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joti26
Fledgeling
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 222
Location: Northants. UK |
| I am at a complete loss! |
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Really don't know what else to do with Pico. He is increasingly moody and attacks for no apparent reason, I can't trust him any more and becoming reluctant to handle him. He flew at my face from my lap some time ago, I didn't react and just put him back on his cage. He was fine the next day but things have been getting steadily worse. He is about 18 months old now. He hasn't got worse since I got my grey but it has made me realise just how bad he can be as my new grey is such a sweetie (flying at my face was a while before I got my grey). Last weekend he was great on the saturday then horrible the next day, lunging at me when I gave him a treat. I just can't figure out what the problem is and his lunging makes it impossible to try trick training and stuff. I made great progress with him at first as he wasn't easy but we seem to be going worse than backwards now as he is so unpredictable. I am at a complete loss as to what to do for the best. I do everything I can think of to make sure he is happy but nothing works for more than a day. |
Friday November 24, 2006 11:44 pm |
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MESABoogie
Fledgeling
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 201
Location: Canada |
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could it be that he is maturing .. I have heard that they can be quite moody at this stage ... Focker has his good days and bad, and sometimes there are more bad days than good .... Focker can be so sweet one minute, and then before I can even blink he will be taking a good hard bite at my fingers .. when he is like that, he spends more time in his cage, which he doesn't like since he is out of his cage all day long ... this seems to work, although after a day he is back to being a little monster ... the breeder that he came from, tells me its typical MALE behaviour .... I don't think the problem with Pico has anything to do with you at all, since I am experiencing the same thing with Focker ... I also have my reluctant days in handling Focker and I understand completely in how you are feeling .... I'm sure this behaviour is something that he will get over, and that it has something to do with them maturing ... like I said, I am going through the same thing with Focker ... good days and bad days .... the joy of owing a sennie with horns  |
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Saturday November 25, 2006 8:06 am |
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Jrmno1
Flying tumbler
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Posts: 2310
Location: Ohio, USA |
I don't know sene's at all, but I did not want you to think no one was reading your post... I wish I could help..
John |
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Sunday November 26, 2006 1:15 am |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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| Re: I am at a complete loss! |
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I'm so sorry to hear that things go so bad with Pico.  May I ask if his wings are clipped? I couldn't tell from the photos: His wings look clipped but there are also some grown feathers..??
May I ask what you do when he's a good boy? Do you pet him?
Please if I fail to reply on this topic, just send me a pm to remind me that I need to see your reply. I tend to forget topics..  |
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Sunday November 26, 2006 11:48 am |
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joti26
Fledgeling
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 222
Location: Northants. UK |
Thanks all, he may well be maturing as he is going to be two next March. Although not nice that Focker is like that, it is helpful to know that I am not alone! I still let him out regardless although he is put back in if he is really bad. I just don't have him on me so much I just let him sit near me on his play gym. His cuddle time seems very limited at the moment so he goes back on his play perch until bed time. He says 'is it bedtime' when he wants to go! He is clipped, about two months ago, they dread me taking him in i'm sure! If he is good he gets lots of love and scritches, last night he was great when I put him in his cage and he was getting quite soppy, he did his love dance and regurgitated for me, lovely! He hadn't done this so much lately, he was a sweetie this morning too. My son calls him evil and my sister says I should have called him Zoro! |
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Sunday November 26, 2006 6:12 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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Hi Joti, thanks for sending me the pm.. Can I ask if he's allowed on your shoulder? Some birds will plainly 'misbehave' when they're allowed on shoulders..
About the scritches, do you give them just 'because' or when he's a good boy? I may sound harsh but perhaps you can limit his scritches to very short incidents, limited to situation when he's a good boy?
Perhaps you can do some training with him in a neutral environment to ensure your relation and to show him that listening will help him more than lunging? |
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Sunday November 26, 2006 10:04 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7956
Location: Australia |
My Apollo is becoming the nasty bird that I dread... well for me anyway.. he's as sweet as he's always been for his daddy, but not for his mommy anymore.. seems like I have become his servant and servant only...  |
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Monday November 27, 2006 3:54 pm |
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joti26
Fledgeling
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 222
Location: Northants. UK |
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Good point about the shoulder, yes he does sit on my shoulder because I don't actually know how to stop him. He is like a rat up a drainpipe he gets up there so fast and to be honest I don't know how to stop him without getting a nasty bite, if I try to stop him he flys up or gets on the arm I am trying to stop him with. He has never stepped up on just my hand or bare arm, he has always been really nervous without having a jumper to cling to. He won't step up onto a hand held perch either. He just freaks if a stick comes towards him. He was fantastic yesterday and not too bad today except he wouldn't go back on his cage at bedtime. He asked to go but was a little devil then, he was all over the place, hanging from my sleeve, bottom of my sweater and scarpering all over the place when I tried to get him off. He has never done that before!!!! I do tend to only pet him when he is good as basically that is the only time I can. He went for me again tonight when I eventually got him in his cage and gave him his treat. Last night he took treats nicely. |
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Tuesday November 28, 2006 9:48 pm |
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chispleeze
Flier
Joined: 14 Jul 2005
Posts: 475
Location: Upstate NY |
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I'm sorry you're having such a rough time with Pico. I'm finding Pickles can be a little monster sometimes too. But I keep trying to recognize what things make him bite me. Talking on the phone for one. Can't have him near me when I'm on the phone. Also if I'm fixing food he'll come over and hang off my shoulder and try to bite my arm. I think he just wants some. If Pico won't step up that's something I would really work on with him.  It would give you the control you need and help him realize that you are the flock leader. Take him to a neutral territory (away from cage and normal play areas etc) and practice step ups and downs for a few minutes every day. I think this would help your situation a lot if when he acts up you could simply make him step up so you can move him to his cage, play area. etc. Smokey can get real wound up sometimes and want to take a chunk out of me big time. But she knows that step up means business and will always comply helping us avoid some nasty run-ins.
Robin |
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Wednesday November 29, 2006 3:54 pm |
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joti26
Fledgeling
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 222
Location: Northants. UK |
Pico will step up but only on to my arm if I am wearing a sweater. We do practice every day, he is out every day. He seems so nervous of stepping on to skin. He has been much better this last week, I think it is partly because I am putting him back on his cage if he bites. He has been moulting as well so think that may have made him more tetchy. He is a little devil sometimes and very determined, if he decides not to go back in his cage it is very difficult as he scuttles all over the place, hanging from my arm or scuttling down to the bottom of my sweater. It does make me smile though so not all bad. Thank god my grey is a little goody goody!!! Thanks for the help and reassurance though. |
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Wednesday December 6, 2006 11:00 pm |
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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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Hi joti, how's he doing today? Is he still stepping up on your sweater?
It might be easy to say, but do you feel nervous when handling him?
Birds tend to feel our moods very well! |
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Friday December 15, 2006 8:58 pm |
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cashmeer
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 33
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a couple of you might remember..when I started "babysitting" my daughters senegal...well..I'm still babysitting..  I probably know the least about birds than anyone here...but the thing I do know about choo choo is not to use ANY sudden hand movements around him...and my idea of sudden and his are 2 different things..when he is on his cage..and I go to do anything around him..I use slow motion hand movements..anything else and he ll attack/lunge/bite...and when someone says not to put them on your shoulder...where the heck are you supposed to put them..choo choo is fine on my shoulder...but I can never be sure how he'll react to anything...and I don't own a piece of clothing without a hole in it... |
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Saturday December 16, 2006 7:49 pm |
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Cathy
Kamikaze pilot
Joined: 02 Apr 2005
Posts: 6672
Location: Omaha, NE USA |
Cashmeer! Are you still birdysitting, or has it become more of a permanant situation now Will you be able to give Choo Choo up, if it comes to that?
I absoultely agree with you about the sudden movements! My sennie, Jennie is the very same way! But I don't put her on my shoulder - EVER!! She bit my tender ear lobe once Altho she wasn't on my shoulder at the time (I had my dumb head inside her cage cleaning it while she was on top of her cage & she snuck up on me!!), but I wouldn't let her get close to my ear lobe for nothing after that! |
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Saturday December 16, 2006 9:08 pm |
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cashmeer
Just hatched
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 33
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It's kind of love-hate relationship...  and yes..it would be hard to give him up..my husband says I ve bought every kind of nut grown in south america..I have no clue about other parrots..or about senegals in general..but this parrot can be loving and hateful in a matter of seconds..he is usually fine on my shoulder..but if he gets naughty..back on top of his cage he goes..I havent figured out how to get him INSIDE the cage without a battle..also, I m not sure if parrots can be "spoiled"..if they can..then this one is! I saw a post in another thread..where this person wondered if she should get a parrot...something that was snuggly and loving...I really think the parrot for a person like that..can be found in the "stuffed" animal dept. at a toy store... |
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Saturday December 16, 2006 9:59 pm |
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joti26
Fledgeling
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 222
Location: Northants. UK |
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I am not at all nervous handling him, I got over that the first week I had him. Yes his bites might hurt but they won't kill me! I do a lot of DIY and hitting your finger with a hammer is far worse than a parrot bite and he doesn't intimidate me (I am still bigger than him even if he doesn't think so, that kind of makes me laugh as he has no idea what damage I could do if I was as stroppy as him! LOL). I don't react either just put him back in his cage or clench my fist so he can't get a grip on any flesh. I don't move suddenly either. It is the sheer unpredictabilty that is the problem, he took treats from me today with no problem then another day he will just lunge for no apparent reason. This week he has been quite good for short periods. Trust me I have had over a year of trying to analyse his idiocincrasies! It is kind of refreshing in a small way that others have problems, I don't feel like such a failure with him. I guess when all said and done I just worry that he might not be happy, I always feel a bit guilty about keeping a caged bird and I would hate to think he is unhappy. |
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Sunday December 17, 2006 12:29 am |
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