Need help with a Senegal Parrot?

Question

Well my mom has this Senegal Parrot and it keeps on biteing my mom some times and when she puts the bird on the bed for a min and i well be in the liveing room hall way and the bird well see me and then the bird well fly down and attack my shoes why does the bird do that? and why does the bird bite my mom?

Answer 1

Senegal Species Profile



Traits:  Senegal parrots are affectionate and need enough attention to keep them from getting bored, but is independent enough to spend time on a playgym. Senegal owners find their birds to be smart, loving as well as strong-minded. Around the house, the Senegal parrot is a curious creature that closely observes the activities taking place around. Senegal parrots are known to display their intelligence in different ways, with some of them demonstrating it by figuring their way out of a cage while others express their smarts verbally. Senegal parrots have the comical, playful and animated personality of larger parrots, but without the cost, mess or noise typically associated with bigger pet parrots.

Behavior/Health Concerns:  Senegals are susceptible to overgrown beaks, so provide plenty of hard wooden toys for them to chew on. They also can gain excessive amounts of weight, so their diet should consist of pellets, fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Senegal parrots fiercely love their owners and show their affection by burrowing and cuddling with them. To keep the Senegal parrot from being friendly with just one person and snapping at others, be sure to socialize it with everyone in the family. Do not allow courtship behaviors and let the person who the bird does not favor as much provide its favorite treats. Stick training is also important for a Senegal parrot so it will step onto a stick or hand-held perch for every member of the family.

Birds use their beaks for a variety of tasks, including eating, exploring, nest excavation and defense. A clear definition for each type of “bite” clarifies this discussion.

•If your skin is a little red or your bird plucked a few stray hairs, it was touching and tasting, not biting.

•When the beak leaves a small impression and redness on the skin, this is a “nip” or pinch.

•Bruising or bleeding constitutes a bite.

•If your bird leaves a deep bruise or cut and there’s lots of bleeding, this is a “chomp.”

Contrary to opinions expressed in the past, we parrot behavior consultants now put more emphasis on teaching parrots to comply happily whenever possible, instead of muscling in and forcing the issue.

If your parrot will let others pet her but bites after a few minutes, this means that people are trying to pet her for too long a period. The pet owner’s job is to figure out how long is too long. If you time the interactions, you will get a feel for your bird’s tolerance. Once you understand that, you can remove her from the situation before she loses patience and lashes out. If she accepts being stroked for 10 minutes, then move her away after five to seven minutes. You will begin to have no further problem with her biting those who pet her. Her patience will increase once she no longer feels pressured.

If you observe your parrot closely, you will find that she warns of an impending bite with body language that humans often do not understand. Despite their proclivity for noisy interaction, parrots communicate mostly through subtle changes in body posture and feather position. If we are oblivious, we tend to blunder along, being incredibly rude from the parrot’s point of view. As far as they are concerned, they are being perfectly clear with their feelings. Unable to know that we do not understand what they are telling us, they likely perceive humans as ignorant.

When she nips you while you put her into the cage, she might be trying to tell you that she would rather be with you than alone in her cage, or you might be holding her in such a way that she has to step backward into the cage, which many parrots resist. Whatever the reason, you can change her behavior by teaching her that lovely things happen when she politely enters the cage, such as a reward.

If you put her into the cage backward, try facing her inward to see if that helps. Additionally, show her that you just dropped her favorite treat into her bowl. This treat should be used only as a reward. Now she might be more inclined to return to the cage to retrieve her reward. My macaw always receives a nut for going into her cage, so the cage becomes a good thing.

As an alternative, step her down into her cage and lavishly praise her politeness, then instantly bring her out to play some more. Repeat this exercise several times; put her in the cage, praise her, and then bring her out for more attention. By combining the training, praise and special food treats, she will learn to enter her cage with pleasure.

If your parrot is not hurting you when she bites you,  she is telling you something in a polite and gentle fashion. A nip is more of a pinch. There is discomfort involved, but it isn’t a bite. In other words, she is not nipping just because she is using her beak. That is tantamount to assuming that hands are only used to damage, no matter how gentle their touch.

Do not try to pet your bird if she screams and bites. Forcing your affection on your bird is astonishingly rude. Unfortunately, most people are accustomed to dogs that always seem to enjoy petting. Many people perceive parrots as dogs with feathers, so they assume there is something wrong with a parrot if it doesn’t want to be petted. This is an erroneous conclusion. Like humans, parrots have opinions about what is permitted with their bodies, and they — like us — have the right to enforce their beliefs.

Answer 2

birds that don't normally bite and then begin a pattern of biting are usually coming into sexual maturity, for some it's a dominance issue. How old is this bird and how long has she had it. If it's being aggressive, she needs to try some different techniques to put him/her in their place: not being allowed up on shoulder or above, teaching to "step-up" on her hand, and putting her in her cage when she's biting.

Answer 3

When my daughter moved out, she left her African Senegal behind for me to care for it.  The parrot loved my daughter and I was a poor replacement.  The parrot did bite me a few times.  Once it relized that I was the boss and did not accept that kind of behavior, things started to change.  I would talk to the parrot, feed it when I ate, even to the point that the parrot would eat my food.  I even would say, "take a shower" and it began to shower with me.  We would go for walks to the park or even the post office while it rested on my shoulder.  At the time, I had a  female gray hound dog, a female cat with kittens in the back yard.  The parrot was allowed to roust in my trees.  Since the wings were clipped, the parrot did not go far.  One day, I gave the dog some bones, the mother cat tried tasting the bones, then the little kittens.  The dog gave way to the cat and kittens.  To my suprize, it was the parrot who poked at the dog, cat and gently took away the bones from the kittens.   When my daughter returned home one day, the parrot ignored her as if she was not even there.  On the next visit, the parrot showed her how it felt by bitting her nail.  My daughter felt extreme pain but did not do anything to stop the parrot.  I had to wack the parrot and send it flying across the kitchen.  The parrot drew blood from my duahter's nail.  The bird was not harmed and was very contrite when it walked back to us.  

What I would like you to know is you are the boss.  Give the parrot attention, love and food and make sure it understands the pecking order in your family.  My daughter's parrot was smart and gave me the companionship I needed.  They are very smart, just like any child, and will take advantage of a situation unless you take charge.  Be sure to keep the wings clipped.  Whenever ours would get away, it would call for me and I would call for it.  I made sure to carry some bird seeds and rattle the jar.  "Time to eat".  The parrot would always come down to me, where ever it was.  Don't underestimate what the parrot will understand.  Good Luck.