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My budgie bit my hand really hard. Why?

DesertBird

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I was out for a few hours today, and when I got back I went to say hello to my budgies. I reached my hand into the cage to pet Sprite's cheeks and she started gently nibbling/preening me like she usually does. But, then she started biting harder and she climbed onto my hand to get at all my fingers.
She kept biting harder and harder, eventually she was actually twisting my skin in her beak, almost like chewing. It started to really hurt, so I moved my fingers out of her reach, but she kept biting. Finally I think she got the message that I didn't like what she was doing, so she left. But, afterwards she seemed insulted that I didn't let her bite me.
Why did she bite me so hard? Was she trying to play with me, and just didn't know how?
 

Shilpa

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Maybe she thought of you as a toy? Because Chicky used to do that when she would be chewing on a toy that I was holding but then her chewing would move to the tips of my fingers and eventually turn into super hard biting...
 

DesertBird

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Was she biting to let you know you weren’t wanted in her space maybe?
No, because she actually climbed onto my hand to get at my fingers.
 

DesertBird

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Maybe she thought of you as a toy? Because Chicky used to do that when she would be chewing on a toy that I was holding but then her chewing would move to the tips of my fingers and eventually turn into super hard biting...
It's possible. That's why I thought she might be trying to play with me but she didn't really know what to do.
 

Shezbug

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No, because she actually climbed onto my hand to get at my fingers.
Did you enter her cage or did she exit her cage to climb up and bite? Some birds get rather iffy about visits inside their cages... most times I’m more than welcome in Burt’s cage but there are times that he makes it clear it’s his area and I’m annoying him by trespassing- I never just shove my hand in without reading his signs and asking.
 

DesertBird

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Did you enter her cage or did she exit her cage to climb up and bite? Some birds get rather iffy about visits inside their cages... most times I’m more than welcome in Burt’s cage but there are times that he makes it clear it’s his area and I’m annoying him by trespassing- I never just shove my hand in without reading his signs and asking.
My budgies don't come out of their cage. They can't fly because their wings were clipped, so they get nervous if they can't reach one of their perches. (I'm working on building their confidence enough to come out). All of our interactions are inside the cage.
She definitely didn't bite me to make me go away, because she was preening me first, then got onto my hand to bite all of my fingers. She also got mad at me after I moved my fingers out of her reach.
 

Sunni Tiel

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My budgie did that, too. It sounds like they were just checking you out, testing the limits. (Budgies seem to like doing that lol)
Maybe he thought your hand was a toy.
 

DesertBird

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My budgie did that, too. It sounds like they were just checking you out, testing the limits. (Budgies seem to like doing that lol)
Maybe he thought your hand was a toy.
She has tested the limits before, but she never bit as hard as she did yesterday. Do you think she was taking the testing even further?
She did the biting thing again this morning. Not quite as hard as yesterday, but still pretty hard. If she's just playing, how do I show her that I don't like that? How do I teach her to play differently?
 

elena_2004

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I was out for a few hours today, and when I got back I went to say hello to my budgies. I reached my hand into the cage to pet Sprite's cheeks and she started gently nibbling/preening me like she usually does. But, then she started biting harder and she climbed onto my hand to get at all my fingers.
She kept biting harder and harder, eventually she was actually twisting my skin in her beak, almost like chewing. It started to really hurt, so I moved my fingers out of her reach, but she kept biting. Finally I think she got the message that I didn't like what she was doing, so she left. But, afterwards she seemed insulted that I didn't let her bite me.
Why did she bite me so hard? Was she trying to play with me, and just didn't know how?
I haven't been following your story, so I'm not sure what the situation is with your birds. If you have a male and a female which breed, she may be "territorial of her nest" ? In a protective way - not sure how to explain it.

It could just be a hormonal thing, or maybe she just needed some space :)

You shouldn't be to concerned, after all they are animals and we cannot suppress their natural behaviour. Having said that, it probably won't happen on a regular behaviour.
 

DesertBird

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I haven't been following your story, so I'm not sure what the situation is with your birds. If you have a male and a female which breed, she may be "territorial of her nest" ? In a protective way - not sure how to explain it.

It could just be a hormonal thing, or maybe she just needed some space :)

You shouldn't be to concerned, after all they are animals and we cannot suppress their natural behaviour. Having said that, it probably won't happen on a regular behaviour.
I do have a male and female, but they don't breed. They're only 4 months old.
She has already done her biting/playing about 4 times today. She seems to have a lot of fun doing it. :/
 

saroj12

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I do have a male and female, but they don't breed. They're only 4 months old.
She has already done her biting/playing about 4 times today. She seems to have a lot of fun doing it. :/
Saying No! Be gentle and removing your fingers?
 

DesertBird

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Saying No! Be gentle and removing your fingers?
When I move my fingers away she gets really wild and bites more. She acts like it's a really fun game to chase my fingers and bite them.
I was just spending some time with her, she was on my hand and using me to play with her toy. Then she started biting my fingers again, so I set her down and took my hand out of the cage for a few seconds. Then I put my hand back and she jumped right on and kept playing with her toy. We did that a few more times during our play session. Do you think this is a good way to get her to stop?
 

saroj12

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When I move my fingers away she gets really wild and bites more. She acts like it's a really fun game to chase my fingers and bite them.
I was just spending some time with her, she was on my hand and using me to play with her toy. Then she started biting my fingers again, so I set her down and took my hand out of the cage for a few seconds. Then I put my hand back and she jumped right on and kept playing with her toy. We did that a few more times during our play session. Do you think this is a good way to get her to stop?
Sounds like it’s working! If she connects the removal of your hand with wild biting I think it would work, they are very smart!
 

DesertBird

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Sounds like it’s working! If she connects the removal of your hand with wild biting I think it would work, they are very smart!
Great! I'll keep doing that then. Thanks!
 

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Birds that have cut flight feathers need exercise. Just letting them sit in a cage will give them muscle atrophy and poor lung function. There are ways you can do exercise with them. Climbing is one.
 

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Did you just eat something? My dogs will sometimes chomp my hands if my hands smell like food, maybe your budgie did the same thing :roflmao:
 

DesertBird

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Birds that have cut flight feathers need exercise. Just letting them sit in a cage will give them muscle atrophy and poor lung function. There are ways you can do exercise with them. Climbing is one.
I would love for them to get more exercise, but they are scared to come out of the cage. We're working on that, but there's not much I can do at the moment.
 
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