Advice needed :(

[xafsmom]

It's only been a week since Izzy arrived, but he's been doing something rather disturbing (at least to me!).

He has been climbing down from his cage/play area, either hoppy-flying (clipped wings) to me, or literally walking over and asking to be picked up. When he is picked up, he bites the hand he's on as hard as he can. If he's picked up with a perch, he runs the length of the perch and bites the hand holding the perch.

I make sure not to react to the bites (though I swiftly put him down so I can stauch the blood pouring out ....), I do say "No bite", I haven't asked anything stressful of him like trying to touch him or such. The only time he's asked to step up is when he either hops to the floor, and I get down on his level and not hover to have him step up, or when he's coming out of his cage.

He gets 12 hours of sleep a night, not disrupted, dark and quiet. He gets fresh fruits and veggies, beans and pasta/rice, as well as more toys than he can possibly play with inside and on his play area. He's allowed total freedom of his own routine and other than the sudden biting attacks of the last 2 days, he has been relatively easy going, always interested in playing on his gym, eating everything, talking and having a good time. He whistles when I leave the room, he chooses to get close when he's resting (not touching close), I don't force him to do ANYTHING.

The breeder says he never bit, just beaked. She said he's just 'testing me'. My macaw, conures, even the amazons I used to have tested me, they never went ninja on me lol. So, I'm just not sure what I should do. He wasn't raised to be fearful of hands (or arms, legs, faces....), and according to the breeder and backed up by my family, the breeder was hugging and smooching this baby bird and he was cooing and soaking it up. They picked him for me because he was the sweetest! LOL

Is there something I can do to ease Izzy's adjustment period? Should I actually be more stern? Should I isolate him in his cage or something, am I giving him too much freedom? I'm lost here. I'm considering Kevlar gloves and a face mask right now, just on the off-chance I breathe wrong and he launches himself at me or tricks me again.

Any advice would be very appreciated.

[xafsmom]

I don't know what it is...

Today I was cleaning Izzy's cage, and he was on the playpen. He made his way to his cage, tripped and literally sprawl-fell into the cage ...with my hands and arms there! Unthinking, I reached out, righted him, settled his wings for him and stroked his back until he found his feet again.

Now, he keeps staring at me, making little 'chuck' sounds in his throat and everytime i walk away, he scrambles after me ...on foot.

Yesterday he was a rabid little monster who went out of his way to attack, and today he's acting my shadow and not biting.

I do not understand this bird at all! lol I bet tomorrow will bring something else, he'll probably start talking and inform me he's got a psychological degree from a major university and I've been a test he's running for his latest paper.

/sigh lol

[Amie]

And there you go. There's the turning point. Welcome to Grey Mama-ness. Prepare to be overtaken

[xafsmom]

I guess now it's a matter of trust. Meaning, me trusting him. That sounds rotten, I know, but I don't believe in the 'save the bird and suddenly bird is friend for life' thing. How can he go from actively seeking out someone for biting, and I'm serious, he had to have plotted some of his attacks out lol, I'm in total admiration of how he did it, and then poof... nice little birdy boy? As I'm warily eyeballing him right now and he's upside-down on his playgym hooting at me. Heh.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love him even if he hated me forever, but I'm trying hard to understand the mentality of him, and he's soooo different from the other birds I've ever dealt with. They seem so ...simple and straightforward?

[Lisa B]

sorry to laugh...but I do get the vivid picture!
my gut feeling is that, when he activly seeks you out and you offer a hand, he is excited...overly excited.....my sydney has done this to me as well more times then I can count. I have learned to read his body language and if need be distract him with a hand moving off to the side as I try to get him up with the other. That works well.
When he is not in that hyper state, he is the normal little happy grey.
Its all learning not to be tricked into that grey bait and switch thing....

[Amie]

Originally Posted by Lisa B

Its all learning not to be tricked into that grey bait and switch thing....

Let us know the first time Izzie offers his head for scritches and then, as soon as you touch him, he bites you.

This will be a wonderful trick you will get very accustomed to during puberty.

[Amie]

Originally Posted by xafsmom

I guess now it's a matter of trust. Meaning, me trusting him.

Hehehe. . . .and I never said he was going to all of a sudden stop biting you. All I meant was that you've been suckered in--whether you know it or not.

But I do bet he's about 20 times less beaky now.