Hard biting

[Thebeee]

Hi! So my Quaker's about 5/6 months old I believe and he/she has been biting my fingers pretty hard to the point where I am bleeding. This had stopped for a little while when I got her/him a box of stuff to chew on but recently started up again.
I'll just be petting him (just the head) and suddenly he'll start biting super hard, or when he's on my shoulder and I put my fingers anywhere near, like to scratch my shoulder, he'll sometimes attack it. Even sometimes when I put my hand to step up he’ll lunge at it to bite or he’ll be biting softly and then start biting super hard. It feels kind of random and not something that happens every time I put my hands near. Don't know if I'm doing anything wrong. I try not to touch him too much since it clearly upsets him, even though he does like pets when he lets me and likes kisses.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed.

Biting, whether intentional or not, just over preening your skin or actually taking chunks of meat out - all are PAINFULL! In the wild that sort of behavior is not tolerated by the flock. They ostracize flock members who continue to act like that. We call it 'Shunning'. This WILL work, but needs to be done correctly to get the message across and it needs to be done IMMEDIATELY so the parrot can associate the bite with the shunning action. And it needs to happen every time and with anyone involved with the parrot.

When the bite or over preening occurs:

• Say in a forceful but not shouting voice "No Bite" or other endearments.
• Immediately place the parrot on a nearby, handy chairback. NOT the cage (that would only teach the parrot to bite when he wants to go back to his cage).
• Turn your back to him and ignore him for 1 minute. No peeking, no talking about or too him, NADA. NO eye contact. No less or the message is lost, no more or the bird will not associate the action with the bite.
• After a minute you can try to re-establish contact.

Rinse, repeat as needed. Most parrots get the message after a few times, some may need more. Also very important - make sure the bite is not your fault. Annoying your parrot, asking him to step up when he is otherwise preoccupied with eating or playing, bothering him during known moody times like mating season, or ignoring the warnings and body language of your parrot - these are bites that you deserve! Learn, and be a better parront !!