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In Reply to: I have to wear gloves now because of her biting! posted by Janine on July 02, 2009 at 08:24:12:
: Hi everybody,
: Although you aren't aware, I was here a few weeks ago to read up on "the terrible twos" (my GCC is about 9 mo. old) and how to work through the biting/nipping stage my girl seems to be in. Yes, there was change in her routine. My husband went back on the road to work after being home with us since we brought her home at about 8-10 weeks of age. Please know that she has/had always been a sweet, loving and affectionate bird. There was never any question but that she had bonded to us and adored us as well. That being said... I followed the advice given: put a blanket over the back of her cage so she didn't feel so exposed, didn't jump or freak or cry out when she bit me, calmly said "no bite" and if she continued to bite me, I put her back in her cage. Then tried again about 30 min. later. Also went to neutral territory to handle her. This all worked great for a few days. We made a lot of progress so I took her out into the back yard for some sun (in her cage of course) when a girlfriend and I were out there getting some sun ourselves. I made sure to leave the blanket, put her cage right next to me and after she got used to it, it was great. I was able to take her out and hold her and she seemed to LOVE being outside. So much so, in fact, that I took her out there again 2 days ago when I was planting my deck container garden and again she was loving and affectionate and seems to love it. But for the past 36-48 hours, every time I go to the cage to let her out she bites me. My fingers are swollen and hurting and I'm exhausted from the stress of trying to figure out, and fix, what's going on. It seems as if she may be enraged by the fact that she's in the cage so much but she's there because she's biting me and it's just a vicious circle. I'm wearing suede gloves to handle her now and am thinking of getting some leather gardening gloves for roses (I have roses all over my yard and get a certain type of glove every few years to tend them in) as the suede ones are actually a pair of fairly nice gloves I use in the winter... but I am worried about the message this is sending her. On the other hand; I'm becoming less and less willing to let her damage my fingers and hands any more than she already has. I'm sure the fact that I'm sad, frustrated and occasionally angry translates to her but I don't know what to do. I don't want her to have to spend her life in her cage and don't want to spend her time out of the cage trying to anticipate when/why/what she'll get set off over and start attacking me again because of.........
: And now I must go because my husband started his own company and I'm the bookkeeper and must get payroll done. I will check back with you all later today......
: Sunivah (Suni, pronounced Soonee for short) and I appreciate any help you can give us. This hasn't been going on long and she has always been sweet and loving so I know it's not her nature to be this way. I am sure the behavior can be changed, I just don't want to let it go on and feel like I've hit a wall on how to proceed.
: Thanks guys~
Thank you everybody for the time you took, the advice you gave and help you've given. Covering her cage at night has made a HUGE difference in just a few days. Instead of both of us waking up with the sun, I decide when she wakes up and we are both less crabby in the morning for it. I do take her up to shower with me as she LOVES the bathroom but her "showers" are in the kitchen where she stands on the bridge between our double sinks as she likes her water much colder than I do! Her cage is on a "cage hook" about 4 & 1/2 feet off the floor and measures about 19" X 19" X 24" and she has plenty of room for her rope perch, branch perch three different types of toys with bells and three separate food dishes. On average, she is out of her cage flying around the house for at least 5-8 hrs per day. Yes, I'm familiar with height and dominance issues and both my husband and I have worked hard to make sure she knows we are the "flock leaders". Her issues with me are not so much territorial... She has "designated" locations we allow her to be (not on lampshades and so forth) and it doesn't seem to be my encroachment of those areas that sets her off. It's usually when we're away from those places, playing together or on the way to do something and she just fluffs up like a little lioness and pounces on whatever flesh of mine is closest. Honestly, I think she's just being pissy! Like a toddler who has just learned the word "NO" and is using it at every opportunity to show that they too have power over things. I'm inclined to think, like Julie, that my sweet, loving little GC is still in there and will come back out when she's through with this phase. My husband laughs about her being high maintenance because his wife can be too! And yeah, I'm leaning towards thick band-aids on my fingers instead of gloves because the problem isn't with getting her from her cage onto me... it's not knowing when she's going to chomp on my fingers for whatever reason she deems appropriate. But yes, we've been working together pretty successfully over the weekend and I'm learning to read her better.
Thanks again everybody~
J