Birdman666
Well-known member
- Sep 18, 2013
- 9,904
- 264
- Parrots
- Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I started this in response to a comment in another thread, and thought the discussion deserves a thread of it's own.
There are many types of biting, and the behavior mods you use to correct it depend on the trigger for the type of biting you are dealing with. This is meant as a reference. Down the line I hope to add specific behavior mods for the specific types of biting... because how you deal with each one is different. For more than half a decade, I rehabbed "the biters." (I've worked with around 350 birds, not counting my own.) This I'm fairly well trained to speak on intelligently:
There is the normal fight or flight reaction which is fear biting;
There is "I am simply not tame, and have never been properly socialized so I don't know how to react."
There is birdie manipulation/practical jokes (My Ruby macaw putting her head down, and begging for a head scratch - so she can remove your finger. My red front fainting for the french fry and pinching your arm instead, and running away laughing.)
There is "I DON'T WANT TO!"
There is "I'm mad at you" biting. (You locked me up too long! You haven't paid enough attention to me.)
There are tantrums. (Toddler emotional melt down. I AM REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW!)
There is hormonal biting. (I'm horny and grumpy. Don't touch)
There are territorial intrusion issues. (Get out of here!!!)
There are hoarding/possessive issues. (That's MINE!!!)
There is displacement biting. (If you can't bite the one you want to bite, bite the one you're with!)
There is jealous/overbonding biting. (He's MINE!/Get away from him/You're not my person!)
Worse, there is MATE AGGRESSION bird on human variety (overbonding a step further. Power and control. Battered wife syndrome. Do what I say, I'm your mate! Obey me! Don't make me hurt you!)
There is the bird "looking out for you, trying to protect you by warning you of danger" biting (You're too close to that scary thing! Hey stupid wake up, it's gonna get you!)
There is accidental biting (i.e. playing too rough/All I was trying to do was hold on, but I don't know my own strength, so I hurt you... i.e. Woody almost taking my finger off holding onto my finger when I was scratching his head.)
There is "amazon overload" biting. (Altered states)
Then there are large toos and sennies that have lots of 'tude and MPD. Otherwise known as "BECAUSE I CAN" biting. (PSYCHO BIRD!)
I could go on, but this is already starting to sound like Bubba in the "shrimp" scene from Forest Gump. So, I will stop now.
My point is it isn't always a simple generalization, and they don't always warn you... in fact, ala my Ruby, sometimes they deliberately DON'T warn you. Cuz they secretly want to see you dance and shout. "That never gets old! It's so funny when they do that!"
There are many types of biting, and the behavior mods you use to correct it depend on the trigger for the type of biting you are dealing with. This is meant as a reference. Down the line I hope to add specific behavior mods for the specific types of biting... because how you deal with each one is different. For more than half a decade, I rehabbed "the biters." (I've worked with around 350 birds, not counting my own.) This I'm fairly well trained to speak on intelligently:
There is the normal fight or flight reaction which is fear biting;
There is "I am simply not tame, and have never been properly socialized so I don't know how to react."
There is birdie manipulation/practical jokes (My Ruby macaw putting her head down, and begging for a head scratch - so she can remove your finger. My red front fainting for the french fry and pinching your arm instead, and running away laughing.)
There is "I DON'T WANT TO!"
There is "I'm mad at you" biting. (You locked me up too long! You haven't paid enough attention to me.)
There are tantrums. (Toddler emotional melt down. I AM REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW!)
There is hormonal biting. (I'm horny and grumpy. Don't touch)
There are territorial intrusion issues. (Get out of here!!!)
There are hoarding/possessive issues. (That's MINE!!!)
There is displacement biting. (If you can't bite the one you want to bite, bite the one you're with!)
There is jealous/overbonding biting. (He's MINE!/Get away from him/You're not my person!)
Worse, there is MATE AGGRESSION bird on human variety (overbonding a step further. Power and control. Battered wife syndrome. Do what I say, I'm your mate! Obey me! Don't make me hurt you!)
There is the bird "looking out for you, trying to protect you by warning you of danger" biting (You're too close to that scary thing! Hey stupid wake up, it's gonna get you!)
There is accidental biting (i.e. playing too rough/All I was trying to do was hold on, but I don't know my own strength, so I hurt you... i.e. Woody almost taking my finger off holding onto my finger when I was scratching his head.)
There is "amazon overload" biting. (Altered states)
Then there are large toos and sennies that have lots of 'tude and MPD. Otherwise known as "BECAUSE I CAN" biting. (PSYCHO BIRD!)
I could go on, but this is already starting to sound like Bubba in the "shrimp" scene from Forest Gump. So, I will stop now.
My point is it isn't always a simple generalization, and they don't always warn you... in fact, ala my Ruby, sometimes they deliberately DON'T warn you. Cuz they secretly want to see you dance and shout. "That never gets old! It's so funny when they do that!"
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