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"How To Deal With Biting Parrots!"    by Nora Caterino



Dealing with a biting parrot can be frustrating to say the least. This article will address tame or semi-tame parrots that bite. Of course, untamed parrots will bite; that's just a fact of life. Taming the parrot takes time and patients and the dedication to win the parrot's trust. But sometimes tame parrots bite.

The first thing that has to be done when a parrot that ordinarily doesn't bite begins to bite is to identify exactly WHY the parrot is biting. Here are some common causes of biting:

• Have there been any changes recently in the parrot's life?
• Has someone arrived or left the family unit?
• Has another parrot been brought into the family?
• Has a dietary change occurred?
• Has the parrot's cage been moved to a new location or something new put near the parrot's cage?
• Has the parrot reached sexual maturity and is feeling frustration?
• Has the parrot become too bonded to one person in the household?
• Does the parrot bite after something startles it?

Of course, these are only a few of the reasons that parrots bite. Each parrot is different and what one parrots considered acceptable, another parrot will find terrifying.

Dealing with the parrot's biting is challenging. It can be especially challenging if the parrot has already made you fearful of being bitten. Parrots can tell if you are afraid of them – they really can!

One technique to deal with the biting is to watch the parrot's body language. When the bird gets into biting position, instead of pulling suddenly away, move into the bite. Don't throw the parrot off balance, just enough to prevent the bird from biting.

Use the "NO" command when bitten and return the bird to its cage for a timeout of ten minutes. Do this consistently. Let the parrot know that biting will result in going back to its cage and not getting out for a period of time.

When a parrot bonds too closely with one person and bites everyone else, it can be effective for that primary caregiver to stop caring for the parrot, in fact to stop interacting with the parrot for a while. Let all the other family members feed the bird, clean the cage and offer interaction and play. After the parrot calms down, the primary caregiver can return to paying attention to the parrot, but on a limited basis or the over-bonding will recur.

Sexual frustration resulting in bites usually passes as breeding season passes. Parrots are feeling grouchy during this time and it shows in their actions. Simply implement the "NO" and timeout training to minimize the biting problem.

Here's a story for you. When SunDance saw a potato chip bag, she knew it made an awful noise and whoever held it would be bitten. Also, she wanted to kiss and you turned your lips inside so she couldn't, effectively "hiding your lips" she would always bite. The obvious solution was that I didn't eat chips with her or hide my lips!

Another occasion, all my birds got very nippy. I was able to track it down to the fact that they all hated the nail polish I was using. I removed the polish and the problem went away. It requires investigation and creative thinking to identify where the problem lies so that it can be resolved. You simply have to be a detective sometimes when dealing with biting parrots!*************************************************

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nora Caterino helps parrot owners from over 14 different countries in taming and teaching parrots to TALK. If you want to learn more about her parrot training videos - to instantly solve annoying behaviour problems like biting, screaming, or feather plucking - then join the 'Elite Parrots Club' and get super coaching from the 'Bird Lady':
Click Here for more information

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