Play Biting help?

PeentPeent

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Feb 13, 2024
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Parrots
Cockatiels, Mexican Conure
here is my previous thread, Ive been trying to get to play with my boi with my hands little by little. now that he likes to play with socks on his back i wanted to see if hed want me to play feetsies with him by wigglin my fingers , my previous conure loved this. He is almost going on his back with me hand he will chase my hand down and use his feet to kick my hand (its so cuteee) and then grab onto my finger and go sideways, but his play bites go thru my skin still. not as bad as he used to, but still has a bit of dinosaur left in him. He loves play time so much he will fly straight to the play area the second i sit there. This hard biting is probably due to the fact i would play with him with cut gloves on cause he used to bite REALLY hard. now its much lighter but still was hoping maybe someone has some good advice? I dont mind nibbles or non skin breaking bites, i know he loves his lil feetsie fights.
 
Biting, whether intentional or not, just over preening your skin or actually taking chunks of meat out - all are PAINFULL! In the wild that sort of behavior is not tolerated by the flock. They ostracize flock members who continue to act like that. We call it 'Shunning'. This WILL work, but needs to be done correctly to get the message across and it needs to be done IMMEDIATELY so the parrot can associate the bite with the shunning action. And it needs to happen every time and with anyone involved with the parrot.

When the bite or over preening occurs:

  • Say in a forceful but not shouting voice "No Bite" or other endearments.
  • Immediately place the parrot on a nearby, handy chairback. NOT the cage (that would only teach the parrot to bite when he wants to go back to his cage).
  • Turn your back to him and ignore him for 1 minute. No peeking, no talking about or too him, NADA. NO eye contact. No less or the message is lost, no more or the bird will not associate the action with the bite.
  • After a minute you can try to re-establish contact.
Rinse, repeat as needed. Most parrots get the message after a few times, some may need more. Also very important - make sure the bite is not your fault. Annoying your parrot, asking him to step up when he is otherwise preoccupied with eating or playing, bothering him during known moody times like mating season, or ignoring the warnings and body language of your parrot - these are bites that you deserve! Learn, and be a better parront !!
 
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strange update: He goes crazy for playing with me on his back if I play with his feet, now he rolls over every time i sit on the floor, with a sock or scrunchie to help him roll over (he rolls over very strangley, he uses the sock or scrunchie like a counterweight )but it is so cute. he has not bit me yet and keeps asking to play.
 
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Yeah he bites my bf more than me. Mostly never bites me. He also prefers to play with me I think I make funnier noises he likes. But he snuggles my bf more for sure
I need to record his lil roll over it's so cute and silly
 
You should try some trick training with him, he seems smart - I find parrots who like to play fight and can retain some self-control are good candidates for that. Excellent bonding technique.
 
If you take him to a vet for his nails, ask him to flatten the tip of his beak. My girl uses her beak as her hand and is very mouthy and on occasion pinches but with the blunted beak those pinches don't hurt and don't break the skin.... Works great for hard bites as well.
 
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You should try some trick training with him, he seems smart - I find parrots who like to play fight and can retain some self-control are good candidates for that. Excellent bonding technique.
He's so smart maybe smarter than me. We def have been doing some fun trick training with his fave bluebs (blueberries) currently teaching him to roll on cue and dance which he's pretty good at
 
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If you take him to a vet for his nails, ask him to flatten the tip of his beak. My girl uses her beak as her hand and is very mouthy and on occasion pinches but with the blunted beak those pinches don't hurt and don't break the skin.... Works great for hard bites as well.
Actually when I first went to the vet they said they wouldn't do that cause the beak is normal. But that totally makes sense cause my last conure had way more pressure but a blunt beak never hurt. This guy has a surgical knife for a face, I might see if a different vet might just slightly dull that part
 
Weird. Does not affect eating,. My parrot eats shelled tree nuts and gets weighed every week and she has always been able to eat whatever I give her. It's just the point we're talking about
 
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I got some cute pics. He's super aware of phones so he always is moving
20240523_110356.jpg


Here is his handsome knife beak


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Here is his process of rolling over . Couldn't get the final image he was too quick
 
Very cute and nice dagger of a beak.

Here's a shot of Nike where you can see her blunted beak
hasselblad1.jpg
 

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