biting bird... any advice?

[pek]

My Amazonian parrolette has a biting issue. She will try to bite anyone who is within 2 feet of her cage. Do not even try to stick your fingers in the cage. I am able to get her out with a paper towel over my hands. Once she's out, she bites but not as much. She was not a hand fed/raised bird. The breeder told us not to touch her for a few days, which I think is why she is afraid of us. She likes to watch tv, so I take her out and do that. I also think she is bored in her over-sized cage. She likes to climb and the cage has more open space than she needs. Is there anything we can get or do to make her happy?

 

[stoopid]

She is probably protecting her territory, her cage.
Once you get her out, take her away to a spot where she can't see the cage, is she as bad?

 

[pek]

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not as bad but she still bites, hard and she likes to be in someones hair or in the folds in a blanket.

 

[stoopid]

Sounds like she is looking for security.
Do you have any other birds?

 

[TwoCrows]

Some birds have a calm demeanor and others can be of the nervous type. In some cases if the bird has been mistreated in the past, or has not had a lot of "out of the cage" time, they are may turn into biting machines while in the cage.

So you need to work with her. Get her out of the cage and spend time with her. Put her on the table or on your lap. Even on the living room floor. Let her explore her area. Offer her some treats or things to chew on. Talk to her and reassure her that there is nothing to be afraid of. Let her sit on the window sill and look out side at the wild birds and things going on out there. Get her a play stand where she can sit outside of her cage and experience the things going on around her. Include her in on dinner time with a piece of pasta or some greens.

Just keep it a positive experience with you at all times. It can take time to work the fear out of birds. Sometimes years. So just keep up with the program of positive reinforcement and she will come around eventually.

 

[pek]

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i dont think you mean chickens

 

[pek]

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that is some very good advice! i'll try that

 

[aldren90]

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I 100% agree!

 

[lishah2000]

I remember them telling me (when I got my male) that you need to work with the females every day to keep them tame. And that the females can be more cage aggressive than the males.

My boy is still bites a bit while in the cage, but is getting better. I did find I had to take him out of sight of the cage in the first few weeks. They are funny little birds. I started seeing real progress with him after the first few weeks. He was really scared before that.

Mine seems to enjoy having lots of stuff in the cage. At first I thought it was too much, but the more I put in the happier he seems to be. He plays with everything. I have most of the toys up high and more open space at the bottom.

 

[stoopid]

Yes, I find the girls to be way more nippier than the boys.
I finally let my Eclectus hen have her way, and gave her a nest box.
She still bites like the devil, but is now at least earning her keep.