A long few days...with a bite.

[JDS5607]

I think we've hit the 'terrible two's' stage a bit early...

 

I got my first REAL Grey bite two days ago... right on my cheek. Sully had been super aggitated (we think it's because he hasn't been getting his normal amount of attention because of the move a couple weeks ago)... and I was putting him back in his cage for the night. It's our usual routine... night night kisses, a peanut, and he goes quietly into his cage, gets covered, and then we say 'lights out!'...

 

Well... We got through the kisses and the peanut. As I was putting him in his cage, he decided... NOPE! So he clenched onto my bracelet, which is normal... but he flapped his wings as hard as he could- and BOOM up on my shoulder! (Some of you may remember, Sully's wings had been clipped very short, and I was concerned he wouldn't have the strength to ever fly- WRONG!) He got two new flight feathers over the past week... and learned what they were for! LOL Anyway-- I was so happy that he had flown up there, that I went "yaaaaay!" but quickly attempted to get him off my shoulder without him snatching one of my earrings... without warning (that I could see, lol) I got a bite, right on the side of my face. Now, I have freckles... and a particularly dark one right about where he bit, so I don't know... but it HURT!

 

Now the question is... what do I do? I got him down and put him on his cage, told him "No biting", and walked away... I don't want to put him IN his cage as punishment, because I want his cage to be a happy place... but he needs to know that 1: He's not a shoulder bird... and 2: It's not okay to bite (not saying he won't do it, but I atleast want him to know I don't like it.)

 

Any suggestions? Sorry for the long post.. I tend to do that

[Shelly Yokum]

Not sure this will help, but with my Ruby, he use to be bad to nip without warning. I would tell him no with a strong tone, and give him a dirty look with eye contact, for just a second. Any longer they think that you are being aggressive. You don't have to put them in a cage, but I usually let them know they have to have a time out. I then started giving an extra treat once in the cage or stand without bites. I haven't been bitten in a long time now, unless we were playing with the stuff animal, and fingers got in the way.

I am sure someone else will step in.

[birdhouse]

Whether or not Sully's getting his normal attention after the move, he's probably not completely at home yet & may be a little more reactive than usual. Your "YAAAAAY!" may have gone a long way towards ramping up the situation, coupled w/swift, excited movements to fetch him down before he got your earrings. This taking off thing is still new & exciting. Molting can make some birds act more temperamental, too.

 

Not getting into the cage may have actually had less to do w/your getting bitten than it seemed. If Sully's not generally a biter, it may have been an adrenaline overload from a combination of things.

 

So, you might have treated Sully like the bite was incidental. Told him clearly to be careful but not made too big a deal out of it. Then continued to put him in his cage & told him how good he was after he got in, which would have ended things on a positive note.

 

My last serious bite was a 3 corner tear just under my eye. It really bled & hurt enough to actually turn my stomach. So I'm not saying this because I don't know how much it hurts to get bitten in the face. But that makes it even more important to down play.

 

Sometimes it's a good thing & sometimes it's bad, but the more you react to something, the more a parrot is likely to pursue it.

[JDS5607]

Thanks to you both Sully has never bitten like that... little nips here and there or biting a little too hard while playing rough is one thing... I just hope things will calm down around here and he begins to adjust. He seems fine, until it's time for his cage. Perhaps getting back on track with his routine will help. He's been getting covered at around 11:30p, instead of his usual 10:00p, and other small things are off, so maybe he's just freaked out. Hopefully!