Needing advice - first time bird owner 😊

[laniturner6]

Hi,
I have recently bought a 4 month old green cheek from a breeder. My partner and I are having issues with biting. My bird loves to sit on our head and shoulders and walk all over us, but if we don’t have fingers or ears covered he bites very very hard. He has actually cracked the cartilage in my ear.
We’re both first time bird owners so unsure of how to approach this. Any advice would be appreciated
P.s we have the opportunity to buy our birds sibling as well - would this be a good idea?

 

[GambotheGreyt]

Hi,
I have recently bought a 4 month old green cheek from a breeder. My partner and I are having issues with biting. My bird loves to sit on our head and shoulders and walk all over us, but if we don’t have fingers or ears covered he bites very very hard. He has actually cracked the cartilage in my ear.
We’re both first time bird owners so unsure of how to approach this. Any advice would be appreciated
P.s we have the opportunity to buy our birds sibling as well - would this be a good idea?

Is the bird weaned? Hungry? What is he eating? I got the biting to stop with my CAG when his tummy was full. I fed him, he ate, I had food available, but he wanted more/different.

 

[wrench13]

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 !!