Unexpected hard bite!

[Cagzo]

Im sure people have asked this before.
Connie is going through Moult ATM, she looks a sorry sight with pins all around her neck.
Thismorning on her time out,she was sat on the work top, going up and down as she does when she wants to be taken off there (shes not clipped so could fly across). I put my hand out and said step up,which she did,then promptly bit my thumb really hard,drawing blood.
This is the second time in 3 days that shes done this,I feel a bit bewildered as shes always been very gentle,and we are very bonded.

Could it be Moulting thats set this behaviour off?
Sorry forgot to say shes a Conure!

 

[wrench13]

My but it seems a lot of conures are going thru a bitey phase lately. At almost 2 she could be starting puberty or she could just be P/O'd because of a heavy molt. Time to really study her body language before picking her up and while she is on you. I wouldn't allow shoulder privileges just now.

 

[Cagzo]

Thankyou Wrench 13, I have great respect for all your advice on this forum, I'm certainly hoping its only going to be a short phase.
I picked her up bodily and said 2/3 very firm "NOs",then put her to the other side of the kitchen table and turned my back on her. (while attending my wound!) After a few minutes she flew to my shoulder,and TBH I didnt want to put my hand there to get her off!
She stayed cuddled into my neck making little quacking noises and bobbing.I assume this is puberty behaviour? I felt as though she was laying an egg!!

 

[itzjbean]

Green cheek Conures of all kinds are notorious for biting! I've seen hundreds of threads about people saying their green cheeks do the same thing! Hard bites with no second thought!

Do you keep her well showered/misted these days? Molting causes lots of itchiness and regular showers are a must during this time to relieve that itching. Is she on a diet with high amounts of veggies and low amounts of sugars? Sugars like in fruits can give them TONS of extras energy, and so drawing back on the sugars they get will give them less energy, aka, less motive to bite.

Is she flight recalled? Giving her proper exercise and having her use those wings to train her to go somewhere you want her to go (target training, flight recall) will give them sometime to exert that energy out on instead of your hands.

Do you have treats when you have her step up so she has something (food) to concentrate on besides biting your hands? This is a great tool especially fo getting an unruly bird back into the cage.

 

[Cagzo]

I think it was the unexpected! Shes always been very good. Yes she gets a bath regularly,dives her head right under, flying......not a lot,usually a couple of curcuits then back on my shoulder. But I think it may be a sugar related thing as she will only eat carrots which of course are sweet,anything green is discarded. My gut feeling is its puberty. Lordelpandsavus!!

 

[Scott]

Have you considered Bite Pressure Training? http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

I realize this may be a transient behavior due to molting and/or onset of puberty.

 

[fiddlejen]

Im sure people have asked this before.
Connie is going through Moult ATM, she looks a sorry sight with pins all around her neck.
Thismorning on her time out,she was sat on the work top, going up and down as she does when she wants to be taken off there (shes not clipped so could fly across). I put my hand out and said step up,which she did,then promptly bit my thumb really hard,drawing blood.
This is the second time in 3 days that shes done this,I feel a bit bewildered as shes always been very gentle,and we are very bonded.

Could it be Moulting thats set this behaviour off?
Sorry forgot to say shes a Conure!

She is mad at you of course. Because obviously it is your fault she's pinny & moulting....

 

[Laurasea]

GCC do use those beaks to keep us in line, that scalpel tip hurts!! I’ve been bitten by larger parrots that hurt so much less, more like a pinch.

My GCC sbd I are in constant negotiations. She is easily offended or feels I have acted poorly. Then the rest of the time snuggles. Pay extra attention to her body language , mine will crouch slight and flare head feathers if she doesn’t want a touch, or thinks I moved my hand to quickly or whatever ever she thinks I’m wrong about....

Extra bribes ( safflower sees) by hand are always good
Mine will do almost anything fir them

 

[Cagzo]

If it is puberty, are there any signs I should be looking for?
Thismorning we went through the usual routine,cage door wide open,Connie coming out to sit on top of the door,3 sunflower seeds for a kiss on my nose for each one(yes that was brave) but after that she didnt fly across to me,but stayed going in and out of the cage(which is big) I spoke gently to her when she finally decided to go back in. She sat close,and half closed her eyes and did a lot of head bobbing.I think she picked up on my sympathetic voice.

 

[noodles123]

Yes-- look at her age...interest in you...interest in shadowy areas....random "moody" behavior...feeding behaviors...rubbing butts on things...but it isn't always THAT obvious. A very hormonal bird can never show any obvious signs (like the butt rubbing and feeding things are super-obvious, but many won't do that even when hormonal). They can just get kind of fickle and edgy. Obviously you need to make sure your bird is healthy, as sudden changes can also indicate an underlying health issue...but if you rule out medical problems, then consider the rest. Either way, these rules should be followed by anyone with a bird-- you should not stop doing the things below just because the behavior subsides-- they are permanent changes to consider.

Conures mature sexually around 1 in most cases. They all are programmed to find a mate.
If your bird is bonded to you and shows a lot of interest in you and is sexually mature, odds are, some part of her thinks of you as a mate (even birds who have their hormones really well-regulated still walk a fine line with their owners in terms of the nature of that relationship). You can kind of keep this in-check by making sure you set boundaries and remove triggers.

It's very important that you do not allow your bird access to huts, tents, boxes, shadowy spaces, under clothing, in cabinets, under furniture etc etc. This will make it worse.

10-12 hours of sleep is also essential (as it regulates hormones, mood, and immune health).

Pet on the head and neck only. The rest is fairly sexual----a quick touch elsewhere is usually okay (if it's for husbandry/veterinary purposes) but you don't want to be wrapping your bird up, cupping its back, stroking the back/tail region etc etc

 

[Cagzo]

Thankyou Noodles 123
She has no huts or anywhere to hide,doesnt go inside my clothes,she could probably use a few more hours sleep though,she gets about 10 more rather than less. She likes her bedtime routine,so will do it a bit earlier from now on. Shes been for a check recently as I was worried she wasnt eating her pellets,and she got a clean bill of health.
What would we do without this forum,a mine of information thankfully!

 

[noodles123]

You are most welcome, I love this forum too (so much information )

If she will step-up, you can make a scale to weigh her (gradually, as it may scare her at first)--- just get a gram-scale like you would have in a science class, and use a strong glue (OUTSIDE---OUTSIDE...OUTSIDE) to attach a t-perch to it. Then zero it out with the added weight.

Make sure your bird doesn't contact the glue (even when dry), and make sure no fumes enter your home while it dries, or while on your fingers.

 

[Cagzo]

Just a quick update.
She was back to her usual sweet self thismorning,I was prepared for another bite,but made sure we did all the usual things,she got on my hand without the "step up" command,had a couple of tickle head scritches.
Thinking back,she would normally fluff up her head feathers if shes thinking of giving a nip,but that didnt happen.
Shes doing a lot of looking in her mirror,which is usually just something she bangs about,as its a noisy bell one.
Thankyou all for the advice and suggestions,its reassuring to have some back up.

 

[Cagzo]

Another 2/3 hard bites,my hands are quite sore. Its the no warning,Im getting nervous asking for a step up now. Shes also doing the little pinchy thing through my clothes.It makes you jump!
How long does a moult go on for,shes looking very bedraggled,nothing like the sleek bird in her pic.
The other question was, as she will only eat fruit apart from carrots,is it best to only give 2/3 times a week,in other words reduce her sugar intake,in case that is part of the problem?

 

[noodles123]

I don't have as much experience with conures specifically, but my bird KNOWS when she bites me. Sugar can certainly increase biting behavior/hyperactivity etc. What do you do when your bird bites?
It's possible that you are accidentally reinforcing the behavior.

 

[Cagzo]

I normally say a big no, and put her away from me,with no eye contact. But its as if she doesnt know shes doing it? Like she flies straight back on to me as if nothing has happened. I know the moult is bad,I only have to look at her poor little thing. What a shame they have to go through this.
Before Connie I had a Cockatiel, he was a rescue and wouldnt let anyone near him,but I dont remember him moulting like this.
I had Canaries when I lived in Spain,and they didnt moult for as long as this. Of course they werent handled,unless it was for ointment on their feet. So this is the first bird who is really tame,and I love her to bits.

 

[Cagzo]

You have a big bird, I was very near to getting a Darbyan,but my OH has breathing probs so really the choice was Conures who dont give off feather dust as much.

 

[noodles123]

have you taken to an avian vet to verify that it is a moult?

 

[Cagzo]

The vet said she was fine, he weighed her as I was worried she wasnt eating her pellets,and he didnt mention the pins round her neck. What else could it be if not moult?

 

[Laurasea]

Hi,
Its molt time at my house too. I think, abd have found some science that burds need a little. Ump in protein at mokt time. Feathers are nearly all protein, and featgers make up a quarter of a birds mass. So adding a little biiked or scrambeked egg, walnut, boiled chicken just a thumbprint amount, cooked legume helps, and tgdy seem to crave it. Adding protein sure helps my burds, tgdy molt faster, never look ratty , and mood is better.
Offer chili peppers and bell peppers, nearly all south American parrots like them ( native to the area, and a natural food source ) also peppers have vitamin
A whuch is great fir immune system especially respiratory immune system.. Encouraging extra baths helps too.

My GCC would probably bite me ten times a day , if I w a bit abke to read her body language. Since I fo psy attention to her body language abd quick mood shifts I don't get bit.

There is always a reason you are getting bit. And as your burd learns that you dont pay attention to other communications, they use the bite more. Also they are fine tuned to you if you are nervous and hesitant it leads to bites. Im definitely on your side those needle tip beaks hurt bunches!

The things that help me and Ta-dah avoid bites. Very much I pay attention to her body language, if I bump a pin Feather, or move to fast abd surprised spooked her, I apologize, they understand apology or accident tgey really do. And we move past it, I don't keep hurt feelings, or make a big deal about it. If I'm not paying attention and I get bit, I say no bite in a firm medium voice, abd squint my eyes at her. Even tho its my fault I let her no bites aren't tge way to communicate. Then we go on as if nothing happened, birds squabble then they are fibe abd over it. If she bites again within a few minutes I say no bute abd tsner back to tge cage and put her away for five minutes. That's shunning abd it only works if tgdy want to be with you. I also brube her snd hand feed her treats a lot, because becoming fearful of hands seems to be easy for them. And I want her thinking hands are giid thing's.

This is a good all around articles
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/