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| Sweet Cuddling-Sudden Biting! | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 25 2009, 04:34 PM (63 Views) | |
| Autumn | Oct 25 2009, 04:34 PM Post #1 |
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Hello- We adopted a Green Cheek (Yellow Side) Conure this weekend from a great breeder and this little girl is a love bug! She will step right up with no bites and she runs right for the crook of your elbow where she loves to bury her little head and snuggle. She protests being in her cage and just loves to be out with us, which she has been most of her time here  Our question is this: She seems to loves being with us, if her cage door is open she comes out and runs right into our laps...but then she will bite. HARD. She has drawn blood on my husband at least 3 times and twice on me. We are not flinching away and we are giving her a "NO BITE" command in a very firm voice but most of the time she just doesn't let go! We then try giving her a quick blow of air in the face or a bit of a "hand drop" to get her to release us. What can we do to discourage biting besides these tricks? We are going to be a mangled mess in a matter of days if she doesn't slow down...and the kicker? Since she draws blood when she is biting, she immediately goes back after those spots because they are noticable! Geesh.... Besides that, all is good. She eats EVERYTHING! My goodness, you would think she had been starved...she is always snacking and loves variety. If you can believe it, I have already been making birdie bread (veggie and fruit kind) and she loves it too! Thanks in advance for any help. We won't stop handling her as much as possible but this biting has got to ease up a bit. It really hurts and she just doesn't release! Autumn |
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| kermits | Oct 26 2009, 07:55 AM Post #2 |
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Kermit bites ,but he has never bitten hard enough to draw blood. I suggest maybe you could try taking her out of the cage yourself, by making her step onto your finger instead of letting her come out on her own and rewarding her when she does'nt bite. You are doing right by blowing into her face and saying stop, i do that to kermit sometimes and i also gently hold his top beak and this stops him biting. Does she fluff all her features up when she attacks you?when kermit does this i calll it his attack mode, which means he is upset about something. Good luck with her she sounds adorable
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| Autumn | Oct 26 2009, 09:24 AM Post #3 |
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She does not fluff up at all, in fact, if it didn't hurt so badly I would think she is just nipping. It happens at random times as well. The funny thing is, it never happens when we are asking her to step up or getting her out of the cage. It seems like it happens when she is just being held...sometimes just after picking her up, other times after she has been held for a while. She is a terrible 'freckle biter'! If you have a freckle, mole, birthmark or whatever she is going to bite the heck out of it!! She is a picker and loves, loves, loves to bite at buttons and zippers. Perhaps she is just young still and doesn't realize how very hard she is biting. With time, I am certain she will learn not to bite so hard. Last night she bit me very hard on the arm and I blew in her face, didn't work she just refused to let go, so I dropped my arm quickly (just a bit to get her to let go) and she immediately let go! I said "NO BITE" and she just cocked her head to the side and then proceeded to run to my elbow and hide her little face! Now just let me tell you how guilty I am still feeling!  Patience, patience. She is a funny little thing, I think she will grow up to be just perfect Autumn PS there is never any attacking or vocalization associated with the bites...just all of a sudden, she bends down and YEOW! |
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| kermits | Oct 26 2009, 10:59 AM Post #4 |
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Awe she sounds so cute. Kermit does a lot of nipping ,GC are known for it, maybe you are right she does not realise how hard she is bting. I would carry doing ,and a lot of time and patience and i am sure you will get there. Kermit also loves to chew freckles,red marks,buttons and zips he chews them to bites he also adores a white fluffy cushion i have he chews it to death as well. |
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| Dusky Lover | Oct 26 2009, 02:45 PM Post #5 |
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I know how random hard biting can feel Autumn ! My Dusky conure is notorious for his " Lock Beak " he is a sweet bird also just as your GCC is , but sometimes he just randomly bites down very hard and he doesnt let go easily .  I believe it is a young conure habit . They actually dont realize how hard they are biting you , and almost like they associate it as a love bite ... LOL My sun conure never bites hard , she is a gentle girl . I agree with Jackie that blowing in the face is something mine do not like . Also the " NO " command is good when they are doing wrong ( Like biting ) . Again i feel the biting is just a little excessive nippiness . This is probably a habit your and my conure will grow out of . Give it some time , and use your commands and blowing in the face technique . You could also always gently hold the top beak which my dusky does not like . This could help detur the biting also . It works for me when he gets extra nippy . Your GCC sounds cute ! Good luck with your training . 
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| Autumn | Oct 27 2009, 04:00 AM Post #6 |
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I obviously need to get a picture on here so you guys can see her! Actually, if you can believe it, she was out with us a ton yesterday and she only bit (or tried to bite) 2 times! And we had her out with us ALL night. We also gave her a bath this morning (her first one) and she loved it! I had to splash my fingers in the water for a while for her to come in the water but once she did, Oh Boy!, she had a ball! Do you guys bathe your conures every day? Going into the warm weather here, we want her to be clean but I don't want her to get chilled. We wrap her in a warm towel after a bath, until she is dry. Last question, I promise! Which food is best? We are currently feeding Harrisons (from the breeder) but is it best? Seed mixture suggestions? She eats ton of fresh food daily but I would like to be sure I am providing the best. Also, can I offer too much variety at first? I am trying all sorts of things and she seems to love it all! List night we had spinach and beet pasta with chick peas and red bell pepper. For lunch she had broccoli, sweet potato, celery and some melon. Can she have a bit of meat or eggs at this age? I know they need a bit extra protein. Autumn |
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| kermits | Oct 27 2009, 04:56 AM Post #7 |
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I feed kermit premium parrot food which i get from birds shows. He loves his fruit and veg Apples pears kiwi fruit beetroot pineapple sweetcorn broc chick peas lettuce (small amounts) peppers chilli's Variety is always good, but do not feed her choc, advocado's these are not good, also not alot of sugary foods or fatty foods ,not alot of grapes and no alchohol or dairy as dairy is not good for parrots , but everything else should be ok i think as long as she likes it. |
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| Dusky Lover | Oct 27 2009, 09:08 AM Post #8 |
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I like Jackie's list of foods ! For your pelleted diet , i use Zupreem pellets . Natural and Fruit flavor . I mix some fruit flavored in with the natural . ( Fruit flavor will stain a little with their poop though ) Seed Mixture : Do not feed your conure more than 10 - 15 % of seeds in its daily diet . I myself use seeds as treats / rewards only . Some people may use a little more , but i myself stick with what is good for them . ( Seeds are high in fats ) . Fresh Veggies is a must , but my conures are very picky about veggies . ( I have to mix a little fruit in the bowl with the veggies or else they will not touch them ! ) Also you can use Nutri - Berries . My birds love them , and they are actually pretty healthy for the bird . If you use nutri - berries than they will get their seeds from the nutri balls and you dont have to worry about mixing in seeds into their diet . ( Nutri - Berries are made by Lafebers ) . Hope this was helpful .
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