New CAG Behaviors

[jdfitzwater]

My Eclectus, Gomez passed away almost two weeks ago after leg surgery. My African Grey, Dante, is exhibiting new behaviors now. Also, my son left for camp a few days ago, which probably also didn't help. My Eclectus died in front of Dante. He gave out a few screams and stopped breathing.

Dante has started talking more and stopped a lot of the calling and beeping and barking he was doing when I left the room. He still does it but it isn't as intense. Even when I was in the room he would constantly beep and yell for attention when Gomez was still alive and that's calmed down.

However, he's begun to stand at the top of his cage at the back, and he looks down at the floor and moves his head and body back and forth like he's watching tiny people play tennis or something and he repeatedly says, "Oh dear, oh dear!" I don't think this has anything to do with Gomez, but is this normal behavior?

He's also started biting me when I ask him to step up. I'm working with a behaviorist that told me to notice his behavior and my behavior before he bites. He isn't all that into food rewards, and will take the food and throw it to the ground to show me how much he doesn't care about it. I am told to offer my hand and if he lunges or bites to walk away. I don't want to teach him that biting makes me walk away. The behaviorist agreed and she said the key is to not let him bite or lunge in the first place. In other words, if he won't step up onto his play stand, wheel it into the house, etc. The behaviorist is great, I'm just wondering if anybody else has suggestions or insight.

Also, I had bubble wrap on the back sliding glass door by his cage to insulate against the cold. It started to come down the other day so I pulled it down. For the past three months he hasn't been able to look out the window. For the past 6 days now, he has been able to look out the window into the back yard again (which he likes). I think it's helped with the screaming, and he's playing with a bottle trying to get the lid off now, which he stopped doing (playing independently) when the bubble wrap was up. He's playing now in front of the window so he can look out. I'd think that would make his behavior better, and it has, so then why is he biting?

Does anybody have any additional suggestions. I can't believe he's biting. Dante and I have always had a good relationship and now it's so strange that he's biting. He also had a lot of pin feathers a week ago, but his feathers seem to be coming in. Thoughts?