How do i make my parakeet stop biting me?

Question

my parakeet is a biter. ive trained her to get used to something in her cage by using a plastic magicians wand. she hops on the wand now quite willingly since she noticed biting it wont do anything. i thought shed be used to all things in her cage now, but she still wants to bite my finger whenever i attempt to touch her. i let her fly around my room too because she cant hurt herself and its good exercise. i thought that would make her learn too but she still hasnt. i think i might be doing this all wrong. she comes to the side of the cage nearest me when i talk to her but i cant touch her at all without the magic wand. im scared of being bit. what should i do?

Answer 1

Let her bite you....Depending if she bites hard or not dont let your budgie think that you are scared of getting bit.

By the way heres a link to train your bird.....

http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles...

Answer 2

Bite it back.....it`ll learn,

Answer 3

Zoegirl's case is VERY RARE. Birds are not intelligent and will only interpret revenge as a threat and thus become more aggressive due to increased defensive behavior. This applies to many other animals as well. NEVER EVER hit a bird back when it does something that you don't like. Biting behavior can be quite hard to fix, but as promom says, it is the best not to react to the biting or be afraid of it. Being afraid of being bitten makes the bird nervous as it can notice from the way you move your fingers. By reacting to the biting (jerky movements or verbal scolding) the bird realizes that he can get a reaction out of biting, and will repeat it again. (There is an exception however - some owners say it works to scold them verbally, as the bird understands that you aren't so happy about what it did.)

By avoiding these actions the bird MAY, soon, learn that biting does not help anything, and may stop biting. Please keep in mind however that some birds never stop biting.

Answer 4

My parakeet was never a biter, but when i first got him he would jump around the cage like a maniac. Since parakeets eat in the day and evening hours, what you do is  fill up the food in the morning, show your bird the bag of food, and fill the dish up. Put the dish slowly into the cage and wait until your bird is finished eating then take out the dish and do the same thing in the evening. This will teach him that you are his source of food, so he will gain trust from you. Contine the process for about 3 days until he calms down. Then when you try to take him out, be slow and camly talk to him, and if he coperates, then reward him with some millet (my birds favorite!) or his favorite treat. Reward him immediatly taking him out of his cage. Well good luck and I hope I have helped.

Answer 5

how i tuaght my bird not to bite me is that when it started to bite me i would give it a little thump on his beak and it seamed to work b/c now he doesnt bite and mine was deffinetly a biter

Answer 6

That is great that she will step on the wand for you. The problem may be that you are afraid of being bitten. If you are being tentative when you present your finger to her she may not feel that it is a safe place to stand (because to her it may feel "unstable" since you are nervous), and biting may be her way of telling you that she does not feel safe. I know it is easier said than done, but you have to try not to think about the possibility of getting bitten when you try to pick her up, and if she does bite try not to react. You can withdraw your hand if she bites, but try to do it slowly and try not to make a sound. You may want to try wearing snug-fitting gloves for awhile to give you some protection (and therefore more confidence) when trying to hold her. Just make sure the gloves are a neutral color, and not to bulky or loose on you. Also, make sure they are not made of a material that she can get her claws stuck in. Once she is not biting the gloves and stepping up on your finger, you can take them off and pick her up with your hand. I hope this helps!

Answer 7

Have had the same problem.  Try letting her go on your arm or shoulder and get used to that first.  Talk calmly to her all the while.  Takes a lot of time and patience.  Good luck.