Bird getting mean? :(

[jhendrix]

So, we got our Sun Conure a couple of weeks ago, and he has been the SWEETEST little guy.

But, the last few days, he's been getting pretty mean! Anytime he is on top of his cage, he will run away from your fingers if you put them near, or try to bite them. If he comes to the edge of the cage, and you put your finger for him to step up, he'll try and bite it. At first I thought maybe he was just trying to latch on like he usually does, but no, he will bite down HARD.

And it's not only that, even once you get him off the cage, any time you try to scratch the back of his head or even touch him, he'll let out a small scream and try and bite your fingers.

He'll sit on our shoulder, but as soon as you go to get him off or pet him he'll bite.

He used to come straight for you as soon as you would come near the cage and hop right up on our finger and be all cuddley and lovable. He used to NEVER bite, unless you scared him or did something he did not like, he would act like he was going to, but never did.

I'm not sure what's wrong with him?? We didn't do anything out of the ordinary, he just started one day.

At first I thought it was just a bad day for him, but it's been going on for a few days now.

It's really depressing.

Can anyone shed some light on the situation?
Thanks.

[Monica]

Sounds like the honeymoon is over.... what do you do when your bird bites???

You may need to learn to ignore the bites, say a firm "No biting" or similar, and try enticing him to be nice with treats! Or stick train him!

[jhendrix]

Well, if he just goes to bite, I just firmly say no. If he actually bites me hard I tell him no and then put him in his cage and ignore him for awhile, but it doesn't seem to faze him.

[Michelle & Fids]

He could be having some height issues. The first thing I would try is not to let him on top of his cage or your shoulder. When he does bite I would only say no in a normal tone, your firm no could come off as a drama reward for him. When you are holding him watch for signs he might be thinking about biting and put him in his cage before that. If you are missing the warning signs watch the time and see if it happens after he is out a certain amount of time.

When you got him did you have him Vet checked? Have you noticed anything else that seems off at all that could indicate a health problem?

[Monica]

A mistake many people make is the 'time-out' given to a bird when they bite. If the time-out is in their cage, where they have toys and food and treats, why should they come out? They learn to bite, they get in their cage, they have no reason to come out.

If you use a cage as a time-out, they need a cage that has no food, toys, or treats inside. One cage, one perch, away from all the hub-bub, inside the cage for a 15 minute time-out.

[joshbirdlover]

I have the same thing with my sun conure but he only bites with a height thing if he is on top of his cage and you try to get him off he will bite you and if he is on my shoulder and try to get him off so I don't let him on those places but if he does bite me I have a time out cage it is a small cage with 1 perch in it and nothing else so if he bites me he goes in there 10 minutes and that is helping his behavior problems!

[Adinah]

The general rule we follow is no bird sitting above your heart. There's too much talk about dominance issues. Your shoulder and the top of the cage (assuming it's on a taller stand) would definately put him above you. Kuja had the same problem with being on top of the cage and not being able to get him down without a fit. We got him flying to our hands on command now (lured with treats and head scritches...took a few weeks of practice) so that helps a lot.

[Astrid660]

^my cockatoo's cage is almost to the ceiling in my basement suite. I look up at her when she's on her cage.. but how else could it be with a big bird's huge cage ? I hope it doesn't become a future issue. :|

[cherriesanglea]

Originally Posted by Monica

A mistake many people make is the 'time-out' given to a bird when they bite. If the time-out is in their cage, where they have toys and food and treats, why should they come out? They learn to bite, they get in their cage, they have no reason to come out.

If you use a cage as a time-out, they need a cage that has no food, toys, or treats inside. One cage, one perch, away from all the hub-bub, inside the cage for a 15 minute time-out.

wow i never even thought of it like that! i always put chevy in time out in his cage with his cage covered but he hates being in his cage i think that is the only reason that has worked for me!!!! i hope i never have to put p in time out he is my angel bird but if so he'll have to be in a diff cage cuz he loves his cage thanks for posting cuz i would have never thought of this

[Monica]

Cherriesanglea, that works for you probably because Chevy doesn't like his cage. For a bird who likes his cage, a time-out is counter-productive. Charlie is okay with his cage, he plays with his toys and such, however, spending any amount of time away from me is punishment for him!

Astrid, I don't have any issues with Charlie being above me. Heck, if he's above me, he'll fly down to me! It's not something I taught him, and I don't have to worry about. He likes being with me. I don't have this issue with Casey, either, because she enjoys flying down to me to get scritches. Nor do I have this issue with Noel, who although can't fly, and is not human orientated, still trusts me. If we are outside and she is in her apple tree above me, she'll come down for me unless she's not ready to go inside. The rest of the birds just take off if I come near them...


There is an argument that birds are not a dominant species... when you compare them to wolves, you may better understand that concept. However, I do think there is something to a hierarchy of sorts... a hierarchy that can change but is nevertheless there.

Then again though, how can birds explain what they really want? We are pretty stupid when it comes to speaking their language... if a bird doesn't want to come down, and you are trying to force the bird to come down, what way does the bird have to tell you "No"? They can move away, but if you persist, what other choice do they have other than to bite? They are happy where they are, and they want to stay, so why move? When they are good and ready to move, they will!

If we think of it in those terms, how do the birds feel when we are continually shoving ourselves onto them? In that sense, they are more like cats than dogs (so to speak). Many like their alone time, and may fuss when you try to move them, but when they are ready to move, they'll move (granted, my cat Sprite complains when you move her, but otherwise doesn't make a big deal about it - but if i were to keep her with me and not allow her to leave she would become pissed off - whereas her brother doesn't care if you move him, and if you keep him with you even when he's trying to take off, he'll decide to settle down and wait - perhaps even going to sleep)