Constant Biting

[Pineapple_conure]

Greetings,
I own a pineapple conure it's 9 months old and it's my first owing a parrot, I got it 5 months ago. My conure spends most of its time outside the cage and is constantly biting something or me not aggressively as if everything is a toy; it bites my nails, jewelry, clothes, etc. My friend's GCC (she's also a new parrot parent) doesn't constantly need to bite something, so I'm not sure if doing something wrong. If anyone has any tips or advice please share.

 

[T00tsyd]

You do need to teach good behaviour, even in a flock other birds would tell him off for biting. So a gentle bite I like to refer to it as 'beaking' is the same as a baby putting things in its mouth to see what it is. With a bird they will beak something to test its safety before stepping onto it etc. Anything that sparkles has an automatic attraction and again they will test it with the beak. Your nails he might think are pin feathers and need breaking - something you are probably doing to him where he can't reach them.

So how to stop behaviour you don't like. A firm 'NO', plus I use 'no biting' and putting him away from you. Not in the cage but on a chair or somewhere neutral. Walk away and ignore, don't even look at him for a few minutes. Gradually after assessing you he will slowly re-approach. Syd even says 'I'm sorry' which is tough to ignore. You need to repeat this as often as necessary. Make sure he has plenty of toys that he can play with not just in the cage but perhaps on a stand outside, even on a table or somewhere so out of cage time is not all focussed on you. Be patient it will pass.

 

[Flboy]

^^^ what's said!
With her age, you may go through a few months of hormones soon! It will pass!
This post clicked with me, and it changed my relationship with fids!
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your pineapple conure!

Excellent advice above, likely nothing more than a phase. Another helpful link: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

 

[Ira7]

You’re not doing anything wrong, and he’s not doing anything wrong. It’s a parrot, and they bite!

Just be consistent with the “No bite!” and don’t get mad at him if he doesn’t get the message right away. Acting pissed off about it will only make things worse.

Do the No Bite, return him to stand, cage, etc., and then give him a huge, affectionate, “I love you!”

Confuse the hell out of him between love and discipline!

 

[Laurasea]

These are a couple of articles everyone new to parrots or not I think should read, and i share them all th time also bird explore with their beak and use the beak like a hand, they will also preen you which is different than a bite, tho it seems like tgey are nibbles on you but its very gentle. And yes jewelry!!! I can't wRe jewelry around my parrots!!! Or paint my nails! My birds freak out and attack painted fingernails. Bird will remove scabs, or try abd remove freckle or any blemish or beauty mark. They think they are saving us from mites, lice, or other parasites
.
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

From above linked article

Dealing With Biting

People will tell you that birds don’t bite in the wild. Well, they don’t usually bite successfully in the wild, but they will snap at each other if it becomes necessary, for example, if one bird invades another’s nest or territory. Birds do bite a lot more in captivity, usually because their boundaries are being pushed too far. All birds have a threshold of what they can handle before they lash out with a bite. There are other good reasons for a bird to bite as well. Here are some details about birds that bite:

Rule #1 The first rule in teaching a bird not to bite is not to get bitten. When a bird bites, he usually gets what he wants from the action — you will go away and leave him alone. You will also make a big fuss over the bite, which can be attractive to the bird, an animal that loves drama. Rather than reinforce the behavior, just don’t let it happen. Learn to “read” your bird so that you can assess the situation and get out before the bite happens.
Fear Biting You can hardly blame a bird that bites out of fear, even if the fear is unfounded. Look at the world from your bird’s perspective and try not to put him in situations that will frighten him.

Hormonal Biting In the spring when the days get longer, some birds are prompted into breeding mode and may become territorial of their housing area, of another bird, or of a person in the household. This can usually be dealt with by adjusting the amount of light the bird gets a day to less than 12 hours.

Jealousy Biting Sometimes, a bird will love his person so much, and then suddenly chomp down on him or her when someone else comes into the room. This actually has practical application in nature, although it is unpleasant. In the wild, a member of a pair will shoo away their beloved when another bird, a threat to the pair, flies into the territory. The “jealous” bird is simply protecting their mate and their relationship. If you know that your bird does this, make sure that you can put him down before someone comes into the room, and don’t ever allow this bird to ride on your shoulder.

Molting Some birds become irritable when they are molting and may not be feeling 100 percent. The same goes for birds that are ill or injured.

Counteractive Biting Some birds bite to prevent you from performing or not performing an action, for example a bird that bites when being brought back to the cage because he doesn’t want to be locked in. As an aside, some birds that don’t like to be put back into the cage pretend that they have wobbly legs and that they can’t stand up just as you put them away — what a great tactic for not stepping onto a perch! To prevent “put away” biting, don’t put your bird away every time you pick him up. Instead, do something fun, or play a little game before you put your bird away; mix it up so that the bird isn’t sure what’s coming next, and make it fun!