The Parrot "Bite Me!!!" Club

[BirdsAreGrey8]

Yogi that was too funny! You had me at "Hovered and dove in for the bite!" LMAO!

[Ellen]

I am new to being an AG mommy. We rescued this girl from a home that seemed to be preoccupied with a new baby and forcloser that made them move out of the home and leave the bird unatteded for who knows how long. I have learned alot fast. My husband and I have been reading nonstop for weeks now, We had to rush her to the vet ( emergency ) the first couple of days and then to the Avian vet after to get her pumped with fluids and such. We learned that she has some yeast and ecoli. We are trying the holistic way to get her strong again for their was no way we were getting nyastin or antibiotic in her without the stress killing her. It seemed to be going well except we pumped up the heat without knowing that they can get their little nares all dried out and effect their respiratory systems messed up . I wish the vet had told us that I noticed the constant sneezing and figured that out immediatly. We got a hot vaporizor and with days of running that and alot of prayer it has fixed her up.

 

Ok I have caught you up to today. Here is where I need help. The previous owner said that ( Joei our bird ) never bit anyone ( LIAR LIAR LIAR ! ) I know because when she bites she says BAD GIRL Joei ! LOL. She has taken to my husband best Which ok I can live with but when I let her out of the cage she comes down off the cage ( another thing that the prev owner said she never does ) and will come running across the room and attack my legs and feet. I have tried ignoring her but sometimes she gets me thru my pants and she draws blood OW ! How do I stop this behavior ? I would love for her to like me too.

 

Another problem I am having is that I am trying to phase out seeds and get her mostly on a Hrrison pellet diet. She is a weird bird. She is so picky and does not like any of the things birds are supose to like. This is what I am doing as of now to get her to eat better. I wake up and cook her a scrambled egg. She eats a little. I will offer her green beans. She likes those and will nibble some. I will offer her Romain lettuce and a nibble here and there. Sweet potoato a nibble here and there. She is not crazy about carrots or broccoli but a nibble maybe every other day or so. She does eat some zuccini for me. Pellets, she seems to crunch up occastionaly but does not look like she is swallowing them like when I see her eat other things. I have tried birdie bread , pasta and every other veg imaginable and she just snubs her nose at it or throws it out of her cage. I still offer her seeds but I take out all the sunflower out of it because I am afraid she isnt getting enough to eat. I am also putting apple cider vinagar in her water and probiotics on som of her food to get her healthy. She is def doing so much better than when we first got her. Today for the first time she is being so silly and walking all upside down her cage and talking to me. We bought her a very large double macaw cage and slowly let her change into it.

 

One more question please. We have a very large home and we have her cage off in the room besides the liviing room. You can still hear the tv and people coming and going at night. We have teenagers. Can the bird get enough sleep on her own with noise in the house ? If we put her in another room she would not like the seclusion. We do cover her at dark abot 7:00pm and we all get up about 7:00am but wen we are in the next room she is like a little kid talking and peeking thru her covered cage wanting to know whats going on. Is that ok ?

[Birdnut]

My grey, Moussa hasn't really bitten me yet. But today I got a wicked bite from my male conure when I was defending Moussa from his attacks. For some reason, he really has it in for Moussa. Maybe Jamba recognizes that Moussa is a guy and wants to protect his king-of-the-hill status in the bird room. I am usually careful to not allow them access to each other, but slipped up today. Anyway, Moussa was very sympathetic about the bite and gave me lots of consoling nuzzles while I was in the bathroom blotting off the blood.

[danmcq]

Ouch, these conures can certainly put a painful bite on you when they wish. Like sharp little scissors! Unfortunately, as with all parrot owners, sooner or later they will be joining this club.

[Quinton]

I got my first CAG bite last night. I had taken Quinton into the bedroom to work on step ups. He wont stay on my hand but gets on my shoulder, well he bit my cheek while he was on my shoulder!! It hurt BAD! I screamed which I know I shouldnt have done. I am a bit scared to handle him anymore. He has been here about 5 days now and I keep hearing how important it is to teach him to step up for me but I dont think he is ready.

[Guest jules420_91]

I can't even count the number of bad bites I have received from the beak of my sweet lovely girl Tarzie. She is a small but feisty White-Fronted Amazon. It has been a long road developing a trusting, loving relationship with the poor bird who was terrified of everything especially hands. After 6 yrs I realize if I am trying to make her do something that makes her nervous & she can reach me I am going to get a bite. I persist in pushing her limits little by little & don't get bitten very often any more. My husband on the other hand only has to walk past her cage & she dives at him ready to tear him apart. It's hard not to laugh. You would think she was a huge Macaw lol. She is learning she can also trust daddy & their relationship has progressed to the point she will sit on his arm & chat away to him. As far as our baby CAG Louie who is almost 14 weeks old, I have a nice gash in the top of my right hand for trying to lay him on his back when he didn't want to. Oh boy temper tantrum lol. I think it's just part of being a parront. I love my birds even if they occasionally give me a good bite.

 

Julie, Greg, Tarzie & Louie

[Eshana]

I don't have a grey yet, but my 'tiel has so far only bitten me once.

 

I was laying on my bed on my stomach with Shelby running back and forth on my back. I was typing on the laptop when he jumped off my back onto the laptop and started nudging my hand for scritches. I scratched his head and absent-mindedly scratched over a pin feather. He let out a scream and bit down hard on my finger! :mad:

[jule]

hi im new here but think i am well in the bite me club i rescued jake 10 years ago compleatly untamed un social used to stand at the back of his cage and growl after meany years a lot of love and attention he never stops talking he sings he likes his head to be scratched he will walk around the house with me but yes but not on my arm as soon as you try to get him to step up he is streight in with the sevearest bite i have ever had i got to scratching his head while he was out on the floor big mistake he grabbed my little finger right on the nail he bit through to the other side of my finger and haveing not to say owwch to that was hard the worst one though was while i was sat talking to him in his cage i asked him for a kiss he would always give me a kiss in the morning but this morning he grabbed my lip and bit it so hard it went through to the other side very pain full now i love jake with all my heart and no matter what i have tryed i know i will never be able to cuddle him have him perched on my arm because of some trauma he wnt through in his past he has made it clear he dont like to be touched when he is out of his cage even though i have tryed to make him feel safe he prefares to follow me round while i clean and do his own thing but yet when he is in his cage he will let me scratch his head for hours through the bars i have no idea of how to over come this barrier but would love to but the thought of being bitten by him makes me think twice about trying to stroke him while he is out i realy want to but the bites hurt so much i wouldnt mind if they were nips but they are not he takes chunks out of me and the next day he is bobbing his head at me in his cage trying to feed me i know he loves me and i do him can anyone give me help to prosseed he will step up on to his stick and be carried round for a while until he gets board and bites my fingers while i am still holding the perch he bites then flys off like its a ha ha you fool fell for it again i realy have tryed everything i dont shout or yell when he bites i put him back in his cage and ignore him for a while i treat him when he dose good i even invested in a clicker please help my fingers hurt

[Butttaxi]

Damn why on earth didn't I post my story from this morning in here?? The only day I don't get bitten is when I have school in the am and Work in the pm. I usually wake up, feed him and change his water then run out the door and I'm not home till he is already in bed. *Don't worry the bf is home with him so he isn't alone all day* This only happens on Tuesdays and Fridays so every other day I am bitten. Oh and not because I am being horrible, nope it's because the cuteness will get in a mood when I least expect it lol Like todays story I posted earlier about him chomping my ear several times while cleaning his cage. He isn't a territorial kinda bird he is a little brat and knows how to push my buttons lol

[Sterls]

I have a question. No matter what, some point of owning a grey, I am going to be bit? I have googled "parrot bite" and to be honest, I am quite afraid of what I see.

[danmcq]

I have a question. No matter what, some point of owning a grey, I am going to be bit? I have googled "parrot bite" and to be honest, I am quite afraid of what I see.

 

The chances are very high sooner or later, with any parrot, not just a Grey.

[MisterDavE]

I am looking after (safehousing) three macaws and getting bitten daily... owies I think I deserve some sort of medals

[Morana]

I am looking after (safehousing) three macaws and getting bitten daily... owies I think I deserve some sort of medals

...or at least free bandages ;-)

[Elliemm1]

A nip, A full on bite and a draw blood bite... I have had them all!!!!! the worse kind is the sneaky kiss bite... I ask for a kiss Harrison leans in for the kiss I move closer them WHAM the bite!!! (Harrison bites me not me bite Harrison) (then again that could be a new side to the biting game!!!!)

Harrison does not stop with just me as there is seven people in the house he is not fussy who he bites we all taste different to him. Its like a seven course meal in our house!!!!

[kingsnake]

Geee wiz, and my home owners wont insure my Rottie who has never bitten anyone! ;-)

[lindaleekoh]

Hi! It has been a while since I have posted...since my last post I have aquired an DYH from a family member. I have had Fruitloop for about three months now. The family member had only had him for a couple of months.She wanted to rehome him due to her B&G being jealous. He is 6 years old. I was told that he would bite.I believe his previous home was not that great because his feathers were in poor shape and he says things like "are u a pretty bird....UGLY BIRD" and does not care for hands at all and family member said previous home was dirty. She used a glove with him. I don't use gloves at all with my birds...however I will use a dowel for stepping up.

Well, Fruitloop and I have made progress...well at least I thought so :confused:...over the past week he has been stepping up for me onto my arm and I bring him in the kitchen to bird tree for treats and some out of cage time...well this morning he stepped up onto my arm and with both feet on my arm leaned down and bite me not once but twice on the arm...I didn't scream but I did grit my teeth. I have some nasty beak marks on my arm...and although it hurt like all get out...I was expecting much worse. Also he does have one cuss word he says...and after he bite me he kept repeating ...I want some f****** water...btw he had fresh water and food...guess he was a little excited...lol. His tail was not fanned out...his eyes weren't pinning. So now I guess we take a few steps back and back to stepping onto dowel . So...although I have been lucky with Dante' our CAG...Fruitloop has help me join the parrot bite me club:p.

[JeffNOK]

Sorry you got beaked, but I'm so glad you are committed to this parrot. I know you will continue to make progress.

[carlsjr]

Hi! It has been a while since I have posted...since my last post I have aquired an DYH from a family member. I have had Fruitloop for about three months now. The family member had only had him for a couple of months.She wanted to rehome him due to her B&G being jealous. He is 6 years old. I was told that he would bite.I believe his previous home was not that great because his feathers were in poor shape and he says things like "are u a pretty bird....UGLY BIRD" and does not care for hands at all and family member said previous home was dirty. She used a glove with him. I don't use gloves at all with my birds...however I will use a dowel for stepping up.

Well, Fruitloop and I have made progress...well at least I thought so :confused:...over the past week he has been stepping up for me onto my arm and I bring him in the kitchen to bird tree for treats and some out of cage time...well this morning he stepped up onto my arm and with both feet on my arm leaned down and bite me not once but twice on the arm...I didn't scream but I did grit my teeth. I have some nasty beak marks on my arm...and although it hurt like all get out...I was expecting much worse. Also he does have one cuss word he says...and after he bite me he kept repeating ...I want some f****** water...btw he had fresh water and food...guess he was a little excited...lol. His tail was not fanned out...his eyes weren't pinning. So now I guess we take a few steps back and back to stepping onto dowel . So...although I have been lucky with Dante' our CAG...Fruitloop has help me join the parrot bite me club:p.

 

My orange wing did the same exact thing, and when i thought i was making progress he would bite the living crap out of me. using a dowel for step up didn't work too well because he would go after my hand that was holding the perch. the best way i found to move him was to get a small towel and let him grab it, then i could move him safely without anybody getting hurt. one thing i did notice that helped was to wear long sleeves when you try to get him on your arm. I had some luck with that method but it was hit or miss sometimes he would bite anyway. Like yours mine did not come from a good home and he absolutely hated hands or the feel of skin on his feet. I dont know what the previous people did to him to make him so aggressive and not want hands anywhere near him or not want to perch on a persons hand. When he would bite it was not a bit and let go. it was bite as hard as he could, lock beak and twist his head like a pit bull. OMG did that hurt and he would not stop until you got totally away from him and sometimes he would fly after you which was very dangerous for everybody involved.

 

i wish i could go back in time and see what the previous people did to him so i could slap them.

[carlsjr]

Geee wiz, and my home owners wont insure my Rottie who has never bitten anyone! ;-)

 

well to be fair, nobody has died from a parrot bite.

 

<<<owned a rottie for 12 years. awesome dog and never bit anything but her toys.

[carlsjr]

This is a Great name for a Forums You want to say "BITE-ME well look at this one!

 

OUCH!

 

hands down, you win.

 

ive smashed my thumb with a hammer and it didnt look that bad. it looks like he bit clean through your nail I cant imagine how bad that hurt. i would get a parrot groomer and have them dull that bottom beak so its not a damn razor blade.

Edited August 22, 2011 by carlsjr

[Everyday Miracles]

I've never gotten a bird bite, but all but two of my snakes bit me at one point. The two were both Burmese Pythons, and thank goodness they never got a bite in. Those guys have a TON of teeth. Yikes!

 

When we first got our sugar gliders and they were joeys, Wotzit (only distinguishable because she's twice the size of Widget), bit me right on the knuckle. That had to have been one of the worst mammal bites I've ever had when properly handling the animal.

 

I don't have a bird yet, but I expect I'll get bitten at some point!

[Stevie]

My new arrival jess a 10 year old cag,not had a single nibble,but my wife,well theres another thing.Jess pretends she want her head rubbing,blink of an eye,out with another plaster.I can turn her upside down,rub her belly,not a thing.Night time is even better,if jess wants a cuddle,she WILL HAVE ONE.Jasper our amazon a diffnt ball game,a quick lunge and out come the plasters again.Its all the fun of having these wonderful pets.:eek::eek

[Kaldi0143]

I think my boy is just bipolar. One second he's all lovey and sweeet, then "nip!" Comes out of no where. He's like a wonderful feathery ball of perfectness, then I turn my back for a half a second and he's instantly transformed into an evil feathery ball of "GRRRR"! Heh. He either doesn't wanna be messed with at that very second in time, or I quit petting him and made him mad. I've already got him figured out.

 

I just got him him about a week ago and we are still in that "setting limits" period. He's really come a long way with me. I'm surprised he'll even let me near him to be honest. There are some times he's all cool and happy and he lets me scratch him all over and wants to be on my arm or leg. Sweet wonderful bird that everyone wold LOVE to have. Then there are times when he's ready to rip fingers off (only barely exaggerated ) if you even walk by him.

 

Even though he is part demon, he and I have already got this interesting friendship going for us, and already I'm attached to him. He's the perfect distraction to stress and boredom.

He's my bird and it's obvious to anyone who knows how the two of us are. Lol... Maybe partly because everyone else knows better than to get within 4" of him. >.< I am working on his social skills. If I hand him off from my arm, he's okay with whoever and very polite. They just can't get him from his cage, and even I have to be "invited" to handle him from there.

Hopefully this phase will pass. *crossing fingers*

 

He's 17 and had been with the same family all his life, and for the past two years (or more) he hasn't been handled. His previous owner admitted that she just didn't interact with him anymore. They are an older couple - late 80's and early 90's - so, getting up to get the bird, or dealing with his nails just wasn't something they did anymore. Knowing those two, I'd bet that they haven't been very social people for the most part anyway, much less training Willie (CAG) to be a social boy.

 

I have gotten him to where he rarely goes in his cage, only at night or when outside really. We've even compromised on new food and water bowls that go outside of his cage.

 

(I know, I don't have pics on here yet. For some reason, the uploader won't let me!)

[reggieroo]

Well we got a new family member the other day, & the sweet little grey wasn't so sweet when she savaged my hand...........lol. I popped my hand in to adjust a perch & she just went for the hand, I tried to ignore it but the pain was excruciating. I left her for a while then asked her to step up & she threatened to go for me again but didn't & stepped up instead. Things have been ok since although she does tend to bite my finger when I offer it for tickles, kinda has a tickle then bites me, then has a tickle again.

 

I think she maybe testing the boundaries & keeping a check on me while she earns my trust. I'm sure we will get there in the end. :rolleyes:

[Gwen]

Boy oh Boy, Paul, it sounds like you have a new challenge w/ your new little one !!!

After 2 yrs. of trial & error w/ Roscoe, he still surprises me w/ a good bite when I least expect it. He seems to be a little more cage aggressive outside on his cage than inside. I still try to walk over & talk to him and end up getting bitten when I'm petting him. He's pushing the limit... will bite, say, "OUCH!", walk up his cage laughing !!! Also, it seems when he's under his "tent" on the floor he will mouth my fingers and sometimes bite, other times he will rub his head on my hand & make kiss sounds... I still get LOTS of displacement bites when ever my husband coughs or walks past us.

 

They DO like to be in control !!!! Hang in there..