# help with a jerk face



## blgreek08 (Sep 15, 2014)

okay guys so i have one tiel that is fully tame and loves attention......one that is mostly tame and if is in the mood wants attention but I'm asking for help because i have one that is a complete jerk face!!! i have had him about a month and no matter what i do he bites the crap out of me. his bite hurts worse then my african greys!! and once he latches on he will not let go. i try my best to not react but its not always possible. he draws blood every time. 

the worst part is he will step up sometimes like he is gonna be good and nice but as soon as he is on my finger he attacks my hand and finds a finger to latch onto. its so frustrating. he gets very jealous when i have the other 2 on my shoulders and stuff and acts like he wants it to then when i try to let him he attacks. i just don't know what to do. its very upsetting. i honestly am afraid to leave the cage door open at this point. i take the other 2 out to play then lock the door and keep him in because i can't get him back in the cage without either using a towel or loosing blood. 

can anyone help at all??


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## Krieger (Oct 31, 2015)

Might need to find him a new home if he doesnt show any signs of settling in with your other fids and yourself


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## blgreek08 (Sep 15, 2014)

Krieger said:


> Might need to find him a new home if he doesnt show any signs of settling in with your other fids and yourself


well he is fine with the other birds. he just hates me. the lady i got him from said he was semi tame and she held him. but i cannot at all.


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## Dislian (Sep 5, 2015)

I have my Grimmjow from two weeks ago and he bites (not hard) when he doesn't want something. All I do is not to move my hand and say no. He usually pushes my finger with his beak. 

I am in a similar situation and any advice would be helpful for both of us!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You've only had him a month. This is not enough time for a bird to settle in, especially one that's not used to being handled. Most birds are afraid of fingers, so try using a fist or a palm to get him to step up. Check out our training section for more tips.


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## blgreek08 (Sep 15, 2014)

well i will give him more time. but he really is a jerk the other one already loves me and i got them at the same time. 

i really hope he comes around. i like him a lot


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Is there a reason he needs to be tame? If he gets along well with your other birds, maybe consider allowing him to just be an independent hands-off bird. You could work on training him to step up on a perch to go back in the cage, and he could come out and play on his own.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

As for the actual tiel bite - some just 'beak' you and might squeak a bit while doing it but they don't actually really do anything like break the skin or pinch. At the other end of the range is the tiel that seems to find a delicate spot then crunches down and doesn't let go (like a vise grip) and sometimes even closes his eyes while doing it as (your) blood drips from the finger.

As far as I have been able to tell, it just varies by bird and doesn't necessarily mean that the 'severe' nipper is really more upset with you than the one that does practically nothing.

Some tiels are more suitable for handling than others. I generally respect their wishes when it comes to how tolerant they are of handling. Per enigma's post he might be inclined to be mainly a hands-off bird.

Don't take a hard-biter's chomp too personally


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Joey loves scritches, and doesn't mind us adjusting toys right beside him, hand feeding, and other things involving us having our hands right by or on him, but he will not step up for anything. He will hiss and nip at us if we even think of it. I think each bird has his or her own level of comfort, and own list of what is and isn't allowed. Some birds just don't want to be touched. Hard as it is for us, we have to respect their boundaries. I'd love for Joey to step up, but until he decides he wants to, I am not going to push it.


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## Dislian (Sep 5, 2015)

Personally, I love to pet animals so it's difficult for me to understand that maybe they don't want to be touched. I will be working with Grimmjow because he sometimes likes a bit being touched but I won't force him.

Thanks for the suggestions!


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Dislian said:


> Personally, I love to pet animals so it's difficult for me to understand that maybe they don't want to be touched. I will be working with Grimmjow because he sometimes likes a bit being touched but I won't force him.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestions!


I think of it as with humans. Some of us are very lovey and huggy and some don't want anyone to touch them. Some of us are very huggy, but only with certain people. Birds, same with people, need to be allowed to choose when and who they are comfortable with, and building trust goes a long way. Give Grimmjow time to trust and build from there. Slow, careful attempts. watching body language. It is hard for us as humans to be patient and work on a tiel's time frame.


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

TamaMoo said:


> I think of it as with humans. Some of us are very lovey and huggy and some don't want anyone to touch them. Some of us are very huggy, but only with certain people. Birds, same with people, need to be allowed to choose when and who they are comfortable with, and building trust goes a long way. Give Grimmjow time to trust and build from there. Slow, careful attempts. watching body language. It is hard for us as humans to be patient and work on a tiel's time frame.


This this this. I think it's really important to remember that these are living beings with their own minds and personalities, and just like people, some birds just don't like that kind of attention. One of my girls is like this. I've had her for YEARS and i've done everything I can to win her over, but she just isn't interested. Ideally they'd all just get over it and accept it lol, but some are gonna take a bit longer to win over. Slow and steady really does win the race in these cases. He needs to be the one to call the shots and let you know when he's ready to interact.


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