pls help! biting when i want to get him off my shoulder.
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pls help! biting when i want to get him off my shoulder.
hi, i have adopted a handreared irn male aproximately 8 months old..he is a very well behaved bird, not very aggressive, eats out our hands and stuff, the only thing that scares me a bit is when he is on our shoulders and we try to get him off, he justs want to bite your finger off. how can i train him not to bite when we want to get him off.i have to take one of the perches and push it against him to get him off but i need a long term sollution...PLS HELP!!!!thanx...great site by the way....
Re: pls help! biting when i want to get him off my shoulder.
One thing, is he biting and drawing blood, or just grabbing you with his beak? The reason i ask because naturally birds will test a branch with their beak before climbing onto it to make sure it is stable.
But if it's clearly done in malice, or he's growling at you at the same time here's my advice...
The trick is to think like he would be.
He likes being on your shoulder, he's close to you and he gets you travel around your house with you seeing and doing all these interesting things! It's warm next to your hair and he can see everything from up there!
Sounds like a good place to be, that's why he doesn't want to get off!
You need to make it worth his while! Use a command like "down" or "off" every time you want to move him, and give him a treat that he loves and praise when he does. Eventually he'll figure that getting down will get him something he loves so he will be more happy to do so hassle free. Also it can help to only let him up there when you place him there, so it becomes a privilege rather than a right for him.
I'm doing this with my bird right now because although mine doesn't bite at me (either grabs my finger a little or because he has started learning that biting gets him a time out he'll push my finger away with his beak) mine climbs down my back where she know's i can't reach!!! Cheeky little birds.
I'm only a new owner myself too, but i've been benefiting greatly by trying to think about things from the birds point of view - and this has been helping my relationship with my bird heaps!
Also remember, a bite may hurt a bit, but your bird most likely isn't setting out to cause you pain... He can't simply say "i don't want to," or "i'm scared" and the thing he has to show you he doesn't want to do something is his beak.
But if it's clearly done in malice, or he's growling at you at the same time here's my advice...
The trick is to think like he would be.
He likes being on your shoulder, he's close to you and he gets you travel around your house with you seeing and doing all these interesting things! It's warm next to your hair and he can see everything from up there!
Sounds like a good place to be, that's why he doesn't want to get off!
You need to make it worth his while! Use a command like "down" or "off" every time you want to move him, and give him a treat that he loves and praise when he does. Eventually he'll figure that getting down will get him something he loves so he will be more happy to do so hassle free. Also it can help to only let him up there when you place him there, so it becomes a privilege rather than a right for him.
I'm doing this with my bird right now because although mine doesn't bite at me (either grabs my finger a little or because he has started learning that biting gets him a time out he'll push my finger away with his beak) mine climbs down my back where she know's i can't reach!!! Cheeky little birds.
I'm only a new owner myself too, but i've been benefiting greatly by trying to think about things from the birds point of view - and this has been helping my relationship with my bird heaps!
Also remember, a bite may hurt a bit, but your bird most likely isn't setting out to cause you pain... He can't simply say "i don't want to," or "i'm scared" and the thing he has to show you he doesn't want to do something is his beak.
Re: pls help! biting when i want to get him off my shoulder.
thanx for the reply and good advice 
, will start with it immediately and report the progress.
theres no blood or cuts when he bites its jus a hard nibble to say back off i dont wanna come of here, then he runs from one shoulder to the next makin sounds.
i'm sure your advice will work cause it does make alot of sense..
, will start with it immediately and report the progress.theres no blood or cuts when he bites its jus a hard nibble to say back off i dont wanna come of here, then he runs from one shoulder to the next makin sounds.
i'm sure your advice will work cause it does make alot of sense..