hello

[katie]

Hi I have a 9 month old african grey (Dave) who has been a delight til now. he has started biting for wot seems to be no apparent reason.. this is really upsetting as no one wants him on them anymore they are now scared of him... i try to keep up routine but its really hard when he is drawing blood not to react.. i really dont get wot im doing wrong..but would like to say hi and i will prob find the answer on the site... typical of me to jump in feet first but just need some advice to get my boy back! thanks for listening to me..

 

Kt x

[MazyAK]

Katie: Welcome from Alaska. A lot of possible reasons for the recent biting. Is he biting anyone or just certain members of the family? Has his routine been changed or any new things in the house? It may not be you doing anything wrong at all. There are so many reasons this may be happening, so I'm a little reluctant to suggest anything specific right now. Look at when this started and what may have changed or is different right before the biting began. Are any of his other behaviors changed?

There are so many knowledgeable people here and I'm sure between you reading some of the many threads and responses you'll get , you will be able to peg it down. Good Luck and keep posting. We love pictures.

Bruce & Mazy<br><br>Post edited by: MazyAK, at: 2008/01/09 20:04

[Guest]

Hi Katie and Dave, welcome to the forum

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Katie & , if you do a search on biting in the African grey forum you will be able to read through previous topics discussed on biting.

[katie]

thank yu for your replies.. yes his routine did change over christmas as i had family staying... also because of the biting he has been in the cage longer than he normally would have as the kids are now very nervous of him..so i am now trying to set a new routine for him that will be stuck too, and see how we go..

 

thanks for making me welcome

 

Kt x

[judygram]

Hello and welcome to the family, Katie, glad you could join us and I know you are going to love it here.

 

A change in routine can bring on more aggressive behavior and he will pick up on your fear and nervousness around him also. Keep the children away for a while, at least have them keep a distance especially if they are small children who shouldn't be interacting too closely anyway.

 

You may very well find the answer to your problem on this site as we have many threads on various topics that you should read for lots of useful and helpful information. Do not hesitate to ask specific questions and we will do our best to answer and help you in any way we can.

 

If you have any pictures of Dave that you would like to share with us we would love to see him.

[Laurie]

Hi, and welcome, Katie!

I'm sorry your bird has been biting - I hope things get better for you all soon.

I'm not an expert by any means, but if I had to guess I would agree with Judy and say it's probably the stress of holidays that's causing your bird to do this.

[danmcq]

Hi Katie and Welcome!!!

 

IT does sound like he Holiday season may have been the culprit. You also mention Kids. One thing about children is they are high energy, move fast, wave their arms around and just put their hands in any pets face or on their body and expect no reaction from the pet.

 

Your Grey is starting to mature at 9 months old and realizes he can make choices on his own. He may not want to step up or interact at the moment someone wants him to do so. You need to pay very close attention to his body language when you approach and start to offer your hand for a step up. If he starts fluffing up, eyes pinned or leaning forward and down with his head towards your hand stop, talk to him reassuringly and leave him alone. He is trying to tell you he doesn't want to be moved or bothered. He has found the only way to communicate this so far is to bite.

 

You will need to teach your children also to slow down, stop and slowly approach the Grey and watch carefully how he is moving his body and the look in his eyes. It is hard to teach a child this, but it is possible.

 

Please ask any questions you have and also describe more in detail how these bites are are occurring and in relation to what specific action.

 

As Tracy mentioned, there is a ton of information here on biting and body language you can find by a simple search for a keyword. :-)

[katie]

Thank you so much for your replies.. dave use to go to my 12 year old and my 6 year old as i finished of the hand rearing of him.. as he has got older i dont let my 6 year old handle him..and he doesnt fly onto her either, my 12 year old who loved him now cant go near him as he is going to bite him..he actually hasnt bitten me as in to hurt me, but everyone else he has made bleed.. i can read him and when he is on me if i feel him stiffen up i take him back to his perch, i am so worried he isnt going to stop this, its so upsetting as you feel like its your own fault... im really findin this hard i want my old bird back lol.. the nice tempered one..

 

kt x

[lovemyGreys]

Sorry to hear that Katie, all greys go through a biting period.If you type in biting in the search box in the african forum you will be able to read through previous topics on biting.