Biting!

Hello everyone! How do you deal with biting? My Kia is only 8months old and has just started biting out of the blue. It's not very hard ( I know she could bite harder if she wanted to) but it's enough to notice.

It doesnt happen at any specific time that I can tell. It's just random. She's sitting with me right now and while I pet her she randomly turns around and bites me. Sometimes when I try to get her to step up she does it.

This is all new behavior and Id like to put a stop to it if possible while she's still young. Ive read to put her in her cage as a punishment, and Ive tried that. Problem is it doesnt seem to bother her that she's back in the cage. Any advice here would be great!

They often have a reason for biting, sometimes if you always make them step up they use biting as a way to say "I don't want to step up". They will also sometimes randomly bite if they no longer want to be pet but aren't sure hoe to tell you, and some baby's will go through a nippy phase too. Putting birds back in the cage is often the worst possible punishment for biting because birds should enjoy their cages. Birds are highly intelligent and will learn that biting you is a way to tell you to put them in their cage, not a good thing. Also, always remember it's never the birds fault for biting no mater how much we want it to be.

How do you react to biting? A good thing to do is act like you didn't notice, then it's not fun(birds love getting a reaction out of you). Also trick training with a clicker is excellent as it stimulates the mind much better then any toy can. This type of training will also create a language between you and your bird and you will both have a better understanding of one another so it doesn't feel the need to resort to biting.

What type of food is Kia eating? A healthy organic diet pellet supplemented with fresh and prepared foods will make your bird feel better and be better which actually helps to lesson biting as well.

I try not to react to the biting, I either ignore it or just say no biting. I dont raise my voice, I just say no biting and try to redirect her attention. Ive been reading alot about clicker trianing and plan on starting that soon.

Kia's diet is a seed pellet mix, and I give her fresh fruit/veggies daily. Im still figuring out what she likes and dislikes.

Thanks for the tips!

Luckily, my Goffin has not bit me yet.

My friend is going through a biting issue with his U2. What seems to have worked for him so far was allowing it more sleep. He moved up his flock's bedtime by half an hour. Makes sure your G2 is getting plenty of sleep. Mine gets 12 hours a night and the light for that room is on a timer.

I agree with Cooper on the organic pellet diet. I changed my G2 from Zupreem to Harrisons High Potency on the advice of my avian vet.

The first thing I did with my Goffin after she got home was clicker training. I really loved the Good Bird Inc DVDs by Barbara Heidenreich, and found them very helpful in working with both my birds.

I did have a question. Is your G2 actually breaking skin when it bites, or is it giving you warning nips?

Hi James, she's not breaking the skin at all. Just little warning nips. I just cant figure out what im doing wrong. She wasnt like this until this past week. She's getting 11-12 hrs of sleep a nite. Im ready to start the clicker training. I wanted to read up on it a bit before trying it so I know what Im doing.

Is the Harrisons High Potency sold in pet stores? She's eating Zupreem now.

I either have to get the Harrison's at my vet's office or I order it from www.birdsafestore.com It ends up being cheaper to order it. Harrison's Bird Foods - Where to Buy can help you find it locally, and possibly get some free samples. Harrisons is not the only organic food out there. I use it because my Goffin liked it so much she threw all her Zupreem out of the bowl from day one. Since she liked it so much I switched immediately.

Ok great Im going to see where I can get some, at least to see if she likes it. Thanks again

James do you use the coarse or the fine?

I'm curious, does dealing with young cockatoo biting issues...relate to adult biting cockatoo issues. Just curious...

I'm guessing not because once the hormones come in to play,,,you have a whole different animal.

My Goffin actually perfers the fine. Of course she grabs the food from here bowl and showers it into her mouth. Hopefully the pics show up.