Please help my cockatoo wont stop biting

[grahamthegasman]

Hi guys struggling with my cockatoo at moment he wont stop biting .When hes out of cage he will come to us but then starts biting quite hard,just wont stop and its starting to hurt now.We put try put him back in cage but just takes big harder bites.This is getting frustrating and dont know how to control his biting. Please help.

 

[Grinder]

Hello there. More information would be a big help to accurate suggestions. Based on the season and the fact that you say he is a male makes me think his hormones are getting the best of him. You should really not try to handle him for the next few weeks. Keep at sort of petting to the head and neck only.

That being said - how old is he? How long have you had him?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I agree, how long have you had him? When is he biting you?

With a biting parrot you want to find out what is the cause, and avoid the bite in the first place. Your bird has a reason for biting you, even if it's hormonally triggered. Each bite is a negative experience for your bird.

 

[MikeyTN]

Cockatoos are emotionally charged birds. If your doing something they don't approve of they'll bite regardless if its hormones related. Anyone with long term and multiple cockatoos should know that. That's part of the reason why they get rehomed so much. If the poster could, start perch training as that would solve the issues about biting while trying to put them up.

 

[psychocircus91]

Cockatoos are emotionally charged birds. If your doing something they don't approve of they'll bite regardless if its hormones related. Anyone with long term and multiple cockatoos should know that. That's part of the reason why they get rehomed so much. If the poster could, start perch training as that would solve the issues about biting while trying to put them up.

Constant painful biting should not be expected of ANY bird. I agree cockatoos are headstrong and like to use their beaks when they are not pleased, but they can be trained just like any other bird. It is very important to understand the body language of the bird and avoid bites as much as possible.

 

[Jtbirds]

I agree he is probably biting to a trigger rather then not, sometimes cockatoos bite for almost no reason at all(some will argue this, but it is true)... You need to find what the issue is and remove it or desensitize him to it. That's all I can do for you ATM with the limited information you gave us, it would be helpful for you to keep a log of when the bites happen, what the environment was like you will start to see a trend hopefully. If you can do this I can help you more just private message me or post on here the situations!

 

[MikeyTN]

Cockatoos are emotionally charged birds. If your doing something they don't approve of they'll bite regardless if its hormones related. Anyone with long term and multiple cockatoos should know that. That's part of the reason why they get rehomed so much. If the poster could, start perch training as that would solve the issues about biting while trying to put them up.

Constant painful biting should not be expected of ANY bird. I agree cockatoos are headstrong and like to use their beaks when they are not pleased, but they can be trained just like any other bird. It is very important to understand the body language of the bird and avoid bites as much as possible.

Yes you can try to train them but it doesn't mean they'll listen! When you try to train a bird that doesn't respond to clicker training, favorite treats, etc. it becomes very hard to do with a headstrong bird. I have one like that, Java the U2. It's impossible to read his body language as he would turn 360 from being a calm sweet baby laying in your lap to all of a sudden rampage attack none stop just because he didn't get his way. He's a very very smart bird and won't do something he doesn't want to do and wants to do something he's not supposed to do. I'm still trying to develop a new way of training him and I've tried all the tricks I have. So not all the birds are same in training wise as most of the birds I've trained were a lot easier to deal with. And like Jtbird says, Cockatoos will bite for no apparent reason at times and it can be pretty nasty. I've actually consulted with many Cockatoo owners as we all love them dearly. And ALL of them have been bitten pretty good by their Cockatoos. I still have a lady friend who just messaged me the other day to ask if I would take her U2 who would go on a rampage and attack for no apparent reason. She's had Lilly for many years. So basically it takes a person who loves Cockatoos to own a Cockatoo.

 

[AngelicaandBandit]

I have a cockatoo and I understand exactly how it feels to be bitten by their powerful beaks. You can do what has been advised of you from the above posters or I would recommend, begin from square one. Offer treats through the bars of the cage, do stuff near the cage, just do that for maybe 1 1/2 or 2 weeks. I understand that he may not be scared of you but it will help to get him to calm down around you. Then begin to target train him, once that's done an easy trick using target is obviously the spinning trick. I wish all parrot owners knew this but trick training keeps birds mentally stimulated and focus on being rewarded rather then biting you it took one trick (the spinning trick) to stop Bandit from biting me. Maybe it would take you two tricks or so with your cockatoo. Keep the training session nice and short and always end on a good note. To stop him biting you when you put him back in his cage, always have a meal in his cage ready for him so he will want to go back. Keep doing this and your cockatoo will stop biting a enjoy hanging out with you.

Cockatoos in general require a massive amount of experience. Cockatoos like to test the boundaries and your patience. Cockatoos and all birds are very in tune with us and one small negative reaction get set you back all the way to the start. Thats why as mentioned above, so many cockatoos are landed in rescues, people have bitten of more then they can chew. That's why when someone says they're considering any cockatoo, I beg them to think very very realistically about what they're getting them self into

 

[MikeyTN]

AngelicaandBandit,

I wish the treat would work on Java. He's not easily tricked as I've tried that already. He would come to me but if he's being denied to do something he gets angry. He wouldn't even take the treat. He'll toss it. I love him dearly so I'm working on new ways to keep him from going crazy.

 

[Sher]

I adopted a Cockatoo today. I was bit pretty bad earlier. I don't want to be afraid of Henry and I want to learn everything I can to give him a great life. If some of the posters here wouldn't mind, I could use a buddy so that I can learn about this bird.
If you look at the post I made in the Welcome area, I explain how I came to have a Cockatoo in the first place. Thanks

 

[MonicaMc]

I put a bunch of links for biting in the following thread... they may be of help.

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/31128-step-up-training.html

 

[Jtbirds]

Cockatoos are emotionally charged birds. If your doing something they don't approve of they'll bite regardless if its hormones related. Anyone with long term and multiple cockatoos should know that. That's part of the reason why they get rehomed so much. If the poster could, start perch training as that would solve the issues about biting while trying to put them up.

Constant painful biting should not be expected of ANY bird. I agree cockatoos are headstrong and like to use their beaks when they are not pleased, but they can be trained just like any other bird. It is very important to understand the body language of the bird and avoid bites as much as possible.

Yes you can try to train them but it doesn't mean they'll listen! When you try to train a bird that doesn't respond to clicker training, favorite treats, etc. it becomes very hard to do with a headstrong bird. I have one like that, Java the U2. It's impossible to read his body language as he would turn 360 from being a calm sweet baby laying in your lap to all of a sudden rampage attack none stop just because he didn't get his way. He's a very very smart bird and won't do something he doesn't want to do and wants to do something he's not supposed to do. I'm still trying to develop a new way of training him and I've tried all the tricks I have. So not all the birds are same in training wise as most of the birds I've trained were a lot easier to deal with. And like Jtbird says, Cockatoos will bite for no apparent reason at times and it can be pretty nasty. I've actually consulted with many Cockatoo owners as we all love them dearly. And ALL of them have been bitten pretty good by their Cockatoos. I still have a lady friend who just messaged me the other day to ask if I would take her U2 who would go on a rampage and attack for no apparent reason. She's had Lilly for many years. So basically it takes a person who loves Cockatoos to own a Cockatoo.

Mikey it seems me and you have similar looks and expirences with cockatoos and I can just say I know how java is and it is the fact humans suck at raising cockatoos, we raise cockatoos completely wrong we hand raise them wrong, heck the formula isn't even right for cockatoos... This is the main reason we have so many issues with cockatoos and then we get these birds that are very stuck in there ways and hard to fix(they can be fixed but it takes years sometimes)... I completely agree with mikey and with cockatoos unless you have owned one you should probably not offer much advice because it is a completely different world then what the websites and "professional clicker trainers" say it is.

 

[kimroboe]

My family and I once had a lovebird that bit everybody and seriously hard. I was only a little girl at the time and we had tried everything but we couldn't just not let him out of his cage because he needed the social contact as he had no mate and i wasn't giving up. So i got the idea to "ignore" the biting. This doesn't mean it didn't hurt (a lot), but I would simply remain calm, make sure my facial expression read nothing but the very same thing it read before he bit, and actually I didn't tell him "no" at all. I just ignored the bad behavior and didn't even let him see me clean the bite. I know this sounds crazy but believe it or not, out off all four family members including myself ( I was the youngest ) my lovebird bonded with me. He stopped biting me, and continued to bite everybody else. It's kind of like with a small child. You can't just ignore them when they misbehave because then they do it more and you can't give the negative behavior any attention or it reinforces it. Oh and get your bird out lots. The sooner your bird realizes that biting gets them nothing. Maybe your bird will find a different way to express itself.

 

[MikeyTN]

My family and I once had a lovebird that bit everybody and seriously hard. I was only a little girl at the time and we had tried everything but we couldn't just not let him out of his cage because he needed the social contact as he had no mate and i wasn't giving up. So i got the idea to "ignore" the biting. This doesn't mean it didn't hurt (a lot), but I would simply remain calm, make sure my facial expression read nothing but the very same thing it read before he bit, and actually I didn't tell him "no" at all. I just ignored the bad behavior and didn't even let him see me clean the bite. I know this sounds crazy but believe it or not, out off all four family members including myself ( I was the youngest ) my lovebird bonded with me. He stopped biting me, and continued to bite everybody else. It's kind of like with a small child. You can't just ignore them when they misbehave because then they do it more and you can't give the negative behavior any attention or it reinforces it. Oh and get your bird out lots. The sooner your bird realizes that biting gets them nothing. Maybe your bird will find a different way to express itself.

A Cockatoo bite is NOTHING like a Lovebird's bite, trust me....I used to raise Lovebirds and I know their bite quite well. A Cockatoo's bite can scar you for life! It can get pretty bad to the point you need to run to the emergency room. It's not something you easily ignore like you would with a Lovebird's bite. Trust me you wouldn't want to hold a biting Cockatoo and act like nothing is happening cause you would be screaming for life. They WILL test their limits, IF they see the little bite don't get your attention, they do something worse by giving you nastier bites then before. I had to hold back my tears and be calm while he was biting all over my arms none stop while I walk towards his cage slowly to put him away. He never once stopped biting during the whole 15 sec that it took me to get him back into his cage. My arm was full of bite marks and drenching with blood. I went to work next day and people asked me what happened to my arm. I've never had any bird that attacked me like that out of the 16 years I've been dealing with birds. All because I told him not to do something, he wanted to come to my face, I blocked him and told him no in a calm manner. Again, it takes someone who loves Cockatoos to own a Cockatoo!

 

[MonicaMc]

Really bad advice to ignore a bite....

If that bird was a german shepherd or a pit bull or maybe it was a lion or a tiger... would the advice remain the same? Just ignore the bite? What if the animal was mauling you? Would you still stand there and allow the animal to bite and tear you to pieces?????

A parrot may not be a dog or a big cat, but you should still give the same respect to a parrot as you would the other animals!

Baby Moluccan Cockatoo Parrot Bite - ParrotPhotos.US
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/cockatoobite1.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/U2bitestitch1.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/zzshandbite.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/zzsbitejuly28.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/march2008akcockatoobitenextday.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/brandysbite.jpg
http://parrotphotos.us/m2bite/phoebemoluccancockatoobitesmom.jpg
Umbrella cockatoo bite | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cockatoo bite | For Parrots: Posters for Parrot Advocates


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO0kCRL_63c]Cockatoo Bird Bite - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Sher]

Ouch! That bite is just as bad, or worse than any animal bite I have ever seen. Do you know why he bit? I seen you say it's always the humans fault? I am questioning only because I am trying to learn about the U2 since I just adopted one using my heart & not my head.
I hope that heals well for you.

 

[Kong]

My family and I once had a lovebird that bit everybody and seriously hard. I was only a little girl at the time and we had tried everything but we couldn't just not let him out of his cage because he needed the social contact as he had no mate and i wasn't giving up. So i got the idea to "ignore" the biting. This doesn't mean it didn't hurt (a lot), but I would simply remain calm, make sure my facial expression read nothing but the very same thing it read before he bit, and actually I didn't tell him "no" at all. I just ignored the bad behavior and didn't even let him see me clean the bite. I know this sounds crazy but believe it or not, out off all four family members including myself ( I was the youngest ) my lovebird bonded with me. He stopped biting me, and continued to bite everybody else. It's kind of like with a small child. You can't just ignore them when they misbehave because then they do it more and you can't give the negative behavior any attention or it reinforces it. Oh and get your bird out lots. The sooner your bird realizes that biting gets them nothing. Maybe your bird will find a different way to express itself.

A Cockatoo bite is NOTHING like a Lovebird's bite, trust me....I used to raise Lovebirds and I know their bite quite well. A Cockatoo's bite can scar you for life! It can get pretty bad to the point you need to run to the emergency room. It's not something you easily ignore like you would with a Lovebird's bite. Trust me you wouldn't want to hold a biting Cockatoo and act like nothing is happening cause you would be screaming for life. They WILL test their limits, IF they see the little bite don't get your attention, they do something worse by giving you nastier bites then before. I had to hold back my tears and be calm while he was biting all over my arms none stop while I walk towards his cage slowly to put him away. He never once stopped biting during the whole 15 sec that it took me to get him back into his cage. My arm was full of bite marks and drenching with blood. I went to work next day and people asked me what happened to my arm. I've never had any bird that attacked me like that out of the 16 years I've been dealing with birds. All because I told him not to do something, he wanted to come to my face, I blocked him and told him no in a calm manner. Again, it takes someone who loves Cockatoos to own a Cockatoo!

My M2 is exactly the same way and he nailed my fingers hard pierced it i wanted to cry and scream but all i could do was calmly get him back in. I agree YOU CAN'T IGNORE COCKATOO BITE!! you shouldn't react either like scream and yell it will make it worse much worse
Kong still acts this way i am working on training him the words table and play i have him in my office and sometimes we go downstairs and play while i work but when it is time to bring him back up, he starts eyeballing me and i repeat to him table to play, it seems to be working, then i trick him to go back in on his own but you can't simply ignore a beak that can break a finger

 

[MonicaMc]

Ouch! That bite is just as bad, or worse than any animal bite I have ever seen. Do you know why he bit? I seen you say it's always the humans fault? I am questioning only because I am trying to learn about the U2 since I just adopted one using my heart & not my head.
I hope that heals well for you.

In many cases it is. Bites are often the result of a human not being able to read a birds body language or ignoring it as well as not doing corrective training. That's not to say that they can't result out of other reasons as well.

Birds often bite out of fear or being unable to understand a command, and being taught this command is an unpleasant experience for them. If taught in a positive manner that the bird could figure out, then they'll be less likely to bite. If two birds are quarreling and a human intervenes, there's a high chance the human will get bit. If a bird is aggressively playing with a toy in it's beak and a human removes toy (or even object), the human may get bit. If something startles the bird, the bird may bite the first thing at hand - the human. If you pick up an object that the bird detests, you might get bit. If you encourage a "one person bird" mentality or don't work on trying to train a parrot out of it through socialization and positive reinforcements, you may end up with a parrot that not only bites other people but may bite you as well if someone the bird doesn't like comes near you. Birds protecting mates and nests are highly likely to bite.

A lot of it is about training and trying to avoid being bitten. Easier said than done, I realize.


I don't recall the reason behind why jlcribber was bitten, but I do recall him mentioning that Tika used to "hate" him. Looking back on that info, it took 18 months for jlcribber to gain any trust from Tika and a full year before jlcribber felt comfortable enough to handle Tika. Now they are "best mates" as long as jlcribber's wife is not around.