Alex with attitude! Help!

[carmel]

Hello I just got my first ever parrot and am struggling. I was so excited about getting a hand reared alexandrine I organised it months ago. I picked him up from the breeder one and a half weeks ago and he started biting on the second day. Since then I have tried different things starting with tapping his nose and saying no! that didn't work (it got worse) so I stopped that. Instead I just said no in a loud voice. Still no success. then I got some advice to squeeze the area near his beak, which worked at first. Also I was told to keep him off my shoulder untill he learns to stop (ranking).
Now it seems like it's on his terms only. he steps up if he wants to, if you have food he will take it, but if you don't he will bite most of the time unless he wants to come in/out of the cage.
I feel as though I am going around in circles.
Please help!!!!!

[Jane]

Hey Carmel and welcome. You have come to the right place for help, we have quite a few members with alexs who will be along shortly to help you. Sorry I can't help.

[petiel]

Hi Carmel and welcome. Never tap or squeeze his beak that will make matters worse. This is now a scared little bird and you now have to get his trust back. You are right don't allow him on your shoulder until he knows you are the boss and not him and you can trust him.
Try not to be scared of him when he trys to bit you just say NO in a loud voice and if he is on your hand drop it so the bird is off balance.
Alexandrine do go through a teething stage and do come out of that within a couple of weeks.

[vankarhi]

I can remember Takoda going through a "nippy" stage........but I also handraised him so we had that trust thing happening too. He has never savagely bitten me.

My advise would be what Pauline has said. I have tried the "advise" you were given and with some birds it really does make them worse not better. I would advise you to wear gloves and a long sleeved shirt too, this way when he does bite you will not feel it so much and then he will not get the reaction he sees in you at the moment.

Have you thought of using a clicker to train him. Unfortuneatly I think you are goiing to have to go right back to basics with him now. Start right from the begining pretending like you only have just got him. Except you do know that he will bite you so wear the protection. I know not everyone will agree with this, but I have doen this with 2 sulfer crested 'toos and a galah and they tamed down within a couple of weeks.........and they were not handraised babies either.

It is going to take a lot of patience on your part now.........but he is still very young.......a baby by the sound of it and it will be well worth it in the long run.

With the clicker use it to teach him at first that he will get a treat. If he takes treats from you, just click immediately he takes a treat and do this for a few mins. He may or may not understand what you are doing immediately it may take a few short lessons during the day for him to understand that the click means "treat". So just give the treat and as soon as he takes it "click" the clicker. You can buy clickers from a lot of pet shops down south, like in Brisbane. I had to buy mine from Brisbane as there were none here where I am from. It doesn't have to be a clicker either, you can use your voice by saying either "good boy" or "yes". Keep the word the same whenever training don't change it or you will confuse the bird.

Once you have him doing this then you can work on "the step up". You can just have your hand near him maybe with a treat and if he comes near your hand then click, if he comes a little closer next time, then click. If he touches your hand next time, then click, if he steps onto your hand then click and tell him "good boy" and make sure for every "click" or "yes" you must give a treat. By the way not all birds are food orientated either, some prefer to patted as their reward........my galah was a pat/scratch reward bird, whereas my ekkie and alex's are food reward birds.

Remember with any training it is going to be slow but once you have gained his trust, then it will get better. Also Alex's are not touchy feely birds either, so don't expect him to love to come and want to be scratched and patted. My alex's love to sit with me and Takoda loves to lick me and he actually doens't mind being patted for a very short time........but he is not the norm either. Most alex's do love to be with their chosen "friend" and just sit with them, share their food, watch a movie, or walk around the yard etc.......or even learn some tricks.

There is a clicker trainiing group called "birdclick" they are a yahoo group. I used to participate in their group but have not been active for some time now.

Good luck and just remember take it slow, be patient, gain his trust and in a few weeks you will see changes in him.

My ekkie girl was handraised but not by me and when I bought her home she bit me senseless for the first few days. I was bruised and bleeding............but then she just stopped and she was the best pet for the next 2 years..........until she matured. ;D

Oh another thing, is your bird clipped? I know this can be a heated subject, but I firmly believe in clipping pet birds especially if they have a tendancy to bite and while trying to tame or train them..........just my opinion, but I have found in a lot of cases their attitude does change........you can always let the feathers grow back later once he is tame. Just my honest opinion.

Let us know how you go with him.

[AussieBirds]

Excellent advice Pauline.

John

[carmel]

Thankyou Everyone

I am feeling more confident already now that I have your support ! I am in Brissy so I will be looking in the pet shops for a clicker over the next few days!!!
I like the idea of wearing gloves so it doesn't hurt me and he doesn't get the reaction, because I think he is TOO SMART! and has worked out I am a softy. (Maybe I should have got a parrot before I had children..... LOL!!!)

In a answer to your question Pauline I bought Alex from a wonderful (birdcrazy) man near Ipswich. He has only just started with Alexandrines but is successfully breeding many other birds and parrots. He has been doing it for longer than I have been alive! When I got Alex he was 8 wks old (9.5 now), and he got clipped the day I brought him home.

I think we have been spooking each other! Now that I have found this website I feel much better. Thankyou again for such a warm welcome.

Cheers

Carmel

[vankarhi]

mmm......8 weeks is a bit young for him to be weaned. Takoda was around 11 weeks old when he weaned and I have been told that is quite normal. But Pauline would be able to tell you more on that one. I might just be too soft for my own good too. ;D

Welcome here and I bought our clickers from Pet City in Wishart...........love that pet store. ;D

[petiel]

Carmel, Tracey is right 8 weeks is far to early for a Alexandrine to wean, I have found 12 weeks is a good age and Alexandrines will wean themself starting at about 10 weeks and they will let you know when they have had enough and only take what they need in baby mix.
My parent reared babies leave the nest at 9 weeks and the parents still feed them for another 2 weeks out of the nest box.
That could be some of the reason why he is a little cranky.

[vankarhi]

Yes Pauline that is what I was thinking.........he might still be a bit hungry.

Carmel, try to put some soft food out for him too, maybe some scrambled eggs, some egg and biscuit dry and some egg and biscuit wet too. I would use some baby bird forumla but I already have some left over in my freezer. For you it might be too expensive to buy proper baby bird formula just for a a couple of weeks (that is why I suggested egg and biscuit) of putting some food out for him to nibble on. Make sure he has some chopped apples, rockmelon, some warmed up frozen peas/corn/carrots. Maybe even grate some carrot etc etc for him to taste test and hopefully he will be able to play, munch and fill his belly on some soft food as well as seed.

p.s the suggestions of fruit are only an example, I also have frozen mixed berries and my birds love them unfrozen of course ;D My birds will eat just about anything though. LOL

I don't normally like using egg and biscuit but I have been using it for my canaries and when their first baby had to go into a cage on his own I put some wet and dry egg and biscuit in the cage for him and he ate till his heart content. I also had seed in a container and I also added some seed to the dry egg and biscuit. He is now fully weaned and not needing the egg and biscuit anymore (just my breeding canaries have it again).

[vankarhi]

hope all this info helps you and please keep us posted on his progress. ;D

[courtzrocks]

Plus birds get moody too like us, sometimes they just "don't feel like it". Dont force it, let it happen and after a while it will all fall into place except for biting, dont let it bite but never use physical force on it. take away a privilledge and dont let it have it back until it doesnt bite.

[carmel]

Hello everyone
Thankyou for all the advice! I have a clicker now but have not started using it yet as I have just started working full time and am still adjusting to the whole balancing act. However Alex and I get our time together every morning and night when I get home.
your right some days he's cranky and doesn't want to know me but other days he can't stand to be away from me. He sits on my shoulder and happily chatters to me. It is so special
He also loves everyone else in the family, and sometimes picks one of them. I am so glad he is becoming friendly now it is making it so much nicer. He only goes to bite now after he gives his warning and it is never hard. But I do wear the glove when I need to, at cheeky moments So so far so good!!!!! thankyou all. I am enjoying reading all your comments and I do whenever I can. am sorry replies are short and minimal. I also have a golden retriever, a guinea pig, a child and a husband to look after so life is sometimes hectic

I would like to wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year !!!!!

[carmel]

Oh I almost forgot Gee aren't they destructive buggers!! He's already demolished two of the wooden toys I bought him!!! I love the intelligence though. They look at you when you tell them off and wait till you turn your back. Just like children

[vankarhi]

Yes apparently they have the intelligence of maybe a 5 year old child (when the alex is fully grown that is). My Takoda knows his name now and when I say "TAKODA!!!" he knows he is in trouble LOL and looks "oh so innocent mummy" LOL He also does know his name as when I just call him he does look to me ;D

Yes I know what being busy is all about too. We have 6 children but lucky for us 2 of the older ones left home a few years ago, one of the teenagers left home a couple of weeks ago and the other 2 teenagers are hardly ever home and "threatening" me (lovingly of course) with leaving home.........it so hard to hide my excitement at the prospect of it PMSLOL that just leaves us with our 5 year old boy who starts grade one next year. We also have 2 dogs which we do obedience/agility trials with and I am now an obedience judge too. I started to work in March.......but left Bunnings on Friday as I have found myself another job working school hours and some Sat mornings from 8 - 12. Woo hoo I am excited at not having to work 18 hours on a weekend now lol

Merry Xmas to you too Carmel and keep popping in and letting us know about your birdie and your family too.........we love to hear all about "everything" ;D

[Jane]

I am happy to hear he is settling in so well and keeping you entertained
Merry Christmas to you too

[vankarhi]

Oh and yes Carmel they do love to chew things to ;D

They do say "a loved toy is a destroyed toy" lol