Luna the carnivore

[TPoticny]

I have had My GCC,Luna, for about 3-4 weeks now. At first she was very sweet with only a couple of hard bites here and there. The last two days she has been ferocious to the point that I don't want to be around her. I open her cage and she will fly right to me and immediately start chomping at whatever skin is uncovered. She bites chunks of skin out and chews and then goes for another big chunk! Its like meal time when she hangs out on my hands and shoulder. i have tried laddering, blowing on her, sternly saying no and earthquaking but nothing deters her from biting for more than a couple seconds. I know this is something that I have encouraged in some way, but I don't know how it started or, more importantly, how to end it!!! I would judt let her be, but she is the one that comes to me everytime... I'm not forcing her to hang out with me. Someone please help me. I am a new bird owner and would like to have a long and loving relationship with this little cutie!

 

[Anne & Gang]

actually, I disagree with any of those methods to get your baby to quit biting..they only serve to show the bird that you are reacting to the bites and that is what the bird wants..(others may disagree on this)..I think the best thing to do is completely ignore the bites and show no reaction at all (might be very difficult)..after a few times of this your bird should back off.

 

[Tom B]

Definetly, by doing the things you said you were doing your showing her that her biting you is working.

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[TPoticny]

Thank you so much for the advice, Anne and Tom!! It hurts so bad and she is breaking the skin every time she bites. How many bites should it take to work?? I'm just scared to do that, but I will if it will make her stop. If I clench up because it hurts is that too much of a reaction?

 

[Cyreen]

My birds are flighted (well almost, Ren is still growing out his baby cut, but he does pretty well anyway), so this isn't something I say lightly, but if your bird is flying to attack you, you may want to consider having Luna's wings conservatively clipped (first 4-5 flights in half) to slow her down until you can gain some trust and she can learn new habits. I tend to subscribe to the "be nice or go away" philosophy. My birds want to be out and with me, so if someone is misbehaving and ends up back in their cage for a timeout, they get the message.

 

[TPoticny]

My birds are flighted (well almost, Ren is still growing out his baby cut, but he does pretty well anyway), so this isn't something I say lightly, but if your bird is flying to attack you, you may want to consider having Luna's wings conservatively clipped (first 4-5 flights in half) to slow her down until you can gain some trust and she can learn new habits. I tend to subscribe to the "be nice or go away" philosophy. My birds want to be out and with me, so if someone is misbehaving and ends up back in their cage for a timeout, they get the message.

I appreciate your response! I like this idea much more than the 'bite it out' method Luna's wings were already clipped when I bought her. I want her to be fully flighted so I have not trimmed her wings since.... She flies pretty well if you ask me. Ill try puttin her in her cage every time she is naughty and hopefully that will help!!

 

[CaliEckies]

Ok so I know most people here say don't react when a bird bites you... but come on how many of us really sit there and just look at our bird calm when they take a chunk out of us? I say in my head don't move but hey if my bird draws blood I react.
Also after watching our Big Mac's if one of my Birds tried to nail another one of them they wouldn't just sit there and be calm they'd establish that biting them is not going to be tolerated. period.
You said you have only had the bird a few weeks and it keeps biting you? Is it a baby? Rehomed adult? What training have you established so far? Will it step up or do you just allow it to free fly around?
I am sorry I have been bitten on my fingers wayyyyy to many times by my new fosters birds to try and handle them without something protecting me. I wear a sweatshirt, pants, shoes and I wear my black motorcycle gloves with hard knuckles. I have yet have a bird to really try and bite through my riding gloves. They will bite put pressure see I don't pull back bc they didn't break skin just pinched and I move whatever part of my body they are on. If a bird is unstable it will worry about correcting it's balance opposed to continue the focus on aggression towards you. -- I know a lot of people don't recommend to wear gloves when handling a bird but if I know the bird is a bitter I am going to protect my skin.
Now if it is a baby they you just need to let the bird know you aren't there to hurt it and I would react differently - but I am not sure if your bird is a baby or adult?
Also some ppl say to go towards the bird when they bite and not pull away... honestly never accomplished that as pulling away is a normal reflex.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

I disagree with ignoring bites completely. All that does is give the bird the idea you don't mind getting bitten. No way to change behavior if you are going to allow it to happen. The first thing you must do is watch her body language and read it to see the clues that tell you she is going to bite; then you either distract her with something so she forgets about biting or you put her down before she can bite.

Next, you treat her just like her bird family would treat her if she bit them; you let her know you do not like to be bitten with a low key reaction, like saying "No biting. Bad bird": and then you put her down, remove her from your body and ignore her for at least five minutes. Her bird family would have at least threatened to bite her with their beak, maybe even a parent would give her a peck and then they would have flown away from her telling her "If you cannot behave, we do not want to interact with you." Luna has to learn that biting is not acceptable social behavior and it has consequences; if you bite, you do not get to spend time with mom and you do not get attention. If she just flies right back to you and tries to bite again, then next time she bites and you discipline her, put her in her cage for a time out and let her out after the five minute cooling off period.

At first it will seem all you do is tell her she is a bad bird, but she will eventually get the message. If she redoubles her efforts to bite and refuses to get off of you when she does, make sure you carry a towel around with you so that when she has her birdy tantrum you can scoop her up in the towel and place her in her cage to cool down. After she cools down you let her out, greet her with a smile and some kind of compliment and honey thick 'good girl' tones and interact with her until she bites again or gives the sign she is going to bite; then you either distract her from biting or start with the training all over.

For the training to work, you must be consistent. If she bites, she is off of you and away from you; if she behaves she gets whatever attention she wants as long as she wants or until she gets over stimulated and her behavior tells you she is going to bite again.

It is not a difficult discipline program and in no part does it ask you to physically discipline your bird. By covering a bitey bird with a towel, you are protecting yourself from an angry, upset bird so you can remove her safely from your physical person. If you miss your grab for her with the towel, give it one more try and if you miss again, then get up and walk away from her. Her goal is to have you undivided and personal attention on her all the time she is with you. Her punishment for biting is not getting that undivided personal attention. Every bird I have ever used this technique on has come around, even my vampire biter, Hobbs Meyers.

I am currently in the middle of training Boca GCC with this technique and already he is more circumspect about when and if he will bite my neck when he is on my shoulder. I can feel him getting ready to nip my ear or my neck and I tell him "Boca, no bite!" and he will take a step away from my neck, farther out on my shoulder and think about it at least half the time now. He knows if he bites, he gets towelled and removed from my shoulder and put in his cage for a time out. Boca is making slow progress.