my alex bit me :(

[alastairt]

hay had my alex for a few weeks now. hes only a pup still but we were having time together yesterday then out of no where he ran up my chest and bit me hard on the lip and it hurt so bad. i loved this bird so much but for some reason now i have lost the feeling i had for him i dont know why. any thoughts or things i can do to stop him from biting or ideas why he bit me he doesnt normally bite me ever thats why im quite shocked by his behaviour

 

[Kassidy]

They say when you own a bird... its not IF you get bit, but when you will get bit.... My Amazon is nippy, but most of the time its just her trying to play... I still love her after, even when she really clamps down, hopefully one little bite doesn't ruin a relationship between you and your bird.

 

[alastairt]

yeah but im worried he might turn into a biter and I have children and I would hate to see them get attacked this bird gets well looked after I'd hate to see all my hard work go down the tube

 

[Lacey]

Sometimes being overly stimulated can cause this. Reno just latched onto me a bit hard today as well, but there was a reason. He was scared and along with the stimulation of having several people here he just did what comes naturally. You can't stop loving Alex for a bite. There will be more. It comes with sharing our lives with our birds. If he was running up, he may have been trying to get up higher and your lip was what was there and he could of accidentally latched too hard. You need to always be cautious when it comes to birds and children. Children are unpredictable and move very fast which is scary to birds and biting is their means of defense. I never allow my children around Reno. What kind of bird is Alex? How old is he? This is a hormonal time for most birds so that could be something to think about as well. Don't take this bite to heart. I know it is very hard to do, but Alex does love you and it was not personal. Many people often mistake bites. Their beaks are used for many purposes. Climbing, eating, etc and they make mistakes too. Thats when I tell Reno, "Too Hard", in a different tone and he softens his latch. If he is biting to mean it I drop him to the ground for a few seconds. They do not like this and shows that it is unexceptable. They also have their good days and bad days just as we do. You have to really study the body language so you can tell the difference. Unfortunately, if you have birds there is going to be bites at some point. Positive actions help this. You have to erase this feeling you have and regain your confidence before you interact with him again. They can pick up on your moods and emotions very easily, no matter how much you try to hide it. It takes some bravery to be a bird owner. Also re-think the whole situation. What was going on, if anything scared him, etc. There may be a simple reason as to why this happened. I know you can do this!! Alex needs you to.

 

[YNAMomma]

Wondering why your bird bit you is kinda an unanswerable question. There could be a million reasons and non are definate. Think of it this way, something is bothering you, doesnt matter what it is and you had no way of telling the person who is doing it. You can't talk or do sign language or even point to whats bothering you. If your only option for stop is nip then thats what you learn to do. The best way to minimize the nips and train them that they are bad is to watch your bird, get to know his body postures and looks, Every bird has a "tell" not matter how small or suttle to show u he/she has had enough or doesnt like something. The problem is sometimes those tells can be, if you don't know your bird like the back of you hand, REALLY REALLY hard to catch in time. Try not freak out when it happens, use a firm NO, or something along that line. I also use a puff of air in my birds face ( Its my way of saying stop even when i am really bleeding) If you immediatly leave you bird or walk away or put them away they will learn that biting can get you to leave or go away, which believe me isnt fun.
So to shorten my massively long answer
1) DON'T FREAK OUT!!! --this is important and a super hard one!
2) Use a firm parental like voice and say your stop comand. ie: NO, STOP, NO BITE, BAD BIRD
3) Make sure that unless its and emergency do not leave or run away from the bird right away or the wrong message could be being sent to your bird. ie: Bite me and ill leave u alone.
4) Work on learning your birds "tells" it will make a world of difference in you and your birds life.
5) Last remember they love you unconditionally, even if they do bite occationally. Just look in those cute little eyes and you'll know!

PS..Sorry for the long answer.

 

[Mare Miller]

well said, Lacey. I also believe that if you can read their body language, it helps...a lot. My Amigo is very expressive in this sense.

 

[lene1949]

I'd never speak in CAPITAL LETTERS to my birds... Max, my Alexandrine, has never bitten me, but I don't get complacent (I think that's the word?) about it... Whenever he gets close to my face, I say 'gentle' in a very gentle voice, and as soon as I feel a gentle touch, I say - in the same gentle voice - 'good boy'.

The alexandrine is normally a very independent bird... They love being out exploring and flying around... Flying is very important to the alex, more so than the velcro birds, such as a cockatoo, who will be happy sitting with its owner for hours...

I would look into, why he bit you... What happened just before he ran up your chest? Did you move a body part? Did you eat something? Did something scare him (like something outside, a car, thunder, animal)? Did you pet him?

Parrots normally don't bite for no reason, and the reason is mostly because we do something wrong in the birds eye.

 

[suebee]

i would keep alex and kids apart or at least supervised, reduce your interaction with kids when alex is loose

having no idea what bird you have, this is a general kinda guild line

when birds bond they canbe extremely territorial and jealous at 1st (and how you and other interact, will determin your birds behaviour, no kissing or touching others or even standing to close, this is not for ever as over time your bird will come to accept, others in the flock, not at the same level but will not feel the need to bite etc but you may have to do this once a yr for a few months when birds hormonal)

you must learn to read your birds body language, as mentioned above, look up on the net for your bird type

also i have noticed nuts diet and excerise to be important in this changing her behaviour, pellets, fresh fruit an veg, seeds (but only a few sunflower seeds) and some healthy home cooked foods at our main family meal times, when we all eat together

she will have whats known as the parrot zooms, i leave her to it, so she can burn off the extra energy, when she flies from kitchen to room back an forth squealing a little

in time your bird will feel comfortable in its place in your family, ( and i am talking months)
this runnin up your chest and biting?? was you looking down at her/him at the time, so your face was directly over him/her or laid on your back? these use to be triggers for the nut, DO NOT be afraid of another bite!!!! if it happens think over the things that happened before bite and then try to aviod same situation, if the initial bite has made you wary, look up stick training, for your bird to step up etc

also don't let your bird get over excited (also mentioned above)

don't kiss your bird, that bite may have been its kiss back to you, and watch how you stroke it, head rubs only, as certain areas on certains birds bodies, they see as mating signals, so stroking down its back is a no no!


you will find a way to deal with these situations through trial an error, anything specific you need to know just ask

but don't feel this bird has broken anything between you's, you are its parent, so you need to guild it and teach it acceptable behaviour, and thats just time an patiance

 

[Kim444]

When my cockatoo comes at me, in a rushed manner or friendly, I always put a finger to his beak and say "gentle, shhh, shhh, shhh" I think it's excitement that gets them like that, he may have been trying to dominate you and got a little over zealous...

Next time he rushes at you, put your hand up(palm facing him) to stop him and just say gently "slowly, gentle" good (name of bird) and slowly drop your hand.

The first time my cockatoo bit me I sat up all night thinking how I hated him and wanted to give him away...then the next morning, he called to me and when i went he did his "pretty bird" face for me and i melted. They don't want to hurt us, but it happens sometimes.

Ever had a bad day, yelled at your kids, etc... that's what it's like for a bird. they have hormonal periods..they have mood swings and more importantly they need LOTS of sleep.

I would NEVER let a bird around my kids. My cockatoo is OFF limits to my kids. They are allowed to feed him sunflower seeds when I know he is in a good mood. On occasion(again when i feel the time is right) i will let him perch on their lap on the couch while I supervise.

 

[kobe629]

Sorry to hear that. My alex doesn't like to be pet and I never let him on my shoulder just because he isn't a cuddly bird he just likes to hang out next to me or my wife. I can only image the bite because I give my alex big macaw wood toys just because he can destroy it and my gold conure can't..

 

[JensFlock]

It could be that he was running on you and lost his balance and bit you to hold on. One time my Alex lost his balance while he was on my shoulder and latched on to an ear. (I had a feathered earring for a moment).

Also, when my ringneck died, Alex was upset and puffed up and attacked me for two whole days. He has never done that.

I have taught all of my birds "No biting" and "easy" if they beak too hard. When I first adopted my cockatoo, he wasn't sure of anything and bit me good when I tried to get him off the floor.

You just have to let it go, and not let it ruin your relationship with your bird. Birds don't have hands to push you away if they don't want to be bothered. All they have is a beak. Usually they will give warnings before they bite you for real.

He might have just been having a bad day. We all do. Good luck with him. I think you'll both be fine.

 

[beckybird]

When your bird bites, do not react. If you respond to a bite with a yelp of surprise/pain, the bird can feel a rush of power or find it highly entertaining (I can make my human perform crazy antics when I bite!!). I have no doubt that all of my birds love me, but they have all bitten me (except Connor the yellow-sided green cheek).

Do not take it personally- birds bite each other too! It is one of their ways to send a clear message. Get to know your bird's temperament and it will be much easier to prevent bites and deal with them when they inevitably happen.

As you come to understand your bird's personality better, you will become "birdie-bilingual." My parrots have helped me compile this (incomplete) list of possible translations for The Bite:

You should have let me out of the cage sooner.
I don't want you to reach your hand into my cage (your nail polish frightens me).
Please lower the volume on that TV/dog/child.
I really do not like the vacuum cleaner. Please refrain from using it around me.
I love to cuddle you but we've been cuddling for 25 minutes and I need some space now.
No, I don't want to go in my cage!
Why aren't you sharing your pizza with me?
I don't want that child to pick me up! He has jam and boogers on his fingers and besides, he moves too quickly for my taste.
I meant to give you a kiss but I didn't know how strong my beak was (I'm sorry)
I admire your jewelry and I just wanted to give it a tug...I didn't mean to hurt your ear/finger/neck/wrist.
I am walking on the floor because I WANT to and I don't need you to rescue me, so please do not pick me up- I am having fun!
I do not want you to clip my wings or trim my nails. I like them as they are.
Can't you see that I am hungry/thirsty/tired?
I don't want you to scratch my neck.
I don't like it when women handle me. I prefer men and I want to make that clear right now. (or vice versa)
I feel jealous when you pay more attention to ____ than you do to me.
Do not remove me from your shoulder. I like being up high and your hair feels so snuggly-soft.
I feel so antsy right now and I don't quite know how to keep my composure.
Do not take the paper away from me. I like to chew it. I don't care if you had it first.
Don't touch my back- keep those hands where I can see 'em.
Please don't flip me over on my back. It makes me feel undignified.
I'm angry about something else but you're the closest one I can lash out at.