last?  Will he ever be the same?  
    
    3.  He has lots of new feathers growing in and spends lots of time
        preening.  Would this condition alone cause a bird to change
        its behaviour?
    
    4.  I plan to take Taco into the shower each morning (John made him a 
        special perch for this).  Will this be O.K. during the winter
        months when the house is around 72 degrees.  Should I blow dry
        him at this temperature?
    
    5.  Now, last but not least.  John is thinking of getting HIS OWN bird.
        Is there a bird that is steady, brave, loving, likes to do 
        housework on someones shoulder, likes to rake the lawn, work in 
        the garage and wash the car with its owner?  Oh and DOESN'T BITE?
        Tall order, I now!  If such a breed does exist, please let me 
        know what it is and I will send John off to start his learning
        expidition.  
    
    thanks so much!
    
    Jeanne
    
    P.S.  I have told John that no more birds shall enter our house until
          we have figured out what happened to Taco.  After all if we are
          the ones causing the problems, I don't want to repeat them on
          another bird.
    
    

    Have you read the article in bird talk about thinking in pictures? It
    is really a good article and I am trying it with our Casper. Casper
    and Taco sound like they are related! My husband can work with him
    but he gets the 
    "jaws" and bites and then my husband puts him back on his cage. He
    has a GREAT deal of patience. Casper was Not a had fed bird - but
    an exported one (at least that is what we think).
    As for moulting changing a birds attitude - You Bet!> They can get
    real cranky! I spray Casper at least once a day and it really seems
    to have helped.
    
    As for the next bird - Good luck! I have  Tiels, Conures, and an
    African Grey (my favorite) - but the Tiels are really gret too. I have
    one that stays on my shoulder no matter what I am doing. I have another
    that Never bits and loves to be rubbed, and another that talks and
    whistles, and another that just loves my husband. All of them have
    different personalities. My Grey just Loves me but is not fond of
    anyone else. See what I mean - good Luck! He just has to find a bird
    that is right for Him and then not spoil it!.
    
    
    			-Dora

Why shouldn't she blowdry the bird?

Thanks,
Donna

    Donna,
    
    Ever tried blow-drying a parrot?
    The risks are:
    - Panic, which may seriously endanger stress susceptible species
    - High risk of nipping through the wires
    - Overheating the bird  
    - Drying-out the feathers that we wanted to moist by spraying
    a less important one is:
    - Unduely rufling the feathers
    and lastly a hypothetical one:
    - If the blower has not been used for a long time or been used for
    drying paint or other toxic fluids, the expelled fumes might be harmfull
    to the bird.
    
    Peter

    Thank you all so much for your responses.  I've talked to several
    people at the Tucson Bird show last Sunday and I've probably read every
    back article from bird talk from the past year.  So...as of now here
    are my decisions:
    
    1.  Take Taco to the vet for an examination (just to be sure he is 
        physically O.K.) and have his sharp little beak grownd down a
        bit.  He ought to love that!
    
    2.  Respect his moods and love him/play with him when he's responsive
        and leave him be when he's cranky.
    
    3.  Be patient.  He is going through his revolting teens years 
        (according to the people I spoke with at the bird show) and
        he should calm down with age.  
    
    4.  Keep him off my shoulder and off of perches (or curtain rods) 
        that are above my head.  
    
    5.  Taco already shares our home along with 3 cockatiels, two finches
        and 1 canary, all of whom he is very jealous of.  I don't know if
        he would appreciate another parrot in his life or not but I think
        it would have to be another White Cap as a true mate.  "I" am not
        ready for that and I want to work with Taco for a longer period 
        of time before resorting to getting him a mate.  I don't want to
        loose his pet qualities so I think I should wait a while to see
        if he outgrows this "teenage" stage.
    
    6.  No new bird for John.  Now that he isn't spending as much time
        with Taco, he IS spending more time with the cockatiels who
        are really enjoying the attention.
    
    thanks,
    
    Jeanne
    
    P.S.  I did see a beautiful female African Grey at the bird show and
          it was "very" tempting.  She was 5 months old, friendly,
          confident and already whistling.  I am very proud of myself
          that I didn't let my emotions rule my mind;  I left her
          there.
    
    PPS.  Taco loves to be blow dried.  I hold the dryer, set on medium,
          about 3 feet from him and he flops over on the perch, spreads
          his wings and makes jungle noises.  I'll only dry him if 
          he's "real" wet.  
    

    Good for your Jeanne,
    
    Sounds like you thought all of it through after considering all the
    advice. Lots of people blow-dry their birds(me too on occasion), and if
    the person is responsible and informed the bird should suffer no harm.
    Ancient Blow-dryers with Asbestos would be an exception.
    
    Doug