George Doesn't Like Me Anymore

[amcarrig]

Hi folks. Just wanted to shoot this by you to find out if you have any idea why my parrotlet doesn't seem to like me anymore. He's about a year old and because he's a constant squawker, he spends his days in a nicely lit/ventilated sun room and his nights back in the house since it's still a bit chilly at night here in the NE. I still make time for him every single day for play/bonding, however, for about the last 3 weeks, any time I go into that sunroom, he fluffs up, makes eardrum busting chirping noises and charges! He even jumped on my arm yesterday and bit me?! Any ideas? Is it just the time of the year? It used to be that he would squawk when he was in/on his cage and I didn't come get him. Now he squawks whenever he's away from his cage. What can I do?

[AndreaFahy]

Do you do any sort of training with George? He may not be stimulated enough by his interactions with you. Simple play, cuddling and talking are often not enough for parrots and you have to boost the interaction to a higher level to keep it very interesting and a lot of fun.

He could be hormonal right now as well and wants to protect his territory. What size cage is he living in?

Does he have lots of chew toys, foraging toys, exercise toys, etc?

Also, if they don't get enough exercise during the day they will become irritable. When a cage is too small it keeps them from exercising enough and they will often view a small cage as their nesting site to protect. Where as in a larger cage, they view only part of the cage that way, not the entire thing.

Is George flighted?

[AndreaFahy]

Another thought - a hand reared parrot will often think that they are a person because they are so strongly imprinted on humans. Thus, a single bird will often think that a human is their mate, when hormonal they can become very very frustrated sexually because of this. The poor kids are psychologically challenged! I like to keep my parrots in pairs, it eases that tension :)

[amcarrig]

Hi there and thanks for replying! I do not do any training with George but I'm interested in knowing more about this?

He is currently in a Kaytee brand cage that is made for medium sized parrots that has a playtop so he's got plenty of room. I have lots of chew and forage toys for him both inside and on top of the cage which I change regularly. Because he's in such a secure and safe spot, I leave the cage door open for him during the day so he's free to move in and out of the cage and throughout the sunroom should he be so inclined. Because of the fact that he needs to be able to get back into his cage if he flies out/away from it, I have not clipped his flights for a few months.

[AndreaFahy]

Training:
http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=482&highlight=clicker

What are the actual dimensions of George's cage?

Sounds like he has plenty of environmental enrichment and exercise!
And I am pleased he is flighted. Sometimes these behaviors arise in birds that are not allowed flight, so we can cross that off the list.

I'd suggest check out the training thread. It aids in establishing a meaningful relationship with your bird(s) and in buidling a positive relationship.

Let us know if you think of anything else!

[amcarrig]

Another thought - a hand reared parrot will often think that they are a person because they are so strongly imprinted on humans. Thus, a single bird will often think that a human is their mate, when hormonal they can become very very frustrated sexually because of this. The poor kids are psychologically challenged! I like to keep my parrots in pairs, it eases that tension :)
Really?! That makes me feel really weird :D

[amcarrig]

Training:
http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=482&highlight=clicker

What are the actual dimensions of George's cage?

Sounds like he has plenty of environmental enrichment and exercise!
And I am pleased he is flighted. Sometimes these behaviors arise in birds that are not allowed flight, so we can cross that off the list.

I'd suggest check out the training thread. It aids in establishing a meaningful relationship with your bird(s) and in buidling a positive relationship.

Let us know if you think of anything else!
Great....I'll read all that later tonight and hopefully get started with George right away.

As for his cage, it isn't this exact model but the dimensions are the same:

http://www.kaytee.com/products/?pid=00217

[AndreaFahy]

Great job on cage size :) I felt confident you knew what you were talking about, but I have had some people tell me their parrotlet lives in a big parrot cage, and it only measures 16 x 18 or so. Let us know if you have any questions on the clicker training when you go to that thread.

[amcarrig]

Thanks again for your help Andrea. I'll update you as I go along!

[AndreaFahy]

I hope that you do!! Your updates will become useful for others in your same position as well!

[Sally]

Yep, first thing to find out is if you have a very large cage. They really need room or they usually are very unhappy. They need to be able to fly, jump and play with nice big toys. Even if they get out a lot, they need a very, very large home. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/Smtoys.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/cagebywindowPICT0615.jpg

[amcarrig]

OK, well, not much has changed since I first posted but I have decided to leave George in his cage during the day when I'm at work to see if maybe too much freedom is the problem. I still let him out for a few hours when I get home, however and still spend no less than 15-30 minutes with him a day. I would spend more time with him but he really doesn't seem to want to hang with me anymore. I bought him some new toys and have done a little bit of training with him which he has caught on to. He will only "obey" if he sees that I have a treat in my hand but it's a start :)

It's apparent to me that he is EXTREMELY possessive of his cage and that's why he tries to bite me every time I come near it. Once I get him away from his cage, he's fine. No attitude, no biting, but if he can't see his cage, he squawks constantly and bobs his head and stretches his neck looking for it.

I sure do hope that this is just a mating thing because I miss my bird :(

[AndreaFahy]

Birds really like having a mate. If George is very lonely (probably) and sexually frustrated (probably again!) a mate would fulfill those needs that you are unable to fulfill. This will settle his nerves. A happy bird makes a better pet :)

[Sally]

I give Chipper lots of time doing little tricks, singing, talking, playing, etc. They need lots of time. I hold her in my hands and we have a ritual at night with a song and scritches. We have lots of silly games too. We are close buddies. Make sure your cage is very large and fun. They need light and 12 hours of sleep too.

[Sally]

Here is the site where I ordered my Featherbrite light. Also, an article about light. I take Chipper out in a little cage for fresh air and a bit of sun sometimes too. You have to be careful not to let them get hot outside. Just a few minutes. http://users.mis.net/~pthrush/lighting/ncsj1.html

http://www.windycityparrot.com/page/Windycityparrot/PROD/gift_bird/51401581001

[AndreaFahy]

Here is another option, a few dollars more once you add together the lamp and bulb, but it is a really nice floor lamp model that is easy to move around and manipulate where it faces.

http://www.bonsaibirds.com/htm/health.htm

[Sally]

I have read that the light should come from the top. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/mistypets.jpg

[Stephen]

I agree with the advice given so far, but on a simpler note it just seems that George is pissed off with you for some reason. Try spending some time just sitting by the cage not necessarily interacting with him, maybe just reading a book and see what he does. Watch him discretely and note his behavior. Is he ignoring you, or watching what you are doing. Does he move over closer to you or away? These subtle behaviours can give some valuable insight as to why he's pissed......
Stephen

[AndreaFahy]

It should, but for a cage that are domes or triple tops or even tops that are solid, the moveable lamp would be easier to position over it.

[amcarrig]

I agree with the advice given so far, but on a simpler note it just seems that George is pissed off with you for some reason. Try spending some time just sitting by the cage not necessarily interacting with him, maybe just reading a book and see what he does. Watch him discretely and note his behavior. Is he ignoring you, or watching what you are doing. Does he move over closer to you or away? These subtle behaviours can give some valuable insight as to why he's pissed......
Stephen
Thanks for the support and advice everybody. It really is appreciated. I do what Stephen suggests every night after work and I made extra sure to spend extra time with George over the weekend. He usually just sits on top of his cage, chases and plays with a toy or two, and pokes his head up every few seconds to see what I'm doing. He only moves away if I put my hands near him so I've been avoiding doing that unless he seems like he wants to be picked up. I have noticed that he is a bit calmer once his initial "tantrum" is over but he still tries to nip at my face if he sits on my shoulder and I turn my head to look at him. I suspect and hope that that behavior will pass once the mating season is over. I'd love to get him a mate but, unfortunately, the breeder that I got him from is no longer breeding parrotlets and I don't know of any other breeders in my area (Connecticut) that I can trust enough to buy a bird from.

Oh, and George gets plenty of sun as he's in a fully enclosed sun room all day. :)

[AndreaFahy]

If the sun room has glass windows, all of the beneficial UVA and UVB rays are being filtered out.

[amcarrig]

The sunroom has sliding glass doors (with screens) which I leave open all day :)

[AndreaFahy]

Nice :) Not many people can offer that! I guess there are not animals that might be able to break through the screen?

[amcarrig]

Nah, I live in a somewhat suburban area so the most we have are a few outdoor cats but they keep their distance from the house for the most part.

George is getting better day by day it seems. First thing I do when I go into the sunroom is sit on the rocker and just talk to him for a few minutes. Then (once he stops squawking his durn fool head off), I get on hands and knees and start picking up bits of food that he has dropped onto the floor (who's training whom I wonder). A few seconds after I start doing that, he'll jump on my head then onto the floor to help me "forage" and by "help", I mean that he follows me around waiting for me to find something good to feed him :) He washed himself when I took him in the shower last night too so I think he's calming down a bit because lately, he had just been sitting on the shower rod and pouting. :)