African Grey Bites Me

[bean0105]

Hi everyone,

My mother has a african grey about 13 years old now, we live together in the same house as well, along with my husband and two young children. My mother is her favorite person and will not bite her, only if she is frightened which is rare. She has bitten me a few times in the past so I'm afraid of her now. I will inherit her one day and would love to be her best friend. She will sometimes give me a kiss through the bars of her cage, she will allow me to give her treats as well. I'm the one who looks after her, giving her food/water cleaning her cage daily etc.. How can I get her to love me and not bite me? In the past when she has been out of her cage she will happily sit near me and would chase my feet and peck at them. But if I tried to put my hand near her she would try to bite me. Thank you all in advance.

[JeffNOK]

It actually seems this grey likes you very much. Greys do pick a favorite and allow more interaction from the "chosen one", but it appears from what you wrote that you get along pretty well. Will she step up on your hand from a perch? Can you return her to her cage? She also likely senses your fear and hesitation. That alone can encourage a bite. Her biting you when you reach for her may just be her way of saying, "I would prefer you keep your hands at a comfortable distance." It doesn't sound like she is aggressive toward you. She may just want to set boundaries.

[bean0105]

I've actually never tried to get her to step up, I'm so nervous she will take a chunk out of my finger! I'm slowly working towards it though, I will open her door and she will sit there and I'll talk to her and offer her toys etc.. I would love to be able to handle her and spend quality time with her. She is around me all day as I'm a stay at home mom, so I have the time to devote to her.

[judygram]

All greys will bite and the best advice I can give you is to just relax and try not to be afraid of her, she can sense your fear and will react to it, your mother is her favored person and she might never warm up to you as much as she does with her but you can still have a good relationship with her. Learn to read her body language so you can know when to back off some but a lot of greys do not want to be touched or handled very much so respect her wishes.

[bean0105]

Thank you!

[SRSeedBurners]

Bean...I've told this here before multiple times: I took my Grey to a venue where I race. Multiple people came by and wanted to hold my Greycie. She can sense fear. Almost everyone hesitated after asking to hold her and she showed aggression. There was one lady who came by and and said "birds love me" and boldly told Greycie to step up. Greycie step'd up like she was ordered and absolutely no aggression. This lady had absolutely no fear and that's the day I learned how Grey's can sense our feelings. She could practically do anything I could with MY Grey.

[bean0105]

SterlingSL I'm going to have to just get over my fears of being bit. Thank you!

[danmcq]

The others have given great thoughts on this. One thing you should know about a mature 13 year old grey is they are very set in their ways. They have selected one love muffin (as they do in the wild for life) and will remain that way until they separate due to death or rehoming. Mature greys are not normally cuddly like they were when young. Most stay more to themselves and like interaction when they choose to and for how long. It does sound like you have already developed a friendship with her and are respecting her comfort zone which is great.

[Dave007]

*****not bite me?****

 

Just one thing----------welcome to the world of parrots. Putting your mouth next to or in the bars of the cage just to get kisses, is a very bad idea. One day, you're gonna get bitten. Right now, there's no guarantee that he won't do that. Many people here have paid the price of doing that. You'll jump and you'll develop a real fear of your bird which the bird will pick up on and the bird will see and sense that fear you have and any training you're doing will go right out the window.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Dave007

[Zimeri]

My own birds didn't really start biting me until I left town for months at a time and left them with someone, either/or sold them and then came back to visit.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

SterlingSL... aw.... the " bird whisperer!" I believe in that... as my oldest son Ryan, is one. He skypes weekly with them but see's them once a year, The moment he walks in the door... they are all over him! Nancy

[JeffNOK]

Being bitten was a fear of mine before I got a grey. I really worried about that--almost above all else. Well, my CAG does bite me...always when we visit my parents-never at home. She bites pretty hard and it hurts, but what I have realized is that the pain of a bite really is no big deal most of the time. Yes, there is blood sometimes, but the actual physical pain is "ehh". What hurts most is emotional. I hate that my normally sweet baby would do that to me. I guess what I am trying to say, is "Embrace the Bite." I am not saying be foolish or push yourself on the bird or overstep bounds, but go into it saying, "So what if I get bitten?" Unless real aggression is involved, a bite isn't really so bad. As Dave said, do NOT put your face near the bird, but if you risk a little chomp on the hand here and there and realize it isn't so bad, you will be calm and the parrot will likely be calmer, too. I recommend that you talk and sing to the bird. Greys love that. Don't invade space with toys or hands. My grey doesn't want me touching her toys--even to hand them to her. Dogs enjoy that kind of toy involvement and play, but most parrots--less so. Just engage the grey like an intelligent child and communicate with it like you expect it to understand, and you will be surprised at how things might progress. Good Luck!

Edited June 24, 2014 by JeffNOK