Do hand reared baby parrots bite a lot???

[Popsicle]

Hi all,

 

As I've said in other threads, I had 2 rehomed amazons that were totally untame and wouldn't let me hold them, etc. I got bitten hard a few times, including on the lips.

 

Now I'm thinking of getting a hand reared baby AG hoping it will be more tame and lovely with me and my husband. I know parrots can bite eventually no matter whether they are bought really young or rehomed. However I've heard when you get a baby parrot it bonds with the family better and is less likely to become aggressive.

 

So I'd like to know how has been the experience for those of you who got a hand reared baby grey? How old is he/she now? Do they bite? How often? For what reasons?

 

Thanks a lot!

Edited June 14, 2011 by Popsicle

[Ray P]

We have a hand reared congo grey that we brought home at 14 weeks and she does not bite, but she will let you know when she has had enought.

She does not brake the skin or draw blood, but she does get your attention. Oh she has been with us for 10 1/2 yesrs.

Some times when we play hard she can clamp down, But it`s only rought play and it`s not intentional.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Ray P

[Luvparrots]

Ana Grey has been with me since she was 4 months old. She will be three in August. She is very self-assured and will nip at me for my attention or a tickle. She has clamped down but has never broken the skin. But it does hurt. If I do something she doesn't like, she does not hesitate to let me know. She is my friend and wants to be treated with respect. She is fearless.

[judygram]

I have a grey, she is 5 years old and was a hand reared baby, who has never really bitten me, she has applied pressure a few times but never broken the skin, she has pushed my hand away many many times and I have learned to read her body language pretty well and know when not to push it but all birds will bite at some time or another.

[Zoom]

Simon's only five months old. He hasn't bitten me yet, but he does sometimes bite my boyfriend.

[Popsicle]

That's good news. Sounds like hand reared parrots don't bite too hard. It's more like they bite to warn they are not enjoying the activity or to ask for attention than to actually harm the person. Which is what I was hoping to hear. I am prepared for nips but I'm hoping to have a more well behaved parrot this time around. Thank you all. And please continue to share your experience. I like hearing and learning.

[MarcusCAG]

Please don't think that a hand-reared parrot won't have the capacity to bite down hard if it wants to. A parrot is a parrot is a parrot. It's a wild animal regardless if it's hand-reared by humans and loved from babyhood onward. It will probably be less likely to use its beak in defense that way, but it still is able to. And it's been said here in the forums many times over, at one point or another in its life, for whatever reason, a parrot WILL bite. If you're really that afraid of an honest bite and don't want to be bitten ever again, don't get a parrot. Even small parrots can bite hard. But if you can accept that real possibility, and deal with the situation appropriately should it arise, then you and your parrot-of-the-future will be able to work together through just about anything.

[judygram]

A parrot is a parrot is a parrot. It's a wild animal regardless if it's hand-reared by humans and loved from babyhood onward.

Exactly, any parrot can and will bite and they are wild animals and not domesticated like our dogs and cats.

[Popsicle]

Even my domesticated dog would bite me if I was doing something he didn't like. I had 2 big parrots and 2 little ones (parakeets) and they all bit me. HARD! I'm not expecting the parrot not to ever bite. I know they will bite at some point. But all my parrots were "second hand/rehomed" and relatively aggressive. So all I wanted to know was if hand reared babies were more likely to have a better behaviour. And that's it! I thought I was clear...

Edited June 14, 2011 by Popsicle

[MarcusCAG]

We can all tell you're very sincere in learning and gaining knowledge about these birds before you jump in and make a decision, which is commendable. Sometimes though we all express ourselves and, much to our chagrin, not everybody understands just what we meant in the way we wanted them to. Been there, done that. I just wanted to make sure you realize that even hand-reared parrots can be aggressive if they want to. Considering the laws in the States, I think there is almost no way that Marcus wasn't bred in captivity and hand-reared when he was little... but years of neglect by his former owners made him revert a bit and not trust humans as much. So it really boils down to more factors than just hand-rearing. If you came across a beloved companion parrot who had always been treated like gold but who needed a new home, they would probably not bite like another rehomed parrot who hadn't been a treasured member of their former family who was regularly interacted with. In other words, I don't think it all has as much to do with "hand-rearing" per se as it does with the parrot's general background and initial training.

[Luvparrots]

My Ana Grey was very well hand-raised by her breeder and I treat her like gold. I love her dearly. She still will nip and latch on with her beak. It does hurt, but I also know that she could clamp down and break skin and draw blood if she wanted to. What I am saying is that if I continued to annoy her in a way she did not like, she would BITE HARD.... and that would be my fault not hers for not listening to her warnings. They all bite as they have no hands to push an annoyance away. It is how you treat your companion as to whether they are warning nips or vicious bites.

[Popsicle]

Thanks for your concern and comments. I agree that it's all a mix of factors. I am trying to learn everything I can in order to provide a good environment for my parrot so he will be happy (and hopefully won't feel the need to bite so often and/or so hard). lol

Edited June 15, 2011 by Popsicle

[Zoom]

My Amazon has only bitten me once. I was misting her, and she tried to bite the nozzle of the mister - my finger, on the trigger, was too close to the nozzle, and she chomped down hard enough to draw blood and leave a scar. I was shocked by how much it hurt, but I didn't want to upset her, so I didn't tell her she hurt me. I just carried on spraying her. In truth, though, I was actually VERY happy that she was able to bite so hard. It made me feel that she stood a chance if the cat ever went after her. She seemed pretty defenseless until then.

[Popsicle]

Does your amazon bite your boyfriend as well?

[Zoom]

No she's totally in love with him.

[Popsicle]

Just out of curiosity (trying to understand why the Amazon likes your b/f and your Grey bites him). Was your b/f around when you got your Grey? Or when you started going out with him you had the AG already? How about the Amazon?

[Zoom]

We were together when we got both of them. The Amazon was a rehome seven months ago. She likes us both, and trusted me first, but she adores him. We got the Grey as a hand-reared baby just two months ago. He adores me and barely tolerates him. There appears to be no reason for either one of them to bite either one of us. Except that I spend more time with them and do all the feeding and caretaking, so maybe that's why the Grey has chosen me.

[Popsicle]

Interesting... according to some people here in the forum, AG are not really a one person's bird. What I understood is they will choose a favourite person but will usually accept the other people in the house. Of course they are exceptions to the rule. But it's strange in your case because you and your b/f got him as a baby. Does your b/f sees them every single day or no? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions. Just want to understand Grey's behaviour a bit better as I really want mine to like both me and my husband. Thanks.

Edited June 15, 2011 by Popsicle

[Birdnut]

Greys are like most parrots and will tend to pick a favorite person in the household. It's important for all members of the household to handle the bird and participate in its care in order to socialize it to all members of the household. Sometimes they can change their mind about who is their favorite person and pick another favorite. If everyone handles and interacts with the bird, there's no reason why it shouldn't be friendly to them. My grey relates to me as his favorite, but he also has a very good relationship with my husband. My husband makes a point of handling him and taking him off to himself from time to time to hang out together for a little "guy time."

 

Our hand-reared grey is still very young - 18 months - but he has not bitten anyone so far. I try to be very observant of his body language and accept that "no means no" and not force or push him. If I need to, I try to solicit his cooperation with a little treat. I think these intelligent birds need to have the opportunity to make choices and have some control over their lives. If they have no control, they will feel stressed and anxious and much more likely to bite.

[Zoom]

My boyfriend sees him and talks to him every day. Mind you, he doesn't handle him much, because he's leery of getting bitten again. I'm trying to encourage him to be the one to put Simon to bed each night, and to give him an almond while doing it, just so Simon will associate him with something good.

[Popsicle]

I agree that's the best way to deal with the problem. Get your b/f to handle the Grey more and find a way to train him to associate your b/f to something good, as you said. Hope it works. Let us know if you get any progress.

[MeginAL]

Great ideas in the posts! My CAG-friend, Katie, started biting me at about 8 months. No scars or permanent injuries but the bites shocked and hurt me. I researched on the web, books, and magazines and tried different techniques.

 

I found that positive reinforcement (sliced almonds) for good behavior worked well. I also learned to read her body language. From reading her body language, I discovered that Katie always wants to have her own way. That means that she was a pushover for training with positive reinforcement since getting an almond slice is her favorite way to bend me to her will. (She still hasn't realized that doing what I want her to do for her almond reward isn't getting her own way.)

 

I know what your boyfriend feels like. Hopefully once he has a supply of your bird's favorite small treat, he will be able to start working on a better relationship. However, Katie bites my husband, drawing blood, every time she gets the chance to do so. She also loves him most. I think over the years she has built up a love/hate relationship because he has never made the effort to get physically comfortable with Katie. She loves to sit on a perch about 3 feet from him and just look at him.