help! caique biting terribly

[rockybird]

I am typing this with my left hand as my right hand is mangled and bleeding badly. But at least it wasnt my face, as he was on my shoulder. I did everything I could to keep him off of my face. I am at a loss. My boy Zeek rarely, bites, but when he does it is terrible. I cannot take these bites anymore. It is obviously related to jealously and need for attn., but I give him more attn. than I would a child. He is out of the cage several hours a day. I take him for walks every day. I cuddle him, feed him vegetables twice a day, he sleeps in a night cage. I cannot talk on the cell phone in his presence or he will go into a rage. I cannot wear sunglasses in the house or my tory burch boots. I cannot have a boyfriend. I want my life back. I love him dearly, but I cant take these bites anymore. These are not nips, they are vicious bites. I think he needs a female that he can lavish his attn. on. Two weeks ago, he badly bit my lip. One year ago, he bit my lip so badly that I had to go to the ER, who told me I would need a plastic surgeon (it healed fine). He has never attacked my gcc, but I am worried. My two birds are my life, but I cant take these vicious bites anymore. Does anyone have any ideas? I cannot live like this anymore. I want to get a dog eventually and date again, but I know he would badly attack both. He needs a new home with another caique, I think.

[angelicarboreals]

I do not have much advice for you, as I do not own a caique- but something tells me that it is hormones. I do hope that someone can come along and give you some better advice, it sounds like you really love your little guy. How old is he?

[mabird]

Well, I'm sorry hon, but I don't think my reply is going to be any help either... I just wanted you to know I'd be here for a shoulder to cry on... as that is all I can offer.

I've only had my caique (Fuji) since June (which is being virtually a newbie to the species) & have had virtually no behavioral problems from him. The only issues I've ever had with him are if I can only take him out of the cage for a short time it is better not to take him out at all, or he gets really mad. He'll get really beaky, puff out, and pin those gorgeous eyes of his, but you know he means business & would bite if you continue. The only thing I've noticed with him this spring is that sometimes he won't come out of the cage when I want him to... like if I put my hand in for him to come out... he'll run like it's a game. He wants me to leave the door open so he can climb out on his own.

Fuji is 7 this spring, how old is your little one?

Well, I hope what ever you decide on works out for the both of you, I can't imagine how tough this whole thing is for you.

Things have a way of working themselves out, so hang in there.

Best wishes.

[rockybird]

You guys are wonderful. Thank you for your replies. You are right...I love him SO much. When he is not biting, he is my little doll. He snuggles, cries when he wants to be held, whistles and dances to his own tunes. He is sitting in his cage right now grinding his little beak. I do think the bites are hormonal, as they always seem to occur in the spring. He is 6 years old now, and for the first 3-4 years, he NEVER nipped or bit. I thought I had found the perfect pet. I had gotten in an online argument with someone about chemical castration, but now I wonder if it is a good idea, if it can ever be safely validated. I just cant help but imagine that he needs a girlfriend. He obviously WANTS to do something productive...he loves to figure out his forage toys and he takes the lid off of everything I have. I will say "Zeek can you get this for me" and he will come running over to pop the lid off. I really believe he thinks that he is helping. And I believe that he is incredibly bored, which is why I started taking him for walks outside, buying foraging toys, and considered getting him a gf.

I had thought that I would build a glass-enclosed temperature controlled aviary for him out back and get him a girlfriend in a couple years. I would still have him and his girl sleep inside in his night cage in the house, eat dinner with me, be part of the "family" but spend most of their time outside in the aviary. I was hoping this way, I could have a dog, a boyfriend, and not be worried about the safety of my sweetheart gcc.

Mabird, Zeek does the same thing! He normally gently steps on my finger, and now he wants to climb out of the cage on his own. Then he runs away from me and wont step up. I have to keep saying "I'm leaving now" and fake-walk away several times before he finally comes over to my finger, and even then he seems uncertain!

I dont know what else to do. He cant go to a breeder. He cant be sold as a pet, as he would eventually bite that owner, get resold, then end up down the line in a dusty cage in the back of a garage...I couldnt live with myself thinking of this.
Thank you again for your replies.

[CaptVideo]

Hi Rockybird,

From the date of your posts, it seems you still have this problem.

I'll say what's helped me in teaching birds not to bite.

1. Biting is normal behavior from bird to bird.

2. They usually warn you with body language before actually biting.

3. Do NOT let the bird be on your shoulder at all until it's learned not to bite. This may take a year or so to be absolutely sure. Even if he's started to learn not to bite, if he gets away with it once, you're back a few steps on the training trail.

4. The higher a bird is, the higher its perceived status in its flock. To him/her, you are kind of like a big moving tree, but with parts that interact with the bird (hands, feet, mouth, etc).

5. Never show fear or pain. If you get bitten, you have to suck it up, take a deep breath and slowly, slowly use a free hand's thumb and forefinger to carefully pry the bird's beak away. This serves two purposes: a. You show the bird that if it bites it won't get a fun, noisy reaction. b. You won't accidentally scare or even hurt the bird. This is hard to do; a bitten lip brings tears to the eyes of the manliest man! But breathe deeply and stay calm. You'll be surprised how quickly this calms the bird.

6. You don't seem to do this, but I'll say it anyway: Don't bully a bird. It's hard sometimes when you get bitten on, say, the lip, not to be angry and want to "punish" the bird. Birds do not understand punishment, except as a source of fear and distrust. Plus they can get hurt. I have a friend who jerked away his hand and accidentally hit his conure when it bit him. He blinded the bird in one eye! He was so sorry and ashamed! It took him a year to win that bird's trust back.

7. Approach your bird with one eye by turning your head to one side. Birds are prey animals with an eye on each side of their head (except at an angle, so they can land on perches using stereo vision). When they see two huge eyes at once staring at them, it means: "Predator!" Eventually, they'll get used to you, but maybe for a while try the one-eye approach.

8. I introduce my hand very slowly into the cage or near a bird. Birds are easily startled. When they're in territorial mode (as when they're bonded to another bird) they don't want their territory violated. A cage is a small version of the territory they'd have in the jungle. So, they guard it more fiercely.

9. If a bird is being belligerent and you can't back off for some reason (e.g. putting food in, removing something from the cage), make a fist and present the flat back of your hand toward the bird. They can't bite it, but will peck and make noises. This burns off some aggression and shows you're not afraid of them. But, don't push the hand towards them. They may end up hating your hand and wanting to fight it whenever they see it.

10. Present your hand this way to an aggressive bird: Your thumb and index finger in a sort of pinched form, as if you're holding a pinch of salt, but slightly apart from each other... like you're imitating a chicken beak, or going to pinch someone's cheek. Birds do a sort of bill-fencing. This is minor "who's the boss" tussling. This is your form of doing that.

When the bird tries to bite, he's presented with two points rather than one (your thumb and the fingertip). It's confusing enough that it defuses his attack a bit. Then, lightly pinch his beak, just for a second at first.

This will further confuse him, but also show that you "won" the tussle. Over time, this will become less aggressive and more like a fun greeting, like The Obamas' fist-bump. You can then modify it to be pleasurable for the bird. Sort of massage the sides of the bird's beak with your thumb and forefinger. Penny, my Grey Cheek, learned to love this very quickly. She looks forward to it now, and has a certain "beep-beep" call she makes when she wants me to do it.

All my birds have had biting phases and the "pinch" technique has always brought quick positive results.

Watch the bird's body language. He tells you stuff the only way he knows how. He can't send you an email, so he uses Universal Bird Body Language. I think UBBL applies to all species of birds. Once you learn some of it, you can see it in wild crows, eagles, etc. For example, a quick tail-waggle means "I'm happy or content." Watch ducks, eagles, chickens do it! An impatient alternate wing-flip against the body is a warning.

It's funny, an alternate, repeated wing-flick can also mean "I'm comfy" if it's done more slowly and gently. But when done harshly and with vocal calls, it means "Stay away, I'll bite you!"

There are some good parrot behavior books, if you don't already know of them. One is, "My Parrot, My Friend." another is "The Well-Behaved Parrot."

I hope this stuff helps.