1 and a half year old Green Cheek Conure biting A LOT

[Chipchase]

Hello, I have had my sweet boy since he was 8 weeks old, so for about a year and a half now. Up until the past few months he was a perfect sweet baby but now he’s very nippy. Every time I allow him on my shoulders he will bite my neck (I stopped letting him on my shoulders a while ago). If he doesn’t want to step up he will straight up refuse to and bite hard if you try to get him to. I’ve used a perch to pick him up instead of my hands and he’ll hop off of the perch directly on to me and run up to my neck and bite it. He’s biting everyone in the family, even though he typically doesn’t bite me. He is not blood sexed tested, I’m just calling him a him. He went to the vets a couple months ago and is just fine. He’s in my room with my other Conure which I’ve had for 5 years. They each have huge desperate cages with plenty of toys, food, water, and fresh vegetables. They are absolutely best friends but the bitey one is starting to start fights with him when I’m in the room, but they do not fight when I’m outside of it. It’s not deathly fighting either it looks like some upset siblings. Anyone have any advice for this biting? My 5 year old Conure has never been this way to me.

 

[T00tsyd]

This could be his first experience of hormones. He could be changing from the cuddly baby to a full on adult and he simply doesn't know which way up he is or how to act and is going nuts trying to cope. My first reaction is to sex both birds simply to understand the dynamics of what might be happening. Think about it - your young one might be thinking of you as 'his' mate rather than a parent. Have you been careful how you interact with him? Are you petting him too much and anywhere but his head? I imagine a jealousy here on two levels. If your birds are becoming a pair (opposite sexes) then you and others are the potential intruder. If they are same sex then they might both fight for your attention. I think it would become clearer if you knew what they know in terms of their sex.
Having established that then if this is your little one's first hormone experience then you need to ride it out for a while. He has to learn that perching on you is a privilege not a right and that biting of any kind that hurts simply isn't acceptable. There are loads of threads about biting and how to handle it and lots of advice. The first priority is that no-one gets bitten at all. So avoid - I had to wear hat, scarf, gloves, for weeks when Syd went through this. It passes eventually. Learn his body language signs - there is always something - that shows his mood as a warning.
I'll stop there because others will follow but hang in there, it will pass but you need to make some important ground rules as this baby becomes an adult.

 

[Chipchase]

This could be his first experience of hormones. He could be changing from the cuddly baby to a full on adult and he simply doesn't know which way up he is or how to act and is going nuts trying to cope. My first reaction is to sex both birds simply to understand the dynamics of what might be happening. Think about it - your young one might be thinking of you as 'his' mate rather than a parent. Have you been careful how you interact with him? Are you petting him too much and anywhere but his head? I imagine a jealousy here on two levels. If your birds are becoming a pair (opposite sexes) then you and others are the potential intruder. If they are same sex then they might both fight for your attention. I think it would become clearer if you knew what they know in terms of their sex.
Having established that then if this is your little one's first hormone experience then you need to ride it out for a while. He has to learn that perching on you is a privilege not a right and that biting of any kind that hurts simply isn't acceptable. There are loads of threads about biting and how to handle it and lots of advice. The first priority is that no-one gets bitten at all. So avoid - I had to wear hat, scarf, gloves, for weeks when Syd went through this. It passes eventually. Learn his body language signs - there is always something - that shows his mood as a warning.
I'll stop there because others will follow but hang in there, it will pass but you need to make some important ground rules as this baby becomes an adult.

Thank you so much! I was thinking he might be getting his first round of hormones in too

 

[Laurasea]

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

A great article.

As they become adults, they learn to use the beak.

I had a time once with my Tadah when she began to run to me and bite. It's extremely easy fir them to develop fear of hands, or trust issues. Lots of feeding treats by hand, trust building, micro target training sessions, spending more time with them. Figuring out if anything changed. Use routine, ritual, say the same thing , explain things, praise all good behavior. Can turn all that around. Pay attention to body language, do not force things.