[ElphieT]

Hi everyone! I’ve had Oliver for almost two weeks now and I think it’s going pretty well. He was super scared of me at first but seemed to warm up to me fairly quickly. He’s comfortable coming out of his cage now and has enjoyed climbing on me and my laptop while I work from home. We’ve also been working on target training and he’s doing well with that.

Now to my question...I knew to expect biting as part of the parrotlet package, and he’s been biting me a lot, but it doesn’t seem like he’s doing it out of aggression, but rather just that he likes chewing on things. It kinda reminds me of a puppy who just chews on everything. I also can tell the difference between what he’s doing and using his beak as an additional hand, which is not at all painful.

I’m using the earthquake method and trying to teach him “gentle beak,” and when he gets too bitey I just put something else in front of him to chew on, which seems to work for a bit. Just wondering if this is the bird equivalent to teething? Thanks!

 

[JackieRTP]

Oliver is very cute! It is common when they are young to use their beak in a manner similar to teething like human babies. Everything is still new and they are exploring thing with their beak. Most grow out of the frequent biting in time, but not all do.

 

[David Miller]

I am glad you are applying the gentle beak approach. I know it will take time, but most p'letts seem to calm down as time goes on. Try not to react in a loud way when bit, even though it may hurt at times. Oliver seems to be a nice bird. I know you love him a lot! I am so happy you have him. You seem like a great ' paront ' to Oliver. Keep working on him and give him a lot of chew and forage toys to destroy!

David🦜🦜