Parrot biting - LINEOLATED PARAKEET

Question
Hi Maggie,
Thanks a lot. I got a followup though. The bird was actually hand-raised, i forgot to mention that. At the store, it was extremely friendly. It nibbled on me and others, not bit, so i'm not sure why it's doing it now. Sometimes it does stuff when i approach it. It may back away or stretch its wings. Sometimes it chirps though when i start petting it, so i'm not sure whether it means it likes me petting it or not. Also, it chirps sometimes when i have my back to it. Is it looking for attention?

The wool house is specifically made for birds.

Thanks in advanced.

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Followup To
Question -
Hi,
I have a LINEOLATED PARAKEET and i got it 4 days ago. I have a wool structure which the bird sleeps in. The bird rolls around in it and chews on it. The bird is quite young, only a couple months old. While in the wool structure, i hear occasional coughs from the bird and i see bits of wool on the bird's face sometimes.
However, i have an issue about biting. When i open the cage, my bird behaves weirdly. Sometiems it stretches it's wings. I can feed the bird by holding food out with my hand. I can also pet my bird. However, whenever i get near it's head, it tries to bite me, not nibble. It just grabs hold and holds on until i pull back. Sometimes i can move my finger by it's abdomen (above feet) to try and train him/her (not sure yet) the step up command and it doesn't try biting me. However, when i give the command sometimes and push lightly on it's chest, it bites. Also, i took it out the other day, by holding a perch. The bird bites my fingers while on the perch (fingers holding perch). This is in both in and out the cage. When i took it out of the cage on the perch, it continued to bite my fingers. Then it moved onto my hand, and started biting my palm! My palm swelled a little but and turned red temporarily.

In summary: My bird doesn't try flying away from me, sometimes it just inches away, SOMETIMES. It allows me to pet it but then it still bites me too! Even when i take it out... what should i do? And if i get the response saying it's too early for me to try this stuff, how will i know when, because my bird allows me to pet it and everything already =\.

Thanks.

- Justin
Answer -
Hi Justin,

Part of your issue with getting your new parakeet to stop biting will just come with time (as your lineolated parakeet becomes tame and learns how the "step-up" command).  Here are several articles on taming and reducing biting in pet birds:

http://www.quakerparrots.com/qtips/taming_frightened.htm

http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/behavior/training.html

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww5eii.htm

http://www.netpets.com/birds/reference/lafeber/4/touch_taming.html

http://www.budgies.org/info/taming.html

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww44e.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eii.htm

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/biting.html


Lineolated parakeets are not well known for being very cuddly birds, so don't force your parakeet to allow you to pet him. He might never be comfortable with you petting him, but if he does begin to trust you enough to allow you to pet his head and back... it will probably take months and months for him to get there. Having a hand above or behind a bird seriously tests a bird, since they are prey animals, it can scare them a lot to pet pet like this. Watch your bird's body language- is your bird leaning away and nervous? You said that he allows you to pet him, but then after awhile will bite... does he try to warn you first (before he bites) that he is not comfortable with you petting him?

About the wool sleeping place you have for your parakeet- was it made for birds?  If it was not made specificially for pet birds, I would remove it and contact your avian vet to confirm that it is safe to use around your bird. If you do not already have an avian vet, you will want to find one and get your parakeet set up for his/her new-bird exam. You can find an avian vet near you at these websites:

www.aav.org

and

http://www.parrotpro.com/avianlst.htm

I hope this helps.

-Maggie

Answer
Hi again,

Since your parakeet is so new to your home and has gone through a lot of stress (changing homes, being away from other birds for the first time, new people, new way of being handled, different guidelines/rules, etc...) it is normal that your bird might behave differently. If your bird backs up or tried to flutter away, this is his way of telling you that he is not comfortable. Some birds chirp or make warning or alert/alarm calls. So without seeing or hearing your bird, I can't tell you whether or not your bird is comfortable with you petting him or not.

Here are some articles with information on bird body laungage that should help you with your new parakeet:

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww15eii.htm

http://www.mickaboo.com/understanding.html

http://www.mickaboo.com/readingroom2.html

Birds are naturally vocal, so the chirping might not necessarily mean the bird is looking for attention. Try whistling or talking softly back to the bird. Sometimes birds will use what we call "contact calls" to identify where the rest of the flock is (if they are out of sight).  However, usually chirping is a good sign that your bird is feeling more comfortable. :)

I hope this helped.

-Maggie