Whenever my green cheek is out, he likes “playing with me” by biting my hands, fingers, and scabs of hangnails. I try to relax and have him let go on his own, but the scabs of hangnails hurt so much that I have to gently grab his beak and pull it off. Help!
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How to stop biting?
- Thread starter conureluv
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Mizzely
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When my birds bite I put them down immediately, say No, and turn my back and walk away. This helps me cool off so I don't make it fun for them, but it also shows them with body language "I don't like that". It also prevents them from making associations like, "I just want to go back to my cage.... When I bite I get a free ride!" Or "my cage is a bad place, I don't want to be there."
Oh, I get what you’re saying! Thanks a lot, I’ll try that and keep you posted.
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Birds bite for many reasons. How you deal with it is going to depend somewhat on why he bites.
If he wants to play, I would try directing him to a more appropriate toy, like a wooden chew or foot toy. You could buy a selection of them to find out what he likes and then keep some in your pocket or close by whenever the bird is out. Offer the toys early and often. Don't wait for him to bite. You want keep his mouth busy and his mind distracted by other fun games
When he goes for your hands, make a verbal correction of your choice - I usually make a harsh "tsk" sound and disengage from "play". It doesn't need to be a long time. Most of my birds have a pretty short attention span.
The goal here is to offer him fun options that don't involve biting you AND make biting games feel boring and not very fun for him. Young birds tend to be very "beaky" and they will experiment with biting whatever is available, but they also learn fast. Redirect and discourage nipping early can keep little nibbles from turning into big bites.
If he wants to play, I would try directing him to a more appropriate toy, like a wooden chew or foot toy. You could buy a selection of them to find out what he likes and then keep some in your pocket or close by whenever the bird is out. Offer the toys early and often. Don't wait for him to bite. You want keep his mouth busy and his mind distracted by other fun games
When he goes for your hands, make a verbal correction of your choice - I usually make a harsh "tsk" sound and disengage from "play". It doesn't need to be a long time. Most of my birds have a pretty short attention span.
The goal here is to offer him fun options that don't involve biting you AND make biting games feel boring and not very fun for him. Young birds tend to be very "beaky" and they will experiment with biting whatever is available, but they also learn fast. Redirect and discourage nipping early can keep little nibbles from turning into big bites.
What I don’t want to do is give him the toy and have him think that biting is good. How can I prevent that?
Leave him be with the toy, that way, he will learn that biting is okay if it is not to a person or creature. If you do what @Mizzely said above, then your bird will see that you are not for biting, but toys are fine
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Try to offer him to chew toys and foot toys as bite prevention, before he has a chance to go for your hands.
If he starts nibbling gently on your fingers, try to redirect him on to the toy with verbal encouragement if he starts shredding or chewing the toy.
If he bites hard, stop playing immediately. Fun time over. Come back in a little bit and see if he is interested in a toy or non-bitey interaction. If not, give him more space.
The goal is to stop the bite from even happening, if possible, by working on bite triggers and bite reinforcers to reduce the desirability and frequency of the problem behavior.
If he starts nibbling gently on your fingers, try to redirect him on to the toy with verbal encouragement if he starts shredding or chewing the toy.
If he bites hard, stop playing immediately. Fun time over. Come back in a little bit and see if he is interested in a toy or non-bitey interaction. If not, give him more space.
The goal is to stop the bite from even happening, if possible, by working on bite triggers and bite reinforcers to reduce the desirability and frequency of the problem behavior.
While I’m here, will a fan draft kill my bird? I see mixed answers on other forums. For example; “My rule is if I’m comfortable, my bird is too” or “a bird can die in a couple of hours.”
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The fan draft will all depend on temperature. If it is cold and the fan is blowing on your bird then just like any creature they will struggle to stay warm.
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If the fan is running because ambient temperature is hot, then I would not worry about it.
Drafts are cold air drawn indoors by a difference in temperature. Chilly air can move heat away from the body faster than it is generated so it can cause dangerous heat loss in small animals, especially birds that are very young, molting, or missing feathers.
A healthy, well-fed bird is at less risk than a sick or malnourished bird because they are able to burn excess energy for warmth. But even a healthy fully feather bird can die eventually, if it is kept in a cold drafty environment, just as you can die or become ill from being exposed to the elements for too long. This is especially true for tropical species that lack cold tolerance.
Deaths tend to happen at night when ambient temperatures drop to the lowest point.
...
So long story short, check for drafts in winter. A cool breeze in summer time is perfectly fine.
Drafts are cold air drawn indoors by a difference in temperature. Chilly air can move heat away from the body faster than it is generated so it can cause dangerous heat loss in small animals, especially birds that are very young, molting, or missing feathers.
A healthy, well-fed bird is at less risk than a sick or malnourished bird because they are able to burn excess energy for warmth. But even a healthy fully feather bird can die eventually, if it is kept in a cold drafty environment, just as you can die or become ill from being exposed to the elements for too long. This is especially true for tropical species that lack cold tolerance.
Deaths tend to happen at night when ambient temperatures drop to the lowest point.
...
So long story short, check for drafts in winter. A cool breeze in summer time is perfectly fine.
