What to do if my 4 month old Umbrella too bites?

[fishstick600]

I have a 4 month old umbrella cockatoo and have begun to handle him..He is starting to understand step up and will willingly perch on my hand and allow me to touch him everywhere...heres the issue after a few mins of being held he will go for my hand..ive read you can cause them to lose their balance and distract them which is working but sometimes when i have him switch hands he will get a hold of my hand..starts as a light bite and when i try to roll his beak of my knuckle or finger he progressively bites harder. He has yet to hurt me and i have never jerked my hand away,yelled,or shown distress to his bites.. What is the best thing to do once he has a finger or any body part in his mouth to stop the bite without potentiating the problem?
Also is this normal behavior for a Too at this age?

 

[MonicaMc]

It's normal behavior for young birds in general. They tend to explore with their beaks.

What you need to figure out is why the biting/nipping is occurring in the first place so that you can try to work on avoiding it... after all, the only bite that can't be rewarded is the one that never occurs!

If he's bored, give him something to do such as tricks or playing with a toy.

If he's tired, give him time to rest.

If he's hungry, give him food.


etc

 

[fishstick600]

im really not sure what is causing him to bite..he will be happy as can be on my hand and ill be scratching his head or talking to him..no visible signs of agression or stress from his feathers and all the suddene he slowly goes for my hand..like i said at first its a soft bite like hes beaking it but when i try to roll his beak off he bites down harder..twice to the point of pain

 

[MikeyTN]

He's testing his limits....Do you have something to distract him with? Like a stuff toy or something for him to chew on? It's probably wise for you to start target/clicker training to keep him active since he is still young cause it can get a lot worse. They can be very unforgiving and they will do payback if you upset them. IF they find your weakness, they'll use it against you. Very emotional birds....

 

[MonicaMc]

Is he being curious, or?


It may help to keep a diary of when he nips. Try to remember what was occurring before it, and what afterwards.


You can always teach behaviors that are incompatible with biting... i.e. picking up a toy or object and dropping it into a cup.

 

[fishstick600]

I found out he was weaned way too early..went to this great store for large birds and received a ton of good advice as well as free formula. Went home and fed him and his entire mood changed...he became the sweetest thing ever..didjt bite me once/let me pet him/ and even started preening. I'm going to do one feeding a day and I bought a new type of food that he freaking love's.

 

[MikeyTN]

He maybe weaned way too early yes, but it doesn't mean he won't do this again! My U2 is over 20 years old and he does the exact same thing, he's way past weaning time!

 

[MonicaMc]

It's a start! I wonder if the nipping was just his way of saying he's hungry? Or perhaps he just needed some comfort feedings?

Keep an eye on him, as MikeyTN says, it'll start again! But it could be for an entirely different reason next time!

 

[fishstick600]

Oh I know but I'm just glad to see him happier

 

[fishstick600]

Just an update if anyone's interested. Sydney is a completely different bird now. I've been giving her two feedings a day of formula and take her out for about 2 hours before I go to work.. love's having her head scratched and hasn't bit me since I've been giving her formula. She gets a little annoyed when the family is up passed her bed time and lets us know. I'm thinking of getting a second cage and moving her current one to a quiet room for when it's her bed time

"Edit" I think Sydney is a she now not 100% going off eye color