Bad Behaviour

[maddimoocha]

I've had my 5 month old Galah Aussie for 1 month now, and he is willing to get on my hand and talk a little to me, but he still bites everything, he eats zippers, nails, ears, rings,lounges, chairs, curtains, paper, cords,toys and clothes, and i have tired everything to stop him biting and nothing is working i really need help. He decided when he wanted to let me pat him ( which is very rarley) and when he wanted to be around people. i really want to teach him tricks and cuddle him, but he wont stop biting. can anoyone please help?? i have tried everything.

[flossy]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum.
I am in no way an expert, but the first thing that came to mind was "that's pretty normal!"....lol. Aussie is a baby, he will chew, eat, break, destroy most things at that age, and for a while to come. I don't have a Galah and I'm sure one of the more experienced Galah owners will respond accordingly....but in my experience all young birds....and for that matter....older birds...chew! They only have their beaks to entertain themselves with, so they use it. My Major Mitchell will chew and destroy everything in site. She chews the most bizarre things if allowed and it is very frustrating!! So I make sure she has lots of toys, lots of foraging branches with surprises hidden and I change them all the time. She always has fresh branches to chew on - she strips them bare!! In seconds I might add.....but then she goes back over it and starts again....She makes a horrible mess, but it wouldn't be fair to expect anything else from her.
I guess you have to let Aussie out under controlled supervision and remove him and try and distract him with things he can chew - when he is being naughty and chewing things he shouldn't. Birds can be very temperamental and again, I don't know much about Galah's - so someone else will have to comment on their personalities.
As for handling him, and being able to scratch and pat him. This all comes with time. Being 4 months old when you got him, he might not have been handled a lot as a baby? So he might be wondering what the heck you are trying to do?
Perseverance and persistence is the golden key with animals and birds alike in my opinion. You need to gain his trust.....and he needs to learn you are no threat to him. Stay calm and cool...talk to him softly....let him know you love him......Don't push him too far too quickly. Give him time, and don't expect miracles to happen. 1 month isn't long to have had him.......he is still settling in.....
Was he hand-reared from a young age? Or was he removed and "quietened down" later on? There is a huge difference. He could have had no human contact until he was fledged....who knows? If you do, then please let us know??? It could shed a bit more light on his problems.

Good luck for now and I hope we hear more from the other people on here. Quite a few of our lovely members have Galah's as pets....so I am sure someone will help.
Flossy

[gypsy]

Hi and Welcome to the forum.
I am no 'expert' but I do have a pet Galah. Wally chews anything and everything! He uses his beak like an extra 'balancer' when climbing around, he also nibbles (almost like tasting) ears, fingers, buttons etc but a gentle 'no, hurts mummy' when he gets near my earings seems to distract him. Flossy is right they NEED to chew, fresh branches, chewable perches, chewable toys. I have heard when they 'bite' they can draw blood, so I can say Wally has not 'bitten' me yet, but he likes to nibble on me
I say 'scratch' to Wally, and if he wants a scratch he will come to me, he even says scratch now - so its on his terms, sometimes he looks at me and turns away! We started that one by saying scratch as we scratched him behind the neck, so he knew that a hand going near his head meant something nice, he will now wiggle his head around to just where he wants the scratch. Wally is not too fond of being 'patted' but will play snuggles under my jumper and loves having a shower with me. When you are wanting to cuddle, have a little 'stick' of wood to offer when he tries to nibble on something you dont want him too, but I am afraid a shiny metal zip is much more interesting than a boring bit of wood
When they are out of the cage its like 'playtime' so many new things to explore and taste - its perfectly normal!
It all takes time, lots of fruit and vege to chew on, a slice of corn cob, all help to keep them amused, I found a calcium perch a great chew time, fresh native branches, all sorts of things to keep those busy beaks chewing that are good for them!

[Robyn]

Jun 15, 2011 13:55:42 GMT 10 maddimoocha said:

I've had my 5 month old Galah Aussie for 1 month now, and he is willing to get on my hand and talk a little to me, but he still bites everything, he eats zippers, nails, ears, rings,lounges, chairs, curtains, paper, cords,toys and clothes, and i have tired everything to stop him biting and nothing is working i really need help. He decided when he wanted to let me pat him ( which is very rarley) and when he wanted to be around people. i really want to teach him tricks and cuddle him, but he wont stop biting. can anoyone please help?? i have tried everything.

Hi, Galahs can be a bit of a handful at times, I think sometimes they test the boundaries of us unsuspecting humans. Have a read of this link it may be of help.


www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/nurturing.html

You have only had Aussie for a short time & really it's not enough time for you to work out his body language. There is no quick fix for his behavior & i really hate to tell you this but most of what your little guy has learnt so far has been from you. You need to work with him now before he really gets out of hand.

www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/drama.html

See how you go with both links. And there is plenty more helpful info that will help you.

[davewa]

Hi how are you going,

I have had Bob for 7 years now and still wonder why he does what he does, otherwise the advise given so far is very accurate. I have found that different times of year have different moods and as they get older they can change just like us, they have phases in their life and personality. Galahs are also as others have said here PINK CHICKENS, they become scared of everything new and if they have a bad experience it stays with them for years.
Persistance and time are the only things that work, Parrots are not like other pets they take more time to gain trust because they are a prey animal not a predator.
Other than that they are a good pet as they can be quieter than some breeds and not too much of a drama queen, just chicken.