near my wits end with attack lorikeet

[HollySue]

Yesterday I posted on someone else's thread, but I think I might get more response by starting my own thread.

Ayla, my Swainsons Rainbow Lorikeet, is four years old today. I'm figuring she's female because of the shape of her pubic bone, and the breeder thinks she is female. This vicious biting of hers only started 4 to 6 weeks ago. But her excessive aggression towards my other parrots started many months ago. As of quite a few months ago, I no longer allow her to be out of her cage when the other birds are free.

I have not noticed any of the usual physical cues that an attack is about to occur, but she has been sitting on my shoulder, and giving lots of kisses intermittently, so I can't see a change in her pupils or stance. I believe that the trigger is when I start to get up or move towards her cage, and she isn't ready to go in yet, so she punishes me. She suddenly lunges.

The bites are to my lips, and she bites very hard, hanging on, grinding down with her beak, and changing positions. The pain is incredible, and I bleed, bruise, and swell quite severely. It is very difficult to pry her beak open, and I fear I will end up seriously injuring or even killing her.

I can't help but wish that the breeder had been a lot more descriptive when he warned me that lorikeet can be a bit nippy. My response had been that all parrots tend to be a bit nippy. I have several other parrots, and the only other one who draws blood to any great extent is my Senegal, who is also seemingly female. What I am experiencing from my lorikeet is very aggressive biting!

While she was being weaned, I visited with her weekly, so she has known me for 3-3/4 years.

This situation is breaking my heart. I am over 57 years old, have had a wide variety of pets for close to 50 years, and have never needed to consider getting rid of a pet due to behavior issues. I've even had a hybrid wolf for the entire duration of his life.

I'm considering that being in front of my computer screen saver while on my shoulder (scenery and animals) might be over stimulating her, at least with this second recent incident. Please share your ideas with me. Thanks

Holly

[jenseits]

First of all, do not allow her on your shoulder anymore! This is important. As you said, when she's on your shoulder you can't see her giving her signals and she's way too close to your face. She could just as easily get you in the eyes, and that would be a disaster. As far as you are concerned, she's forfeited all shoulder privileges.

It'll be hard habit to break, but if you don't want her latching on to your lip you need to keep her away from your face and where you can read her body language. Since you notice that she tends to do this even more when she's on you and you start to move, get her to step up on a handheld perch before you start moving.

Remember, the more a bird bites, the more they bite (it's self-reinforcing behavior) -- so you need to avoid bites!

I don't know much about lorikeets, when they hit puberty, other possible stimulants but that's the first place you have to start. As for step 2, maybe some lorikeet owners can jump in and leave their two cents.

Hopefully we'll be able to help you come up with a solution that makes life better for you and the rest of the flock.

[Maximus]

I am a new bird owner, of a parrotlet, but I do have a question for the last poster. I understand not wanting to re-enforce the biting, but if you pull away from a bird every time it attepmts to bite, isn't that also showing the bird it just has to bite for you to leave it alone? My bird tries and does bite me, he is still very young and not trusting yet. Thanks

[Lori~D]

They didnt say to pull away from bites - they said to "avoid" that means dont put yourself in a position to be injured by a bite. In order to teach my Cockatoo that biting did no good was to have my hand (or finger) protected so the bite did not hurt me and then to persist in my training. She no longer bites, ever, (not saying she wont try it one day, she is in fact an animal) but she had to learnt hat it didnt work at all.

[Ashling]

Lorikeets can be nippy, but mine has never drawn blood on purpose (the only time was when she got a fright while I was holding her, and she used her beak to free herself from my hands). Before anything can be done, you have to find out exactly what causes her to bite. Or, as a rule, don't make a big deal when she bites, just put her on the floor (if safe) and leave her. She'll learn that biting puts her in a vulnerable position. Good luck.