Green Cheek getting nippy

[Biomajir]

I have had my little green cheek for about 2 weeks now. I have noticed that he is getting increasingly more nippy. It seems to be that he is the most nippy right when you take him out of the cage and then after about 10 minutes or so he calms down. As soon as you put him back in the cage though, he starts screeching and tries to bite. What can I do to make him stop biting? I have tried the "little earthquake" method and also gently grabbing his cheeks and saying "no!" but these don't work. Any suggestions?

[teenab]

I have a small cage that I will put mine in & cover for a "time out" anytime he bites with malcious intent!! He's gotten MUCH better but cracks me up! Sometimes he just wants to bite & will do so - then go to the time out cage on his own! It's hard not laughing when I cover him up after he's done something bad - but at least I know he understands the punishment! It's not a good idea to use their main cages for behavior modification because they might learn to fear their cage. I actually have 2 additional cages - a go bye-bye cage & a bad bird cage. They are just small parakeet like cages.

[nailsrglue]

I agree and have had much luck with the time out method. I just use a small travel cage. Keep in mind that the bird might be "teething" (I dont know how old ur bird is) and being nippy is just a part of growing up. The bird will grow out of it, you just want it to do so without developing any nasty habits. Its just exploring its world. It will take alittle time and patience, and at first your efforts will seem pointless, but eventually the bird gets it and starts to learn. In a few months, your bird should be just fine.

[goodshep]

Here's what I did when my young gcc started getting nippy. First I had a talk with myself about not getting discouraged or letting her biting intimidate me. That's important because it seems she reads my attitude. I would use the little earthquake if she was on my hand. This was just to distract her and then I would try to redirect her attention. I always kept her favorite chew toy (those little sticks of straw - she loves to destroy them) handy. Then I made a concerted effort to do some training sessions. I would take her to the bathroom (quiet and small) and put her through a series of step ups (like 30 in a row) I used lots of praise. If she got nippy I tried not to react by flinching. I would give her a scowly face and maybe a low "ah-ah". I kept the sessions fairly short and quit on a positive note. Then back to the cage she went. For a while most of her out of cage time was structured like that. When I started seeing improvement, I gave her more freedom to be out with me. It really seemed to help. For me the important part was to get over being nervous about getting nipped. She's never drawn blood and now looking back none of her nips were really all that bad. Just a pinch. I think the lack of reaction is important. If they see that nipping will get them something it will continue. Another trick I learned was to not offer her my hand with fingers exposed but with them closed into a fist. Lots harder to bite a fist Hope this helps. She's now almost 5 months old and is a great little bird.

Amy
Georgia Peach (pineapple green cheek)