Parakeet biting???

Question

i have had my pet parakeet for about 1 and 1/2 years. Ever since we got her, she has been very aggresive. Even if our finger was touching her cage, she would sometimes try to bite us. and her biting hurts a lot, so i am scared to put my hand close to her, i use gloves, but i feel that she gets really frightened of the gloves, so i was wondering if anyone could help me to prevent her from biting.

P.S. to do toys affect the habits of birds. i put a bunch of toys in there so she wudnt be bored. should i limit the amount of toys i put in there?

thanks :D

Answer 1

Hi There,

I had the same problem with one of my budgies. I think you should try to feed it millet spray by holding it in front of it. It will start eating eventually and gain more trust then try moving the millet away and it will have to get on your finger to eat more.

Also i would have only a few toys in and just change them regular.

Hope this helps,

VN45

Answer 2

You have to handle any bird from a very young age to get it not to bite. He needs to be hand fed so he doesn't get scared when you put your hand by him. It is an awful habit they get when you don't handle them a lot. You could ask your vet for some advice as well.

Answer 3

It's never too late to train a bird. Along with the advice I'm giving you, I encourage you to look up on YouTube "clicker train parrot" or "parrot step up" to find other people that have tamed their birds.

The first thing to to do, when training an aggressive bird, is to take it to the vet. You have to rule out any illness that could be causing the bird pain/discomfort, this will make any bird act out aggresivly. This is a very important first step.

If your bird is perfectly healthy (no tumors/deseases) and is well taken care of (12hrs of sleep every night, eating pellets and veggies, lots of toys but no mirrors), then I would start training. 12 hrs of sleep is important because birds can be very aggressive and moody if they don't get that. Yes, this holds true for my budgies (parakeets) as well.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BIRD: Parrots are always communicating with us, we have to read thier body language to know when it is okay to handle them. Using thier beak is a form of communication, it's not always aggressive. A bite is classified when the bird draws blood, or causes damage to the skin, these can be prevented by paying attention to what the bird's body language is trying to tell you. You have to pay attention.

WHAT DOES THE BIRD WANT?: Does the bird not like fingers? If this is so, then you have to convince her that fingers are the best thing in the world! How do you do that? By association, if good things happen to her when she see's hands, then she will learn to like them because they bring happiness. You can start this by hanging 1/4 of a millet spray in her cage for 4 days, replacing it each day. Then offer it from the outside of her cage, but you get to hold it. Over time, you'll be able to have her racing TO you to get at the millet. Then you can hold the food when your hand is in the cage and eventually teach her to step up.

EXTRA ADVICE: Do you talk to your bird frequently? Birds are more likely to become emontionally attached to your face, not your hands. When you talk to her face-to-face, put a hand on your face too, talk back and forth from your hand and the bird, make a game out of it so she can accept the hand as well.

As for your question about toys, yes they do affect our bird's habits. But it is a positive thing! She should have plenty to chew, shred, battle and swing on. But for the start of training, I would remove mirrors and bells. They seem to be very attached to these toys, wich is fine, if they are tame. For now I would remove those.

one last thing, parrots (including female parakeets) can be very protective around "thier" cage. She could just be defending her territory. My budgie does this, but she is fine once she is out of the cage.

Good luck! If you have any other questons feel free to contact me!

Answer 4

u should not be scared of a little budgie.(i volinter at a exotic bird store with four african greys,a goffin cockatoo,2 mini macaws,and some smaller birds. they bite hard and shouldnt be to scared. oh and iam 12) just taKE THE PAIN OF THE BITE.when they bite u and there is no eaction to u they will fingure out their bitng does nothing and they will stop. when they bite just grab there beak gently to distract them or move ur hand fast to get them off balance to make them stop good luck.

Answer 5

just try putting ur hand in there more often shes scared of it thats why. she has to be able to trust u for her to let u hold her.  u know what i mean...  i don't think u need too manyyy toys in the cage ur over crowding her space... just leave 2 to 3 in there and rotate them weekly so she doesn't get bored. or how bout u get another parakeet maybe a BOY :) and she would have more funn and plus u can train him better and maybe that way she'll learn too... if her wings are clipped and u dont have any other pets in the house let her out of the cage on TOP of it and she'll just sit there and u can try petting her maybe she'll let u.. u never know u always gotta try  new things.

GOOD LUCK HUN!