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IRN handraised from 5 weeks sweetest bird, has started biting me!! Help please

Georgiarae

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I have handraised my IRN since 5weeks old. I have never owned a IRN before, so his behaviours are new to me. He is now 4 months old, first he started biting my husband then my kids and now me. Only when I ask him to step up when he is somewhere he wants to stay ( but can’t ) he has something wrong with his wings and can’t fly ( over breeding I think, big lumps on his wing tips ) so all he can do is go where I place him or walk around on the floor. He is fine when I pick him up from the floor buts it’s mainly when he is on my shoulder and I need to move him he will go to bite me. I love him so much, we cuddle at night, he is so cuddly ( only at night? ) gets under my neck and loves a scratch and a pat I can kiss him on the face, put my nose on his beak and he won’t bite.. I’m just confused. I have a macaw also it’s my mother’s but she’s like mine also. They are both just so different in behaviour. I just need some advice for the biting because it hurts!! Haha 6045C91C-5D28-497F-AAC9-9B7F950A1B7E.jpeg 66DF99A1-7C3F-4429-8C9A-19992A27FC15.jpeg
 

expressmailtome

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Bump.
 

budgieluv3

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When he bites, put him down for a minute and turn your back. Birds are flock animals and will naturally want to be with you, so denying that says no.
 

Destiny

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One simple solution would be to not put him on your shoulder if that is when he tries to bite.

Alternatively, I would suggest getting a t-perch or stick to use for step-up. Then, if he is in a location where you think he might try to bite, offer the perch instead of your finger. This will allow you to safely move him without suffering a bite.
 

Georgiarae

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When he bites, put him down for a minute and turn your back. Birds are flock animals and will naturally want to be with you, so denying that says no.
Thankyou!! I have tried that, I put him in his cage, walk away for 2 mins and then get him back out again.. it’s just so disheartening when he bites me..
 

budgieluv3

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Thankyou!! I have tried that, I put him in his cage, walk away for 2 mins and then get him back out again.. it’s just so disheartening when he bites me..
I know it is! But repetition is key! They are like little toddlers, they will continue on even after one no lol.
 

Tazlima

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I know it is! But repetition is key! They are like little toddlers, they will continue on even after one no lol.
Lol, this is so true! And even after they get the idea, they'll test the boundaries.

"Ok. I got put down after I bit, but is that WHY I was put down? Let me bite again to find out."
"Hmm... seems like the putting down IS related to the biting, but how far does this go? I'll bite a different finger."
"Put down again? Okay. Interesting."
"What if we're in another part of the room? Does biting over HERE get the same reaction as biting over THERE?"
"Still the same? How about a different room AND different finger?"
"Interesting. What if I bite a little more gently so I don't draw blood?"

And so on.
 

budgieluv3

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Lol, this is so true! And even after they get the idea, they'll test the boundaries.

"Ok. I got put down after I bit, but is that WHY I was put down? Let me bite again to find out."
"Hmm... seems like the putting down IS related to the biting, but how far does this go? I'll bite a different finger."
"Put down again? Okay. Interesting."
"What if we're in another part of the room? Does biting over HERE get the same reaction as biting over THERE?"
"Still the same? How about a different room AND different finger?"
"Interesting. What if I bite a little more gently so I don't draw blood?"

And so on.
Exactly. It takes them a little while to realize “OHHHH that’s the reason they put me down”
 

Destiny

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It is also a good idea to work on bite prevention and bite trigger-identification, so you can stop the problem before it happens.

If your bird is getting to the point where he is biting or lunging at you ... it is very likely that he was showing other body language leading up to the attack. Learning to read the situation and watch for more subtle early signs so you can easily recognize what lines your bird doesn't want you to cross can really help save your fingers in the long run.

Parrot ownership tends to involve a great deal of compromise. Hand-raised baby parrots are set to "easy mode". They will let you get away with all sorts of stuff and not complain. But as they get older, they start developing opinions and sassy teen parrot attitude. They start to say "no" when you ask them to do something they don't like. And if you ignore their subtle "no", they need to say it louder ... and if you still don't get the message, that's when you get da beak! It is really hard to miss that signal, so once they figure out that it works, you can expect that it will get used more often.

And that's why we see a lot of posts on AA from new parrot owners with sweet, loving baby parrots who transformed into terrible bite-monsters seemingly overnight and without any apparent warning. Chances are good that early warning signs were present, but they were being missed or ignored until the biting started. And if they continue to mis-read the situation, the biting just gets worse.

Fortunately, parrots are smart and they learn quickly. A good parrot is a worth the extra effort to understand and teach better ways to communicate their wants and needs. Especially with a flightless bird, it is important to have good lines of communication so the parrot can let you know if he is getting frustrated or bored and needs your help to get out of a bad situation. He will be extra reliant on you for transportation and general awareness.

If you haven't looked into target training yet, I highly recommend it. It can help in a lot of different ways. Creative compramises and different approaches to parrot handling can also make a huge different in how often you come into conflict with an adult parrot.
 
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