Alexandrine Biting Problem

[Razor]

Hi

We just bought this 3 month old baby alexandrine for au$450 we were told that its hand raised alexandrine.
As soon as we got home its biting our hands.

We have a huge cage and a 2 level stand with ladders and toys.

The bird is very aggresive whenever your hand or finger is near it. It doesnt matter where the bird is. The only way we can get a hold of him is to catch him with a towel

I can hold a sliced apple and he will come and bite/eat the apple till he leaves a small portion (the portion I'm holding) then leaves if I try to put my hands/fingers close to him he gets aggresive.

Any tips on how to solve this biting issue?

we've been doing the same thing everyday for the last 4 weeks and he's still biting.

We tried calling up the pet shop we bought the bird from and they wont take him back.


Cheers

[catschair]

Hi Razor,
Glad to meet you. Some ringnecks are very protective of their cages and some just don't like hands. Please don't give up on the little guy just yet (I know it is SO hard one day at a time). We have lots of experienced folks who have raised ringnecks on this board, so I'm sure you will get a lot of great advice when they all see your post!

[stepht25]

I don't know Kirby isn't a biter - never has been. With alexes - their body language is usually pretty easy to read. So when Kirby is in a bad mood and doesn't want to interact - we give him his space. 4 weeks really isn't all that long for a new baby. He could still be overwhelmed with his new home and may need more time to settle in. I would suggest sitting by his cage often and talking softly to him, read a book to him, softly sing some songs to him. Anything to let him know you mean no harm and want to be friends. Continue offering him treats from your hand. Gently praise him when he takes them gently form you and tell him what a good bird he is! Have you tried asking him to step up onto a hand held perch? If he will - it might be best to have him step up onto a perch and then take him to a "neutral" room - away from his cage, where you can spend some 1 on 1 time with him - working on "stepping up" and always talking in a soothing voice. You need to earn his trust - and it will take patience and time. But so well worth it in the end!

[stepht25]

Razor - you may also want to check out the yahoo email group for alexandrine owners. I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice from other alex owners there. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/alexandrines/ that link should take you to the homepage.

[StellaBlue]

Originally Posted by catschair

Some ringnecks are very protective of their cages and some just don't like hands.

I don't have a ringneck, so YMMV, but what I DO have is a little cherryhead conure that is VERY cage territorial and DISLIKES hands in his cage. Although he was handfed, he stayed in the store until he was about 2 years old, and I suspect had WAY too much of strangers trying to touch his cage.

Noting that he was pretty good with a "step up" away from his cage, and rancid when approached by hands (or a perch) inside the cage, we covered our hands with a hand towel (thinking to at least avoid being bitten badly). Sure 'nuff, when shown a hand covered with a towel and not recognizable as a hand the little bugger steps up happy as can be and comes out to play nice. We're all ok with this compromise

Don't know if it will work with your ringneck, but it is worth a try.

[sweetie&meli]

I dont have an alex but i have my jardine who is the same with hands , I also use the towel to get him out of his cage , once hes on that hes all good and i still have all my fingers intact

[Razor]

He bites even outside or on a different area.
He attacks not just the hands it can be your face or your body.

We've tried different approach to get him used to us but still no improvement after 4 weeks, still the same as the day we brought him home.

He's quite aggresive.

[sweetie&meli]

I wish there was something i could say or do to make things better , but sometimes we need to learn that certain birds, I learned that mine isnt gonna be a cuddly bird , he is the way he is weather he bites or not , Ive seen alex's that are freindly and some that arent , I used to babysit one named jagger , most talk-a-tive bird but wont only step up on his own terms , other times he was a sweetie but alex's body language is fairly easy to read..

might wnat to try and see why hes so afriad of humans , mabey he was hand.buttheres a diffrence , being handfed with love and being hand fed because its your job.. which then makes a baby who juts hates humans .. you need to do some reserch on his history if possible and figure out what this lil guy needs from you to be a sweetie as deep down any bird can be a sweetheart .. sorry for the long post

[Hugo03]

Hey,
i have a 11 month old alex.
His name is Hugo.
He was hand reared, i got him at 6 weeks.
he was a bit of a biter for about 6 months. however once he got use to us and our hands. he is now fine.
just train him to know that your hands, ears etc wont harm him

cheers eb

[debbielabella]

I have an Alex, she was 2 yrs old when I got her. It took about 6 months before she stopped biting. I still cannot touch anything in her cage and she's not fond of hands. You have to go slow and build trust with these birds. They can bite pretty hard so I can sympathize. They warn you pretty good though and if her eyes are pinning I just don't push it. If I know I have to go out, rather than putting her back in her cage I put fresh food in a little while before I have to go then close the door when she goes in. That way she doesn't associate stepping up with getting put back in her cage. When she's looking like she wants to step up that's when I offer food and ask her to step up. I noticed she goes to certain perches and leans forward when she wants to step up. They are not at all the type of bird you can control, they are very independent. They are more the type that like to watch you from across the room than to be on your or handled much. They are also very devoted though, it was worth the bloody bites in the beginning. The yahoo group recommended above is excellent, Alex's are not like other birds and they can help you understand how to work with him. Good luck! don't be discouraged, it takes patience but you'll have your reward.