New GCC Owner! Increased Biting

[Naomi1295]

Hello all! My boyfriend purchased a Green Cheek Conure (now named Zelda) for me from a local pet store on December 23rd (Saturday). She is 7 months old, and really such a sweet bird. She loves to sleep in my pocket and cuddle up anywhere that's warm and cozy.

We were advised by the staff that Zelda initially wasn't so sweet (AKA she would bite pretty hard, often) but that they had been working with her for about a week, and she had made great progress and wasn't biting as much or as hard anymore. I wasn't sure if the bites she was giving them were out of aggression or just her natural desire to nibble.

Anyways, the day we took Zelda home, she was doing great - lots of nibbling, only a few nibbles that were too hard; however, her nibbles have been progressively getting worse. I don't think she's biting out of anger, because she'll start off with very sweet nibbles and tasting us. She'll do this for random lengths of time and then, all of a sudden, in the middle of those sweet nibbles, she just bites really hard (to the point where it has broken skin). Other times, she'll be on top of her cage and act like she's trying to fly over to me, so I go to pick her up and she bites. Again, I don't think it's out of aggression, because she doesn't make any quick movements or anything - just acts like she's gonna nibble or use her beak to lift herself up and then bites.

Does it sound like these are angry/fearful bites, or if they're just Zelda being unaware that she's biting too hard? Also, how can I stop her from biting too hard when she's just trying to nibble?

Thank you!

 

[Mizzely]

It's really hard to know for sure but its likely not angry bites. Young birds use their beak to explore and they need to know their limits - it is now your turn to try and teach that. Keep foot toys on hand to redirect her when she starts to get too hard - but before she actually bites hard.

They also sometimes get taught that biting is the only way to get your attention or to get you to listen to their body language?

What do you do in reaction to the bites?

 

[Naomi1295]

It's really hard to know for sure but its likely not angry bites. Young birds use their beak to explore and they need to know their limits - it is now your turn to try and teach that. Keep foot toys on hand to redirect her when she starts to get too hard - but before she actually bites hard.

They also sometimes get taught that biting is the only way to get your attention or to get you to listen to their body language?

What do you do in reaction to the bites?

Hello! When she bites too hard, I usually say "ow" or "no" firmly, and have to pry her beak off of me. If she continues to bite, I end up putting her back on/in her cage.

I may try giving her treats each time she DOESN'T nibble too hard to help teach her which nibbles are okay.

 

[Mizzely]

Unfortunately the drama of the ow, no, and prying might be its own reward. That and if she wants to go back to the cage but can't get there on her own (is she clipped?) and you put her back there when she keeps biting might mean that she is biting you to GET back to the cage. She could also be over stimulated.

Try to keep interactions short and sweet. When she starts nibbling, give her a toy to chew on instead. Do you have a playstand, etc that she can be on instead of being directly on you but still be close by? Even the arm of the couch you are sitting on can help. Regardless, the best way to make sure a bite doesn't get reinforced is to make sure that the bite doesn't happen in the first place.

 

[Naomi1295]

Unfortunately the drama of the ow, no, and prying might be its own reward. That and if she wants to go back to the cage but can't get there on her own (is she clipped?) and you put her back there when she keeps biting might mean that she is biting you to GET back to the cage. She could also be over stimulated.

Try to keep interactions short and sweet. When she starts nibbling, give her a toy to chew on instead. Do you have a playstand, etc that she can be on instead of being directly on you but still be close by? Even the arm of the couch you are sitting on can help. Regardless, the best way to make sure a bite doesn't get reinforced is to make sure that the bite doesn't happen in the first place.

Yes, she is clipped. I have noticed that she loves her cage (it's kind of like her comfort zone), so I think I'll refrain from placing her in there when she bites. I'll have to keep some toys on hand when I handle her I guess. Thanks!

 

[Mizzely]

Foot toys work very well for that!

And yes, her cage is her safety zone. She has only been at your home a few days and she is a prey animal. I'd probably give her a few days before trying to attempt to pick her up again personally.

 

[Naomi1295]

Foot toys work very well for that!

And yes, her cage is her safety zone. She has only been at your home a few days and she is a prey animal. I'd probably give her a few days before trying to attempt to pick her up again personally.

Thank you! She definitely loves her cage, but sometimes she seems to want me to pick her up - she'll come to the front of the cage and start chirping quietly and keep looking at me like she wants to fly over. That's when I go to pick her up and she;s happy for a while and then starts nibbling too hard again. Probably because she wants to go back in her cage?

I don't want to get into the habit of putting her back in/on her cage every time she bites hard, because then I feel like she'll associate biting with being put back in her comfort zone.

Thoughts?

 

[Mizzely]

Thank you! She definitely loves her cage, but sometimes she seems to want me to pick her up - she'll come to the front of the cage and start chirping quietly and keep looking at me like she wants to fly over. That's when I go to pick her up and she;s happy for a while and then starts nibbling too hard again. Probably because she wants to go back in her cage?

I don't want to get into the habit of putting her back in/on her cage every time she bites hard, because then I feel like she'll associate biting with being put back in her comfort zone.

Thoughts?

That is correct. That's why it is important to return her before she starts biting. Alternatively, just open up the cage and see what she does. Sit near the cage without picking her up. Give her control of the situation so you can better interpret her needs and wants.

 

[Naomi1295]

That is correct. That's why it is important to return her before she starts biting. Alternatively, just open up the cage and see what she does. Sit near the cage without picking her up. Give her control of the situation so you can better interpret her needs and wants.

Okay, thank you so much!

 

[Ninna]

She looks really cute - I hope she settles in well. What a lovely Christmas present! You've come to the right place, I'm sure you'll get plenty more good advice. Welcome to the avenue!

 

[Naomi1295]

She looks really cute - I hope she settles in well. What a lovely Christmas present! You've come to the right place, I'm sure you'll get plenty more good advice. Welcome to the avenue!

Thank you! And yes, she's adorable and such a sweetheart!

 

[Parakeet88]

Maybe you can try putting a ladder from the floor up to her cage door. That's what I did for my GCC so he can go in or out of his cage whenever he wants even though he's still clipped.

 

[Naomi1295]

Maybe you can try putting a ladder from the floor up to her cage door. That's what I did for my GCC so he can go in or out of his cage whenever he wants even though he's still clipped.

That's a good idea! The only thing is, right now, she doesn't even know how to get to the opening of her cage from her perches.... There's even a perch right next to the opening of the door. I think she just needs a little time to adjust though. So the ladder idea will definitely be in use shortly!

 

[finchly]

She’s young, and doesn’t have a lot of experience with things yet. She’ll figure it all out.

I do not have a conure, and conure owners please correct me if this is wrong. But i have a 9 month old caique that will do the nibble nibble CHOMP thing. I just do “gentle beak, gentle beak” in a sing song voice as I push her beak away. She is starting to get it.

Now if hubby would just use the right words! I hear “OW! No bite, um, no beak, um gentle bite gentle bite.”

 

[Parakeet88]

She’s young, and doesn’t have a lot of experience with things yet. She’ll figure it all out.

I do not have a conure, and conure owners please correct me if this is wrong. But i have a 9 month old caique that will do the nibble nibble CHOMP thing. I just do “gentle beak, gentle beak” in a sing song voice as I push her beak away. She is starting to get it.

Now if hubby would just use the right words! I hear “OW! No bite, um, no beak, um gentle bite gentle bite.”

Yup sometimes my GCC will be nibbling me and then all of the sudden bite pretty hard. Most of the time he'll stop if I softly tell him "be gentle" or "be nice". I'm not sure how he understands that it means he's biting too hard but it seems to work pretty well. If he continues to bite me I just leave. Either he wants to be left alone or he'll learn if he wants the attention to not bite hard.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

She is a beauty! I'm glad you joined AA in order to learn more about her care!

As others have stated, she is a young bird, and a cute one at that! She uses her beak to explore new things, and she's still learning. If she continues biting like this, you need to teach her it's wrong. There are many people and posts on here that can help you with training her.

I'm going to go a bit off topic, if you don't mind. I noticed that in the adorable picture of her, there are like 3 dowel perches in view. I was just going to let you know, in case you already didn't, dowel perches are actually really bad for a birds feet. I'd just hate for such a young bird to have feet problems so early in her life. There are a lot of good online bird stores that sell a nice variety of natural perches. I even started out using dowel perches when I first became a parrot parent. It's a common mistake, but can be easily fixed.

 

[Naomi1295]

She is a beauty! I'm glad you joined AA in order to learn more about her care!

As others have stated, she is a young bird, and a cute one at that! She uses her beak to explore new things, and she's still learning. If she continues biting like this, you need to teach her it's wrong. There are many people and posts on here that can help you with training her.

I'm going to go a bit off topic, if you don't mind. I noticed that in the adorable picture of her, there are like 3 dowel perches in view. I was just going to let you know, in case you already didn't, dowel perches are actually really bad for a birds feet. I'd just hate for such a young bird to have feet problems so early in her life. There are a lot of good online bird stores that sell a nice variety of natural perches. I even started out using dowel perches when I first became a parrot parent. It's a common mistake, but can be easily fixed.

Thank you! And yes, we actually got the cage with the perches included, and I was planning on getting new ones this weekend

 

[Kristina M]

Hello and congrats on your new green cheek! I am a new owner as well. Goose is 6 months old and also does the preening/biting/nibbling thing. I think there is so much communication going on with this behavior. It’s a shame we can’t know for sure what they are communicating. I think the preening/biting/nibbling thing is an intimate act. And I think they know exactly what they are doing when they bite too hard. For example my Goose instinctively knows to be oh so gentle when exploring my eyelashes, ear lobes, or lips. No one taught him the skin in these ares is especially sensitive... but he knows! This behavior preening/biting/nibbling allows for bonding and trust building, but also limit setting and boundaries. I try to react the way I’ve watched birds respond to each other’s stressful preening. I squack and move away. If Goose follows and behaves then great, but if not I repeat squawk and move, 3rd time he goes in cage. Seems to be working. Also Goose is so active I do think he becomes overwhelmed and needs a break in his cage.

 

[Birdspeaker]

Late welcome and congrats on the gcc. They are such treasures and so much energy in that little body. Mine learned pretty quickly with nipping and biting by simply placing him at a lower level and turning my back (or even walking out for a few seconds). Only do that if you have no other animals of course . Both my conures took well to clicker training and both books I've read on this explains in detail about operant conditioning so that may be something to consider.

 

[Naomi1295]

Late welcome and congrats on the gcc. They are such treasures and so much energy in that little body. Mine learned pretty quickly with nipping and biting by simply placing him at a lower level and turning my back (or even walking out for a few seconds). Only do that if you have no other animals of course . Both my conures took well to clicker training and both books I've read on this explains in detail about operant conditioning so that may be something to consider.

Thanks! She's doing much better. My boyfriend said she has been very gentle with him, and she's definitely been gentle with me. She's only bitten a handful of times in the past few days (and I feel like those times have been mainly my fault for not reading her mood correctly)!