Any ideas why?

Ive had my congo for 5 months and im able to hold him but if im holding him and someone comes near me he bites me, or i cant get him on my hand if someone is near. Any ideas why and how to fix it?

Also He no longer will take a treat from me. He loves peanuts he will take it from me then drop it. He used to take it and eat it now he drops it.

Anything??

He bites you because he want you to go away from other peoples so he can have you for himself. So it's not that he don't like you.
I don't know how to get rid of that behavior. But you can try to tell him No, and then move away a bit. Perhaps he understand if he get a little of what he wants.

Steveo, have you had a Vet check him out. Could be a number of things.
Is your bird matured? A bit more info would be helpful.

5 months old he's still a baby and he afraid of everything new and the above answer was correct that he bites you to make you get away from the preceived threat . he needs more socialization more people and a whole peanut is too much for a reward chop them up like you would for ice cream toppings and keep them in your pocket he can then take and eat them while still holding onto your hand. If you have some very calm friends have them come and meet your bird and pet him and give him treats and scratches and in all make a big fuss over him so hes the center of attention. Now don't overload your bird but do it in stages and keep it up the more people who your bird gets to know the better the end game is having your bird go to everyone and feel safe and at ease.

I was under the impression Steveo has had the bird for 5 months, not that he was 5 months old. I didn't want to comment until he was able to give more infomation.

Let that person who gets near you and he bites you get next to the bird More try not to be in the room while they make contact,your bird is starting to have one owner issues,try to let everyone and anyone(who you can trust )to pet the bird

My grey used to do the same thing when she was a baby. It lasted about a yr. I think she was trying to warn me that someone she didnt like was around. I didnt let her boss me about it i just repeatedly told her no when she did it and stood my ground were i was. She eventually stoped and now will sit with almost anyone. Wont let anyone pet her but will sit ok. She is now 4 1/2

He is 3 yrs old and ive had him for 6 months now. The wife sits next to him and plays ball with him, but she cant touch him. He wont let any one but me pet or hold him.

steveo said:

He is 3 yrs old and ive had him for 6 months now. The wife sits next to him and plays ball with him, but she cant touch him. He wont let any one but me pet or hold him.

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It also depends on his situation before you got him and how he was brought up. I think he's probably still acclimatising to his new surroundings and it will take time. Like others have said, try to get as much people to interact with him as possible.

I agree, the grey needs more socialization, but in a way that the grey wont become overstimulated in a negative aspect.

Don't know if it would help, but what I'm reading is that you are with the grey, alone, then someone else shows up in your greys eyesight, you get a bite.

What about turning that around? That is, taking your grey with you to a room with another person? Is the behavior the same? Different?


If he wont take peanuts from you anymore, then find another treat! It's ideal to have 5+ rewards that the bird is willing to work for rather than just one. That way, it keeps things interesting and they wont always know what they are getting! However, I realize this is easier said than done... as I've had a conure that 80-90% of the time dropped *everything* I handed to him by hand. However, if I put the item into a bowl in his cage, he'd walk over and go check the item out. Never could find something he loved over all else, but that was before I knew how to figure out the best treats.

Try real nuts (peanuts are legumes), hulled sunflower seeds, large millet, small millet, dried fruit, dried peppers, etc.


Is there any way you can safely take your grey out in public so he can see other people? If yes, you might try going somewhere quiet with your grey and slowly working up to larger crowds of people.