Bites

[Saerphe]

Got my first bite from a parrot that was hard enough to break the skin today. It wasn't guite hard enough to bleed, but it came close. The Sennie at the pet store is usually super sweet, so I wasn't really expecting him to chomp down and not let go.

The DYH Amazon bit me on the forearm hard enough to leave bruises and raised welts too.

At least I'll be fully prepared for when I actually own a parrot. Even though it really hurt, I don't like them any less. It's kinda awkward typing with a band-aid on my finger though.

[cml]

Got my first bite from a parrot that was hard enough to break the skin today. It wasn't guite hard enough to bleed, but it came close. The Sennie at the pet store is usually super sweet, so I wasn't really expecting him to chomp down and not let go.

The DYH Amazon bit me on the forearm hard enough to leave bruises and raised welts too.

At least I'll be fully prepared for when I actually own a parrot. Even though it really hurt, I don't like them any less. It's kinda awkward typing with a band-aid on my finger though.

We've had some biting here before, but Stitch rarely breaks my skin anymore. The worst scars Ive got are actually from when he first came here, his baby-claws were sharp as razors, and just from walking around (and having his baby clumsiness), he made me bleed by just walking around ^^. My forearms are full of scars from that time, until his natural perches made the claws better .

[liz]

Rambo bit me and brought blood on my ear lobe once because he could not reach the man he was going to protect me from.

Myrtle broke skin once but it was not a bite. She tore the skin off my knuckle trying to use me for leverage from a toy that wrapped around her leg.

They both clamp down and sometimes leave dents. Myrtle checks my fingers every day to see if I still have knuckles.

The bite is usually not as bad as you fear the bite to be. When you get bit - don't show fear or even react. If you do they learn a bad habit.

[Saerphe]

I'm finding that the Amazon bites actually hurt less than the bites I've gotten from smaller birds. She's still a baby though, testing out her beak strength and whatnot. She's alternated between gentle preening and nibbling, and clamping down pretty hard. I praise her when she's gentle, but if she bites, I put her down for a while. A lot of people tend to rile her up just for the hell of it, so I don't pick her up until they've left and she's calmed down.

[kittyhazelton]

I can't even begin to count how many times I've been bitten by Aliah... she's just a mouthy bitey little bird. She has drawn blood on more than one occasion (but doesn't very often any more)
My Chica on the other hand has yet to bite hard enough to break skin. She grabbed me a couple times hard enough to leave a dent and bruise when I first got her (we were testing each other), but now she usually just gives a gentle pinch when she's fed up enough to want to make me go away... most of my scratches/scars are more from their nails than anything else, my little IRN seems to have needle nails no matter how many pedi-perches, nail trims, or sanding I use on her... and the macaw has a game where she likes to swirl upside down on my hand, which usually invokes a significant grip on my fingers.

[brfussne]

Speaking of bites, I went to visit my little Black Headed Caique buddy last Saturday at Bird Crazy and I received quite a few "love bites" from it. "That's going to leave a mark!" applies here! I was holding my little Caique, and it was going bonkers, "caique surfing" as some call it, and I have no clue what I did or what set the little booger off but it just started chomping away at both my hands/fingers drawing blood. I set it down, after telling it a firm "No bite!" and left it on its stand. After about 20 minutes I returned to see if it had calmed down and it was gentle as could be again and all lovey dovey.

[lwis]

Brfussne, I had almost identical looking hands a couple months ago...also from a Black Headed Caique.
Usually the little guy would step up no problem and would be relatively sweet, but then the one day he went crazy on both my hands, also making them bleed. He stepped up eagerly like he usually does, but immediately bit me and would not let go. In hindsight I should have recognised his body language; his eyes were crazy looking (more so than usual. Caiques always have a slightly crazed look to me), and I really should have left him until he had calmed down. It was definitely a learning experience. He hasn't bit me since.

[brfussne]

In hindsight I should have recognised his body language; his eyes were crazy looking (more so than usual. Caiques always have a slightly crazed look to me)

Ahhhhh, the joys of owning a Caique! As for the crazy look, and pinning eyes .. HAHAH!!

[Tarkus]

Got my first bite from a parrot that was hard enough to break the skin today. It wasn't guite hard enough to bleed, but it came close. The Sennie at the pet store is usually super sweet, so I wasn't really expecting him to chomp down and not let go.

The DYH Amazon bit me on the forearm hard enough to leave bruises and raised welts too.

At least I'll be fully prepared for when I actually own a parrot. Even though it really hurt, I don't like them any less. It's kinda awkward typing with a band-aid on my finger though.

FIrst bite, those that have and those that will.

Be Big,
Alan

[Grey_Moon]

Back when my little linnie was still alive (gods rest his soul---I was away and my dad called to say he found him feet up in the air on his back ) he probably was the only one out of the three birds I've owned as a young adult/teen who drew blood when he bit down. He was also the only food aggressive bird I had too.

I'd wager the new world birds are feistier than the old world birds like what I was used to with Jacko and with the cockatiel. The hardest bites I've ever gotten from Jacko only slightly broke the skin but in that weird not deep enough to bleed sort of way---and believe it or not those bites were NOT directed at me---she was in overload from trying to attack something (like a broom or the cockatiel) and I happened to interrupt her attack and get in the way. Even then she clamps down and chews (makes the exact same sound as her gnawing on a rope toy---freaks me out!) but never makes me bleed.

I might either just a) have a particularly sweet natured grey or b) stone skin and dumb luck of course but Jacko never really full out bites, she'll give me a pinch or a quick jab like a snake would but she prefers to fly away or posture (lots of fluffing and beak banging and antics).

This has been a constant in our relationship and to this day she only rarely bites (ie I might get a little pinch once a month at worst and usually its because I was stupid and did something I *know* she wouldn't let me get away with).