What is this behavior?

[Laurasea]

I put a lot of links in this thread, I think all worth the time go read or watch.

Experience, strength, and hope for Pete

Hello all: I recently got a 5 month old(?) Quaker {Pete} and a 4 month old Green Cheek Conure {KiKi}. I have owned a Conure in the past, but have never had a Quaker. The 2 weeks I have had them they both seem timid and will not allow anyone in their bird-space. KiKi is starting to become more...

www.parrotforums.com

This is from the behavior articlehttps://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

" Dealing With Biting​

People will tell you that birds don’t bite in the wild. Well, they don’t usually bite successfully in the wild, but they will snap at each other if it becomes necessary, for example, if one bird invades another’s nest or territory. Birds do bite a lot more in captivity, usually because their boundaries are being pushed too far. All birds have a threshold of what they can handle before they lash out with a bite. There are other good reasons for a bird to bite as well. Here are some details about birds that bite:

1. Rule #1 The first rule in teaching a bird not to bite is not to get bitten. When a bird bites, he usually gets what he wants from the action — you will go away and leave him alone. You will also make a big fuss over the bite, which can be attractive to the bird, an animal that loves drama. Rather than reinforce the behavior, just don’t let it happen. Learn to “read” your bird so that you can assess the situation and get out before the bite happens.
2. Fear Biting You can hardly blame a bird that bites out of fear, even if the fear is unfounded. Look at the world from your bird’s perspective and try not to put him in situations that will frighten him.
3. Hormonal Biting In the spring when the days get longer, some birds are prompted into breeding mode and may become territorial of their housing area, of another bird, or of a person in the household. This can usually be dealt with by adjusting the amount of light the bird gets a day to less than 12 hours.
4. Jealousy Biting Sometimes, a bird will love his person so much, and then suddenly chomp down on him or her when someone else comes into the room. This actually has practical application in nature, although it is unpleasant. In the wild, a member of a pair will shoo away their beloved when another bird, a threat to the pair, flies into the territory. The “jealous” bird is simply protecting their mate and their relationship. If you know that your bird does this, make sure that you can put him down before someone comes into the room, and don’t ever allow this bird to ride on your shoulder.
5. Molting Some birds become irritable when they are molting and may not be feeling 100 percent. The same goes for birds that are ill or injured.
6. Counteractive Biting Some birds bite to prevent you from performing or not performing an action, for example a bird that bites when being brought back to the cage because he doesn’t want to be locked in. As an aside, some birds that don’t like to be put back into the cage pretend that they have wobbly legs and that they can’t stand up just as you put them away — what a great tactic for not stepping onto a perch! To prevent “put away” biting, don’t put your bird away every time you pick him up. Instead, do something fun, or play a little game before you put your bird away; mix it up so that the bird isn’t sure what’s coming next, and make it fun! "

 

[HeatherG]

I put a lot of links in this thread, I think all worth the time go read or watch.

Experience, strength, and hope for Pete

Hello all: I recently got a 5 month old(?) Quaker {Pete} and a 4 month old Green Cheek Conure {KiKi}. I have owned a Conure in the past, but have never had a Quaker. The 2 weeks I have had them they both seem timid and will not allow anyone in their bird-space. KiKi is starting to become more...

www.parrotforums.com

This is from the behavior articlehttps://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

" Dealing With Biting​

People will tell you that birds don’t bite in the wild. Well, they don’t usually bite successfully in the wild, but they will snap at each other if it becomes necessary, for example, if one bird invades another’s nest or territory. Birds do bite a lot more in captivity, usually because their boundaries are being pushed too far. All birds have a threshold of what they can handle before they lash out with a bite. There are other good reasons for a bird to bite as well. Here are some details about birds that bite:

1. Rule #1 The first rule in teaching a bird not to bite is not to get bitten. When a bird bites, he usually gets what he wants from the action — you will go away and leave him alone. You will also make a big fuss over the bite, which can be attractive to the bird, an animal that loves drama. Rather than reinforce the behavior, just don’t let it happen. Learn to “read” your bird so that you can assess the situation and get out before the bite happens.
2. Fear Biting You can hardly blame a bird that bites out of fear, even if the fear is unfounded. Look at the world from your bird’s perspective and try not to put him in situations that will frighten him.
3. Hormonal Biting In the spring when the days get longer, some birds are prompted into breeding mode and may become territorial of their housing area, of another bird, or of a person in the household. This can usually be dealt with by adjusting the amount of light the bird gets a day to less than 12 hours.
4. Jealousy Biting Sometimes, a bird will love his person so much, and then suddenly chomp down on him or her when someone else comes into the room. This actually has practical application in nature, although it is unpleasant. In the wild, a member of a pair will shoo away their beloved when another bird, a threat to the pair, flies into the territory. The “jealous” bird is simply protecting their mate and their relationship. If you know that your bird does this, make sure that you can put him down before someone comes into the room, and don’t ever allow this bird to ride on your shoulder.
5. Molting Some birds become irritable when they are molting and may not be feeling 100 percent. The same goes for birds that are ill or injured.
6. Counteractive Biting Some birds bite to prevent you from performing or not performing an action, for example a bird that bites when being brought back to the cage because he doesn’t want to be locked in. As an aside, some birds that don’t like to be put back into the cage pretend that they have wobbly legs and that they can’t stand up just as you put them away — what a great tactic for not stepping onto a perch! To prevent “put away” biting, don’t put your bird away every time you pick him up. Instead, do something fun, or play a little game before you put your bird away; mix it up so that the bird isn’t sure what’s coming next, and make it fun! "

This is a great post! If you can understand why your bird might be biting you, you can learn to prevent most bites.

Another thing to keep in mind: your Quaker would be interacting with other Quaker parakeets if it weren’t with you. In that case, if he bit at another Quaker, he would get a mouthful of feathers. But you aren’t covered with feathers so he gets your skin or flesh, and it hurts. He may not mean to hurt you. He’s saying “no!”

I do think if you’re having a biting and power struggle problem, it’s best to keep your bird on your hand or your knee, and not allow them to run up your arm onto your shoulder. A bite that makes you bleed should be RARE. Once you get to know your bird, bloody bites should be very infrequent. But you need to get to know him.

My Willow Quaker was biting me when I first brought him home because I was doing something that really upset him: I was reaching into his cage and making him step up or picking him up onto my cloth covered hand. I was used to doing this with my previous very very old Quaker, Lucy, who allowed me to put my hands in her cage, to move her toys, her sticks, her food; and preferred me to pick her up like a baseball from inside her cage.

Most Quaker parakeets don’t like you to invade their cage. I didn’t understand that. My two previous Quakers very clearly wanted me in their cages with them. But Willow spent his first several years flying around someone’s house. They didn’t cuddle him or touch his cage. So I really freaked Willow out by reaching into his cage. Laurasea advised me of this and now unless I accidentally do something really wrong (in Quaker parakeet manners) I do not get bit and Willow is much happier. I open Willow’s cage door and usually offer a treat. He comes OUT onto his door or branch and then he steps up.

By the way, if your Quaker learns to talk a lot, he may say “no!” or “out!” instead of biting or yelling. Talking is very handy.

 

[Vilatus]

Hello folks, sorry for completely dropping off there! We had a freak accident in the house and Nico got grabbed by the dog... he's ok now, its been well over a week and he's on antibiotics from the vet, but it was terrifying. I ended up getting sick from the stress. In related news, the vet trimmed his beak, and the biting isn't drawing blood anymore- they are more like normal warning bites!

 

[Laurasea]

oh my gosh that is terrified.....
I'm so thankful he is recovering.
I understand I'm a basket case if anything is wrong with mine. I hope you recovering as well

 

[Vilatus]

oh my gosh that is terrified.....
I'm so thankful he is recovering.
I understand I'm a basket case if anything is wrong with mine. I hope you recovering as well

Yes, I'm pretty sure I lost ten years of my life honestly.

Thank you, so am I! He got really lucky and he was actually just grabbed. No wounds, one feather lost in the chaos. I panicked and washed him under the tap and held him for the rest of the night.

I am too, even if I think its just something small, I was in a pretty dark place the night this happened- thinking I was about to lose another baby after just putting one down not long ago. Thankfully, everything is fine... And extra steps are being taken to keep them apart now. I'm better now too, thank you!!

 

[HeatherG]

I’m so glad Nico is ok and the beak trim has helped the biting issue. Last weekend seems to have been a bad weekend for dog encounters. I hope things continue well. That would’ve scared me!

Lucy used to get a sharp little ‘tooth’ on her beak that would change her normally small pecks into a real BITE. Willow’s beak gets kind of long, too, but he acts so upset if I trim it I am not sure what to do. I know I’m just taking off a bit of dead beak but he still doesn’t like it.