Hello, just joined! Also GC Biting Problem.

[Duskylyon]

Hi everyone, my name is Chrissy. Just joined! I bought my first bird ever last week, a green cheek conure. He's about six months old. My mom is an experienced parrot owner so she's been helping me. However I seem to have a biting problem. (or it's just teething, I can't tell) I am unable to use the step-up command with my GC without being bitten, where as my mother can do this command with no bites at all. I have tried the stern negative "No" but it doesn't seem to help. Someone else suggested blowing gently but that does not work either. He bites extremely hard, enough to bruise and leave blood, so I have been using stick training instead of hand training. Does anyone know what I should do? And is this just a teething thing?

Some side notes: I train him in the room where his cage is. I tried the hallway but it seems to be too distracting. Also I try to give him 11-14 hours of sleep each night.

EDIT: Ah, should I post this in the General Parrot Care?

[Pajarita]

LOL - Birds don't go through teething, it's only mammals that do. Baby birds go through beaking but this is not biting or even nipping.

Now, if your mother can have the bird step up and she doesn't get bit, the bird might have chosen her instead of you. Was the parrot with her before coming to you? Parrots are not like dogs or cats, they choose who to like and, although sometimes you can win them over, it takes a long time. But a baby is usually very mild mannered so it's possible that you are either insisting when the bird doesn't want to do it (if you've had the bird for only one week, it's too early for the bird to want to do anything with you), interacting at the wrong time (could be tired, could be hungry, could be despondent from being alone, etc) or doing it wrong. I can't tell you from where I am what, exactly, the problem is so you will have to evaluate all the conditions and determine what is wrong. Why don't you ask your mother? If she is an expert and has access to the bird, she should be able to tell...

[Duskylyon]

Thanks for the reply! Also, by teething I meant wanting to beak everything. Unless that's still wrong XD;.

We were both the first to interact with him when we brought him home, however he came out of the box first for me while she was out of the room. If that helps any. And we've only had him a week. I have a feeling it's most likely that it's just too early to interact with him, like you suggested. However I was unsure. I also have no idea if the problem could be interacting with him at the wrong time, since he's normally fed and well slept.

[Duskylyon]

I forgot to mention, when I first got my conure I read you were supposed to gently grab their beaks when they bite. So I did that the first day and never did it again since. Could this somehow have caused the biting?

[LoganW]

I just wanted to say hi!!!! and I have nothing for the biting so........ I guess that's it



Logan

[Duskylyon]

Thanks!

[Pajarita]

Some people say grab the beak, some say tap on the beak, some say push your finger (hand or whatever part of your body they are biting) into their beak to force them to let go, some say spray them with water, some say don't react, etc. There are as many opinions as to what to do as there are owners of birds but, personally, I don't do anything. I just never ask them to do anything they don't want to do and they never bite me. But it takes time because first you have to gain their trust and show them that you not only do NOT pose any kind of threat to them but that you will also allow them to make their own decisions as to what, when, where, etc. Once they see you respect them, they respect you (I deal with larger birds as well as ex-breeders, wild-caught, abused, neglected, etc.)