AFRICAN GREY BITING

[noctor1404]

Long time in writing but I have now recieved my new African grey which is 2 years old and is called Scrappy Doo. Pictures will follow.....

 

I am looking for any advice on techniques to combat Biting as at present he is very nervey and bites at anything. An element of it is that he has been up rooted etc so it will take some time to settle in but any thing else I would appreciate some help

 

Thank you in advance

[Dave007]

It lived somewhere before you got him. I don't know how long you've had the bird but there's some things that sometimes work

Gain their trust: Spend lots of time making friends with your new pet in a non-threatening manner. Don't approach him with your finger or your hand until a strong bond has been established - and even then, only when he's okay with that In fact, don't force physical contact at all. Gain his trust by talking and spending time interacting with your new pet in a manner that doesn't put any stress or demands on him or her. ( I don'ty know the sex)

Until he's are okay with physical contact, only use a simple wooden stick or perch (like the "pick-me-up" perch) to pick them up and move them around. Do this away from the cage in a quiet room that has no distractions from other people.It should be start out being about 10 inchees and he has to see it laying around near him for a while so he learns to recognise it. With stubborn birds a pick-me-up perch or a simple wooden stick can be helpful in preventing painful bites. However, do keep in mind -- if you are using a perch / stick only to put your pet back into a cage, he or she will soon learn to hate the perch and will refuse to step up on it. One has to teach a parrot that something good will result from being picked up with a perch (like he is getting some personal attention by his owner or a tasty treat).

 

 

Offering treats also helps gain his good will - but the goal is to have the bird come to you to get the treat, rather than you breaking through the comfort zone barrier to get the treat to him or her, which may result in a bite so that's another thing that takes some time. In the beginning you give it to him and use things like almonds and other items like honey balls. can't find any honey balls for medium parrots? Not to worry. Get some made for any other size parrot. They're all the same. In the beginning, don't try touching a bird that isn't bonded with you. Pet birds are prey animals and their only defense are their beaks. So if he feels scared he'll bite. From a distance learn to study your bird and let him study you. Let him see the way you do things. Let him check your habits. Talk to him and don't expect an answer.

Even when bird are bonded, they may have their moments when they don't "feel" like cuddling and your attempt to force affection on them when they are simply not in the mood, is also likely to result in a bite. All greys and other species of parrots have their bad hair days although, once they are bonded with their owners, their bites will usually be no more than a pinch - a mere warning so-to-speak.

It is important to be able to read your parrot's body language. When you see he is uncomfortable with something you are doing, either stop doing it or find another way to achieve that you are trying to do. We have a section here that's all about body language. Luckily greys are one of the few birds that express themselves before doing things like bitiing.

Since the bird has past experience in another place, that means that certain things are registered in it's head from past experiences. The pet that you have may not be the cuddly, snuggly pet you anticipated. However, every parrot will have some personality traits that we really enjoy; like just being a buddy who likes to sit on our shoulder or lap while we are watching TV but all of that takes time to arrive at and not all of those things may happen.

 

Talk to him calmly. Understand that your parrot may become aggressive as long as he or she doesn't know trust you and even afterwards if you ignore his or her body language. That's why learning body language is importantant to learn.

There's also simple things you have to learn about---does your bird bite when you try to feed him when he's in the cage ? Or, is there no problem when he's outside the cage. Use what's best for you. Know that the inside of a bird's cage is it's personal space and they learn alot in the beginning when they feel safe in their personl space. Start off with these things and then let us know your progress.

[judygram]

He is in an entirely new environment, new home, new owner and so he feels uncomfortable and somewhat scared, give him some time to calm down and feel more at ease before trying to handle him very much.

 

Talk to him softly and make sure he can see you and place his cage where he will be with you and or other people are spending most of their time, this will help him to feel a part of the flock.

 

I look forward to seeing some pictures of Scrappy Doo, btw, what a cute name.