The Parrot "Bite Me!!!" Club

[kiwibarb12]

I am actually scab-free at the moment. I think for the first year and a bit that I had Beckett I always had a healing bit on at least one hand. I think as time has gone by we have shaken down with each other and can read each other, so we know what each other wants. Beckett has gotten to the point where if she pushes my hand away with her beak, I accept that and leave her alone. If I need to pick her up, then at that point I use my other hand behind her to distract her so she will step up without biting.

Pretty much , the only time she gets stroppy now is if I am putting her away and she doesn't want to go. Go figure!!

Of course, she will nip if I am not paying attention - just as a reminder that she is the most important thing in my pervey :laugh: but she doesn't break skin with that .

[SandyinFlorida]

I had only had Snoopy a couple of weeks but he was already brave enough to come on the arm of my chair. I was thrilled and let him sit there and watch me while I read the paper in the mornings. One morning he bit my hand. I figured the paper rustling had scared him. That was until he walked up and clamped down on my upper arm. Looking back in hindsight (20/20, of course)I realized he was trying to establish dominance. We nipped that in the bud.

Now he will come on my shoulder while I putz around the house and do chores. I am trying to get him from being afraid of towels by folding clothes with him. Keep your fingers crossed.

[SandyinFlorida]

<br><br>Post edited by: SandyinFlorida, at: 2007/09/26 20:54

[judygram]

When you get him used to just letting him have a towel close to him try playing hide and seek with the towel or some kind of game to get him over his fear of it. One day you might have to towel him for some emergency and it will come in handy if he is not so fearful of them.

[danmcq]

LOL Sandy!

 

Welcome to the Bite Me club. It's sounds like you got a handle on that post haste!!

 

The towel will take some time, but just letting him see one in near proximity will slowly diminish the fear as you bring it closer and closer....

[Snow]

I haven't been in for awhile but I thought I would check in today.

 

yes... I am STILL a member of the Bite Me Club. Boo still tries to bite me. We are sticking to the regime though, of me being his sole feeder and waterer. When he sees me walk out of the kitchen he can't get to that side of the cage fast enough and he'll leave my sister to come all the way across the room to sit on my knee to share my ice cream - even though she has some too!

But....... he still bites me or tries to bite me in regards to all other occasions. Except one... if he's scared or startled he will fly to me to pick him up or comfort him and even climb up on my hand or leg on his own.

 

So unless it's safety or food.. he bites me.

I am so jealous that sister gets his affection and gets to stroke him and play with his beak... and all that fun stuff.

 

sigh... Even so, I still am in the throes of a 'fatal attraction' with him. My first and only unrequited love affair is with a bird. sheeesh.

[Laurie]

Ok, stop reading if you've heard this one before! Klaus has always been a fan of my earrings (smallish, silver hoops). I've always been able to wedge my finger between his beak and my earring, thereby keeping earring nibbles relatively harmless (and painless). A few days ago, though, he nabbed one of them REAL good. After noticing for a few days that my earlobe still hurt, I decided to take the earrings out & give my ears a rest. I popped the first one out and noticed that instead of a perfect circle, it was bent into a strange oval shape. When I tried to get the other one out, I couldn't! Klaus had pulled the wider "band" part of the earring right into the piercing hole. My brother in law had to get it out for me. Ouch!

[danmcq]

Ouch!!!

 

Word of advice...no more earrings while your Grey is on your shoulder.

[judygram]

Just when you thought it was safe you are jerked back into reality, I no longer wear earrings at home around Josey, she has ruined too many of mine.

[baillor]

Bite Me club, I started this one YEARS ago:laugh: Let's start with my Mozart. First you should know My Brother-in-law adopted him from a young man whose landlord didn't want pets. So home he came, bonded and secure with my brother-in-law, I thought maybe Mozart would let me get close too. So I started standing next to his cage talking,He has a great vocab. He would call my name, ask me what I'm doing,soon he would call to me to come over for a "kiss"B) Well..... Yes he drew blood:evil: Did this stop me from repeated this?:blush: It took nearly 13 years of bribes before Mo allowed me to touch and to hold him B). I also Have Rainbow a Severe Macaw who is thinks her little love bites are the best:evil: We could be playing nice then BAM!:woohoo: Then there is Snapper my cockatiel who's favorite pass time is pecking my head! I could go on for days. I don't let my big babies on the shoulder, keeping them down shows them they aren't in control.:silly: When you are eye level with them they think they are the boss. Did you ever notice those pirates and their eye patches??:laugh:

[shazbaby36]

my freddie bites be sometimes but is ok towards my husband

[charliesmum]

readin these makes me feel right at home!!!! i have been bitten a million times by my grey and it HURTS TOO. if you read my little story on Birdies are fab you will see the last time i was bitten. my regents parrot bites me all the time but as he is inly 7 months old it doesnt hurt , but in saying that if he gets me under the nail then yes it does!!! he has actually bent my nail into my thumb its a propper indentation ( its a good job i dont care for my nails as i am a student nurse i dont think i am allowed them anyway!) but yet again i go back for more punishment, charlie knows when he has done bad because he always says you ok its ok ARHH. i love them all so much , as for the 'tiels they never bite george justs wants love and affection from his mum , but bell is like " whats in it for me " but i love them all soooooo much.

[Nychsa]

I can't join throuhg my my CAG Bella, she's never bitten me, but Jigme, my conure! He bites EVERYTHING!

[Nychsa]

I can't join throuhg my my CAG Bella, she's never bitten me, but Jigme, my conure! He bites EVERYTHING!

 

I think the worst bite I got from him was when I took him on a plane with me - I had to take him out of his carrier to go through security. I reached into his cage to get him and my figers were turned to hamburger! The worst part - I had to hold him going through the scanner machine and he tore into my hand the entire time! Our bad luck had a family in front of us with a little girl who didn't want to go through the scanner. I finally give Jiggy my ticket to tear up and he did! I've never seen a more PO'd bird in my life!!

 

Needles to say, on the return flight I put his aviator harness on, and when I had to take him out, I let him sit on my shoulder with his harness on - ohter then that - traveling with your bird in the cabin is quite convenient! :woohoo:<br><br>Post edited by: Nychsa, at: 2008/01/13 01:10

[danmcq]

Oh Man, charliesmum and nychsa your both definately Club members!!

 

Nychsa - Next time, hand Jiggy to the security person and tell him to hold him while you get the rest of your stuff!! ;-) :-)

[Snow]

Hello all! I am still a member! yes, Mr. Boo STILL bites me. If my sister is nearby, he'll charge at me. If I try to change his seed and pellet dish, he charges at me. All other dishes are ok to change.. just not the pellet dish.

 

I get bit about once every two or three weeks. The only thing I have learned is to be on guard and really fast. The only thing he has learned is to say "dammit Boo, don't bite me!"

 

It's sad and sorry relationship we have if I don't have icecream.

[danmcq]

HI Snow, it's great to hear from you again!! LOL - I can just imagine Boo saying that. He is so smart!! At least you know the ground rules of what you are allowed to touch in his cage and whats off limits. :-)

 

How does Boo do outside the cage with you now? I still remember your first posts and how he learned to say "Boo No" letting you know it was ok to have him step up without biting you. He is such a character, I would really enjoy hearing about him more often as I am sure others would too!!

 

Nychsa - Alexander is definitely fitting of Jiggy!!

[Snow]

Boo is definitely a character. Everyone that meets him is fascinated with him because he talks so well.

 

Today, we let him out of his house. He tried to find my sister so he was all over the main floor looking for her. He got scared in the kitchen for some reason and flew all the way to the living room to find me, climbed up on my leg, and stared at me. So I reached out to him and he said "No! Sit!" So I did.

 

Then he climbed up on my lap and said, "It's o.k. Boo." and I reached to him to step up and he said, "No! Sit!" So I did.

 

I started talking to him and he said, "Shuddup. No bite!"

 

I felt like a bodyguard with no lovin'. Sister came in and got him and he let me stroke his back for a second and then said, 'No bite!'

 

he is definitely a character, incredibly smart and knows a lot of his words' meanings and how to communicate with them.

 

I love him a lot, but I carry the bruises, scabs and bite marks from it. oh well, love that dratted bird! lol!

[Lyric]

I think I would fit right in with your club. I've been bitten by all kinds of birds- here's a funny story for you.

Several years back I was really into cockatiels. I had a pair that was fairly tame and didn't bite hard. I went to a local store that carried lawn and garden supplies and also birds- not sure how the birds fit into the scheme but I didn't care. They had a cage full of pretty tiels and one male lutino that I just had to have. The salesman is getting ready to get him out for me and put him in a carrier box for me to take home and I say, "Oh I can do it- I have birds, I'm used to them" Famous last words! I reach in and grab the bird and he chomps down HARD. My eyes start to water and I'm hoping I won't pass out but I don't say a word because I don't want the salesman to laugh at me or say anything after I told him I knew what I was doing! That bird drew blood and I drove home with a throbbing finger and him in a box. AFter that I always respected his beak and never gave him the chance to bite me again! Hee hee. We all learn a little from our experiences or if we don't at least we had the opportunity to!

 

My TAG bites occasionally but I can usually tell if its going to happen. He puts his little head down and makes a certain chirpy sound and I know I'd better watch out. For the most part he's good though but I can't wear jewelry around him- I probably wouldn't have ear lobes if I did.

[Shamelessmuse]

HA! I was a vet tech for some time, my first two years were in a practice that did avian as well.

 

My absolute worst bite ever was from one really freaked out Moluccan. She had been having some behavior issues and we were doing a full work up. I of course was doing most of the handling and as a tech - protecting the vet from any bites. She was a biter, but usually not too bad - Grade 3 at worst. Well, today was her day to really top all bites. I was moving one had around to get a good hold on her for a blood pull and she lunged full force, latched on to the webbing (and tendon) between my thumb and pointer finger. You know the place...the one with the nice pressure point. Well, she was going for broke here and latched on. Of course I had to sit there calmly and take it like a woman. No one could get her to let go, nothing worked...what seemed like an hour to me (probaly several minutes) and they finally get her off. I have a tear through the tendons and ligaments and need lots of stiches. I forgave her and was the only one in the office that would handle her when ever she came in.

 

Greyce, has only gotten me once (in a week). She always lunges at me when changing out her food/water. Yesterday she stuck her head out the door and reached around and latched on. She grinded her beak a bit but wasn't going for broke. Lucky for me she could have done a great deal worse...not even any blood!

[danmcq]

Wow Muse (yes, I truncated your name for typing sake only)an M2 has one of the worst bites you can take!! As you know, their bottom Beak is split like a fork and when they bite, it cuts deep and fast.

 

I would say you are the leading bite of the life time so far Posted in this topic. I have heard of worse bites, but not by someone it actually happened to on this Forum, so far and keeping fingers crossed it doesn't. :-)

[casper]

This is my kind of club. Would like to nominate myself for first prize! Think in one of my other posts I have explained that Charlie wont step up on to my fingers, saying this Charlies fave game is to grab my fingers then hang upside down just holding on with his beak! OUCH! Then there is the good old SUCKER PLOY game. Thats the one where he puts his head down for a stroke then nearly bites your finger ends off:laugh: Being serious though, Charlie has always been a biter and I have tried everything to stop him, maybe in time he will change:unsure:

[danmcq]

OUCH!!! Your definitely a member Casper.

 

The only way to stop those habits maybe to change the Cage entry and offering to step-up of hand offering position. Go in with the "Fist of Iron", thumb clinched inside your palm, Hand bent down to tighten the skin on back of hand and offer your wrist/lower arm for him to step up on. That should stop the twirl around the finger game. :-)

 

The "I want a scratch head position, then BITE" game is a little tougher one. You really have to watch his eyes to determine if he's focused on your hand as it approaches or if he is truly submissive with eyes not being focused on your hand. Dayo started doing this too sometimes. After some trial and error, I finally started using the fist of Iron technique if he was on the counter and did it. Once he realized that he could grab a finger after several tries at this game, he has finally almost stopped doing it.

 

It's all in trial and error, unfortunately, sometimes painful too. :blink: :-)

[OHSNAP!]

when i saw the title of this post i immediately thought.....who has not been bitten? Sam started off biting us but it wasn't out of anger or anything. He was just testing our flesh and trying to figure out if it would make a good perch. Sometimes i think he doesnt know his own strength.

[kitt79]

I think I just joined the club, judging from the angry red mark on my ring finger...

 

Of course, Starbuck didn't do it out of anger... I was holding her perched on my hand and not looking... A cat stretched up to be petted and surprised her... I got a "OMGPredatorFlee!" bite, yelped, Starbuck jumped to the floor, across the room Merlin the tiel freaked out and flapped to the floor by the grey, who started making angry advances... Causing me to clap my (injured) hands and snatch both birds away from harm...

 

Meanwhile all the cats are cowering under the bed wondering just how much trouble they are in!

 

(Anyone worrying about my many-species home rest easy; none of my cats are interested in the birds, in fact they run from them. Merlin sings them love songs and makes flirtatious eyes at their tails. The hamster watches on with great amusement.)