Need help with Biting conure!

[KIWI264]

I got a green cheek conure about 2 months, for about 2 weeks everything was fine. After that he started biting, a lot. He loves being with me, but also loves to bite me. I always give him my arm to step up on and keep my shirt over it, he will grab on and bite through my shirt. Last week he was out all day, and well behaved I went to give my other birds water he was on their cage and reach down and bit me. He catches me when I'm not paying attention and gets a quick bite in. Then doesn't let go. When I rescued my cockatiel be bit, and I was able to work with him to get him completely hand tame, he seemed to bite out of fear though. Kiwi seems proud, and actually makes a snicker like he is laughing at me after he bites. He gets lots of attention, but I'm afraid of him. I'm sick of getting bit. I don't know what to do with him. I am thinking the woman who gave him to me knew he bit and left that part out.
I have never given a pet away before, but kiwi is only 3 i don't want to get bit daily for another 20'years or so

 

[lene1949]

The honeymoon is over! The first two weeks are called the honeymoon period... After that the bird just tries to get one over you, and he succeeded.. You are now afraid of him and he's in charge...

I would start with some severe target training... I would not let him out of his cage, until he targets each and every time... It shouldn't take you more than a week, untill he's the p u s s y cat, you bought...

Good luck..

 

[pagie]

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is target training? Is it where you teach them to tap you with their beak? If so I did that with jimmy inadvertently teaching him as a kiss and he taps my nose with his beak, never bites now unless fingers waving in his face in which case who can blame him.

 

[roxynoodle]

A lot of people here have reported great results with target training. I haven't tried it, so I can't add anything as far as that goes. It sounds like it's worth reading up on and trying though.

A lot of conures do love to sample everything they see with their beak though. Rowdy will make little holes in my clothes, and if I let her she would eat the couch, too. So I wear crummy barn clothes at home. Merlin decided to sample one of my shirts as well one day and left a considerably bigger hole, lol! Rowdy also tries to remove my freckles, and has been for 11 years.

However birds can bite for any number of reasons, and conures can be especially nippy. It does sound like the bird may be biting for fun. Make sure you don't react. Don't pull your hand away or yell, "Ouch!" or anything like that. Maybe the former owner did if you didn't. For some conures it becomes something fun to do; make owner jump and yell! So you first have to take the fun out of it for him. Try to get him to look you in the eye rather than at the part of you he wants to bite. You might have to redirect his attention toward your face though using a piece of junk mail or something between his beak and your hand or arm. Tell him, "Don't" and give him the evil eye. With Rowdy, every time she went to bite, I'd do that and put her back on her play gym and ignore her a few minutes. She figured out in a few weeks that she could only be with me if she didn't bite. You may have to clip wings during this time so he can't fly back to you on his own.

 

[Chawkins2]

I had the exact same thing happen with my Blue Crown when I first got her! She would always go after my finger no matter where she was at. I started wrapping a small towel around my finger and picking her up. She would still bite it but in the end she still stepped up. Now, I did this every time I picked her up for about 3 months or until she stopped attacking my finger. Then when I got her out of her cage, I used my wrist for her to step up onto(much less scary than fingers.) Then you slowly graduate to the fingers as they become more comfortable. If they revert back to trying to bite you, go back to the towel or shirt wrapped around the finger. I hope this helps!

Courtney

 

[lene1949]

Here's a link on target training

Step-By-Step Bird Target Training

 

[KIWI264]

I'll check out the target training... And try the towel too. I got a clicker to try clicker training, problem is he doesnt care much for treats

 

[lene1949]

I'll check out the target training... And try the towel too. I got a clicker to try clicker training, problem is he doesnt care much for treats

Have you done a treat test?

Also his reward does not have to be a treat, it could be a scratch or a quick play with a favourite toy...

If using treats, make sure he hasn't just been fed, before starting... Withhold his food for a few hours before training.

 

[Spiritbird]

Conures as a group seem to be nippy. When they bite they grab on to you and it really hurts. I was at a parrot workshop this past weekend and the instructor said a conure bite hurts more than a macaw bite because of the holding on to. Try learning their non verbal communication. Usually when they are ready to bite the feather raise up on top of their head just before. I also am aware of the times he bites be hard which is before I go to work, when I come home or when I am handing him a bowl of food.

 

[KIWI264]

Yea, Grabs on my arm and holds on. I have bruises on my arms, and they were through my clothes. He doesn't give much of a warning when he's getting on me, I def see the warning if he is going towards by fingers...... He is also constantly head banging? Is that normal anyone know

 

[roxynoodle]

What do you mean by head banging? Do you mean banging his head against something or bobbing/dancing/begging? If you mean the latter, yes, conures like to bob their heads. If you mean the former, that sounds like it needs addressed by a vet.

 

[Wulfgeist]

My conure is pretty darned moody, too. Just yesterday I let him out, gave him some orange, offered my finger and he went right up with out biting. Had him out a little while playing around here on the desk until I got coffee, he decided he needed some and the more I tried to discourage him the worse he got so I decided it was time to back to the cage. Later when I thought he had calmed down a little I meant to get him out again and all he did was be a little terror and bite me hard. Some days he's very sweet, others he's not and it's hard to tell when you wake up in the morning which it will be. I know it's not going to get any better when my CAG comes home.

The target training sounds reasonable. I come across some videos on youtube yesterday dealing with that and other issues. I don't remember who they were by but if I run across them again I'll post it here.

 

[roxynoodle]

Conures are moody, but at least mine changes moods quickly. When my zon got mad at me for taking him to the vet, it took days for him to get over it. So at least my conure forgives me quickly.