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Here is some useful information that bird lovers
might find helpful:
This page will be expanded as I am collecting helpful information from great
sources.
Link to Article: How an Egg becomes a Chick
Article: When birds are biting
When Birds Are Biting.............
by Valeri McFarlane
Please be aware that no one solution works for every bird, and solutions usually
apply to different situations: why the bird is biting, the personality and breed
of the bird biting, the environment at the time, and other factors. One of the
best defenses is to learn the cues, language and personality of the pet bird.
Learn to look for the flashing eyes, the change in expression, the change in
feather posture, any particular sounds, and so on. This is not an
answer-all, but hopefully a helpful reference tool to be used in learning to
read birds and how to respond to correct the problem behavior and work towards
the rewarding relationship that makes people enjoy living with parrots.
Why do they bite?
- aggression (of course)
- excitement
- fear
- hunger / thirst
- playfulness
- restlessness (need to go potty or just cchange scene)
- sleepiness
Lovebirds often utter a little challenge before they bite, some birds growl
before they bite, some yelp, but whatever they do every bird signals in some way
before they bite, whatever the reason for the bite is. Some birds react
viciously to a finger pointing in their face, and again to that finger or hand
if it is offered for stepping up within too short a time of the 'finger
challenge' - this is excited
aggression; the bird perceives a challenge and fights back. Not all birds
respond this way, but most smaller birds do - lovebirds, cockatiels, smaller
poicephalus, budgies and some conures, for example.
Being careful when offering a head or neck scratch can help avoid some of these
bites, which usually happen because a bird's peripheral vision means they really
can't see beyond their beak, so their eyes almost literally cross when a human
finger comes directly in front of their face, and for little birds it becomes
pretty much a big, looming threat because they cannot clearly see what it is
directly from the front and being larger than their beak or face.
Other aggressive bites include defensiveness of property (including an owned
person), manipulation of a person or situation, and the eternal child within the
bird that demands it always have its own way.
These are harder to combat, because it takes everyone involved in the
situation, participating to resolve it.
Alerting the parrot to the fact that its behavior is not
acceptable is key as well, and how that is done will affect how well the bird
responds positively and modifies its behavior. Laughing when a bird bites
someone else will automatically reinforce that behavior, especially if it is the
bird's favorite person who is laughing, and
even more so if it is the bird's interpreted competition that is being bitten at
the time.
Any time a bird bites an interpreted competitor - boyfriend, girlfriend, etc. -
the favorite person should do the scolding and correcting, otherwise the
competitor becomes even more of a sworn enemy. If a bird is having a general
biting problem with everyone, having the person it seems most bonded to spend
time working on the behavior until it is controlled better is often more
successful than
having everyone involved all at once. Once the bird is better controlled in
general, gradual 'reintroductions' with everyone else in general can begin
slowly and with careful attention for biting signals so proper interaction can
be re-established.
Aggressively cage-possessive birds need to have some kind of play stand away
from their cage, and a couple such areas are even better:
this expands the bird's territory and decreases its The more time these birds
spend out in the open, away from their cages, the less aggressive they will be.
A huge cage for a cage-dominant bird can actually increase aggression, so in
some cases very aggressive birds can be addressed by moving them into a smaller
cage if they are in a 'palatial' home.
'Excitement' bites can occur when a bird is on sensory overload - having way too
much fun, experiencing way too many people, or way too many environmental
stimuli catching its attention. Technically, the bird isn't doing anything
wrong, however the unpleasant behavior still needs to be stopped. Again, the key
to this is recognizing signs
and being aware of the bird's limits. When birds are playing it's easy to go a
bit too crazy, and painful bites can result: when birds start getting too crazy
during playtimes, favorite 'beating up' toys can be a great way to let the bird
expend its playtime energy in a safer way than savaging and shredding fingers
and hands. When company is coming and a bird tends to get 'zoned' or 'keyed
up', having relaxing
music play - gentle instrumental music is more relaxing than
voices, usually - and ensuring guests don't 'crowd' the bird are helpful in
maintaining a more even level of 'happy.'
When birds are traveling or visiting, having a favorite toy and favorite treats
to allow the bird to retreat into its carrier can help the bird calm down before
biting occurs.
Fear biting follows closely on the heels of aggression and
excitement, and again is much more easily avoided by recognizing the
bird's signals. Never, never force birds to step up for a stranger when they are
unwilling - even a vet can be bitten, which is why most vets towel birds:
they're not expecting to establish trust, they're expecting to
put the bird through a series of tormenting things to ensure it is healthy.
People expecting a friendly bird on first introduction need a gentle reminder
that parrots, regardless of their size, are not predators therefore they are
prey, and prey is going to instinctively distrust aggressive new situations. We
tend to be offended if birds don't instantly feel at home with us, and that
often causes us to rush things. Patience and trust go hand in hand, as it takes
immense patience to earn a bird's trust in some circumstances, and it always
takes some patience with even the best-behaved bird meeting
strangers.
Often fear-based biting that is not caught quickly enough becomes a habit,
whereby a bird feeling even slightly nervous will bite. High-strung birds, like
red-bellied parrots, conures, some cockatiels, scarlet macaws and African greys,
for example, can very easily fall into the pattern of fear-biting the instant
they get nervous.
One of the best ways to combat fear-biting, and help a bird work back down from
the habit of fear-biting, is to slow down and quiet down when handling the bird
especially between people. Speak softly and reassuringly, and relax any 'forced
visiting' until the bird regains more confidence. Forcing a bird to share its by
'visiting' with others is almost always counter-productive.
Birds are very social, but it is relationship-based, not just a set of casual
encounters. One way to get a bird to want to visit with someone is for that
someone to pay no attention to the bird, and > focus attention on the other
people around - this is especially true of certain breeds, and meeting new
people. The bird almost wonders why this new person isn't trying to talk to it
and so it gets anxious
to talk to this new person. Cockatoos are hilarious when they're anxious to meet
someone.
Hunger, thirst, restlessness and sleepiness bites are usually little nips that
don't cause much more than discomfort, but left unrecognized and unheeded they
can result in habitual biting of more painful strength. Most birds need a break
after twenty minutes of handling -
and cockatoos SHOULD have a break after twenty minutes of handling, only so much
lap-time is good for such mush- pots - so they can refresh themselves, have a
bite to eat or a little drink, certainly go to the bathroom in a more
appropriate place, get in some good ol' toy chewing, and even rest a while.
If a bird feels the need to do any of these things, and it's still
interacting with someone, often it will pinch and fuss. Once a bird starts
exhibiting this kind of behavior, it should be returned to its cage as quickly -
but gently, the bird is not in trouble - as possible and reassured that
everything's fine, food and water and potty are coming.
Playfulness bites can happen in two ways: the bird is going into hyper
mode from so much playing fun and starts biting, much like the 'excitement'
bites; much worse and more dangerous are the bites resulting from the bird
playing with a toy, and some part of human anatomy coming between said bird and
toy. These bites can be damaging and very, very painful because the bird is not
intending to come into
contact with something soft like a hand or another bird, it is intending to
attack and inflict damage or destruction upon a toy, perch, branch etc.
These bites can also happen with jewelry, which is one reason why jewelry
is best removed before interacting with parrots. Plastic toy jewelry is still
not safe, as the bird can injure the wearer by trying to play with the jewelry.
Being careful to avoid human physical contact when birds are playing with
objects helps to keep the mentality that humans are not to be bitten even in
fun. Wrestling and gentle beak-playing can be practiced carefully, providing
that such play stops before the bird becomes too hyper and biting, but such
games must still take care not to teach
birds that biting people is NOT fun. It is much easier to avoid picking up such
habits in the first place, than to try to unlearn them.
Breed-Specific Biting Patterns
It is important not to categorize a bird because of its breed, but it is also
important to be aware of common traits of a species and provide latitude for a
pet bird to exhibit these traits while getting acquainted with the bird. Being
aware that scarlet macaws tend to be less outgoing than blue and gold macaws can
help people to be more conscious of watching for nervous reactions before they
become bites.
Being aware that lovebirds tend to fight rather than to play can help avoid
nasty bites from well-meaning people who tried to use their own hands play with
a lovebird. Being aware that certain breeds of conures - the sun, some jendays,
and some of the other smaller conures - are more prone to nervousness and fear-
biting can help to increase
awareness of possible situations that can arouse such fear and nervousness.
Some reputations are well earned, and as such some birds require almost formal
respect, such as the amazon family who are notorious for unpredictable biting.
As one amazon lover once said, "My amazon is not unpredictable - I always know
when he's going to bite me!"
Amazons are famous for their pinning, flashing eyes and their fanning tails: it
is VITAL to learn which pins, flashes and fans mean "You really are my very
favorite person and we're just having SO much fun together!" as opposed to "Take
one more step and you're gonna get
it."
Amazons are very easy to get wound up and over-excited, and careful direction of
their activity to words, songs, sounds, imitations and echoing games can help
to channel their creative energy into other things than brutalizing, attacking
and annihilating.
Providing ample toys to vent the natural chewing and aggression is important
for most birds, but especially for very active and aggressive birds like
amazons. Anyone who has seen paired amazons knows that to love you is to bite,
fight with, try to beat up and expect beatings in return from you. Amazon pairs
that do not fight, are probably not going to work out. Seriously.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, which is why it is vital to
take a breed's reputation into consideration when getting
to know a bird, but the bird still needs ample room to show its own
individuality before it is labeled with breed-generic traits.
Blue and gold macaws are generally known to be affable - meaning they enjoy
socializing, being the center of attention and interacting with people. My blue
and gold macaw used to hide whenever people came over, and now he's adventurous
enough to say 'Hello' to some of the repeat
company, but he still beats it to the top of his cage where he's safe from the
socialites below.
My moluccan cockatoo actually prefers this, as she enjoys
dominating all company, parties, dinners and visits whether it's one person or
twenty people. Some moluccan cockatoos are very reserved around visitors and new
people, but my moluccan is completely unaware of this.
Just because a breed is prone to a certain trait, does not mean that trait
should be accepted with a shrug: it should be watched for, properly redirected
and carefully controlled when it does happen. Part of training includes
responding to unacceptable behavior. Part of responding involves knowing the
bird and the breed tendencies, as well as knowing the source of the biting.
Some breeds of birds need to be ignored when they assert
themselves by biting, and others need correction and positive redirection
immediately: two primary breeds that really should not be ignored are
African greys and amazons; they can be like cobras when they bite, biting
repeatedly and stubbornly to the point of injury; conures and macaws can be
gnaw-biters, which is often painful and frustrating,
but also is often intended to test and draw a reaction and when none is drawn
the biting eases off and stops - depending on the situation.
Macaws are famous for test-bites when meeting new people or testing new
situations: they will lunge without landing a bite to see if someone flinches;
once someone flinches, they're done for and that macaw will always lunge for
them and actually bite once the lunging itself stops getting the flinch.
Eventually, when the biting does not result in flinching, the macaw will get
bored and stop, but that is
often many bites later.
Sometimes abused macaws will lunge and bite because they are afraid of being
hurt and just want to get it over with, and those bites are intended to hurt
because the bird feels the only control it will ever have is being the first to
hurt, as it expects to get hurt anyway.
Abused and neglected birds will also bite to drive people away because either
they have been hurt and want no more of it, or because they have no experience
with affection and physical interaction so they fear it.
These are not typical biting scenarios but they are definitely becoming more
common. There is no easy key to resolving this kind of biting, or even avoiding
it because to work with the bird will ultimately mean challenging its physical
comfort levels to demonstrate to it that it is safe and no harm is intended in
spite of its previous experience.
Simply being patient, very, very patient can lessen the fear. It is always
advisable to give any new bird time to adapt to a new home and new flock before
attempting physical interaction, but especially in the case of previously owned
birds.
Establishing passive interaction after the bird has stopped
demonstrating obvious fear and nerves in its new home is the first and most
important step to helping a new bird settle.
Letting the bird set the pace at which it becomes acquainted with its new
environment and flock will also go a long way to establishing a basis for trust.
Pushing a new bird to become social and 'step up' can add stress and fear if the
bird isn't ready to meet its new public yet.
Establishing a relationship means both parties have a say in what goes on,
whether it is the party with skin and clothing or the party with skin and
feathers. Showing a bird that its opinion and feelings have value, is a large
step in earning that bird's trust, love and respect.
Everyone who owns a parrot will, at one time or another or several others, be
bitten or at least nipped. Some parrots, like macaws communicate with their
beaks a great deal, and the gentle beaking of a pet parrot can be one of the
sweetest, cutest things, not to be mistaken with a bite.
A parrot-bite is not of the same nature as a dog-bite, painful though it may be;
biting is a communication form with parrots, usually the last resort when all
other efforts to communicate a message of displeasure have gone un-heeded.
The best thing is to know the signs of a bite coming and prevent the bite in
the first place, but not overreacting - which is the very hardest thing when a
parrot is attempting to remove a body flesh without any anesthetic - is one of
the most significant things in changing the behavior.
Copyright © October 2002 Behavioral, Introductory, Relational and
Developmental Services
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