Pain in the neck!

[MLaCross]

Pedro has picked up a lovely new quirk...grrr.

He has decided it is fun to bite me in the neck...hard. I swear he enjoys me saying OW!!!

Any tips on how to get him to stop this lovely behavior? Oh and one other thing. His flight feathers are growing in now with his new molt, and he is able to fly somewhat. I know he enjoys being able to just fly over to me, but I have a cat so I am concerned for his safety. Anybody have an opinion on this one?

[ebruder]

Originally Posted by MLaCross

Pedro has picked up a lovely new quirk...grrr.

He has decided it is fun to bite me in the neck...hard. I swear he enjoys me saying OW!!!

Any tips on how to get him to stop this lovely behavior? Oh and one other thing. His flight feathers are growing in now with his new molt, and he is able to fly somewhat. I know he enjoys being able to just fly over to me, but I have a cat so I am concerned for his safety. Anybody have an opinion on this one?

For neck biting, buy and wear one of those leather collars that are used in S&M play. Your neck will be fine.

Either clip the flight feathers or the cat will have a tasty treat.

I really do like birds.

EB

[Greycloud]

Pedro should not be aloud on your shoulder if he is biting. If he lands there, move him to your hand or arm. Keep your elbow down so it his harder for him to climb up your arm. If that cat is an issue and you feel it is unsafe, the cat should be put away during the birds out of cage time. Clipping him will not allow for a fast escape if the cat attacks!

[MLaCross]

Hahah, hmm is that what you use for your hybrid?
Clipping it is!

[MLaCross]

Well the cat hasn't shown interest in him so far, but i don't trust her as she is a cat.

I have been keeping him off me. It is hard because we usually snuggle with him on my shoulder nuzzled by my neck. He likes to preen my face too. I was letting him snuggle bc he was behaving but he just bit my cheek! I put him on his stand.

What would have brought this behavior on?

[ebruder]

Originally Posted by MLaCross

Hahah, hmm is that what you use for your hybrid?
Clipping it is!

I dusted off an old collar, and it worked great for my Black Capped, then the hybrid just ate it (the collar, that is).

EB

[LovelySydney]

When Neko does this I promptly remove him from my shoulder and put him on his play gym. He gets a little time out and then he comes back. or I remove him from my shoulder and place him on my hand where he cant bite me. I know that for some birds this method causes the bird to do that when it wants to get OFF you, but Neko learned pretty quickly that if he wanted to hang out with mommy he could not bite me!! = )

[Jag]

How old is Pedro now? Papi has been biting on my wife's neck... making 'kissy' noises and then laughing... Rico just recently started with the neck biting. Maybe it's sexual maturity? Everyone here is molting, too... which has made for a cranky Rico.

As far as the cat goes.. if the bird flutters down to where she is.. but then can't fly away.. that could be a problem. Just one more 'what if' to consider! Don't mean to make your decision any harder... but I went through this with Rico and Rayne. I decided that if for some reason the shepherds did happen to get out with the birds, I wanted them to be able to get away. Except for Angel. (NOT that I wouldn't want him to get away... but he's a hazard to my face)

[dmiller91]

I went through a week of this plus a few days with my crimson. I saw a doc today for a different reason and she wondered if I had self inflicted the cut marks on my neck... oops.

Removing them for a few minutes does work, it just takes endless patience. If she bites, she doesn't get to be with me. They learn pretty quickly, it just doesn't seem like it when you are going through it.

I asked the breeder about it and she said she went through a "phase" and she was probably just testing me. Who knows why, but it's all better now. Good thing, she's a real cuddle.

[DanaRae60]

Hi,

Our 1 year old Green Wing has just started the neck bite too. I have not made a habit of letting her onto my shoulder as she will bite my ears & pull my glasses off my face. All behavior I do not want to encourage. So, our solution is to not allow her to sit on our shoulders.

Right now while she's still so young we are trying to teach her what is acceptable behavior and what is not. Any time she acts out, we say a firm "No" and put her on her tree stand. I'm hoping if we create a foundation now, she will be a happier bird in the long run. Our theory is she is a toddler testing her boundaries and it's our responsibility to give her tons of love, but at the same time let her know what is okay or not.

All The Best,
Dana