Help and advice
Biting
If your parrots starting to bite then this page is to help you understand why, the page is packed with information and tips on how to try and change it’s behaviour.
Most parrot owners find their parrot reaches maturity at the age of 4-7 and they change from the lovably baby they had into a bird with stroppy teen syndrome, they may start to bite, scream and generally push the boundaries. This is due to the dreaded hormones! All parrots will go through this but it’s how we as owners deal with it, that leads to how they grow up and act as adults.
Other reasons your parrot may bite could be they are scared, been startled, jealous, in pain, feel under attack, or plain and simply YOU HAVE TAUGHT THEM!
Further information
All the reasons above are quite obvious to notice but jealousy can be a bit harder to spot. Have you ever been sitting your bird and your husband/wife has come near you to get the remote, and suddenly your loving parrot has bit you? Well this is pure jealousy!
They are trying to protect you from others around. They bite you to make you go away from the threat. So even though there is an explanation to this is it acceptable? Well in nature this would happen so yes in your parrot’s eyes it is.
Another reason for biting that you may not notice is the fact that YOU have taught them! If you are spending quality time with your bird and he turns to bite you what do you do??? Scream, shout, act mad or run out of the room crying with a bleeding finger? Well, all of these things are encouraging your bird to bite as you are feeding him energy for what he has done!
How can you change this behaviour
What you must learn to do is read your parrot’s body language, they show very good signs when they are about to bite/attack. All parrot signs are different but you may see your parrot’s eyes start pinning, cheeks blushing, feathers puffed up, wings spread open and body crouched low. You must watch and learn your own parrot’s signs so you can learn to spot this behaviour.
Another thing you must not do if they bite is react!! In any way shape or form. Yes, your finger will be hurting like mad and you may be bleeding on your lovely new carpet but DON’T react, anything you do in the moments after a bite will reinforce the behaviour and make it into something exciting for your bird. If your parrot is in a safe place like on a play stand or on his cage then just simply say NOTHING and walk away.
Once you are out of the room that’s when you can do the silly “pain” dance. If your bird has just nipped you and you can cope with the pain then calmly can quietly place your bird on the floor and tell him NO biting in a stern voice, but remember NOT TO SHOUT.
One thing i see many times is to move your parrot back to his cage or put him in a naughty room….I do not agree with this at all!
If your parrot is sat with you in the dining room with no food or water around and he bites you, you then take him back to his cage. He thinks GREAT free lift for food and water, so every time he is then with you and gets hungry he will bite you to take him back to his cage. Clever aren’t they!!!
Also, using different rooms to punish birds will only lead to problems. I have heard of people taking birds up to the bathroom to sit on their own if they bite. This will just make that room a “bad” place. So if you want to shower your bird or you need to take him upstairs again in the future he will think he has done something wrong.
You always have to remember that Parrot is very clever and will learn boundaries very quickly but you have to make sure you are consistent with your training.
So think about how you are going to deal with negative behaviours your parrot shows and make sure you as a family are going to follow the same thing.
GOOD LUCK!
If you require further advice please get in touch
Other topics
Further support and information can be found within the links below
From loving tickles to lifelong friend