# when does the biting end?



## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

im pretty sure tsuka's biting is a teenage thing right now but i really would like to know the age this phase roughly ends.... i would like some hope to hold onto so i dont kill him.... im so tired of bleeding fingers. really, im fed up. i dont even want to hold him anymore. i dont really want to do much at all for him cuz every time i try he bites hard. im tired of it. he likes my boyfriend, well when he comes by HE can deal with him. im done. for now until this stops!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Step one is to stop giving him the opportunity to bite you. Step two is to find creative ways to interact with him that he enjoys without having the opportunity to bite you. Step three is to look for activities that put your fingers within biting range without triggering his desire to bite. 

I'm not saying that any of this is easy, but the biting WILL continue as long as he has the motive and the opportunity.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he bites for NO reason. ill be holding him, no problem then CHOMP out of the blue. he bites hard too, hes bit through my fingernails before. i dont do anything. **** just be sitting there and then he bites. so the only thing i can really do to PREVENT the biting is to not go near him. hes mean and i really and losing patience with him.


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## Superstar (Dec 1, 2010)

I'm not sure but this is just a thought. Maybe he has a chewing need? are their chew toys in his cage? I would always just disapprove the action by using the "unsteady perch" technique. If lasa would be sitting on my hand and bent down for a nip, I'd drop my hand to unsteady him a bit. Do this over and over again and they learn that biting is bad. They hate it when they lose their balance.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> the only thing i can really do to PREVENT the biting is to not go near him.


You can go near him to talk to him, or to dangle a long piece of millet spray for him to nibble. Just keep your flesh out of biting range. Right now he has a really bad habit of biting you whenever he feels like it, and every time he does it the habit is reinforced. If he doesn't get to bite you every single day then that by itself might weaken the habit somewhat, and your efforts to build a positive bond might pay off better.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Fuzzy still occasionally bites for no reason I just keep my fingers out of his range when he's in that mood. Food bribery will help and reinforce that you are a good thing. Hopefully he'll get out of it soon!


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## RentalWhisper (Sep 10, 2010)

Neb is the same. I cant interact with him atall without a bite or hiss. We hate each other. I've even considered giving him up but I feel bad. I'm just sick of the bites and hatred toward everything. It's sad really but he is just a mean bird. They live for ages and u have loads of time to pull him through.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> We hate each other.


If that's the case, then both of you would be better off if you can find an appropriate new home for him. "Appropriate" means that the humans have bird experience and won't be upset if he doesn't warm up to them, and there are other tiels in the house that he can flock with.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

RentalWhisper said:


> Neb is the same. I cant interact with him atall without a bite or hiss. We hate each other. I've even considered giving him up but I feel bad. I'm just sick of the bites and hatred toward everything. It's sad really but he is just a mean bird. They live for ages and u have loads of time to pull him through.


Where in uk are you i be glad to take him off you 
Im sure its just the teenage stage and sure he will come out of it, plenty of treats will keep him happy.
My budgie is the same hates me but she wont say no to treats though, i cant rehome her because i see them as my own and its not fair on them.
I think if i rehome her she might get abused something like that (im crazy i know) thats why i was gutted when the tiel gone of preloved due to egg laying, i just wanted to make a difference


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## lordsnipe (Nov 11, 2010)

My Nibbler was initially scared of hands .. I taught him to step up on a shortened perch/piece of dowel, eventually holding the dowel closer and closer to him so he got closer to my hands. He's not completely trusting though, he will only step up on a perch to come out (he won't step up onto fingers in his cage, but we're working on that), but once he's out he's mostly good.

Sometimes when he's outside of the cage, a bit moody and doesn't want to step up, I'll use the perch and "force" him to step up... he can attack the perch all he wants cos it feels no pain. He eventually steps up onto the perch and then onto my hand no problems.

If Tsuka is biting, maybe try and use a perch (and no fingers) until he's a little more trusting? Is he preening whilst on your fingers? That's a sign that he's comfortable around you and on your hand. Otherwise maybe try and keep your hand still and or use the back of your hand instead. Are you shaping your fingers differently to your partner?


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

I've had mine sitting on my hand calmly, and then just chew the webbing between my fingers for NO reason... drawing blood... and keep chewing... and not know how to get them off. =/ I can't tell if it's that they don't realise what they are doing, or what. It's not the same as the threatening pecks. It's made me scared of the threat pecks though, so I often pull my hand back when they aren't going to bite.

Dexter will step on my finger (usually) if I push it up behind him, but he won't if I come from the front - he'll just attack any loose skin, or run off.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Screech was absolutely horrible when we first got him...made me bleed every single time. Hubby got some brand new mechanics gloves and used them to get him to step up and such. It worked wonders, after about two weeks, he realized that biting was pointless because we weren't going to react to it and he hasn't bit since. I'm not big on the glove method, but for the really bitey ones I'll use it.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I've had mine sitting on my hand calmly, and then just chew the webbing between my fingers for NO reason...


This is very different than aggressive biting - they're not trying to hurt you and are doing it because it's interesting. I don't remember how old your birds are, but juveniles will often chew on fingers experimentally to find out if they're shreddable or edible.

When they start with the entertainment chewing, calmly pick them up with your other hand, put them down in a boring spot and ignore them for a little while. This way they don't get the fun of chewing on flesh and also don't get an attention reward from you when they chew on flesh.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Arnie will do this occasionally - she'll just be sitting there and then attack my fingers for no reason. I just put it down to her being a reason why she bites even if it didn't seem like there was a reason (to me) - and I just ignore her if it's not too bad, or put her down for a few minutes without talking to her and walk away (she normally wants to come back to me straight away). Once she did it because I was carrying her food dish in my other hand to the table and evidently I wasn't moving to the table fast enough for her ladyship. So I put her down and walked away with the food dish for a minute or two and just completely ignored her. Sometimes she will seemingly do it because there's nothing better to do - and she's a chewer so I think she's doing it for fun. I tell her no and put her down and walk away, or I will look at her directly and say "no". I don't know if that works as well, but walking away certainly gives you both time out from whatever it was that was making them do it, and then they are taught it's unacceptable... hopefully lol


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## HAJiME (Sep 20, 2009)

tielfan said:


> This is very different than aggressive biting - they're not trying to hurt you and are doing it because it's interesting. I don't remember how old your birds are, but juveniles will often chew on fingers experimentally to find out if they're shreddable or edible.
> 
> When they start with the entertainment chewing, calmly pick them up with your other hand, put them down in a boring spot and ignore them for a little while. This way they don't get the fun of chewing on flesh and also don't get an attention reward from you when they chew on flesh.


He's 10-12 ("rescued" and so I don't know how old he was then originally bought), though he hasn't done it for a good few years - but that could be because I don't let them.

Someone mentioned gloves, but I have the issue with mine that gloves are scarier than my hands. I don't think this is uncommon, because my nan's budgie was scared of clothes - that sounds stupid, but you had to roll your sleeves up to get it to come on your hand.

EDIT: Does anyone's tiels attack their own feet randomly sometime? I've seen mine do it AND the big Macaw in a local pet shop (she's not for sale, she's like their pet). What's THAT all about?


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## RentalWhisper (Sep 10, 2010)

No I'm nit giving him up just yet lol. He sings to his toys and rubs his head against them so I know he has it in him lol. I'm getting Cheerio in just under two weeks so Im hoping that will make him a bit happier. I spoke to the breeder who hand reared Neb and he said he was vicious as a baby. He and one other where the only ones that were aggressive. Maybe it's just him. And it's not teenage stage. He is nearly two. I dunnoaybe tailed the same? Just an independantly bird going through a teenage stage?? Sorry dally. Kinda hijacked ur thread


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## RentalWhisper (Sep 10, 2010)

Dry about the spelling. Writing in my iPod lol


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> EDIT: Does anyone's tiels attack their own feet randomly sometime?


This is a common type of aggression with cockatoos. I don't think it's especially common with tiels, but they ARE members of the cockatoo family so it's not surprising if they do it.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

well the thing about tsuka is he apologizes later. he becomes all sweet and cuddly but the next day he can be unpredictable. i WOULD use gloves, but hes afraid of them. ive used the perch thing, hes afraid of that too. he does coincidentally preen when sitting on my hand. he loves scritches, always asks for them, if im not fast enough he may give a gentle nip. thats fine. its when he literally digs his beak into my flesh, particularly knuckles.... he grabs that loose skin and bites down real hard. i just want to know when this phase ends... i know its the teenage thing. he can be really sweet but he bites too hard. he's 9 months old now... how long does this last?


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

cookie find the loose skin on my fingers and pulls at it not hard though


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i think its tsuka's goal to go THROUGH the skin lol
its funny that he always apologizes later... he gets all sweet, comes over and begs for scritches... i dont understand him...


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

just boys for you lol


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

heres what i mean


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Awww bless lol both like my finger nails but never bite hard


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i try to pick him up at times and he bites. these pix were in responce to the camera. he hates it.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

sorry just found the photos i was looking for


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Tweety is like that always on the hand and bite hard and she can, unless its the reactions they like when they draw blood and we go aaarrrrrgggg lol
Cookie likes to stretch when he goes on my hand with one leg far back


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

im at the point where he bites, i drop him.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> Does anyone's tiels attack their own feet randomly sometime?


Mine will do it too, but mainly when I wear nailpolish on my toes or when I have super colorful socks on. Fuzzy will bite at my freckles sometimes and he gets super hard when he does that. Fuzzy also gets bitey when he's hormonal so after Tsuka is out of this stage, be prepared to watch his hormone levels. I think it took Fuzzy about 2 or 3 months to get over this stage but then Fuzzy is kinda slow.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

When he goes after your knuckle, if you clench your fist hard it will tighten up the skin on most of your hand and make it harder for him to get a grip. It might save you from a painful bite when you don't have time to do anything else. You can test this on yourself by using one hand to try and pinch the skin on the other hand.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ya, he doesnt make me bleed at least when i have my fist clenched, but it still hurts. hes got a strong bite. i wish he'd be gentler at least if he has to bite....


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## Love My Babies (Dec 3, 2010)

*Want Him to Stop Biting You?*

Don't kill you baby just yet  I know the pain of a biter, both physical and emotional (my Beaker bit me). You love your bird and then they bite you. Besides my bleeding throbbing finger, I felt rejected, hurt and sometimes angry that my Beaker would do that to me. I couldn't understand it. 
I found out that most birds bite because they are afraid, plus sometimes they don’t even know your finger is part of you. Luckily, I found this terrific program that really worked for us. The guy does charge for his programs (and the prices are more than worth it) but you can also sign up for his free videos. When you enter your name and email on the right hand side of the screen you have the option to select the type of free video you are interested in and the first one is “Stop My Parrot’s Biting”. The other options are “Stop His Annoying Screaming”, “Train To Never Poop On Me Again!” and “Build A Playful Trusting Bird”. Give it a try click here. This situation is stressful for both of you and it doesn’t have to be that way.
Joan


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

ive heard of this guy, but tsuka's biting is a teenage thing. ive done everything, he bites on his bad days. so i just leave him those bad days. thats all i can do. just wait for it to end.


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## Siobhan (Mar 21, 2010)

Can you think of anything at all that might be triggering the behavior? A sudden noise? You're petting him in a way he doesn't like? Or NOT petting him when he wants you to? The oddest things can make a bird behave badly. Our Clyde hates red and hats. He actually attacks Hubby when he walks by him wearing a ball cap. Just a thought!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

he DOES indeed bite if we dont give him scritches fast enough, but those are gentle nibbles which we dont mind. no, these are full on bites for no apparent reason. some days hes just in a rotten mood and we never know when these days are...


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## lordsnipe (Nov 11, 2010)

I find with my bird that if he doesn't get enough sleep, then he doesn't really want to come out of the cage and is really cranky. Is tsuka sleeping well? I believe they should be getting 10-12 hours a night.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

their sleeping schedule is 9pm-9am so yes, hes getting good sleeping hours. i only partly cover the cages as he gets nightfrights somewhat frequently and needs a nightlight and the tv...


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I dont think my birds get enough sleep as they hear the bunnys moving about and with their water bottle the noise of that


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