Bird Bites ALWAYS

[Tykenolm]

Ok, so the first few days my green cheek conure was great, didn't bite or anything, now whenever I put my finger even near him he bites, and bites hard. It's not a nibble at all. Sometimes he will bob his head up and down (Is that a sign of aggression?), and I can't touch him without getting bit. What should I do? He's not trained to step up so I can't do the ladder thing..

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Sounds like a new birdie in the home. Parrots aren't born knowing how to accept being pet. It is a learned behavior. First thing you have to teach them is "hey, this is my hand and it is always safe for you." I believe that is done best by pairing what you bird love most with your hand..Most parrots like food treats. From the looks of it, you havent had this little fella/gal in the home long and may be pushing him a bit much. He may not have even known what was going on the first few days and been a bit dazed in a sense, but is coming back to his/her natural instincts - which is to protect itself. I would pair your hand with a reward aka a treat. Find out what its favorite treat is and give it to him every time your hand gets close...then keep making smaller steps/approximations from there.

If that doesnt work, come back and we can keep on talking!

G'luck

 

[Flboy]

You are teaching him to bite! Search MonicaMC! I was where you are at!

 

[Tykenolm]

You are teaching him to bite! Search MonicaMC! I was where you are at!

Everytime he bites me I ignore it then walk away, that's what you're supposed to do isn't it?

 

[Tykenolm]

keep making smaller steps/approximations from there.

Saw that on a youtube video once for aggressive birds, I'll try it, I have some mango treats that he loves

 

[JerseyWendy]

You are teaching him to bite! Search MonicaMC! I was where you are at!

Everytime he bites me I ignore it then walk away, that's what you're supposed to do isn't it?

No, it's not. If you ignore the bite, the bird will never know he's doing anything wrong.

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/36419-dealing-aggression-parrots.html

 

[Tykenolm]

No, it's not. If you ignore the bite, the bird will never know he's doing anything wrong.

Don't mean to say you're wrong, you probably know way more about birds than me, but everything I've read says that parrots are social creatures and want you to be with them, so if you don't say like "ow" or anything and just walk away they'll associate biting with losing attention?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh yes, parrots are indeed HIGHLY social creatures. They are also incredibly smart.

Best thing is to try and AVOID the bite. Learn your bird's body language.

Did you check the links out I attached for you?

Here are some more:
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/56935-conure-s-aggression-worse-every-day-desperate-help.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/58009-dealing-aggression.html

 

[Taw5106]

You are teaching him to bite! Search MonicaMC! I was where you are at!

Everytime he bites me I ignore it then walk away, that's what you're supposed to do isn't it?

You have to keep initiating with your fid. When I got Venus, after dark forget having her interact, she was violent and in bed, don't try to interact with her or touch her. Time working and passed is essential too. I kept working with her after dark and now she's OK with with a hand in her cage, she will step up. She will now come out to eat (my food of course). She knows she's not in danger so she is relaxed and trust has been built.

It's a day by day process with a TON of patience, and daily tiny bits of progress, we have to stay dedicated!!! So important!!

 

[Tykenolm]

Best thing is to try and AVOID the bite. Learn your bird's body language.

Ok, thank you. Yesterday he was just biting me every time I got near him, probably because I sorta forced him to come out of his cage :/ Today he let me touch him and put food in his cage though.

 

[Birdman666]

You are teaching him to bite! Search MonicaMC! I was where you are at!

Everytime he bites me I ignore it then walk away, that's what you're supposed to do isn't it?

NO! The bird needs immediate feedback from you when he is using too much bite pressure. "Ignore the bites" is stupid advice. Do that, and the bird doesn't know/thinks it's okay to bite you.

What?! This never bothered you before.

REACT IMMEDIATELY. What you don't do, is SHOW FEAR when a bird bites. That is entirely different from "not reacting."

 

[Anansi]

Agreed. I think somewhere along the line, people swapped "remain calm" for "don't react".

You see, a dramatic reaction is bad. A raised voice or a shriek will potentially encourage your bird to bite. Keep in mind that a bird's method of communication differs largely from our own. "Ow!" in a raised voice is a no-brainer for us, but is not necessarily recognizable as a bad thing in the avian world. You have to put aside all assumptions that your bird will understand things in the same way we do.

So if you were to scream or shout when bitten, your bird might find it amusing or curious. Either way, he'll want to employ the scientific method to test his hypothesis: bite=funny sound. From this, everyone figured, "Ah! So we shouldn't react!"

Wrong.

Watch any nature show, ever. When was the last time you saw any bird just stoically take an abusive behavior? Exactly never.

No, what you do is remove the beak from your flesh while saying, "No," in a firm, yet even, tone. And then you immediately put your bird on timeout and ignore him COMPLETELY for the next few minutes. And I mean completely. Back turned. No eye contact.

After maybe 10 or so minutes, you approach him again. At the first sign of aggression, right back on timeout. But the instant his behavior becomes more peaceful make sure to reward right away with a treat. If you're consistent with this, he'll begin to associate biting with being ignored and alone... and good behavior with treats and positive social interaction. (This is where your point about parrots being social creatures comes into play.)

Make sure to check out those links that Wendy provided. There's good stuff in there.

 

[Tykenolm]

Agreed. I think somewhere along the line, people swapped "remain calm" for "don't react".

Ok, thank you and everyone else for the explanations. Hopefully Weiland will let me put my hand in the cage sometime this month haha! Anyway I'll try all that, thanks guys!

 

[Scott]

The struggle against biting is not limited to "new" birds; well established relationships need tune-ups as well.

I am going through a terrible regression with my 21 year-old Goffin, Gabby. He was born in my home, hand raised, and has known no other environment. For all of his life he has been the sweetest and generally most gentle bird, but the last 4 months or so have been hell. While many of my parrots have been a bit out of sorts behaviorally, he has truly shocked me with his aggression. I know some of it is transferred from a deep dislike of one of his brothers - they are like matter and anti-matter when together. They live in the same room and are carefully rotated in/out of cages for equal time. The best solution is to house Gabby in a different room, but that is not feasible for now due to chronic plumbing issues in my home resulting in pinhole leaks causing extensive damage. Currently I have two rooms partially torn apart down to the wooden shell for drying and repair. But that's for another thread.....

Gabby has been Jekyl/Hyde. Some moments he is his old self; gentle, cuddly, and affectionate. At times he can bite perhaps at a 7/10 of his capacity. He is immediately scolded and placed in cage for a time out. Sometimes he emerges the first time completely normalized, otherwise it is rinse and repeat. But this is a battle I will win as he is a deeply special friend!

 

[Eliz Jassim]

Ok, so the first few days my green cheek conure was great, didn't bite or anything, now whenever I put my finger even near him he bites, and bites hard. It's not a nibble at all. Sometimes he will bob his head up and down (Is that a sign of aggression?), and I can't touch him without getting bit. What should I do? He's not trained to step up so I can't do the ladder thing..

Click train your little angel with a chopstick and always have your had straight not flat
Www.birdyricks.com very good on training good luck