Grandma's African Grey Parrot bites really hard. How do I stop it?

Question

Last year my grandma got an african grey as a gift, he has only one toy in his cage and grandma changes his food and water from outside the cage. He has not been trained well enough to leave the cage. I wanted to try and teach him some commands to let him out of the cage, but as soon as I came near him he bit my hand very hard and it bled. My grandma has told me that he does this often, and usually inflicts deep wounds. He is friendly to her (he blows kisses, lets her rub his head etc.) but will try and bite if he gets the chance. How do I stop him?

Answer 1

When he goes to bite, you can tap (NOT hard) his beak and say "no!" just like you might a dog.  It will take time and effort but if you are consistent and work with him daily he will eventually calm down.  Mind you, I'm talking a tap to get his attention.  You are NOT trying to hurt or punish him.  Never shout; speak in a firm but calm voice.

He simply has not been handled enough at this point.  And he may have been mistreated in his past, which would make him doubly mistruting of humans.  The problems occur when a bird isn't handled (or is mishandled) and gets aggressive, so people avoid handling him, which in turn just makes him more aggressive.  It's a vicious cycle.

When you go to handle him, be ready and alert.  You know he will try to bite, so be ready to move quickly.  When he does, dodge it and give him the tap and the "no!"  He will probably be surprised and confused at first, as it sounds like no one has ever tried to discipline him.  (I'm also not saying he won't get a piece of you again - keep plenty of antibiotic/disinfectant handy LOL)

When he behaves, talk to him softly, tell him he's a good boy, and give him his favorite treat.  Figure out what his absolute favorite thing to eat is and save it for his training sessions.

there are alot of books and dvds out there that will probably help as well.  If he's a really tough nut to crack, so to speak, it might be worth it to schedule a couple of sessions with a professional to help you get started.

Answer 2

my bird was just like that. except cockatiel.

you need to get them to trust you... if you take the bird to a seperate room away from the cage (grab him with a towel) he will most likely not bite, because he knows you are in control. And if he does bite leave him in the room for 15 minutes. they get really angry and start looking for you or chirping really loud for someone to pay attention to them. also get the wings clipped, that way he can't fly all around the house, and you will be in complete control of him... if you leave him in the cage, it will not get anybetter, birds were meant to fly, therefore it can only get worse in the cage

Answer 3

my Cockatiels are just like that! They bite, hiss, and are really aggressive, yet they show some trust by eating from our hand.

It takes time and patience, and trust me, if you ever want to train you parrot, it will take quite a lot of time! But don't give up. sit by the cage and talk to him and give him treats. He will soon learn that you aren't a threat, but be careful not to lose that trust. It can easily be lost if you aren't careful! DO NOT hit him if he bites you! This decreases the trust level a lot! Make sure he feels safe in his cage, like don't have any home decor or anything hanging above his cage or he will be frightened, and I have read that birds will feel more safe with corners around their cage.

To train him not to bite can be tricky. Cockatiels bite hard enough, but African Greys? They can cause serious pain when they bite for defense! I have never had one bite me, but I am sure they bite hard!

First, after you gain some trust with the bird, have his wings clipped by an avian vet. it is not painful to the bird and it is safer for your bird and easier for you! It's where the flight feathers are trimmed so the bird can't fly. Then, after that, bring him in a separate room and open the cage door. let him come out himself and then talk to him kindly and softly so he feels safer. try giving him some seeds or treats that he likes.

after he learns to trust you enough to let you feed him and approach him, he will have to learn the "step-up" command. he may bite at first, but remember to be patient. and to help at first, you can take a perch or something instead of your finger to let him clime up on. every time you place the perch or your finger up to him, say a word, like "Up!" or something that you prefer. Pretty soon your bird will learn to step up onto the finger on command, and he will slowly trust you more. But this can take sometimes a whole year for your bird to be fully trained not to bite, step up, and other tricks or longer! sometimes it may take less than that. it depends on how well he is already trained.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Start by trying to get him to take food from your hand through the cage.  Once he has learned to trust you a bit you can open the cage door and let him come out on his own.  He'll likely fly around at least once, get disoriented and scared.  Then you can get him to come to you since you won't be as scary as the 'outside world'.  It will take time.

Answer 5

First of all, parrots generally and especially Grays are not always friendly with children or youngsters.  Also, what treatment the Gray may have gotten before Grandma adopted it probably has something to do with its behavior now.

Be passive ... don't force your attentions on the bird.  perhaps just offer a very small treat from outside the cage.  If he bites, make a frowny face and turn your back to the bird.  If you do this a few times the bird may get the message.  Birds crave attention and if he sees that his behavior is not getting that attention, he will begin to get the message.

Also ... before doing any training outside the cage - make sure the bird's wings are wll trimmed by someone who knows how.

You may have a bird that was badly treated before and it will take some patience and time before that heals.  

Good luck!!