Hi, I have a galah cockatoo called Brucie he is 10 months old, i am experiencing huge biting problems, which i have seeked advise on, only it seems to be falling on deaf ears with Brucie. His nails are growing ridicolusly fast, I have them clipped by an avarian vet every 4 weeks although after 1 week off being clipped they are back sharp, to the point they are scratching hands making them bleed leaving horrible visual scares. Advise needed urgently please .............
Galah Cockatoo
- Thread starter brucie
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Brucie is suck fun and highly amusing however his continuous biting is becoming a huge problem, i have remained calm and patient with the punishment i have been advised to use,, however i am finding Brucie is not getting any better probably worse. Advice need urgently please people ........
- Jan 18, 2011
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- Parrots
- 11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
Was this bird hand fed, rescued bird? How about some back ground on how you came about owning him. This would help. If you got him from another owner, could the other owner handle him?
At 10 months old, the bird is young and easily trainable. But it TAKES TIME to gain the birds trust. Are you putting your hand in the cage? Most birds are cage aggressive. Cockatoos are notorious for bonding to one person. No matter who owns the bird, it can easily bond with another family member or someone who just visits on a regular basis.
Start out by sitting by the cage and talking softly to the bird and offering treats by hand. It can take, weeks, months & even years to gain a birds trust so patience is the key here. Also if your having his nails clipped every 4 weeks, the bird probably is staying nervous around you. Most don't like their nails being clipped. There is no reason for a bird to require monthly nail clipping. Do you have sand paper covers for your perches? They make different types of perches to help keep your birds nails trimmed down. You will still have to have periodic nail clipping every 4-6 months or so.
At 10 months old, the bird is young and easily trainable. But it TAKES TIME to gain the birds trust. Are you putting your hand in the cage? Most birds are cage aggressive. Cockatoos are notorious for bonding to one person. No matter who owns the bird, it can easily bond with another family member or someone who just visits on a regular basis.
Start out by sitting by the cage and talking softly to the bird and offering treats by hand. It can take, weeks, months & even years to gain a birds trust so patience is the key here. Also if your having his nails clipped every 4 weeks, the bird probably is staying nervous around you. Most don't like their nails being clipped. There is no reason for a bird to require monthly nail clipping. Do you have sand paper covers for your perches? They make different types of perches to help keep your birds nails trimmed down. You will still have to have periodic nail clipping every 4-6 months or so.
ann
New member
- Feb 18, 2011
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- 1 nanday conure Black Jack, 1 Brotogeris parakeet Whiff, 1 ring neck dove Eliza, and 6 society finches (3 are tame). RIP my parent pairs of societies and my little gouldian finches
im sorry to hear that, just the other day i was reading about biting birds. im not sure if you tried this yet but check out: http://biting parrots why the do it and how to control it it is a great source of information that shows how even modern anti bitting training methods are teaching your bird to bite. also check out my bird tricks.com you have to buy it but from what i hear its worth it and the pricing is pretty reasonable. tell me if it helped 
ann
New member
- Feb 18, 2011
- 1,323
- 1
- Parrots
- 1 nanday conure Black Jack, 1 Brotogeris parakeet Whiff, 1 ring neck dove Eliza, and 6 society finches (3 are tame). RIP my parent pairs of societies and my little gouldian finches
sorry that was my first time posting a link....sorry it doesnt work but if you search biting parrots why they do it and how to control it it should be the first link. sorry'bout that! hope this helped
hope this helpedPedro
New member
- Dec 15, 2010
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DON'T ever use sand paper perches as they cause sores on the pads of the feet with long term use. A really thick branch with bark on will be best or some of the more natural ones sold in pet outlets.
This site may help you understand the biting a bit better & how you can address it.
BITING PARROTS Why They Do It and How To Control It
This site may help you understand the biting a bit better & how you can address it.
BITING PARROTS Why They Do It and How To Control It
- Thread starter
- #7
Hi,
Thank you for all your posts i am a beginner on the site so please bare with me.
Brucie has been hand reared and was brought from the breeder by a lady for her young son. Brucie was a xmas present for me from my partner therefore i have little background knowledge on him. The previous owner said her son had an allergy to him and that was the reason for sale at just 6 months old. When i first got him 4 months ago he was very tame then gradually he began nipping (my partner a lot more than me) this then turned into biting, now the biting is a daily event and frquently. Brucie comes out for a couple of hours minimum each day, when he bites i put him back in his cage and i am now covering his cage which was advised to me, however this seems to make no difference. He has the tv on whilst we are at work, lots of toys in his cage, which are changed around and swapped weekly to stop him getting bored. He is always having constant verbal interaction from us when we are there.
Brucie;s nails
Brucie's nails became very long and sharp, resulting in deep scratching, so i had them trimmed. However since the his nnails are growing back with a vengence, I have tried pedicure percheswhich he spent alot of time on however didn,t seem to work. Now i am at the stage where i am atticipating wearing cotton gloves as my hands are sore, very scarred and in my professional it's not really working. I do not want to go down the route of gloves but i am struggly for ideas.
Thank you for all your posts i am a beginner on the site so please bare with me.
Brucie has been hand reared and was brought from the breeder by a lady for her young son. Brucie was a xmas present for me from my partner therefore i have little background knowledge on him. The previous owner said her son had an allergy to him and that was the reason for sale at just 6 months old. When i first got him 4 months ago he was very tame then gradually he began nipping (my partner a lot more than me) this then turned into biting, now the biting is a daily event and frquently. Brucie comes out for a couple of hours minimum each day, when he bites i put him back in his cage and i am now covering his cage which was advised to me, however this seems to make no difference. He has the tv on whilst we are at work, lots of toys in his cage, which are changed around and swapped weekly to stop him getting bored. He is always having constant verbal interaction from us when we are there.
Brucie;s nails
Brucie's nails became very long and sharp, resulting in deep scratching, so i had them trimmed. However since the his nnails are growing back with a vengence, I have tried pedicure percheswhich he spent alot of time on however didn,t seem to work. Now i am at the stage where i am atticipating wearing cotton gloves as my hands are sore, very scarred and in my professional it's not really working. I do not want to go down the route of gloves but i am struggly for ideas.
Pedro
New member
- Dec 15, 2010
- 1,583
- 3
- Parrots
- 2 Budgies, 3 Cockatiels, 6 GCC'S, 2 Crimson Bellie Conures, 9 Sun Conures, 2 Major Mitchells, 12 Eclectus parrots of various ages, 2 BF Amazons, 2 Hahn's Macaw's, 1 Red Tail Black Too
Covering the cage or putting him back in the cage isn't helping at all because parrots don't know what punishment is. So the biting will continue. The biting behavior could very well have started with the previous owner. I find if i have a bitey bird i just place it back on the stand until it's calm & then try again. You must use positive reforcement to get anywhere with a parrot.
As far as gloves go my hubby has to use them but i can get away with it most of the time. I find that if my birds are calm they don't dig their claws into my skin. But boy if nervous for any reason i get pin pricks & blood.
Did you get any ideas from the link I posted.
As far as gloves go my hubby has to use them but i can get away with it most of the time. I find that if my birds are calm they don't dig their claws into my skin. But boy if nervous for any reason i get pin pricks & blood.
Did you get any ideas from the link I posted.
- Aug 20, 2009
- 5,749
- 7
You are writing the word punishment. Punishment is not only ineffective, it is trust-destroying. Parrots simply do not compute any type of punishment. There are as many sites with biting advice as there are parrots. I guess you coould do some research and see which method works best.
I have trained my bird to let me file her nails. You could have the vet teach you how to file them and do it yourself if you would like to. Here is a link with some parrot tid bits to read and remember.
https://companionparrotonline.com/Member_Articles.html
I have trained my bird to let me file her nails. You could have the vet teach you how to file them and do it yourself if you would like to. Here is a link with some parrot tid bits to read and remember.
https://companionparrotonline.com/Member_Articles.html
HRH Di
New member
As always, fabulous advice from SB. Positive reinforcement is the key. Our birds do get time out if they're not using their good manners, but when they are behaving they get games and extra attention.
I have formed the opinion, with my birdies at least, that the fastest way to their hearts is through their stomachs. This can be a little difficult, because too many treats are a bad thing. But just a little tidbit of an almond for Jade, a sprouted pumkin seed for Ruby, or a bite of Cream of Wheat for Max, and they're in heaven.
I have formed the opinion, with my birdies at least, that the fastest way to their hearts is through their stomachs. This can be a little difficult, because too many treats are a bad thing. But just a little tidbit of an almond for Jade, a sprouted pumkin seed for Ruby, or a bite of Cream of Wheat for Max, and they're in heaven.
Last edited:
OOwl
New member
I have a six-year-old RB cockatoo. He went through a bite-y stage when he was young. It really helped having a toy in my hand to stick in his beak when he went to put it on me. Because the bites received no drama (and were deflected by the toy), it was something he quickly outgrew. As an adult bird, he is one of the most stable of my entire flock. He's the bird I can hand to any visitor and have him behave quite well. It has been years since he's actually bitten anyone.
His nails also get quite sharp, more so than my other parrots. The grooming perches don't really help, although he does have a few in his cage. We just make a point of toweling him (he thinks of it as a game so is not stressed), nip the nails with a toenail trimmer (the one I use is for small dogs), then he gets a special treat (in his case, a pine nut).
Good luck!
His nails also get quite sharp, more so than my other parrots. The grooming perches don't really help, although he does have a few in his cage. We just make a point of toweling him (he thinks of it as a game so is not stressed), nip the nails with a toenail trimmer (the one I use is for small dogs), then he gets a special treat (in his case, a pine nut).
Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #12
Thanks guys, I will try these alternative methods suggested and also do more research. I find it difficult as slot of sites and vets I have spoken to say different things and it feels like info contradicts each other. But I will remain patient and stay focused
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