bitting

Question
I have a 10 yr old nanday conure.He comes to me and puts his head down or rolls onto his back so I can scratch him but then he bites me very hard. Do you know why he bites me? I stop scratching as soon as he bites . I have always wondered this and hope you can give me a
n answer. Thank-you
                  Andrea

Answer
HI Andrea,

It could be that your nanday is getting overly excited. Sometimes when birds get really excited they will bite/nip. It isn't meant aggressively, but can hurt! If you have been scratching your little conure and cuddling with him for a little while, try putting him back on his cage/playpen before he bites. Cut the cuddle session off early so that you leave it on a good note.

Other than that, I really don't know what might cause your Nanday conure to bite like that. However, there is an EXCELLENT book called "The Beak Book". It is written by Sally Blanchard and is all about biting and aggressive behavior in companion parrots. You can buy it on Sally's webiste at: www.companionparrot.com or on www.amazon.com

I hope this helps.

-Maggie