Help! New conure owner with bitey new baby conure.

[8illy8ird78]

Hello everyone. I recently got a conure from a petco (she's a pineapple colored green cheek) and she's very friendly and bouncy. Unsure of how old she is (I think she's about 6-8 months old) because the store didn't have paperwork for her or a leg band. Took a few days to get her to step up, but now she enjoys coming out. She's been here for about 2 weeks now and she has started chewing on our fingers. Tried treats, gentle blowing on her, gently shaking my finger but she still continues to nibble. I've been told we shouldn't put her back when she bites but it's frustrating because my hands are covered in nibble sized holes and it really hurts. It's weird because she's a sweet bird- I'm sure she isn't doing it aggressively. Wondering if anyone had some advice.

 

[Kendar]

Hello everyone. I recently got a conure from a petco (she's a pineapple colored green cheek) and she's very friendly and bouncy. Unsure of how old she is (I think she's about 6-8 months old) because the store didn't have paperwork for her or a leg band. Took a few days to get her to step up, but now she enjoys coming out. She's been here for about 2 weeks now and she has started chewing on our fingers. Tried treats, gentle blowing on her, gently shaking my finger but she still continues to nibble. I've been told we shouldn't put her back when she bites but it's frustrating because my hands are covered in nibble sized holes and it really hurts. It's weird because she's a sweet bird- I'm sure she isn't doing it aggressively. Wondering if anyone had some advice.

My younger one was nibbly with our fingers when we first got her, I think babies generally are because they are exploring and testing everything. My suggestion is that every time she tries to nibble you, keep her moving. Put a finger up to her chest to step up, then when she is on your finger and nibbles, use your other finger to get her to step up, and just keep going up and up. She should eventually grow out of it. Good luck!

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[Skittys_Daddy]

Best thing you can do when she is biting in ways you don't want is to put her back in her cage. If she knows that by biting you she can't stay out, she'll likely stop.

It's also important to know the difference between actual bites vs playful nibbles. If you have holes on your fingers, bruises, bitemarks- that's biting which should be discouraged. But if its just playful nibbling, that is fine- but playful nibbling shouldn't leave any marks nor should it hurt.

Skittles likes to nibble on my fingers, he also likes to scratch his beak on my fingernails.

 

[israel_gcc]

Bite pressure training! Here's one thread; I suggest you also check out some of the other search results here.

I also have a new green cheek and he's super good about listening to me about what's too hard and remembering it... however he frequently gets furious at me and uses this knowledge for evil, hahaha (we're working on it)

 

[8illy8ird78]

Thanks everyone! I got a lot out of those threads and advice. I had heard from a few people, including an anesthesiologist at work today, that you shouldn't put a bird back if it bites but that's not what those threads suggest. She seems more bonded to me than my roommate cuz she doesn't nibble me as much as she does him. I feel bad because she was supposed to be more his companion while I'm at work all day but now he gets chewed on all day. We're going to try time outs now. It makes sense though because she does love to come out.

 

[israel_gcc]

Haha I don't know, nibbling usually equals love!

Honestly I think they have a point when they advise against putting a bird back in its cage as punishment - but sometimes there isn't really another option. Personally it's almost impossible to scrape mine off me with anything but the cage door when he's mad and trying to bite me.

Best thing would probably be to just get up, walk away and ignore her for a bit, as long as she's in a safe parrot-proof place. (Even a negative reaction, like forcing her back in her cage, is a reaction. And parrots love getting a reaction out of their people!) But I wouldn't stress it if you do find yourself giving her cage timeouts.

You're in a pretty good place if you think she isn't doing it on purpose. In this case, you can show a pain reaction (pained squeaks work well for me!) when she bites too hard. If she were trying to hurt you, you'd want to hide any pain reactions. As soon as she realizes that her friends will just walk away when she expresses her love too strongly, she should get better about it.

Make sure you keep giving her lots of positive attention every day. If you find that your interactions are devolving into a series of timeouts when you try to take her out, try talking/singing/headbobbing with her for a while when she's safely in her cage (and not in an active timeout). She's still going to have a strong urge to socialize with you, and if she isn't getting enough positive interactions she may get frustrated and act out on purpose, to get a strong reaction out of you.

 

[wanesso]

Thanks everyone! I got a lot out of those threads and advice. I had heard from a few people, including an anesthesiologist at work today, that you shouldn't put a bird back if it bites but that's not what those threads suggest. She seems more bonded to me than my roommate cuz she doesn't nibble me as much as she does him. I feel bad because she was supposed to be more his companion while I'm at work all day but now he gets chewed on all day. We're going to try time outs now. It makes sense though because she does love to come out.

I agree that it seems if you put the bird back in the cage for biting, the cage will have a negative connotation and it's hard enough to get them into their cage for the night! I've had luck with a loud noise or quick change in position when bitten and big praise and lovey talk when they are not biting--all positive reinforcement. But they are amazingly smart critters for their size and catch on to every trick I have! They really seem to bond tightly to me with patientce and positive reinforcement-- Got to love their spunk, good luck with them!

 

[Muzzy]

How hard is your conure biting? I am by no means an expert, only had my baby for about a month, but he nibbles a lot.
I don't mind if it's not's hard - remember, a beak is the primary tool of a bird! We wouldn't punish children for touching things with their hands.

If he bites too hard, I gently tell him "no" and remove him. He catches on pretty quickly and knows how hard to bite different things- fingers can take more than my nose, for example!

Anyhow, I definitely think training your bird not to bite too hard is important, but don't try and discourage all nibbling as long as it is appropriately gentle.