HELLO THERE EVERYONE MY FAMILY AND I ARE THE PROUD OWNER OF A 8 MONTH OLD COCKATIEL NAMED KEEWEE?

Question

SHE IS A LOT OF FUN AND WE KEEP HER CAGE OPEN ALL DAY. SHE IS AROUND US ALL THE TIME. MY FIRST QUESTION IS SHE IS 8 MONTHS OLD AND LOVES TO BE AROUND THE KIDS , DAD AND I, BUT THERE ARE TIMES SHE WILL TRY AND BITE US. IT DOES NOT HURT BUT I NEED TO NIP THAT IN THE BUTT. SHE DOESN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME MOST OF THE TIME SHE LOVES JUST HANGING AROUND ALL OF US. ANY GOOD SUGGESTIONS? I HERD TO PUT HER IN A DARK ROOM IN TIME OUT FOR AWHILE BECAUSE THEY HATE THE DARK AND BEING ALONE.

Answer 1

that happend with my uncles birds they now are mean and everyone is afraid of them and they have to be in a cage in the basement but i dont recomend that unless you love to hear your birds screech all the time

Answer 2

Ladycockatiel's right; if it doesn't hurt chances are she's just exploring her environment, birds use their mouths the way we use our hands, their tongues actually look like little fingers and they use them the same way. Also keep an eye on the clock when you have her out; birds don't like being handled and played with for hours on end, they get tired after a while and want some quiet time, and sometimes enough is just enough!

Answer 3

I have 2 cockatiels, one is a few months old and she tries to explore my hand with her beak, it doesn't hurt but i usually blow on her head as soon as she starts and she will stop, i'm not sure if she doesn't like it or it distracts her but she quits. we have an older male that was given to us and he really bites so i use a glove when i handle him, he doesn't bite my daughter. Love the name Keewee!

Answer 4

dint put her in a dark room that mite cose her to fear you just put her in her cage you still there for about 10 min. then let her out the biting is just a toritory thing she shold get over it.  

                                   Good Luck

Answer 5

I have 2 male Cockatiels one is 3 and the other is 9 and they also are out of the cage most of the time with me....however they also bite if you reach you hand out to them or make a sudden move towards them....I just tell mine no no when they do and they seem to know what they did was wrong but they are birds they don't know better....so I don't know where you heard of putting them in a dark room and leaving them alone being that is so so cruel.....you need to work with them and get her to trust you and she will eventually stop.....till then just know that it can take months to train her to stop as it did with my 2 boys.....and they still once in a while bite but they have never bit me hard or broke the skin.  

Answer 6

o that's so kool i have a cockatiel too. sometimes if i try and hold him in a certain way, he nips at me. i just lightly tap him on the beak wen he does and he stops....but i repeat "LIGHTLY"

Answer 7

dont put her in the dark room just dont pay attention to her when she does that. Put her back on the cage not in the cage. She has to learn that way. But do oit as soon as she does it because animals often forget what they have done. Same as dogs. Sometimes they dont know what they being punished for.

But i wouldnt even make that a big issue, All birds tend to do that sometimes they just dont like fingers up in their face. I wouldnt even punish her. She might not trust you at all . and become worst.Just be happy she comes out of her cage and plays with you. Whan she bites she probably tired. Just put her back on the cage.

good luck

Answer 8

Sometime birds will reach out appearing to be nippy when all it is, is them reaching out with their beaks to see if what they see is real. Or to see if it is solid enough to step up onto. She could also be doing it asking you give her some space so keep that in mind as you handle her around other people too. And remember also all birds have their good and bad days just as we humans do so she is entitled to be in a bad mood sometimes.  

Answer 9

That's not even necessary.  Are you sure she's actually trying to bite?  Cockatiels use their beaks like a hand or a third foot; it helps them climb, examine objects, and test the stability of a perch.  Sometimes they'll peck at you if they're annoyed or in a bratty mood, but that doesn't mean they'll learn that biting is okay.  In fact, if you take time to learn about cockatiel body language and what yours likes and dislikes, then you'll learn how to not frustrate her enough to make her want to bite, but even then, she still might if she's hormonal or really scared, and in those cases, you pretty much just have to brace yourself.

Answer 10

Congratulations on Keewee!  I hope you have her for many, many years :-)

Please don't put her in a dark room or give her a "time out".  By the time you take Keewee into another room and turn out the light she will have absolutely no clue why she's in there.  All you will teach her is to be wary of coming to you in the future.

You need to observe Keewee closely for the REASON she bites and decide what she get's out of biting.  Do you holler "OW!!"?  If so, she might find that very entertaining.  Is she biting because she's tired?  Because she's hungry?  Because she's being handled more than she wants to be at the moment?

Birds always (always) bite for a reason.  Watch carefully for the reason and fix that problem.  Watch carefully for "what Keewee gets out of biting" and fix that problem.  I assure you, your bird is trying to tell you something.  Punishing her is futile.

Good luck with KeeWee!  (And make certain no one accidentally opens a door when she's loose in the house :-)

Colette

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Parro...