Biting: Why They Do It

First of all, it’s necessary to know that biting is not a normal behavior in parrots even though it may seem normal for your bird. In order to correct your bird’s feisty demeanor, you need to find out why your bird is biting. 

There are a few different reasons a bird may bite. Baby birds, like little toddlers, enjoy putting things in their mouth to investigate them. Your fingers are very new and interesting to birds, so checking them out with their mouths is the thing to do. When birds do this, you may think they are going to bite your fingers, so you pull away quickly or yell at the bird. Unfortunately, both of these actions make the bird more likely to grab you again. Pulling away quickly makes the bird think he needs to grab quicker and stronger next time so he can find out what your finger is. Yelling can actually be pleasant for the bird to listen to because he thinks you are “squawking” and will continue to find ways to hear you do this. This can be related to discipline as well. Yelling at your bird will not do any good. In fact, it may provide positive reinforcement to the action that you wanted to discipline him for in the first place.

A bird may be acting out in fear of something and his only way of defense is using his strong beak to bite something. Find out what your bird is afraid of and avoid exposing him to that stimulus or teach him not to be afraid of it. Some birds can be afraid of loud noises such as the vacuum. Expose him to the sound of the vacuum while he is a great distance away and if he stays calm, give him a treat and talk to him in a positive way. Each day move a little closer until he associates the sounds of a vacuum with positive things and won’t bite anymore when it’s running.

Without the proper training, birds sometimes believe that they have dominance in their household. They want control, and in order to get it, they bite to get the things they want. There are ways to correct this and starts with the “step up” technique  used in training your bird. Remember that when you ask the bird to step up on your hand, he may use his beak to climb on. Do not mistake this for biting – he is just using his beak as a climbing tool.

During mating season, birds can become very protective of their mates or their “territory.” Their mode of protection includes biting, so if you know it’s about mating season, be careful around your bird. Make sure, however, that this only goes on temporarily. If it’s for a considerable length of time there may be a different, more permanent reason he is biting.

If a bird is hurt, he can be more prone to biting as well. Check closely for medical conditions or bring him to your avian veterinarian to rule out any health problems.

Birds love to play and sometimes use their beaks to do this. Chewing is fun for some birds and is what keeps him entertained. Make sure you have plenty of toys on hand for him to chew instead of opting for your fingers.

Finding out the cause of your bird’s biting is of utmost importance. Your bird uses body language to communicate with you, so watch him closely and he will probably let you know his needs. You can then use these hints to help prevent or treat his bad behavior.

1. Peacock Sr – SB00702

2. Jungle Joy

      a.  Sunny Orchard Jungle Joy – LF21850 or LF21852