OUCH!!!! Biting

[montgomery2007]

So I got a little female green plet (Daisy):D about a month ago to pair with Montgomery (Photos in the gallery). We kept them isolated for an entire month for various reasons. She was clearly hand fed, as she had no fear of hands or being handled; a total sweetheart. So three days ago, I introduced the two and have been caging them side by side. Well, just try and handle her now and you will be bitten and hard:mad: . So here's the question. Could they bond so fast that her disposition changes over night? Montgomery has not changed at all and I can still handle him as much as ever. It is only her.

Also if anyone knows some good things to do to stop this; I would appreciate it.

Thanks Eric

[SweetPeasMom]

Yes I believe they can bond very fast, you will have to work harder, like I do to keep them handtamed.

[Vegasmom]

My first p'let was returned to the store 4 times for being too mean. When they gave her to me she was a little devil. I have callouses (sp?) so I'm not saying it will work for you, or this is the way it's done, but I let her bite me all she wanted without showing any emotion, like yelling, scolding or fear. I tried to act like I was ignoring it and didn't put her back in her cage which I think is what she wanted. Also, I tried to get her to bite my fingernails instead, lol. After a few times, she stopped attacking because it wasn't getting her anywhere. She never ended up being cuddly, but she stop biting, finger trained, and gave kisses without biting any holes in us.

[catherine]

I agree. I find that if I let Costabel bite me a couple of times
and manage not to jump, she quits. Most of the time she doesn't
bite so hard that it really hurts a lot.

[memmey]

Finally!!!!!! Great advice from 2 members at the same time.
Parrolets will react to your body language before they will your words. If you yell it frightens them and the biting will be worse next time. No reaction even though it HURTS will get a calmer response the next time.
She may be jealous and a little mad at you . She may have thought she was the baby of the house.

[jodeg]

DITTO, Catherine! If I hold back any reaction, she just looks at me -- like "What? You're not going to yelp?" and then she backs off and "beaks" me very gently.

About a month ago, (she's 6 months old now) she started "nipping" little tiny pieces of my skin and boy does that hurt! I yelped (mistake) the first couple of times, it hurt like heck and I was so surprised at what she did! Finally, after some advice from this form, I learned to remove her from my hand or arm or wherever she was nipping and not react. She eventually got over it, thank goodness!

Not reacting is hard to do sometimes, especially when they're CHOMPING down :eek: on parts of your body, but I guess our YELP of pain is the excitement and reaction they're looking for!

When I watch her turn a wooden chew stick into toothpicks in a matter or minutes, I know I'm dealing with a SERIOUS BEAK!!! :rolleyes:

[chapala]

For Cello who did bite when he came here last November, I used a small towel to gather him up and put him back in the cage immediately after he bit. Since he wanted to be out with me, the cage wasn't a reward! He soon learned that he couldn't stay out and be with me if he was going to bite, and he didn't learn more fear of hands because I caught him up in the towel.

I don't enjoy being bitten, and don't sit there and take bites. I do something, in his case putting him back in the cage. Same thing with my mature male Grey, who during more hormonal times can get a little nippy. I turn and walk away. It works because he really wants me to stay. He's clipped so can't come after me like Cello could.

If you have a bird who hasn't reached the point that he wants to be with the human, then walking away or putting back in the cage may be a reward and just what the bird wants. You have to figure out what is going on for the bird. I think too we need to be aware of body language and not handle a bird that doesn't want to be handled - it will invite biting. The idea is to take it slowly, make the interaction with the human positive for the bird, and try to avoid biting behavior by watching the bird.

Sometimes by allowing biting, it can encourage more biting as a means of communication. The bird is not learning other ways to communicate with the human.
Reta

[jodeg]

Reta -

I agree, allowing biting is not the way to go. I don't sit there and take bites. She'd turn ME into a chew toy! :eek: I just move my hand away, or remove her from my hand. What I was getting at is that I think they like the excitement they get when we react with a yelp or loud noise. When there's no big noise and she's removed from my hand or put back in her cage, the biting isn't reinforced.

You hit the nail on the head, too, about watching their behavior and trying to avoid times when they'll bite! Once in a while, she'll go into "attack mode" and go after one or two of her toys like a maniac! After she blows off steam for a minute or two, she's her old self again.

They're such interesting little creatures! :D

[BeakerLuvsBunsen]

I feel like my little guys have been getting pretty territorial about their cage.
More so my yellow than my green male. The yellow guy will charge at me
all puffed up if I go near his domain and beaker kinda follows him and sometimes chases him as if to tell him to cut it out. I usually open the door to get them to come out or I will take Beaker out on my finger and Bunsen will follow. But now fairly often I get bit by Bunsen when I am putting in the food and changing the water in the morning.

This morning he really chomped down hard but I didn't react. I just looked at him, brought my arm (with him chomping down on) to my face and
gave a stern "NO!" he let go and flew back to the cage.

Lately it's just this bizarre behavior coming from him. I don't know if he's grouchy about mating season or what. I started covering them to ensure
a full 12 hours of sleep.

He is okay if I take him away from the cage, he turns into my sweet baby
again. He steps up fine and enjoys spending time with me. So it's definitely related to the cage, but he has no problem with my fiance reaching in and doing things. It's really bizarre.

I don't want him to think it's okay to charge at me and bite me.


Any advice?

[memmey]

I used to have a Noble Macaw, when you would see her eyes dilate big to little, big to little you better not stick your hand near her. Seriously.
Other than that she was kind and sweet and the nicest girl. Everybody has their days when they feel like that occasionally.

[jodeg]

Memmey -

You're right about those eyes -- big to little! My best friend has a Senegal Parrot named Dubee that she's had for 19 years. Her husband can hold and cuddle him, but not my friend, and she's the one who takes care of him! His gold colored eyes will narrow to a pinpoint when he's getting ready to strike, and boy, he'll take off a finger if she comes near him at that point! :eek:

My friend would love to have a Parrotlet -- she takes care of Kiwi when we're gone -- but only had time and space for one bird. She says Dubee will probably be ornery enough to outlive her! :rolleyes:

[catherine]

Just to clarify about "letting" the bird bite. I'm talking about a couple of bites given with benign body language. I wouldn't extend that to enduring an assault. Actually, Costabel only went into a little fit of biting once, and that was because she got all tangled in my hair and when I went to get her, she got scared/mad. I removed my hands quickly and sort of shook her off. She landed on the couch and was fine.

If I put her back in the cage every time she bites, though, I'll be putting her back in there more than taking her out! She likes her cage, so I don't think she sees that as a chastisement. Being set down alone across the room, though ----now that she understands as a punishment. She makes her way back across the room and acts nice for a while.

Funny little creature.

[Py & Cosmo]

Cosmo rarely bites, he usually 'beaks'...but once or twice I've had to just bring him back to his cage and say "no biting" and close the door. He gets very quiet after that... and if I leave and come back? That's when I hear a spontaneous "gimmee" or "gimmee kiss"...they understand WAY more than I ever gave them credit for...

[reenie]

I have this problem with my sweet little Henry that I can't seem to get worked out. Everytime he hears pills shake in a bottle OR he gets around the pill bottles he goes Crazy!!! He is 9mos. old and I don't know if he is hormornal or what, but he bites so hard, even my neck if we walk in the kitchen. I just grab him with a towel and put him in his cage, any ideas from anybody?? I can move the pills but even if he hears ice in a cup he has started doing it....Does anyone know what I can do???:eek:

[Kasey]

I think there is something to this. It is something about the sound. My budgie went berserk whenever we rustled a plastic garbage bag or plastic grocery bag.

Now, Stitch our new parrotlet, does the same thing.

I can see where pills rattling in a plastic bottle would be a similar sound to the rustling plastic bag.

We didn't have both birds at the same time, so they didn't learn it from each other, it is apparently an instinctual response.

A reasonable question would be, what would make a similar noise in the wild?

[reenie]

I guess it is the rattling of the pills or ice., but what can I do about it??? I need the "bird whisperer"!!! I have tried 2-3 times a day to get him out, that part is easy, but he goes to the bottles and goes bizerk!!!:eek: He is clipped but he flutters close then just dares you to get him!!! All I do, with no reaction get a towel, take him to his cage with him biting the towel the whole time and squaking!!! Anybody out there with the solution to this little power packed bird!!????Reenie

[Nikki]

It's an instinctual response for them to go squawk crazy over rattling and rustling because it signals snakes and other predators in the trees. They call out to let others in the flock know and rufflle up to look like a threat. He's really just trying to protect you -- his flock mate.

Maybe try showing him bottles with no pills while he's out. Let him learn that they're not a threat and that he'll be okay. Once he learns the bottles don't equal a real threat -- just a perceived one -- he'll calm down a little bit. I'm new to birds, so this is just a shot in the dark response based on reading, but it's what I would do with mine given the situation.