The Parrot "Bite Me!!!" Club

[birdhouse]

lol Now it's official, Paul. Welcome to the family little grey!

[reggieroo]

I also got a bite on the lip the second day. I had let her out in the morning while I having breakfast & she flew down to my shoulder while I was eating cornflakes, she then lunged forward & bit my lip....................Ouch!!!!! I'm thinking maybe she was actually trying to get some food from my mouth when she seen me eat a spoonful & thought my lip was a cornflake, she must have thought Mmmmm that looks good........lol. She was so quick & caught me by surprise, I ended up with a fat lip for a few hours.

 

Touch wood though she has been fine ever since, so hoping it just a minor hiccup as I don't like savaged hands & fat lips. :eek:

[Gwen]

Jump from the frying pan into the fire !!!

 

I love that she's curious as to what your eating, but I'm sorry you got a fat lip .... Roscoe grabs food out of my hand & loves to eat what ever I have. It's cute to see him look around, (I pick up the biggest morsel on purpose) he realizes my piece is bigger than his & immediately claims it as his like a little kid.

 

Your baby has spunk !!

[Tias]

I can join this club! My Joker loves to draw blood...and if you cry/yell he laughs......My Tia, she began today....while I was giving treats, but she only pinched.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Wow! Sounds like alot of greys bite! I would LOVE to join. Nancy

[ICERAT4]

Sunny is in this club.But she also have the lovie dovie side of her too.LOL

[Angel-TAG]

Hello my name is Shante. I will be a new owner of a TAG soon, and I am sooooo exited. My baby is still weaning at the pet store. Today I went to visit my baby for the 4th time. And to my surprise my baby chomped down on my finger twice. I was surprised that such a little bird could give such a powerful bite. My baby is only 8 weeks old. One of the employees told me it was going threw it's "teething stage" and assured me it will stop. But I'm not quite so sure...any advice on if this persist? It likes to be handled and played with...the bird doesn't seem unhappy, It just seems to be testing out it's bite. After it chomps down with full force it won't let go unless distracted. Has any one else gone through this?

[Luvparrots]

Perhaps your young grey was just looking for food. When my young CAG first came home he would latch onto my fingers looking for food not biting. So relax and not worry.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Can I join, if I don't get bitten anymore? I will handle dejection well! LOL Nancy and Sophie

[shanlung]

Hello my name is Shante. I will be a new owner of a TAG soon, and I am sooooo exited. My baby is still weaning at the pet store. Today I went to visit my baby for the 4th time. And to my surprise my baby chomped down on my finger twice. I was surprised that such a little bird could give such a powerful bite. My baby is only 8 weeks old. One of the employees told me it was going threw it's "teething stage" and assured me it will stop. But I'm not quite so sure...any advice on if this persist? It likes to be handled and played with...the bird doesn't seem unhappy, It just seems to be testing out it's bite. After it chomps down with full force it won't let go unless distracted. Has any one else gone through this?

 

I never thought the bite of a grey can be powerful as Tinkerbell never bite me. Ok, she nipped me from time to time when she knew I was not paying attention to her signals and needs. Until the day when a man was watching me with deep fascination as I brought Tink through all her recalls at a park over twenty minutes or so.

 

I offered Tink to him since he was watching me so intently. To my surprise, he startled and backed off violently instead of the pleasure shown by others when I offered to so many others. He was the whitest Chinese I ever seen. My assurances to him Tink would never bite him and offered to let Tinkerbell on his hand to no avail.

 

He lifted a hand showing me 3 and 1/2 fingers. He apologised for that violent withdrawal from me. He told me his grey that he loved, and still loved, took off half the finger. Then and only then I knew of the power of a grey bite. He told me he almost fainted when Tink flew to my shoulder and mouthed my ear and cheek. He mentally could not handled that. Very sad. His finger healed, but his fear never did.

 

If no blood is drawn and it did not hurt, it is a nip. Treat that as a friendly nip maybe to call your attention. Because when they want to hurt, that can really hurt. I knew how that can really hurt even though Riamfada thought that was not my finger but my wife's finger.

 

Yelling owch! or begging them not to bite is a lot better than

pretending the bite did not happen with a calm face and your heart/mind a blazing nova of pain and hurt.

 

Do you think you can fool empaths with a stoic face when your emotions radiate out?

 

The biting birdie think it is such a marvellous game at best, or you are nothing but a hypocrite at worse.

 

If so, go on fooling them that it did not hurt and you do not mind at all and I am sure they will continue to oblige by chomping and grinding chunks of your flesh out.

 

The experts telling you to remain stoic and calm also know it is not their flesh and their advice to you cost them nothing.

 

I just cannot figure out how the belief that not to react at all to biting so ingrained into people. Almost like a badge of honor that you be stoic while your birdie chomp away at you.

 

Do others who urge you not to show you are hurting have such insights into how parrot behaved that their teaching you remain stoic must be adhered to or you be branded a heretic and be burned at the stake?

 

I am a true heretic. And from time to time, people want to burn me at the stake, or tar and feather me at the least.

 

That perhaps what I talked about here to be utterly wrong! On the other hand, what I wrote might help you to enjoy your parrot a lot more and be chomped by them a lot less.

 

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/2187.html

 

To those that will remain stoic regardless, then do so by all means. This is a free world.

Your birdie will continue to give you ample chances to remain stoic while pieces of you are being chomped off.

Edited December 14, 2011 by shanlung

[Gwen]

By all means, Greys are exceedingly intelligent enough to detect your emotions !!! After all, don't we watch body language to give us a clue ?? Just the past few weeks I have been totally amazed at how Roscoe is interacting so well; & I, myself, realized that after he let me pet his head I had dropped all my guard, and he sensed that before I did. After the elation of the first few encounters, I took the initiative to advance to his neck and beak. Petting, massaging and his showing me how much enjoyment he feels has been our new daily occurances. However, as Shanlung stated, I also get a bloody bite on my arm or hand from him when he reacts from something my spouse does. The squeek of the recliner when my hubby repositions himself or coughs is enough to elicite my pain from his knee-jerk reaction. Roscoe immmediately follows up by rubbing the top of his head on my hand and making kiss sounds to say he's sorry. However, when we're cuddling he also "mouths" and holds my fingers while sometimes half-way starts to bite down. All I have to say is "HEY" or "stop" and sometimes he bites harder & sometimes he lets go. It's just a grey thing to say they are in control and he could hurt me if he wanted to. It's all about the journey of building mutual respect and trust

[Greywings]

You are right we cannot hide our reactions, I think the idea of "not" giving a loud or visual show after or during the bite is to avoid reinforcing the need for drama some birds seem to have. I do agree with you that most birds are giving warning or trying to communicate something we are not getting when we find ourselves receiving that beak "correction". Perhaps each bird and human must find what works for them. I love your description of them being empaths-so very true that we cannot hide our feelings from them.

[shanlung]

I hoped you all enjoy reading that Understanding the mind of the grey (and any other birdies as well) . Feel free to laugh at it too if you felt what I wrote to be too corny.

 

Gwen, shouting Hey! or Stop might not work as well as asking Roscoe to be gentle gentle.

 

This was written maybe a decade ago. Perhaps if you do not mind my digging out such old stuff, you might like to read how the concept of being gentle was conveyed to Tinkerbell.

That might work for you too. As well as whether your birdie be allowed on shoulder or not. Shoulder is not a good place if your birdie decided to go chomping about as you agree, or when birdie had no idea about being gentle.

 

Parrot on shoulder - being gentle

 

 

[MarcusCAG]

Yelling owch! or begging them not to bite is a lot better than

pretending the bite did not happen with a calm face and your heart/mind a blazing nova of pain and hurt.

 

Do you think you can fool empaths with a stoic face when your emotions radiate out?

 

That is an amazingly simple concept which you have articulated perfectly. I've never thought about it in exactly that way before, but certainly--it makes a lot of sense.

 

At this point, if Marcus really tries to bite me, it's often accompanied with a strong "NO!" in a man's voice, or "Stop it!" To me, that just means I've ticked him off somehow (like not letting him chew on something forbidden). If he bites me accidentally (like he's grabbing for balance but uses too much pressure and breaks the skin), he'll often make a kissy noise after I show him my finger. Very, very infrequently, he will say "sorry" as well. He knows what his beak is for and what to do with it... I don't doubt that a bloodied hand and a stiff body with a calm face still will give whatever satisfaction/reaction/whatever that the parrot is looking for once a sincerely-meant bite is dealt out to someone they find deserving of such punishment, for whatever reason. They know they've hurt them, which was the whole point of it.

[Gwen]

Thank you so very much again, Shanlung... I immediately went to your source for "gentle" with Tink. I will begin tonight during our cuddle time... I usually very softly whisper AWWW when I'm petting him so it will be extremely easy to add gentle, aww, gentle to my crooning. After he connects gentle with my massaging, I will be able to say gentle when he grabs too hard or bites.

Come to think of it, I used to say "gentle" when my children pet a dog, cat etc.

 

It's funny how sometimes something so simply obvious is difficult to figure out...

[shanlung]

MarcusCAG, Gwen,

 

Thank you.

 

Much of all I wrote I like to think of that as common sense. Not a psuedo science laden load of pearls to impress followers of experts and gurus.

 

Everything I wrote is anecdotal. And not a shred of science behind them all but what I seen and my thoughts behind them.

 

I rather have things that worked, however that worked, then stuff that never worked despite all the scientific reasonings behind them.

 

Bumble bees are still flying about despite all the scientific gurus that assured the world with complex science bumble bees cannot fly. We fall in love and know what love is even though the boffins do not know what love is all about even if they can tell you where time and space all began.

 

Unless you have a truly neurotic bird, I cannot see any birdie biting you just to hurt you maliciously with a evil heart. Do remember that they are birds and not humans who will be more likely to hurt you because they want and love to hurt you.

 

If your bird came from rescue and with a long unknown history of hurting, you might be chomped on. Do not blame the bird. That bird remembered the long history of hurting he/she underwent. Blame the history and the humans behind that.

 

But birds are so intelligent that in time, time that must be decided by the bird, the birdie will get to know you are different from that #$%^&%#@ and not hurt you.

 

Never focus on the bite as many people did.

 

A bite is the final bullet.

 

Which finger pressed the trigger that caused the hammer to hit the primer, to ignite the charge, and propel that bullet?

 

Think back the chain of events behind the bite and probably caused the bite. Sadly, it might be yourself, or something else. Remove that, and presto! No future biting, at least from that particular course.

 

That will be a lot lot more productive and removal of more chompings than blaming on mythical evil hormones and terrible 2s or 3s or 4s. I wrote on that in great detail in above URL.

 

And do not ever look for eye pinning to determine if bite is coming. Eye pinning indicate the bird is emotionally charged. Riamfada and Tinkerbell did eye pinning whenever we played.

 

If you look for eye pinning , you then focused on eye pinning and fail to look at all the other nuances which are so much more important to look for then eye pinning which might be meaningless.

 

When Riam was furious at my wife and going to attack her, I saw that and Riam hold her in cold steady focus and no eye pinning. Same for that attack on Harry. Riam gaze was so cold and steady and then she lunged.

Edited December 15, 2011 by shanlung
changed name of Paul to Harry

[shanlung]

You are right we cannot hide our reactions, I think the idea of "not" giving a loud or visual show after or during the bite is to avoid reinforcing the need for drama

 

Please note. When I said act honestly, I do mean act honestly.

No one should be a drama queen whether at a chomp or in forums.

 

Empaths know drama queens too and will not be fooled by drama queens, and drama queens will receive a lot more chomping, together with stoic actors.

[CLB]

Thank you Shanlung for your encouragement. I have struggled with much of the conflicting advice on this subject and I believe your way of thinking works with what my heart is feeling.

[shanlung]

Thank you Shanlung for your encouragement. I have struggled with much of the conflicting advice on this subject and I believe your way of thinking works with what my heart is feeling.

 

You will be surprised how true the path urged by your heart will be better then the path urged on you by experts and gurus, normally with no heart in the first place, and more often than not, became experts and gurus by mindlessly mouthing what other experts and gurus mouthing psuedo science rubbish and facts that they alone determined are facts.

[Gwen]

Throughout my life I have truely believed I am blessed with common sense and an open heart. Trial & error and consistency are right there in the mix as well.

Roscoe is truely teaching me as I get further into our journey together. As complex as this is, at times, he still is a bit neurotic... When he fires his bullet, it's ALWAYS displacement bites centered from my husband's actions. I can't remove my spouse so I tolerate it. Charlie's pretty good at telling me when he is going to leave or return to the room. When he goes to bed early or naps during the day, Roscoe and I are both happy together with no problems. These special times are when we bond. I strive for our quality time knowing that he deserves it. The evening hours w/ the three of us Roscoe still comes to me for cuddles. He is a very brave little boy to want to be with his mommy, despite the big bad man. I do realize Roscoe doesn't like him and still I suffer for it.

All in all, I just let him know, "It's OK" and he rubs his head on me & makes kissy sounds to say he's sorry. I comfort him & he understands.

 

My approach is done from the heart and together WE are discovering each other.

[Angel-TAG]

Hello it's Shante again, thanks for all the advice. Wow each grey has it's own unique personality. I do agree acting like it does not hurt doesn't seem it will solve the biting problem. My grey isn't home yet so I have much to learn about my Tag.

You know when I was at the pet store that day when I got beaked. One of the employees also got bite but he was actually bleeding. And my grey is just a few weeks old (8) and can deliver a painful bite. Anyhow when he bit the employee the employee immediately pick up the bird (which it didn't like because it started squawking) he told the bird eye to eye no biting in a firm voice. And the bird stop the aggressive behavior just like that. So I started gently patting him again which he liked. After a few mins he gave me a bite the employee came back over and kind of gently put his hand around his head and gave him a little knudge and said no biting and the bird stopped trying to bite me. His advice was you have to be gentle and smooth but show him that biting is not acceptable. He told me I have to be in control and assert that I'm the boss while still being gentle and gaining it's trust. My bird would fuss a little the employee held him upside down and said calm down. And to my surprise I was sure more bites would come and the bird would not want to be handle in all these strange ways, but it actually worked almost as if the bird liked to be gently ruffed up a little. Because it would go back to being the cute sweet baby bird that wanted to be cuddled. Instead of squawking and biting.

I will actually be going to vist my Tag today or tomorrow, i can't wait to see how big it's got, he's growing fast, and I also can't wait to bring my grey home. I'm sure we will get over the biting and enjoy each other.

[carlsjr]

Hello it's Shante again, thanks for all the advice. Wow each grey has it's own unique personality. I do agree acting like it does not hurt doesn't seem it will solve the biting problem. My grey isn't home yet so I have much to learn about my Tag.

You know when I was at the pet store that day when I got beaked. One of the employees also got bite but he was actually bleeding. And my grey is just a few weeks old (8) and can deliver a painful bite. Anyhow when he bit the employee the employee immediately pick up the bird (which it didn't like because it started squawking) he told the bird eye to eye no biting in a firm voice. And the bird stop the aggressive behavior just like that. So I started gently patting him again which he liked. After a few mins he gave me a bite the employee came back over and kind of gently put his hand around his head and gave him a little knudge and said no biting and the bird stopped trying to bite me. His advice was you have to be gentle and smooth but show him that biting is not acceptable. He told me I have to be in control and assert that I'm the boss while still being gentle and gaining it's trust. My bird would fuss a little the employee held him upside down and said calm down. And to my surprise I was sure more bites would come and the bird would not want to be handle in all these strange ways, but it actually worked almost as if the bird liked to be gently ruffed up a little. Because it would go back to being the cute sweet baby bird that wanted to be cuddled. Instead of squawking and biting.

I will actually be going to vist my Tag today or tomorrow, i can't wait to see how big it's got, he's growing fast, and I also can't wait to bring my grey home. I'm sure we will get over the biting and enjoy each other.

 

From what you typed the employee is the cause of the biting. for a baby TAG/CAG or any other parrot to be biting at such a young age (8 weeks) is a problem and a big red flag. its clear the employee has no clue about bird behavior and should not be selling birds or giving completely wrong information. Bids have no idea about dominance or submission so trying to "show" the bird who is boss is kinda stupid.

 

i have a feeling that you are going to have some serious behavioral problems with your bird. i would not buy from this guy.

 

you should read this thread. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190309-A-note-on-Punishment-and-your-Parrot

Edited December 19, 2011 by carlsjr

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I spent past 30 minutes reviewing posts of all kinds. I have to be honest... My mouth was hanging down, shocked! Are there truly that many people, that have no idea, how to be a parent? If so... what can I do to help you all? I'm not saying you are a bad parent... most birds are displaying excellent behavior. What can we do to help parents explore with their birds behavior? Nancy

[birdhouse]

None of us at my house are anything close to perfect. In spite of all the very many years of practice dealing with the many idiosyncrasies of abused & rehab'd fids, ^%#! happens. Sometimes, it's even amusing. But I don't think there's any shame in admitting it. In fact, I hope it will serve as a cautionary tale whenever I share ...for anyone smart enough to learn from other people's mistakes.

 

Hope your fid(s) & your parronting skills are as amazing as you think, Nancy. But when you get really get nailed, I hope you'll revisit your post.

Edited December 21, 2011 by birdhouse

[danmcq]

None of us at my house are anything close to perfect. In spite of all the very many years of practice dealing with the many idiosyncrasies of abused & rehab'd fids, ^%#! happens. Sometimes, it's even amusing. But I don't think there's any shame in admitting it. In fact, I hope it will serve as a cautionary tale whenever I share ...for anyone smart enough to learn from other people's mistakes.

 

Hope your fid(s) & your parronting skills are as amazing as you think, Nancy. But when you get really get nailed, I hope you'll revisit your post.

 

Amen!!

 

Just got nailed this morning closing the seed door, no physical indication from Dayo he was going to bite. He is too smart for that and is faster than the speed of light. Some become very proficient at NOT telegraphing their bites. I'm not perfect either, but I do know any bird could not have a better home, other than in the wild.

 

Also, welcome to all that have recently joined the Parrot Bite me Club". Everyone becomes a member sooner or later.