How to discourage biting in GCC?

[PaperLantern]

So I've had my new GCC, Chubby, for about 8 days now. I'm thinking it may be because of the new surroundings but he is a bit bitey and unpredictable. He LOVES it when I scratch his head and he often climbs on me from his cage, but sometimes he will act like he wants to step up, and when I put my finger out he bites HARD. Or, he will be playing on me and will randomly bite me.

I've tried not pulling my hand away but when he really bites it hurts. I usually tell him "no bite" and put him in his cage. Is this the right way to do it? If not could you give me some tips?

I love him tons, he is a super sweet bird and I hope we can work on the biting thing a bit Could it be because he is still fairly new here?

 

[Parrotmamma]

I have a gcc too and she is sweet as pie, Love head scritches , loves all my kids However , there are times when she does bite me or whoever is playing with her . Like when she is on top of my head and I try to get her down or when she is chewing on my computer cords or phone. Basically , if I try to stop her from doing what she likes she bites. I just try to avoid those situations so the biting does not become a big deal . Alot of times I can show her her flight suit and she stops whatever she is doing to get away from it ....she hates wearing that thing..lol
Green cheeks are wonderful , funny little clowns , but they are also nippy and a little moody. When she does bite me I try to be calm and not react and I take her to her room and leave her for a few minutes , Then go back and get her and tell her she has to be nice if she wants to play. It usually works pretty well .

 

[dishgal1]

Same here, I try to avoid situations that make my green cheek nippy. They are "bipolar" I think. LOL There are several days in a row when he is so sweet and then the little demon comes out. I think it will get better with time. You have only had him a short time. I remember when I first got mine I thought I had made a huge mistake. He bit me so hard but as he started to bond with me he has been a Godsend to my family. I didn't think I would be able to live with him that way but after a while things changed. He is my pride and joy in spite of his "bad days", 4 days this week he has been a terror and I just stayed away from him basically. I just let him come to me when he was ready and then he would still bite me.....I would cage him for about an hour and let him out, when he started the nastiness he went back. Last night and today my little angel is back. Can't stay off of me. Sweet as pie. Just keep the faith and things WILL get better. We should have a lot of good days now until he gets in a mood or something. I did leave him for 2 days with my daughter who he loves and also loves her greencheek. He may have been punishing me. LOL

 

[czgheib]

My conure was a year old when I got him and was caged his whole life. He thought I was his enemy for a while. At first he bit me and I flicked his beak back. That didnt work and I suggest you never do that. (My bird is on my shoulder now loves to be pet, poops on command and flies to me on command). What ended up working perfectly is when he bit me I would grab him by the neck and incapacitate him so to speak. You have to grab them around the neck or else he will bite while he is in your hand. I grabbed him near the head and made it is so that he couldn't bite and that he knew I was in control. At the same time I would make "tsk tsk tsk" sounds so he knew I didn't like his behavior. When he stopped struggling I would wait a few seconds with my hand wrapped around his neck just so he sees that I did not want to hurt him and that I was only trying to stop him, after that I would nicely set him down. Then I could see him looking at me in a different way and thinking more about things instead of just reacting and biting. In the later stages after practicing that technique when ever he would go to bite on impluse, he would stop think and shake his head( shake the impulse). Never bit again, now I play with him and if he gets rough all I have to do Is "tsk" and he immediately stops.

 

[thermodynamic]

Same here, I try to avoid situations that make my green cheek nippy. They are "bipolar" I think. LOL There are several days in a row when he is so sweet and then the little demon comes out. I think it will get better with time. You have only had him a short time. I remember when I first got mine I thought I had made a huge mistake. He bit me so hard but as he started to bond with me he has been a Godsend to my family. I didn't think I would be able to live with him that way but after a while things changed. He is my pride and joy in spite of his "bad days", 4 days this week he has been a terror and I just stayed away from him basically. I just let him come to me when he was ready and then he would still bite me.....I would cage him for about an hour and let him out, when he started the nastiness he went back. Last night and today my little angel is back. Can't stay off of me. Sweet as pie. Just keep the faith and things WILL get better. We should have a lot of good days now until he gets in a mood or something. I did leave him for 2 days with my daughter who he loves and also loves her greencheek. He may have been punishing me. LOL

My Rusty (cinnamon GCC) is 5 years old. Got him when he was 5 months. He was always very beaky. Then he started to bite. He is an 'alpha male' type which doesn't help, but he has been far less bitey. Possibly as I show less fear and more assertion, and offering treats. Positive reinforcement when he's good... or ignoring him when he bites gets him to change his mind really quick.

And all bird owners will get bitten once in a while.