[Cryren8972]

How do you get over the fear of being bitten, after your cockatiel has pierced through your finger? I purchased my cockatiel at Petco, and later found this wasn't a good move. He's been very wild and lunges at the cage when I walk by...we had him out one day, and he was stepping up OK, and sitting on our hand, but I came at him wrong, and he bit through my finger. I opened the cage this morning and let him come out on his own, he played around, eating millet spray, I go to get him, he backs up and screams, but i get him on my hand, to have him crawl on my shoulder (which should have been cute, but I was thinking of that beak on my face), so I whisked him off my shoulder, and put on a glove to get him back in the cage. I felt terrible, because this time, he hadn't done anything wrong...but I was scared. How do I get over that? I didn't hurt him in any way at all...I would never do that...but I know this can't be good for our relationship either

 

[Aly]

Sounds like he's becoming territorial. It's not normal for them to be threatened when someone walks by. The cage should be considered a shared enviroment, not just his. If he thinks that then you're in trouble. IF the bite is so severe to the point of actual injury I would suggest getting a pair of gardening gloves and trying again. THE ONLY THING that will stop a parrot from becoming a vicious biter is you ignoring the bite. It will eventually no longer associate him biting with you going away and will stop! I PROMISE. Whatever you do, do not move your hand away.In this case, I say handle more him more often, esspecially INSIDE the cage. Like I mentioned before, being able to handle a bird whichever way (up, down, head down, head scritches..etc) is what you're trying to achive. He got what he wanted: You're scared of him now, less likely to go by him which means less of a possible threat to him. Just keep at it and he'll learn to trust you. Once that happens, it's unbreakable/

Ps. Are you certain it's a boy also?

 

[Bea]

This might sound crazy but i wouldn't use gloves. Hands are often scary enough to a bird but gloves send them wild. I feel it would only worsen your relationship with him. Aly might have something in that he's becoming cage territorial, do you change his cage around often (toys and perches)? If not i would start doing that once a week. Tiels that get enough sleep are usually happier and less grumpy, so if you don't already, make sure he's getting 10-12 hours covered each night.

So that should help make him less likely to bite you, but that doesn't help you feel less scared. I've not been bitten hard by any of my birds (the budgies can't bite hard enough to really put me off, and the tiels are softies) but i have been bitten super hard by a friends lovebird. It made my finger bleed and it was tender for ages and needless to say i was scared of the lovebird. Eventually she went on holidays and me being the birdy person i am got to look after the lovie. Because i knew he was cage territorial and i would get my finger munched if i put my hand IN the cage i simply let him jump out onto my finger himself. No biting. At first i was still really nervous and sat him on my knee or arm rather than hand, but after a few days of no bites i became more confident.

Most of the time all my two cockatiels, and most cockatiels, do is bluff bite. They either lunge or they beak your hand/finger without meaning to bite hard. If yours does this you just need to ignore it, and i can't see him really biting hard again for no reason. If he goes in for the kill everytime maybe try to get him to step up onto a piece of perch or alternatively your arm or closed fist so that he can't get a beak hold. I use a closed fist if Bailee is being particularly grumpy. I think if you can go a while without getting bitten you will feel more comfortable with him.

 

[atvchick95]

I've got this excat problem with a 12 yr old quaker I adopted back in June, the first 2 weeks he was my best friend, unless my b/f was in the same room then he'd bite me, at first I didn't do anything, except tell him NO biting as long as my b/f wasn't around he was all lovely next thing i know i'm bieng attacked and I do mean attacked like a rabbid dog!!!!

he's decided to be my b/f's bird ( quakers are WELL KNOWN to be a ONE PERSON BIRD)
If he's on the floor I can't walk through my living room he chases me, he has came into my room and attacked me while i was ASLEEP!, he's been on my b/f s shoulder when my b/f came to wake me up and he acted like he wanted to come in the bed with me So my b/f sat him on the foot of my bed HE littlerly ran to the top of my bed and started attacking me, my boyfriend picked him up and told him that was bad, not to bite as he was walking out of my room with the Bird the bird FLEW (HES CLIPPED) out of his hands and started attacking me again!!!

I have NEVER done nothing mean to him, i've done nothing but be nice, show him I love him etc.

a few weeks ago we were sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with my kids, I was in my nightgown still it has mulit colored stripes, he put billy ( the quaker) on the floor because my son wanted to hold him instead Billy climbed up my nightgown and sat on my knew , I didn't think nothing of it he was nibbling on the stripes on my shirt and i was talking nice to him even shared my toast with him, then out of NO where he latched on to my NIPPLE and WOULD NOT LET GO my boyfriend was trying everything to get him to let go and he was NOT letting go for NOTHING he had a death grip and was NOT letting go - THAT is NOT a bite any one could ignore , I screamed I cussed up a storm , finally my b/f got him to relase and i went running to my bathroom screaming and crying I didn't come out for 30 minutes, half the time i was balling like a baby, the other half I was tryin to get my nipple to stop bleeding! ended up bleeding for about 2-3 days
that was The last straw I WAS DONE from that day on if my b/f went camping on the weekend he was ordered to take the bird with him , it was no use leaving the bird at home, he attacks me when i try to feed him and open his cage I walk by the cage he can be in his sleep hut and he'll come running and lunging after me, he's fell off the door of his cage several times because he couldn't stop fast enough ( he didn't get hurt)

after about 3 weeks i decided to try again, i started sharing my food again, Talking etc and my b/f had him on the floor playing and i walked out of the bathroom and he nailed me on my foot I had a trail of blood from the living room to the kitchen to my bedroom

I'm out of options to make him STOP biting me and I will NOT put up with the biting any more - hence the reason if my b/f is going to be gone over the night the bird goes as well

he left sat. for the night and was going to a party @ the campgrounds and didn't take billy........ after fighting with billy for over a hour to get his cage door latched ( he kept attacking me through the bars) just so i could sit down and eat w/out him flying at me since my b/f was no home to get him back to the cage- after I ate and shared my food with him!! I went to open his cage back up and he did nothing but lung at me and got me several times so it stayed closed until my b/ f came home the next day

I know darn well these birds understand what we say...... So i've tried talking to him and telling him I don't hate him, I love him even know he hates me and won't stop atacking me I've tried EVERY SINGLE trick in the book to get him to STOP biting and it doesn't work

but If i ever thought about getting a nipple pierced - BILLY changed my mind of that real fast!!

there is no saving this relationship between me and Billy - he want's NOTHING to do with me, EVEN if i have food to share he'll still BITE ME and I always BLEED severly when he's done

 

[Cryren8972]

OK...I will NOT complain about a finger bite when thinking about being bit on the nipple! I guess things could have been MUCH worse! =)

 

[Plukie]

Lordy, lordy....I can't imagine what that would be like. Having your nipple bitten by a beak!!! I really applaud you for the effort you have put in to try and make Billy your friend, I think I would have given up long ago and left him entirely to my partner.

Anyway, I think the only thing for your tiel is time and patience, just sit by his cage talking quietly, then gradually show him your hands, then put your hand just in the cage, not moving it around, let him explore your hand and then he will realise that it's not a threat. Gradually, gradually the trust will build up and then it will all be worth it, good luck. Like Bea though, I wouldn't use a glove, I know it hurts when they bite, Dooby has caught me a couple of times when he's had a tiel tantrum, but if you can just bear with it and clench your fist like Bea said, they can't bite a clenched fist. My thoughts are, if you get them used to the glove, they have to start all over again when it comes to your hand, so really you are just wasting time. That's just my opinion of course, what works for some doesn't work for others and vice versa. Time and patience, are the two words you will see an awful lot of on here, because that really is what it takes.

 

[Aly]

I agree with Bea and Plukie on the gloves. I think I was under the impression that your tiel is REALLY wicked and vicious- in that case I would wear gloves. Only use gloves if it's the last resort.

 

[Cryren8972]

Oh...the bird is wicked and viscious, but I think more due to fear. We're learning to handle her better by somewhat letting her know what our moves are going to be. As long as she knows what's coming, she's better able to cope with being handled. It's when she's startled that she gets really mean...or when she's in her cage. I've been putting my hands in her cage, changing her toys around, giving her food and water...and talking to her when I do this. She's actually starting to look at us as a curiousity now, more like...what are they going to do next? than with fear now. She's a very smart bird, I've seen her figure things out in her cage on her own...I think in a few months, she's going to be the perfect companion!

 

[Plukie]

It sounds like slowly, slowly, she is beginning to realise that you mean her no harm. Just keep doing what you are doing and pretty soon she'll be fine, they are very fast learners.

 

[Aly]

...I think in a few months, she's going to be the perfect companion!

Good to hear things are improving. Just have patience- you'll be suprized how much they come around once they start to bond with you!

 

[Bea]

I'm so glad things are improving for you.