biting parrotlet, any advice appreciated

[YWallpaper]

I am writing about my first bird, Ike the parrotlet. He is a handful already. I am new to birds, so please be patient with me, I have alot of questions and I am learning that there will be alot more, the longer I live with Ike!

I will usually take Ike out right after I come home from work around 6:30 pm. Today I had an early day, so he was out around 2pm until 3:30, exploring the apartment or sitting on my shoulder. I ran some errands and came back around 7pm, and took him out again. I should also mention he loves to chew whatever shirt I am wearing, so he was doing this again tonight, except that he would creep down onto my hand and bite me. I tried ignoring it, but when it got really painful, I would say "no biting". He kept doing it. Then I tried blowing on him when he would bite. It almost seemed like he was waiting to see what I would do to him. He is still hand-shy, so I want to encourage the fact that he was walking down to my hand, but I don't want welts all over me. If I do reach out for him, he will fly away. Advice? Thank you to everyone that takes the time to read my posts, I know they are long and I have alot of questions, I just want to give you all the information!

[catfish]

I've noticed mine will bite when they are tired. Gelato loves to get ready for bed around 7p while Hpnotiq is more of a 9pm girl. So he could be a little tired and cranky because he wants to go to bed, or he may be tired b/c of a lack of sleep. p'lets need 12 hours of sleep.

Don't make a big deal about him biting you. Birds love drama and he'll do what he has to to make you make a scene. Just be patient. When he nips tell him no bite and move him away. If he lands on your hand do positive reinforcement. You can try clicker training as well. I've read some people have good experience with it, but not all birds will take to it as easily.

[Mustang99]

How old is Ike? If he's real young and you just brought him home, it may be a matter of building trust and being very very patient. These little guys are very stubborn and consistency is very important.

If he's a bit older (under a year)...he may be going through an adolescent stage and trying to figure out whose the leader of the flock of which you need to ensure he knows that is you.

When Kiwi went through a brief period of nipping, I made certain that we all did the same thing by stating no bite and if she continued we would gently (very gently) hold her beak...no movement at all so not to confuse her that it's a game since parrots like to beak wrestle. Then after just a second release. If she was really wound up, I would put her in her cage just to settle in the event she was over stimulated.

Also, as Catfish advised... 12 hours sleep is very important for birds. When I put Kiwi to bed, I ensure that it is quiet and lights out. We try not to have anything going on around her to ensure a complete rest.

Regarding chewing on shirts, I had to discourage this with Kiwi early on since they cannot distinguish between an old tshirt and an expensive top so I always put Kiwi with a toy she can chew on instead of the shirt.

Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of parrotlets!

[YWallpaper]

Thank you for all of your advice. I am putting money on the theory that he is tired, he did stay up too late last night. This was such unusual behavior for him that I wanted to ask someone, though! He is still young, hatch date 6/16/07.

[Mustang99]

Yes, at 4 months is when I went through a stage with Kiwi since her big molt came at about that time so I ensured she had her protein and 12 hours sleep since the stress of a molt can get to them as well. Ike is a baby and I'm certain that as he gets the right amount of sleep and has out of cage time with you as he's comfortable all will be great. Have fun!

[musicjan]

As a couple of people have said, sleep is so important! When Bitsy doesn't get enough, he will scream and will bite us HARD! For us, it needs to be at least 12 hours sleep in a quiet room....covered. We move him to a sleep cage at night in another room. Even though we tried to be quiet in the family room (where his cage is) he must not have been getting enough rest - so would bite. Sleep helps a lot.

[paula]

Oliver's bedtime is no later than 7:00 p.m. He is so funny because he tells us he is ready to go night-night. He has a certain chirp that we say is his "I need attention" chirp. Regular as clockwork, he starts this chirping between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. He wants out or off the cage and wants to go to bed. I have no idea if Oliver's bedtime routine is unusual but this is what he MUST do EVERY NIGHT - I hold him on my finger and ask him if he wants to go get Papa and I wait for him to tell me by chirping (I won't put him down until he tells me). I then put him on the floor and he runs as fast as his little legs will go across the room (22 ft) to my husband who is sitting in a chair. He stops on the throw rug in front of the chair. My husband picks him up - I go across the room and we do the whole thing all over again. The entire time he is running, we are "cheering" him on. It is so funny and he loves it! I think he would probably do it a few more times if we would allow it, but twice is enough for all of us.

His sleep cage is always covered and he doesn't "get up" until around 7:00 a.m. - so he too needs 12 hrs.

Paula

[Sally]

Big and wide cage, fun toys, good food and sleep.

Chipper also tells us when she wants to go to sleep. She crawls onto her knot perch outside her door. Usually at about 8pm.

She sleeps until 9am when I get up. If I get her up earlier, she doesn't want to wak up, I just cover her until 9pm. She plays hard and naps also. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/bedtime.jpg

[mikesonly1]

A technique used on bitting parrotlets. Many parrotlets might go through a bitting phase, as soon as they are comfortable in their new home. Other parrotlets are not tame or are afraid of hands. This technique is for the parrotlet owner to learn how to react to a bitting parrotlet in a positive way and at the same time teaching their parrotlet how to use their beaks gently.



When they bite, I immediately touch their beak with a very gentle
touch, very soft, very gentle, very slowly, and in a sing-song, soft
voice, I say "gentle beak". It's not long before they associate the
gentle touch of my finger to their beak with the words "gentle beak"
or you can even use just the word "gentle". It is the association
you want. The soft touch to the words "gentle (beak)".

Now that can be easier said than done, because if he has just nipped
you, and you go foward with your finger to touch his beak again, he
may just try and nip the incoming finger .... again. The trick is to
persist, and not mind a few nips in the beginning. I move my finger
really slow. Sometimes they open their beak in warning as you move
it, so just stop. Continue to say softly, "gentle beak. gentle
beak", and move ever so slowly, inching along, until he allows you to
touch. If you get to touch for even an instant, that's good enough.
If you sense him going for another bite after you touch, remove the
finger immediately, before he can bite you. You don't want the last
thing on his mind to be the (second) bite, you want the last thing on
his mind to be the word assoication of "gentle" with the gentle
touch. Believe me, it doesn't take long for them to 'get it', to
make the association.

So then they 'get' the idea that "gentle beak" means a gentle touch
to their beak. How this becomes useful in a biting situation is that
once you are sure they know the meaning of the words/actions, then if
they are biting, you can sternly say to them "!GENTLE BEAK!". In mid
bite, they will then become confused. They know what "gentle beak"
means, they hear the urgency and displeasure in your voice, they are
all set to bite you viciously, and yet they know you are expecting
them to touch gently. They 'know' that means 'touch the finger
gently with my beak'. And amazingly enough, I've seen my parrotlets,
who may have just viciously bit me, immedatiately reach out with the
beak and gently touch the finger they just bit.

Now one can argue that they have just been well trained to associate
that action with those words. And yes, they have. But it's the
timing that will eventually get them to stop biting. If after every
bite, they are made to 'apologize' with this gentle beak thing, then
soon it won't be long before you can see a bite coming, and yell "!
GENTLE BEAK!". This has the capacity to stop them. To make them
reach out gently to your finger instead. And praise is used to
reinforce this.

In the beginning, as soon as you are able to touch their beak, and as
long as they did not bite (again), you praise. If they let you touch
a little longer next time, praise more. If they bite, and then you
immediately say "!GENTLE BEAK!", and they reach out to touch your
finger gently (believe me, this looks SOOO much like an apology on
their part, it is so cute), you praise. Don't make any big deal out
of the bite other than to show your displeasure with your utterance
of "!GENTLE BEAK!" immediately after they bite. Look at them with
utter disdain. Be mad, show it in your face. They WILL pick up on
your facial expressions when you look at them as if you are utterly
disgusted and angry with them. That is all they need to know the
bite was 'not a good thing'. Don't dwell on it after that.
Immediately praise them if they allow you to touch their beak, or
later, after they are more used to the phrase, they actually touch
your finger of their own accord. Praise, praise, praise.

Gentle, soft, soothing, that's what you want. Their energy level
will drop and they will calm down as you softly sing or whisper or
chant it to them. Don't dwell on the bite. Put all the focus into
the "gentle beak" excercise, and the calming that follows a bite.
And like I said, if your bird picks up on it, at some point you can
actually thwart a bite by saying "Gentle Beak" as you can see they
are getting ready to bite.

[spinycactus]

I'm having the same problem with the biting, my green rump draws blood ever time.
thinking about selling them, i do love them though, but ouch

[YWallpaper]

Spinycactus,

As you read from the post above, breaking the habit of biting can take a lot of time, but it doesn't need to be a reason to give up on your birds. There are so many factors that can be involved in biting, since their beaks are their primary way of communicating with you. I should say that since I first posted this, Ike has made leaps and bounds with me. He has not bitten me since that night, and I know that it has a great deal to do with the lifestyle he has; toys, a large cage, and ensuring that he gets enough sleep every night. I sincerely hope that you will give your birds another chance and keep making adjustments to find the root of their behavior, because especially with a young bird, I am sure you can find a solution.

[theculturedredneck]

draws blood? dang. mine rarely nips, but it's never even come close to drawing blood. didn't know the lil' buggers could even bite that hard.

[drab91]

When I first got Mavric, and still if I ever close my hand around him.. Mavric is QUITE capable of drawing blood and has a few times... he does the back and forth motion of his beak until it breaks through.. and I work with my hands :) no pansy hands here LOL
What I have learned is Mavric never bites for no reason.. it is usually something I am doing.. so you just have to take things slow.. what are you doing when the green rump bites?
good to hear Ike is doing much better!

[LucyP]

I've lost blood to both Jesus and Diablo. Jesus is just scared out of his poor little mind because he's not used to humans yet... Diablo is full of spite and thinks she's the boss.. hehehe.
But seriously... when we first got her, she got sick and had to be fed antibiotics so I'd get my roommate (who is training to be a vet and who works in bird rescue) to hold her while i fed her with a syringe.. and she'd go ballistic. She did exorcist impressions with her head and ripped skin out the whole way around and ate it... she ate two of Evan's cuticles completely...
Now is uses her beak to express her distaste for people who interact with her stuff (me). She uses it to tell me she's had enough scritches (v. gently though) and.. when she is cranky and sleepy she bites. She has learned that biting hands doesn't make them go away so she changed tactics. She was resting on my stomach while i was reading and it had gotten late... I guess princess wanted to go to bed NOW because she ran full tilt into my arm and removed a portion of my inner elbow which elicited a huge squeal from me (yeah a little surprised).
However, the biting has gotten less frequenty since she stopped molting and since she knows that if she bites and behaves poorly she gets "time out" in her cage with the cover on, listening to me having fun... then when she has checked herself, I let her out..
has worked v. well for me and we are now working on not biting other people... good luck!

[Vexar]

I've lost blood to both Jesus and Diablo.


That is a hilarious quote.


Anyways, I believe in the gently touching their beak. As a matter of fact, it seems to work well enough without saying anything. I touch softly with my fingernail and scratch their beak (It feels like another beak to them.)

If they bite too much still, try grabbing their beak very softly, with your fingernails. Once again it feels like another bird's beak to them. You scratch softly at their beak. Soon they think you will preen them some as well (Pet them) They calm down very quickly.

If they bite too hard, you simply touch the top of their beak and press down slightly. It lets them know who is stronger, that you are the one who controls them. It takes a long time for either to work, once again if pressing down works, then you can scratch the sides of their beaks, it comforts them like another bird.

I've found both ways work really well. The best thing to do is try a little bit of everything. See what your bird likes, these birds are all different. That's what makes them so fun.

[MetalPrincess8]

I had alot of biting problems with Petey...I've had him about two weeks and he wouldn't come out of his cage at all or come near me with the cage door open...I sang to him alot but he still hates my hands. So on Saturday I put on this bright green sweater and you could tell his eyes just lit up...i opened the cage and he hopped right on to my sweater and chilled with me for like 20 minutes! I couldn't believe it! All of a sudden, he loves to come out and play with me now! it was a MAJOR breakthrough for me...I'm so stoked about it! Anyway, I will post pics as soon as I can get on my home computer and upload them!! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! :D :D :D

[Pado]

I had alot of biting problems with Petey...I've had him about two weeks and he wouldn't come out of his cage at all or come near me with the cage door open...I sang to him alot but he still hates my hands. So on Saturday I put on this bright green sweater and you could tell his eyes just lit up...i opened the cage and he hopped right on to my sweater and chilled with me for like 20 minutes! I couldn't believe it! All of a sudden, he loves to come out and play with me now! it was a MAJOR breakthrough for me...I'm so stoked about it! Anyway, I will post pics as soon as I can get on my home computer and upload them!! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! :D :D :D

Wow - well there is something I've never thought to consider while taming - clothing.

I'm glad this worked for you - thanks for posting - Hopefully this will help while others are taming their P'lets :cool:

[LyndaM]

Yes, the clothing idea is an awesome one! I have a rehomed hahn's macaw who is proving challenging to me -- I think I'll run out and get a green sweatshirt today; there should be plenty on sale this time of year! Thanks for posting such a great idea!

[Athena's Mommy]

I'm so happy for you! I'm glad he's come out now. And just think, it'll get better and better. Athena has totally realized that it's better being out with me than in her cage.

[Py & Cosmo]

Py bites when he is upset - hungry or tired or just has had enough - just like a child, you have to read their "communication" (ouch) and while trying to discourage it, understand why it happens...(ouch) and help them deal with it.

[sueanno1189]

It takes a while to gain their trust. Pichu (my male) made his biggest turn around when he started eating with me. I made a plate for him every night when i ate and that turned our relationship around. He now prefers to eat off of my plate. Black beans and rice is his favorite. Now when he hears me in the kitchen he screams thinking I am fixing "us" supper.

[LyndaM]

It takes a while to gain their trust. Pichu (my male) made his biggest turn around when he started eating with me. I made a plate for him every night when i ate and that turned our relationship around. He now prefers to eat off of my plate. Black beans and rice is his favorite. Now when he hears me in the kitchen he screams thinking I am fixing "us" supper.

Hey, that's a great idea! I have a hahn's mini macaw that is very bitey with me. I am going to try this!

[MetalPrincess8]

Yes, the green sweater has been a great savior for me and Petey...thinking of getting some of those winter gloves that are made like a sweater (knitted) and maybe he will start liking fingers too...its worth a try! He now lets me touch the back of his head and stuff, but still won't sit on my finger...just taking it day by day!! :D

[lovemyboys]

Thank you for these posts. i am a new mommy to my blue boy and he has got an appetite for bite!!! He is three months.

Usually if i let him eat he is good.

I am struggling with how to get him 12 hours nightly. We live in a small 2 bedroom apt. and there are no other rooms to make dark. I have to get up at five...they sleep til six. that is the problem. i work so early. but we do go to bed at nine.

I tried the beak thing and that is working sometimes, but when he's up on my EAR LOLOL!!! Or on my neck, when it surprises me i just burst out into laughter.

[Pado]

It can be a challenge sometimes. I remember someone posting they put their sleeping cage in a closet (but if you did this make sure there is enough air flow :p )

Or maybe find the furthest part of the apartment away from the TV and any activity and cover the cage with a dark cover to block out light and movement.

The biting thing, I gave up trying to stop it altogether - I just work around it - I'm convinced they will always bite at times :) .

[YWallpaper]

Since I first posted about Ike, I updated once that his behavior had vastly improved. Now I feel that we are moving backward again. I really want him to be comfortable with my fingers/hands even though he will always step up for my (covered) wrist. I have tried gently holding his beak when he bites, but he bites harder or flies away, and even started lunging at my fingers. He is sleeping enough and is on a pellet diet-still working on fresh food.

[mcat614]

I agree with Pado. They sometimes bite and sometimes for no good reason. I have seen Petie fighting with one of toys. They are tough little things and very aggressive. One thing that was recommended to me was to get a bigger cage and that has helped as well. He loves his new home and seems to be happier. As I mentioned recently, he is also talking up a storm. I am so surprised at how many words they can say.