Should playful biting be discouraged?

[lorika]

Hi everyone!

My rainbow lorikeet, 8.5 weeks old (just started flying) it totally fascinated with my hands, fingers and ring. Whenever I hold my hand out to him, he takes the fingers (or bits of skin) in his beak kind of locking and "biting" - but very gently. I've encountered him once or twice when he bit because he was frightened, this is definitely different. He seems to enjoy it and it doesn't really hurt. Should I discourage this? I think it's kind of adorable, but want him to be able to distinguish "this is fine" from "ouch that hurts". Is it possible to teach him that gently using your beak to explore stuff is fine as long as you don't go all in and try to take a bite?

Thanks a lot for your advice

 

[ToMang07]

I know with my 'Too I let her "bite" or "nip" me as long as it's not too hard. If it is hard I will loudly and sternly tell her "NO," and if she does it again she gets a time-out in the cage. I think of it is that's her equivalent to using her hands....she just uses her beak. She's very good about it 99% of the time tho.

 

[lorika]

That sounds good! So would it work if I (gently) remove my hand when he bites too hard and say "ouch", and then try again a minute later? So that he learns that when he bites too hard, the fun hand thing goes away?

 

[ToMang07]

I'm no expert, and my 'Too was already pretty well trained when I got her. (At 4 years old.) I try not to give too much of a reaction when she does bite...I try to leave my hand there when she does. As long as she doesn't do it again we're good. If she does, time out. She does have a tendency to get a little "excited" from time to time.

 

[lorika]

Thanks for the advice!

 

[jasper19]

i believe i have read some posts by the member birdman here, describing "pressure bite training"....very useful information.

I play with angel and she will grab my finger with her beak, but very lightly. They can be taught to know when they are hurting you. I think beak play is good as long as you set the boundary.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Skittles will playful 'nibble', I think it's how parrots 'test' surfaces and such. He doesn't break skin, even when he bites.

I don't think playful 'nibbling' should be discouraged. However, aggressive biting is another story.

@Jasper19 That is soo funny. I do the same thing with Skittles beak. I will pinch it between my thumb and index finger and wiggle it. I will say to him, "I got your beak! I got your beak!".

 

[lorika]

Skittles will playful 'nibble', I think it's how parrots 'test' surfaces and such. He doesn't break skin, even when he bites.

I don't think playful 'nibbling' should be discouraged. However, aggressive biting is another story.

@Jasper19 That is soo funny. I do the same thing with Skittles beak. I will pinch it between my thumb and index finger and wiggle it. I will say to him, "I got your beak! I got your beak!".

Hmm. I figured I'd let him do it, but it's gotten worse - now when I put my hand near him he's all "Yay, playtime" and sorta starts to battle my hand. It's nothing truly aggressive but it does hurt =P
I've tried to discourage this by not "playing along" and scratching his neck instead, which he enjoys. He'll go along some of the time. I'll just keep that up for now, I think.

 

[Newbsi]

Gollum is 3 months old. She is mouthy. Sometimes she is so gentle and there are times when she is too rough. At this point when she gets a little rough I make it harder for her to get my fingers, usually rubbing her somewhere else. If that doesnt stop it, I put her in her cage and leave the room. I have heard about the bite pressure training but have NO CLUE how to do it. I am about to do a search and see what I can find and if not, I will probably start a post about how to do it with a Senegal.

 

[jasper19]

Skittles will playful 'nibble', I think it's how parrots 'test' surfaces and such. He doesn't break skin, even when he bites.

I don't think playful 'nibbling' should be discouraged. However, aggressive biting is another story.

@Jasper19 That is soo funny. I do the same thing with Skittles beak. I will pinch it between my thumb and index finger and wiggle it. I will say to him, "I got your beak! I got your beak!".

Hmm. I figured I'd let him do it, but it's gotten worse - now when I put my hand near him he's all "Yay, playtime" and sorta starts to battle my hand. It's nothing truly aggressive but it does hurt =P
I've tried to discourage this by not "playing along" and scratching his neck instead, which he enjoys. He'll go along some of the time. I'll just keep that up for now, I think.

ya you need to move the boundary back a little further. It should NOT hurt you when she puts her beak on you. they are in complete control of the pressure they put. So if its too hard and it hurts, you need to say NO, in a firm voice...or OUCH, and then no more attention/play. Put her down, and do something else.

I would say to read the birdman threads about the bite pressure training. I can't emphasis enough, it should NOT hurt you.....angel can bite very hard, but she chooses not to because she knows it will hurt me.

I can have her with her beak around my finger grabbing on, hanging just by that, and it doesnt hurt my finger. she doesn't need to even squeeze are in order to keep a grip on with just her beak hanging.

 

[SoCalWendy]

Birds use their beaks to explore, so I have always played with my birds beaks. Tugging on it, scratching it. Getting them use to me holding on to it, even for head scratches. I have even lifted Rio up by her beak, many times. She never minded. Many times when she would be on her orb, she would hang upside down and latch on to my finger and I would swing her. Id say "grab on" she would, then I would pull her out to swing out and then let go. It was a fun game. The only time I wouldn't mess with her beak is if she was playing with a toy. That was a major no-no, and I learned that one the hard way.

 

[JonnyEccs]

I enjoy my bird nibbling my fingers and hand. I really love it and she loves plucking my finger hair. Sometimes she bites hard though.

Any advice on how I'd discourage her biting me hard? I read that by reacting they are encouraged to do it more as they crave attention.

 

[lorika]

I enjoy my bird nibbling my fingers and hand. I really love it and she loves plucking my finger hair. Sometimes she bites hard though.

Any advice on how I'd discourage her biting me hard? I read that by reacting they are encouraged to do it more as they crave attention.

What I do now - but I don't know if it works yet - is denying him attention when he bites too hard. I say "No" and put him back in his cage for a bit. So far it appears to help a little.

 

[Anansi]

...Any advice on how I'd discourage her biting me hard? I read that by reacting they are encouraged to do it more as they crave attention.

Not reacting is simply an invitation for her to bite harder. Remember that, in some respects, a parrot is like a toddler. If a little child who didn't know any better just crawled/waddled up to his mother and cracked her one in the face, should that parent just act as though nothing has happened? And if she did, how would the child learn that such tactile interaction is not an acceptable means of expression? Yup, she'd be raising a habitual face-slapper! Lol!

Same deal with your parrot. If you simply take the bite without a reaction, how is she supposed to know that she did anything wrong? After all, you didn't seem to mind... so what's the problem?

So yes, you should indeed react. The trick is not to overreact. Or react animatedly. Hollering at your bird does not necessarily help, because there is a lack of context, there. You and I are both human. If I yell at you, it's understood that I'm having an issue of sorts with you at the moment. But loud noises in parrot world do not necessarily equate to negative emotions. So, without the context provided by a firm grasp of human social norms, your raised voice might be misconstrued as a good thing. Entertainment, even. In which case, you'd be training her to bite hard.

Bite pressure training is simply teaching your bird the boundaries of acceptable beak pressure. How? Communication. When her playful beaking crosses the pressure line into the uncomfortable range, (very important. Don't wait for it to hurt. Draw the line at discomfort) tell her "no" in a calm and even, yet stern tone of voice. If the harder beaking/nipping continues, you should remove her beak from your skin and put her on timeout. (With Bixby, I had an intermediate step before the timeout that worked like a charm. I would wobble my hand/arm at the moment I said "no", not enough to make him fall, but just enough to slightly disrupt and threaten his balance. This worked to form an association between the word "no" and the unsettling sensation of a loss of balance. A timeout was rarely needed. And after a while, saying "no" was enough to discourage any bad behavior. Buuuuuut... depending on the bird this can backfire. Maya, my female ekkie, has a biting issue with my wife. But when she tried this technique on her, it simply annoyed Maya - whose balance and grip strength were simply superior to Bixby's - and prompted her to bite harder, faster, and with decidedly more enthusiasm.)

The timeout should last no less than 5 minutes, but no more, in my opinion, than say 15. And during that timeout, you should have no interaction with your bird. Totally freeze her out. Move away from the cage and then turn your back on her. It's important that the association is made between a certain amount of pressure and a loss of fun time with her person.

Done consistently, she'll get it. They're quite intelligent and can pick things up rather quickly. But consistency is the key.