Biting

[Cowtown]

I need to know how do you make your Eckkie release their bite?
Abby had got her wing sticking out of the cage and I reached in to help her and she grabbed my thumb and would not let go.... OUCH!!!!!!!.
I just held her and tapped her beak and she finally let go after about 20 seconds...
Oh wow that hurt and drew blood, it was not just a nip....
So how do you make them let go when the do bite?

I know she was just stressed and scared... this is 1st time she has bit me.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Eddie bit me hard once (almost drew blood) when he flew into a window, he was only young at this point. He was shaken and scared and when I went to pick him up, he jabbed me out of fear. Over time he has learnt that I am there to help him in those situations and not hurt him, another important reason for building a good bond.

As for stopping the bite when it has taken place, the few times I have been bitten, the best way I find is to push into it. this may sound like its gonna make it worse, but it puts the bird off balance a little and makes holding the bite very awkward. Some people use the 'earthquake' method, whenever the bird is biting you you shake the hand he is standing on, again putting him off balance. Another good method is distraction, using another object like a wooden dowel, which grabs the birds attention. In a situation like the one you described though, sometimes you just have to suck it up as any attempt to disrupt a bite, may make the bird struggle and hurt itself. Hopefully in the future, your bird will trust you a little more and the bite will be avoided. My Ekkie still grabs my finger when he is flustered, but for safety, it is not a bite. I lifted him out from behind a cupboard by his beak once. Hope some of this helped

 

[Cowtown]

Thanks, very good information... I have only had Abby for a week now and we have started to bond pretty good. I am off work recouping from an illness so I have all day to interact with her. I sit next to her cage and talk to her. Also when I am on the couch I am only about 10 feet from her and she will start jabbering and I will talk to her. She does this several times a day.

I hope she never bites me again like that.. but If she does I will try what you suggested.

 

[Aussie Ben]

I hope she never bites me again like that.

I can imagine. Eddie has only broken my skin once when my hand got in between him and a toy which he wasn't to darn fond of lol. MAN it hurts, I sure grew some respect for that beak on that day.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things, keep it up. Something else you will learn is how to read her body language. Watch the eyes, wings and body stance and you will know when to be cautious, bite prevention is the best solution .

 

[SharonC]

Bite prevention is definitely a good idea, although I suppose bites can occur in a flash. Here's what Fred did with his Maple playstand in about ten minutes.

 

[Cowtown]

Wow... Abby has not torn anything up (yet).

Yes Prevention is the best....

 

[HRH Di]

What we've used with our birds is to take hold of their beaks firmly, but not hard, and say "gentle". This works most of the time. I've also started to say "ouch" when Ruby bites (which is seldom) and she stops right away.

Jade is a bit of a "punishment" biter. If we've left her in her cage too long, she'll "pinch" me when I let her out or if she thinks I've spent too much time with Ruby. Once she feels we know she's displeased, she's back to our loving, sweet Jady-Jade McJadyPants. We were told by our breeder that this is normal for RFMs.

 

[Cowtown]

Thank Di... I was doing some reading and they suggested the same thing you said about
gently grasping the beak and saying no. And saying "Ouch"

Lessons learned and I am sure there will be tons more.

 

[Beilana]

Jade is a bit of a "punishment" biter. If we've left her in her cage too long, she'll "pinch" me when I let her out or if she thinks I've spent too much time with Ruby. Once she feels we know she's displeased, she's back to our loving, sweet Jady-Jade McJadyPants. We were told by our breeder that this is normal for RFMs.

Hiroshi has officially stopped nipping unless I am in need of punishment for not paying enough attention to him lol

 

[Quantumcat]

Scarlett always gives a good warning when she is getting angry. She'll open her beak, growl, and raise the feathers on her neck. She always gives at least a ten second warning before she goes you. The cat has learnt - as soon as she hears a growl or sees her beak she runs for her life!

My boyfriend has invented a weird command but she seems to obey it. When she starts looking angry at the cat when the cat is just sleeping peacefully and hasn't annoyed her in any way, or if she's getting aggro at us for no reason, he touches her beak with his finger and says "be nice!" and for some reason she then calms down! I missed what he did to get her to do that!

Another way to extract yourself from her beak is to hold both upper and lower mandibles by your thumb and index of the other hand tightly so she can't squeeze anymore. Then you should be able to pull your hand/finger out.

If you think she is biting out of fear, probably you shouldn't use the "earthquake" method. That might make her even more scared and make her hold on harder!

Has anyone found that bird bites seem to take 100 times as long to heal as any other injury? Looking at my hands right now, I have three unhealed bites and I haven't been bitten in at least a month. The oldest one must be at least two months old.

edit: one of her words is "owwwwww!" in my voice!

 

[bogo1]

Hi all,
I have smaller birds so bites are not nearly as painful or dangerous but I use the"be gentle "command to teach birds how hard is too hard. HIolding the beak firm enough to communicate will also get you free and send message that hard biting is not accepted. Good luck!
Barbara

 

[Cowtown]

Thank you Quantum and Barbara for the information.

Like I said, I think she was scared as this was the 1st time she has bitten me.
I sure hope she doesn't get me again.

Everyone here is great and I appreciate all the information and advice.

Mike