New Green Cheek Conure 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!

 

[Donna turner]

Sounds similar to my gcc. She likes to nibble and I let her but it sometimes progresses into a hard bite. I tell her don't bite in a normal voice and immediately put her down and walk away to let her know it's not acceptable. It hasn't stopped her alTogether but has reduced the bites. Occasionally she will bite and not let go so I get a handful of toilet tissues and that easily pushes her off without a lot of fanfare. You might try getting her off her cage with a perch instead of your hand if since she's biting you there and reward her with a treat or lure her onto the perch with a treat. Cheeky has learned what don't bite means and I can now put my finger in her cage without getting bit as long as I tell her don't bite first. Others may have additional advice for you but this is what has worked for me. She's probably not angry or fearful from your description, but doesn't know what the limits are