my birds about 2 years old and im trying to spend more time with him

[Brookie]

I have a pretty nice bird but sometime he thinks hes boss because I dont take him out of the cage as much as I should. It was to the point of getting rid of him or making time to spend with him. So Im going to try to make time. I just wish he would mellow and hang out on my shoulder with chewing off my ear or snapping sometimes........any advice. when he snapped today I put him back in him cage...how long do I keep him in there for time out???:confused:

[LovelySydney]

Hi - how long have you had your bird?? Your bird might not be aggressive towards YOU but maybe just while inside the cage. Some birds are cage aggressive and much different when they are away from their "homes". As far as spending time with your bird, you need to do that on HIS terms. Birds need to trust their human counterparts in order to co-exist with them peacefully. If you try and force your bird to spend time with you when he doesn't want to that might only make bonding harder because he isn't doing it on his terms. Ive had birds that come to me right away and birds that have taken MONTHS to warm up to me. Of course it was frustrating but once the trust starts its worth it to be patient and wait. If you really cannot stand that your bird doesn't want to spend time with you maybe you should think about rehoming him to someone who is willing to spend time with him and let him trust on his own terms. Your bird also might be upset because, as you said, you aren't spending much one on one time with him. Again, you are going to have to be patient and let him learn to trust you and be comfortable with you before he will willingly spend time with you. Time outs can be done at your own discretion. However, understand that he might learn that biting you gets him back in his cage and if thats where he wants to be instead of on you, then you are just rewarding his behavior because he is learning that all he has to do to go back to his cage is bite you.


Birds are tricky - dont give up!! Just be patient and he will come around. It could take days, weeks or months but consistency and patience are the key. Also remember that some birds never take to human interaction as we would like them to. Some birds just prefer to be independent and on their own (I have two birds like that) while others are velcro birds and never want to leave your side. Its just depends on the bird and their own personality. Good luck, dont give up - the time and patience is worth it.

[bookworm0550]

my birds like to come out of their cages too and they definitely let me know that and they are the boss of me for sure. i take them out as much as i can no matter what. letting them come out to play is not an option for me, it's a priority. i mean, you have to see where he's coming from. he's stuck in that cage all day and no one lets him out, of course he's gonna demand that you let him out. mine run around excitedly when i get home. i think it's great that you are making that decision to spend more time w/ him.

just my opinion, but you say you don't spend time w/ him and he bites at you? i think you need to start at level one w/ him again, to build that trust between you guys. i also think when they chew your ear, they don't hurt you on purpose. i don't think they realize the strength of their beaks. if he attacks your face and what not, then being on your shoulder is not an option for you or for him. you shouldn't allow him on your shoulders if he does that. one of my lovebirds does that. he doesn't realize he's using that much pressure on me so it really hurts. i just don't allow him on my shoulders anymore. nor do i try to kiss him anymore either.

as far as time out goes, i don't think they understand what a time out is. i don't think they really understand any kind of punishment.

does he have a play area or play gym he can play on while he's out? you can play w/ him w/o him sitting your shoulders. like i used to have pony beads laid out in front of me and joey would play with them and roll these little balls w/ bells in them around. or i hold a piece of paper for them to chew.