New Green Cheek Conure Owner! Increased Biting

Hello all! My boyfriend purchased a Green Cheek Conure (now named Zelda) for me from a local pet store on December 23rd (Saturday). She is 7 months old, and really such a sweet bird. She loves to sleep in my pocket and cuddle up anywhere that's warm and cozy.

We were advised by the staff that Zelda initially wasn't so sweet (AKA she would bite pretty hard, often) but that they had been working with her for about a week, and she had made great progress and wasn't biting as much or as hard anymore. I wasn't sure if the bites she was giving them were out of aggression or just her natural desire to nibble.

Anyways, the day we took Zelda home, she was doing great - lots of nibbling, only a few nibbles that were too hard; however, her nibbles have been progressively getting worse. I don't think she's biting out of anger, because she'll start off with very sweet nibbles and tasting us. She'll do this for random lengths of time and then, all of a sudden, in the middle of those sweet nibbles, she just bites really hard (to the point where it has broken skin). Other times, she'll be on top of her cage and act like she's trying to fly over to me, so I go to pick her up and she bites. Again, I don't think it's out of aggression, because she doesn't make any quick movements or anything - just acts like she's gonna nibble or use her beak to lift herself up and then bites.

Does it sound like these are angry/fearful bites, or if they're just Zelda being unaware that she's biting too hard? Also, how can I stop her from biting too hard when she's just trying to nibble?

Thank you!

Welcome ! Use our SEARCH feature to check out threads on bite pressure .
She is testing the waters, so you should use the info in these posts to train her when bites are too hard.

I don't think she's biting out of anger, because she'll start off with very sweet nibbles and tasting us. She'll do this for random lengths of time and then, all of a sudden, in the middle of those sweet nibbles, she just bites really hard (to the point where it has broken skin).

This sounds like exploratory bites. Birds, especially babies, are naturally very curious creatures and their beaks also act as "hands" in the sense that they can better pick things up, feel them, etc.

I would recommend not allowing this behavior, but instead encouraging her to play with toys, forage for food or teaching her new, acceptable behaviors.


Other times, she'll be on top of her cage and act like she's trying to fly over to me, so I go to pick her up and she bites. Again, I don't think it's out of aggression, because she doesn't make any quick movements or anything - just acts like she's gonna nibble or use her beak to lift herself up and then bites.

This one could be more of a learned behavior. That is, she has learned that when people are around her cage, she needs to bite them - regardless of how she feels.

You need to try changing your approach to her, or work on step up training from the cage. You can read a bit more about that here.

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/72600-fostering-lulu.html#post694434


Does it sound like these are angry/fearful bites, or if they're just Zelda being unaware that she's biting too hard? Also, how can I stop her from biting too hard when she's just trying to nibble?

The best way to teach a parrot not to do something is to not "allow" it in the first place. Easier said than done.. but basically, avoiding situations where you'll know there will be a problem, redirecting the unwanted behavior into positive behavior and reinforcing desired behaviors.