It has been awhile since I posted about Tiko. Some of you may recall that Tiko was a shy bird who was basically a perch potato. Nothing has changed other than the fact that Tiko is now a biter! He still rarely makes a peep, still will not play with toys,build, etc. For awhile he didn't let anyone get near him but me, but now since April he has become a biter even with me. He seldom steps up now even away from his cage. In fact he hardly leaves his cage even with the door open. He turns his back to everyone or lunges quietly! When he is out he will attack anyone within 10 ft! His cage is not too high, nothing has changed in his environment and the vet says he is healthy.
I do not react to the bites other than a firm "no". The bites were so bad this morning that it took more power than usual to stay calm. I have tried so hard for months to work with him. I have no problems with any of my other birds.
Could this be a hormonal thing and if yes - when will it end?

First how old is Tiko?Are his wings clipped. Does he get 12 hours of sleep. Have you tried the rescue game with him. Taking him into a room that he is not usually in say the bathroom, place him on the floor make sure the toilet seat is down then close the door., and the person that he bits the most have them go rescue him after about 2 mins and make a bid deal over it. Give a try it works, but if wings are not clipped it also makes a attituide adjustment as well.

yes, his wings are clipped. I try and take him into the bathroom - when I first got him that is how I made progress. Tiko is a year and a half now. As for the rescue game, well lets just say he doesn't want to be rescued - lol!
And although he keeps biting me, because I show no reaction he will give up and not bite but then goes to a corner of his cage (or corner of the room, etc) and turns his back to me!

Don't say "no" to him when he bites you. This IS a reaction to the bite because he doesn't know what "no" means. Ignore him completely. Have you been working on training consistently with him? In other words, do you/have you still been reinforcing his step up behavior? You still need to do this occasionally so he will start to associate stepping up with something positive again. If you do these two things together, it will get better but you will need to be consistent. You can also go even slower and start from the beginning again. Just start by not opening his door and dropping a seed or some other favorite food item into his bowl through the bars. Then walk away. Over time he will start to look forward to you coming to the cage (pairing you with something positive) and you can start to stay near his cage longer and longer. After he is comfortable with you, and anyone else in your house who does this, you can then start to work on step up again. Try these methods. It seems like he really doesn't have a trust relationship with you and you need to build that back up.

Hope all goes well.

when my pionus was a nasty little guy everytime he would bite me I would place him back in his cage lock the door and placed a blanket over for 10-15 minutes, then I would stick my hand in and see if he would step up and not bite (if he stepped up I gave him a treat) It only took 3 tries and he stopped biting for good!

Also ive read in alot of books that the firm no (in a deep angry voice) helped aswell but I'm going to say that its only more effective on young birds that don't know how hard they can bite. Baby birds like to please.

Also for when I was working in the pet store my technique for one of our quakers was to just make him step up no matter what and then bring him up to the cash with me and watch me do my thing and let people talk to her. That trick has worked very good with alot of the birds that came in angry or nervous, if they see you mean no harm they wont be all hissy :\

When a bird turns their back on you its show that they don't have any respect for you. (In my opinion) If this is the case, try to think about what might have happened for him to lose respect, or trust. Did you drop him or punish him in some way that hurt his feelings?

Is there a new pet such as a dog or a cat that's been getting more attention, or perhaps another bird that's getting more attention than him. Think back to April or when this behavior started taking place. What has been different since?

You might try backing up and starting over again and see how he responds. You'll need to give him positive reward either verbally or with a treat when he does even the smallest positive thing. He needs to learn to trust and respect you again.

As far as him not wanting to come out of his cage on his own etc. Something must make him uncomfortable while he's outside of it and he doesn't feel safe. Maybe his cage is in too high of trafficed area and he feels unsafe there. You might try moving his cage to a little less busy area of the house and see how he does. Is there someone in the house that could possibly be teasing or intimidating him either human or animal? You might be observent and see what's taking place.

Good luck, remember, small steps...positive reaction, gentle but firm correction if needed.

Just a side note, you don't need to put him on "time-out" if he bites. Just ignoring him and walking away for a few seconds or a few minutes is long enough. No need to put him away and cover him for 10-15 mins. That's too long for many animals to make to connection between behavior and reinforcement (whether positive or negative).

Thank you guys for your support.
I have been racking my brains to all that might have changed and come up blank. I am sure something must have...hmmm
When I first got him he used to turn his back then too.
I have been trying to go back to the very beginning with him. I have been sitting by his cage reading softly to him, etc.
The warning signals were still there tonight that he would bite if I got too close, but he DIDN'T lunge through the bars this time!!!!
baby steps

Does anyone else have a quaker that makes almost no noise?

well, when I first got Darwin he didn't make much noise, but that was most likely because we didn't have a relationship. Over the months he has completely opened up to me though. I really think it sounds like you two just don't have a trust relationship...for some reason it may be taking longer for Tiko. And like others have said, something may have happened or changed in the environment that you may not be aware of yet. Keep trying!

Perhaps it mightve been but its the only thing that worked. The walk away had no effect on him at all :\ i think it made him feel like he had won the battle.

OMG!!! I hope I'm not late on the replay but I am so glad this post is here.... I have kind of the same problem.
My QP is 2 years old..very quiet, doesn't talk, doesn't play with toys..but VERY tame...he doesnt bite BUT he doesnt like to cuddle either.
I've got a Timneh, Tango, he came home 3 weeks ago. I Tried VERY HARD to keep the routine, have Wubbie first in everything!!! so he doesnt feel jeolous...but nothing.....
he stands in the very back of the cage and he gives me the back!!!! if I try to pet him he moves away!!! AND now he goes through 10-15 minutes of yelling and scritching!!!!
I give him lots of attention..to the point my poor baby TAG is looking like...hey when is my turn!!!

Andie's Mom wrote something that alarmed me!!! when a bird gives you his/her back is cause he doesnt respect you... I have never thought it that way....
and that is bad!!!! I thought Wubbie knew exactly who is the "boss".....I NEED HELP!!! re establishing the respect again!!!

Any suggestions.....pleaseee...
Thanks
Sandra