Morning agressiveness

[fypgitjiez]

I'm new to this forum. The reason I signed up is because my parrotlet has become very agressive. He is 8 months old, I've had him for 5. He is very sweet throughout the day, he doesn't scream unnecessarily, and he eats his food. My problem is that first thing in the morning he is very demanding and agressive. First, he screams his head off until we let him out. Then, when his door is opened, he flies to our shoulders and bites the skin on our necks. Not just nips, but bites that leave marks. He runs away from our fingers when we try to pick him up, and he won't let us put our hands in his cage. Remember, this is all in the morning immediately after waking. Usually, we spend about 30-45 minutes with him out of his cage in the morning. He is returned to his cage, gets fresh food and some veggies, then he comes out a few hours later. When he comes out for the second time, he is very sweet and just wants to spend time with us. He is playful, curious, and never bites. What should I do? I want him to be sweet all the time. It's really hard to take first thing in the morning. One thing we've tried is to not take him out of his cage immediately, but then he just screams so loud that we give in. What is wrong with him?

[Sally]

Chipper starts to chirp loudly in the morning. We have a routine. I speak softly and let her jump on my shoulder and I make her breakfast. What she wants right away is the birdy breads and Teil Cookies. I put those in her coconut and tiki hut toys and she DIGS IN! Quiet as a mouse. I think they are hungry.

Does your bird sleep for 12 quiet hours? I Cover Chipper at 8pm. She asks to go to bed at that time every night.

Here is Chipper, my little p'let girl, eating her Teil Cookie and also, the place she sleeps. Under her little ball toy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/PICT1218400.jpg
I am glad you are here! We want to see photos! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/sleeptag400.jpg

[Azale]

Hmm. I don't really know personally, but I'll throw in my two cents anyways.

If any of my birds are screaming, unless something is wrong (like stuck or no food)... I do not let them out of their cage. Usually, they are screaming for attention, and when you let them out this shows them "Oh screaming = being let out". Likewise when I get home from work or anything, I pretend I don't 'notice' my bird if they make a racket and than lavish them with attention once they calm down.

Do you cover your cage at night? He might be grumpy after not getting enough sleep. I don't usually uncover them until they wake themselves up.

That's all I can say.

[birdiemom]

I know Paulie is very noisy when he first gets up...he's really hungry and wants breakfast NOW!! He sleeps at least 12 hrs. I never let him out until he finished with breakfast.

[lily]

My bird went through a "teenage" stage at 8 months. She experimented with being very bossy and with biting. I was instructed to be totally unimpressed with the biting so that she would not catch on that she could use it to control me. Wow, THAT took courage; but it worked. If I could be quick enough while she was nipping, I was instructed to gently take hold of her beak and tell her calmly, "No beak." Those little beaks are hard to catch, I know, but she caught on fairly quickly.

She also went through a stage in which she tried screaming for attention although she had everything she needed. I did what Azale did-- I made sure she was never rewarded for screaming. That was hard, too. Do check to make sure your bird is getting at least 12 hours of sleep in a dark, quiet place. About the time my bird was in her screaming phase, I thought she would take naps during the day if she didn't get a full night's sleep. Well, she may have been napping, but she was very cranky, too. They really need their nighttime sleep!

My bird gets a seed/dried veggie & fruit/ legume/nut/herb mixture. If you had something like that, you could put it in his dish when he goes to bed. That way you could let him eat a little while in the morning after you uncover him and before you take him out of the cage.

[AndreaFahy]

Please establish a good relationship based on positive reinforcement and training. Parrots must be rewarded for good behavior in a consistent manner. This is how you will avoid unwanted behaviors.

Other issues have to be considered - cage size, things in the cage, diet, sleep, natural daylight, temp, humidity, he could be lonely if kept singly. There are many things that can be causing this.

[fypgitjiez]

Thank you all so much for your help. Yes, I do cover him at night, and the cover doesn't come off again until he wakes himself up. One pattern I've noticed: on days when it's sunny out, he's more pleasant. He's grumpier on cloudy days. I have started breaking our normal routine. He still comes out first thing in the morning, but that's only long enough to hang out with me while I make his breakfast. Then, it's back into his cage until he's finished eating and ready to hang out. He seemed a little more pleasant, but I think it'll take a few more days to see.
About the screaming: I really think it's excitement. He's excited to be alive and awake with us.

Also, just out of curiousity, what do you use for rewards? I've been using one of his favourite treats: dry blan flakes. Any other suggestions?

[Sally]

I bake birdie cookies called Teil Cookies. Chipper LOVES THEM. First thing she eats after she wakes up!!!

[Azale]

Umm none of my birds were very fond of treats that i've tried, and i've never tried to bake with any of mine... so my reward is! Coddling!
I just praise them in my high pitched baby voice (lol), and just love them. They really seem to react to that, lol.