Caique overstimulation help
Looking for some advice on how to deal with a bird at work.
Astro is about a year old, and has been transferred through four stores in the last year because of his problem behavior. Someone finally had the wits to send him to my store- we have a lot of "bird people" and in my experience most of the "problem birds" just need some calm handling from someone who won't let them get away with the shenanigans they've picked up. I say he- to my knowledge, the bird hasn't been sexed.
Astro is an outgoing, confident and curious caique, and he bites. When you're holding something colorful. When he sees a sink. When he sees a fish. When there's bright colors, or loud noises, or whenever there is something OMG EXCITING! Unfortunately, everything seems to be overstimulating. He is not safe to have on a shoulder, as he doesn't just bite hands, but also faces and necks.
He has a lot of toys to destroy, and he has a pretty good view of the store, so it's not like the things he's seeing while out are new.. He does get out at least for a little bit every day, but because he's such a biter, we can't take him out for very long because he gets so worked up, and honestly most of the other people will quit trying soon, as he can do a lot of damage.
We've been working on step up and a "nice" targeting behavior, so when he does get excited I can ask him for a behavior to distract then reward him.
He also seemed to decide that I was his birdy girlfriend at first sight, without any inappropriate petting/warm food etc going on. He doesn't seem to "defend" me, but I'm worried that he might, and it probably isn't helping the situation.
So: how do I get him to bite less/ be less easily overstimulated? He'll never find a home if he's not safe to handle.
Astro is about a year old, and has been transferred through four stores in the last year because of his problem behavior. Someone finally had the wits to send him to my store- we have a lot of "bird people" and in my experience most of the "problem birds" just need some calm handling from someone who won't let them get away with the shenanigans they've picked up. I say he- to my knowledge, the bird hasn't been sexed.
Astro is an outgoing, confident and curious caique, and he bites. When you're holding something colorful. When he sees a sink. When he sees a fish. When there's bright colors, or loud noises, or whenever there is something OMG EXCITING! Unfortunately, everything seems to be overstimulating. He is not safe to have on a shoulder, as he doesn't just bite hands, but also faces and necks.
He has a lot of toys to destroy, and he has a pretty good view of the store, so it's not like the things he's seeing while out are new.. He does get out at least for a little bit every day, but because he's such a biter, we can't take him out for very long because he gets so worked up, and honestly most of the other people will quit trying soon, as he can do a lot of damage.
We've been working on step up and a "nice" targeting behavior, so when he does get excited I can ask him for a behavior to distract then reward him.
He also seemed to decide that I was his birdy girlfriend at first sight, without any inappropriate petting/warm food etc going on. He doesn't seem to "defend" me, but I'm worried that he might, and it probably isn't helping the situation.
So: how do I get him to bite less/ be less easily overstimulated? He'll never find a home if he's not safe to handle.