training not to bite

[Snowy]

I was at Petco the other day and one of the employees had a blue cheek conure out with her. I thought it was great that they were interacting with the bird rather than having it sit behind glass all alone.

Well, this was a young bird and was a bit beaky. The lady told us that she holds onto the beak and tells the bird not to bite to teach her not to.

I am always leary of 'advice' that Petco/Petsmart people give because atleast when it has to do with dogs and reptiles (animals I know a lot about), they often give inaccurate, sometimes blatantly wrong advice.

So is this technique to teach a bird to not bite correct?
I've always heard of redirecting the bite with a toy and removing the bird from you as a way to discourage biting.

Are there any other methods to teach bite inhibition?
I would like to be prepared when I get my parrot (still deciding what kind...) so I can address this the correct way from the beginning.

[birdlady49]

I don't agree with "grabbing" the beak to curtail biting. I actually think that stimulates them! What I do is raise a finger and firmly say NO, DON'T BITE.

[swanwillow]

IMO, theres a few ways to stop it. A series of steps sometimes helps. So does ignoring the bite, so they get NO reaction-makes the bite not 'fun' anymore. Theres the earthquake way..
I push into the bite, which really offsets the bird, and grabbing and NOT letting go until the bird is pulling away.

[ROYJOY]

ignore the bite, redirect, offer a pacifier.

[Buteo]

Like you, I'm more familiar with training canines and other animals than I am with birds, but in a lot of situations dog mentality & bird mentality are quite similar.

Just as with a hand on the mouth of an overly nippy pup, grabbing the beak might work on a bird with a fairly submissive personality. Of course, that would only work with someone the bird already trusts.

With other personality types, grabbing the beak will only intensify the biting problem. Try grabbing the muzzle of a dominant puppy and holding it closed even for a short time and see if it doesn't trigger a game of "I'll just bite harder next time". The same is true of a bird with a strong personality.

What I'd do: Ignore the bite as possible, give a gentle reprimand, then pacify by redirecting the actions to a suitable object or toy.

More serious biting would warrant a "time-out" relocation to the floor for a few mins or pushing into the bite. Again that depends on the individual bird's personality.

**One warning - Parrots are much more neck flexible and considerably lighter than all but the tiniest dogs, so "pushing into the bite" is often much harder to do and requires very fast reflexes.

[zztops]

I've found when holding a nippy bird it's quite easy to just drop my hand 3 or 4 inches which puts the bird off balance and repeating 'no'.

I wouldn't do this with my own birds, there are better ways, but with an unfarmilar bird, I think it's quite usefull and non-obtrusive method which works for birds all sizes.

[parrotntn]

I have found success with turning my back on Cleo. But that's from a distance. She won't trust me enough to get ON my hand completely. She does with one foot, leans on me. Beaks hard sometimes. I let it go a lil, then she digs in. She has gotten so used to me giving her treats that I believe she is diggin in mad cause the treats ran out and she wants more. I'm gonna start cuttin back on those.
But, if she bites hard, I immediatly get my hand out of her one foot she has hold of it, I don't say anything. I turn my back. I mean, cross my arms, turn my back to her. Basically, it hurts her feelings. She says ""aweee" like a smart-alec, then runs around to another part of the cage to try to see my face. I just turn the opposite way, playing hard to get. This junk goes on for a minute or so. Then I turn back around and play some more.
But, birds bite. Thaz all there is to that. Cleo, I believe, is biting me cause the treats run out. That has to stop or she gets no lovin. ;)
Dood bites if you stop pettin him.
They all have triggers. Fear, anger, hunger..frustration.
Figuring out the trigger and working around it is what is the challenge.
Mark

[zztops]

Well actually no, birds can be trained not to bite. It's more about being stronger than the bird.

I've hand tamed many birds, and some that were tame that became wild by not being held, and the best way to get them to not bite is to not react, as such. Of course this wont work with a maccaw, haha, but with smaller birds, bitting shouldn't be put up with or considered natural.

I mean yeah, there isn't much else they can do but bite seeings they really only have a beak, but my quaker will only bite me when he feels in danger, and not in a hurt-full way, but in an alarmed attention grabbing way.

In working with many birds I've learnt to put up with anything up to a cockatiel/princess parrot bite...I draw the line at love birds and alexanderines. Haha. Most birds are ok, and once they settle down, there isn't much to be affraid of.

[Syaoransbear]

My bird black capped conure, Bitey, is a shoulder bird and at first he would bite quite hard if you tried to take him off. I actually use the grabbing the beak method, but I don't hold it closed. I grab the top mandible of the beak so he can't bite me and give it a little wiggle while saying 'NO' or 'QUIT IT.' If the bite is really painful, I cup my hand over his head and tell him no, while pressing the palm of my hand against the top mandible so he can't bite. I've had him for two weeks and the biting has greatly reduced. The other method I use is ignoring it.

I don't know why offering the bird a toy to 'redirect' them is such a popular method. It seems like you are rewarding them for the bite. And giving a 'time-out' (to a bird that would much rather be in its cage) seems like a reward to!

[swanwillow]

same subject; placing on the floor after a bite.

I'm now being told its a bad idea. I did it last night with my ekkie for about 10 seconds: that was all it took before she came over asking for a step... Punishment? is it a punishment; yes.. does this sort of punishment (passive punishment) work?

Is it like a in-the-cage timeout, or is it completely different? Maybe I should start a new thread.. oh well