He Bit My Face

[chezron]

You guys all know Brutus. I have had him 7 years. This year he seems a little more mature and very easy to set off into mating behavior. I feel bad for him. He seems pretty upset or keyed up more than usual.

 

I usually kiss him all day long. He will sit on my breakfast counter and i will kiss the top of his beak as i walk by. Usually, I ask him if I can kiss him and he gives me this whistle that says, "yeah!" but I did not ask yesterday and he struck my face with his open beak. He has never done this before and i am just lucky he didn't get my eye. He mostly hit me hard and didn't bite, and I have a bruise and a small cut. I was shocked and hurt, but then i thought he IS a wild animal and not domesticated like dogs or cats.

 

I think i just need to be careful with him and make sure to ask permission first before I take liberties. Sometimes his body language is really clear, but i certainly got it wrong yesterday. Has anything like this ever happened to you and how did you handle it? He sat with me watching TV for about an hour the night before which is impressive since he normally will not stay still for so long without destroying something. I want to handle him but i don't want to confuse him. I make an effort not to touch his back. I still kiss his toes and he loves that and it doesn't seem to provoke mating behavior. I will just make sure to ask first. I am a weinie and not at all okay with biting. I am scared he will force me not to take chances on touching him and that makes me sad.

 

Please share your stories.

[bluedawg]

I am no expert but sounds like a "warning shot across the bow" just to remind you to pay attention when dealing with him. Miss Dayo sometimes will give me a warning if I am not paying attention or distracted when giving her scritches... she needs to be the center of attention at this time or I will get a warning shot as though to say "If your not going to do this right then move along".

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

chezron Your feelings were very hurt! Brutus didn't mean to betray you! Nancy

[Luvparrots]

I have had my greys since they each weaned. Ana Grey is now 6 and Sterling Gris is now 4. I only pet or scratch their heads and only after I ask them "want a tickle" and they bow their heads. When they toss their heads the tickle/scratch is over. I never kiss my greys, they kiss me and only on the cheek after I have turned my face left or right.

 

Frankly I do not trust them to always be in a good mood. It is a hard thing to remember that they are prey animals... no matter have great their talking abilities are. They are not domesticated. I know that if I left the front door open, they would leave in a heartbeat.

[SRSeedBurners]

I'm always in Greycie's personal space and I have a few scars to show it. The worst one was when she struck me and ripped a nice straight line from the side of my nostril all the way down to my lip. Sometimes their displeasure with you being in their face is impossible for us to read before it's too late. Other times she pulls at my ear or the side of my cheek to get me in her personal space. Kind of like having a second wife - I have no idea what the hell is in that head of hers.

[BaileysPapa]

Remember, spring is just around the corner, and hormones are on the rise. Also remember that this is an isolated incident, and if you show fear, he'll pick up on that and become defensive, not knowing why, but reacting to your emotions. Try to watch more carefully, and keep things light and friendly as always. You may have just caught him at a bad moment.

[Inara]

It's hard not to take personally, and after all these years together your hurt human feelings are a natural reaction. You have already pinned down what you did differently, and now it's time to relax back into your usual self with Brutus. With the caveat being to give him a notice before smooching or reaching. Which you already know. HRH Inara loves beak kisses, but I always take her beak beteen my thumb and forefinger before the smooches. This way I have a grip on things in the off chance that she gets carried away, startled, or just decides to strike for whatever reason. Also, I've never given her food before or after a smooch, because I never want her reaching her beak toward my face to tell me she wants food, in case in her opinion I do not get it fast enough, or just don't get what she wants and then could wind up on the receiving end of a frustrated peck. Tricky, living with these guys, but worth every second. You and Brutus have a wonderful bond and he just had a moment.

[ShaneO]

I too have caught it on the face, twice now. Both my fault but damn did it hurt.

 

 

I figured I'd make my second post to this thread. This is me learning fro Garcia when enough "Kisses" are enough!!! She grabbed my lip while perched on my finger so naturally i jerked my hand away(I used to have a 5ft iguana so i know the importance of not "jerking" when BIT) and she hung from my lip flapping away till i picked her up and she let go. It could have been A LOT worse. I was lucky she didn't bite thru my lip. Also she can fly due to a broke wing that's why she hung from my lip for so long.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Awww... a panic bite! Nancy

[Greytness]

Dang! Does that looks like it hurt.

 

I'll kiss Maalik's beak, but only if my two fingers are resting on the tip of his beak while I kiss the top portion. I'll also kiss his beak if he happens to be inside his cage and nudging his beak through its bars.

 

What Maalik's been doing as of late is pinching the back of my neck while he makes a loud clack sound. that's when he's being a little smartie pants with me. I'll then walk over to a chair that has some blankets on it and put him onto that, saying, while doing my best stink eye possible: 'No Biting!' Usually he'll try it a few more times before he finds something else to keep himself entertained. If he continues to harass me, I'll start singing to him, which softens him back into a cute little bundle of fluffiness.

 

These Greys...:-)