Baby GCC and biting.

[djkoe]

Yesterday we brought our baby female GCC home (7-8 weeks). Yesterday all she wanted to do was cuddle and lay on my shoulder. She was extremely friendly and cuddly. Today is different, she has been biting all day long. We leave the cage door open to give her the option of being with us incase she's not ready yet. She will fly over to us on free will and will eventually bite. Sometimes right away and sometimes after a couple minutes of being with us. I have been using the word No in a calm manner and bringing her back to her cage and locking it everytime she bites. She already enjoys being around us because when she's in there she tries to get our attention. What do you think the reason for the biting is. Also do you think this method will work? Thank you.

 

[djkoe]

Here she is.

 

[cottontiel]

First off, congrats on your newly acquired family member!

Please remember that she is young, and you may hit road bumps with hormones and juvenile behaviour. Putting her into her cage when she bites may cause her to associate her cage with punishment, when the cage is meant to be a safe haven for birds. It is best to ignore the bites when they happen, as a response may encourage her to do it more. Do they seem like malicious bites? She could very well just see your hand/ears/etc as toys, to which you can distract her with an actual toy instead. When she is being sweet towards you and your family, give her some treats to reinforce the more friendly behaviour. Hopefully that helps.


She's gorgeous btw~

 

[djkoe]

First off, congrats on your newly acquired family member!

Please remember that she is young, and you may hit road bumps with hormones and juvenile behaviour. Putting her into her cage when she bites may cause her to associate her cage with punishment, when the cage is meant to be a safe haven for birds. It is best to ignore the bites when they happen, as a response may encourage her to do it more. Do they seem like malicious bites? She could very well just see your hand/ears/etc as toys, to which you can distract her with an actual toy instead. When she is being sweet towards you and your family, give her some treats to reinforce the more friendly behaviour. Hopefully that helps.


She's gorgeous btw~

Thank you for your response! Im fully aware that the biting issue is something to be ready for! With that being said i just want to correct the behavior as soon as possible! The reason i have been putting her back in the cage when she bites is because i read that up as a method to fixing this issue. She wants to be with us so when i put her back it might make her connect the dots and realize that if she bites she goes back. But i agree with what you are saying, i do not want her thinking the cage is a bad place!The bites seem a bit too hard to be playful bites so id have to say yes to the malicious biting. I will try ignoring the bites and see where that goes! Thanks again

 

[djkoe]

I can 100% confirm that the bites are meant to do harm. She will rip at my hand now till i bleed. I try to ignore it but i have no choice but to put her back in her cage when shes ripping at my finger for 20 seconds. I tried to giver her a toy but shes not interested.

 

[djkoe]

Gonna try to use gloves, i hope this doesnt last long lol.

 

[cottontiel]

I'm sorry to hear that!

I'm really fortunate in that my bird has never really felt the need to bite, so my advice only extends so far. This is an article written for budgies, but I think the information is universal and may be able to help you. Give it a read if you have the time.

Biting - A Learned and Often Avoidable Behavior