Anyone owns a parrot? HELP!
 

My 7 year old African Gray has gone ballistic. All along (I've had her since she was 6 months old) she has hated my husband, and had bitten him from time to time, but the other day he went to feed her and she bit the daylights out of his arm, in 2 or 3 places.
Anyone with a parrot out there who can tell me how to "civilize" (or however you spell that) her?

I rescued a gray several years ago. He is the coolest bird but to this day I still cannot handle him. I can pet him through the cage etc. but that is about it. He will come outside and hang out but does not like to be handled. I found out later he was in a terrible aviary type situation so I don't pressure him anymore. He is very content (whistles, talks etc.)

Those I consulted about it tell me repetitive training helps. Get them to trust you with food. Make them step up (you know the "up up" command) to get a treat. It takes a lot of work but your husband cannot show aggression or fear.

There is a lot of good online sources to consult on this.

Hi Czarina,

Although I don't have biting problems with my Eclectus Parrot I have found some pretty good resources on the net that I have read. There are many different theories so I use the suggested guidelines that best suit my family as well as my bird's environment.

Here is a site that sells 6 books for $79.96 which includes a book titled "How to get my parrot to love me" or in your case "your husband" :1orglaugh http://www.parrotsecrets.com/

You might also try visiting http://www.landofvos.com/ which is the site I frequent and has a lot of valuable information on the Eclectus Parrot. I am told that the African Gray and the Eclectus are very similar birds when it comes to habits and behavior although I am not too educated on the Grays.

I hope this helps.

I don't think you can "train" them in that sense. Most birds pick one person they like and choose them as their "mate". And anyone who tries to handle the bird can be hurt. Your husband should try talking to her through her cage on a daily basis if he doesn't and see if that helps. It'll take some time but if you get bit and never try and handle the bird again, he'll/she will think they're the "king" of the flock. And you don't want them thinking this, because you're the "king" of the flock ;)

Birds are or can be very sensitive, so be careful in whatever you do. Maybe check with your avian vet to see if theres anything that can be done.

Good luck :)

Come on DX man be easy on us bird lovers we can't help our love for these lil creatures although my wife sometimes wants me to break the .45 out when she is watching one of her favorite TV shows and Kelly decides to rattle off everything he had heard that day :Oh crap

thank you guys! Taking a look at the links.
But, it is not a matter of not handling her:
She has a big cage in our kitchen, where she sleeps at night. In the mornings, when we get up, we uncover her and she has breakfast with us at the dinner table. Then we put her on top of her cage, and she talks while we work (she can see us from there). She flies around the house a little bit, walks all over the floor and mostly roams the kitchen counter. So you see, she is a very friendly bird and an integral part of our family.
My husband handles her all the time, feeding her and talking to her. But every 4 to 6 months, she one day gets up being a b*tch and bites him for no reason. He's put up with it long enough and after this last (very violent) incident, he told me that if she bites him again, she is history, he will throw her out of the house.
So, it is a pretty sucky situation. Let me rush to those online resources.

THANX AGAIN!
Muah!

i was told by a trainer that birds are really stupid . . and the only way to have them stop biting you is to let them bite you until they figure out you don't care . . very scary though with a parrot :(

My mother and father own a Blue and Gold Macaw named Buddy. The bird absolutely adores my mother but despises my father. Parrots tend to get attached to one person and get jealous very easily.

It's funny because whenever I go over to my parents house its the same way...Parrot at the dinner table or sitting at a chair. There is honestly nothing you can do. Try and have your husband hand feed the parrot when he is hungry and not apt to reject the food.

African Grey's are awesome. Good bird. I almost adopted one from an animal shelter but the process I had to go through didn't make it worth it at the end...you would have thought I was trying to get a human baby.

WOW! This is a very strange situation and pink_in_the_middle probably has the best suggestion by contacting an avian vet to see if theres anything that can be done.

I am sure you have already asked yourselves this but is there anything in common each time he is feriously thrashed upon? Did he enter the cage too quickly and startle the bird or was he himself maybe in a bad mood therefore the bird sensed it? These lil creatures are pretty damn smart and pick up on nearly everything.

Good Luck resolving this radical behavior and hopefully your husband has NO contact with DamageX :1orglaugh

hey there - shedevil and I own a moluccan cockatoo that is about 3 years old. If you want to talk on icq hit me up - otherwise - 7 years old your bird may be going into its mating cycle and reaching puberty. If you have spent your time cuddling with the bird (which by the way is not a smart thing to do since in the wild birds dont cuddle) then the bird will see you as a mate and start defending you and your relationship. Your guy is seen as a threat.

You must think wild here - and what generally will happen is that she will love one and respect the other, or simply mate with one and feel the other is a threat to your relationship. It is going to be hard now to train to respect - but what is needed is to leave the bird in and around her perch. No contact with either one of you and while she is resting on a different perch you can go in an clean the cage. Then you pick her up and return her to the cage.

If there is any fighting with the home or stress the bird reflects that - and you may find he will start plucking his feathers. Moving his cage around on occassion usually isnt a good idea because it is considered kaos - but if you move it around monthly then birds can adjust to kaos.

Remember your bird has the attitude of a 3 to 6 year old and will for the remainder of her life. Unless your husband can deal with the biting and teach the bird who is in control and not yell - then it will learn the pecking order / dominance chain of the house. Right now your bird is seeing you as the boss, it as second and your husband as third and everytime he is with you - she will see him as a threat.

hit me up if you want to learn more - but also suggest having some toys - ropes spread around the cage and even a beat up telephone book on the roof of the cage for her to tear through. Stress level here. but please - go to a vet who is trained in this and go through these ideas with them

Hmmmmm I never heard a trainer tell me this and I have found they are very smart. Of coarse there are always dumb humans and smart humans etc. so not impossible.

its time to put her down.

You let a bird eat at the table with you?
How do you handle vireus risks etc?

My grandfather died from encephalitis - nasty stuff