When Birds Bite

You go to get your feathered angel out of the cage, he leans over and takes a chunk out of your finger. You mumble and grumble as you trod off to tend the wound. It's a scenario that happens over and over again, in many homes every day.

Dealing with a seemingly vicious, biting bird can try the patience of any saint. So what hope does the average owner have? Patience teamed with understanding and education. If you can figure out why the behavior is happening, you're more than halfway to correcting it.

The first step is to find out what is making the bird feel it needs to bite. Avian fight or flight is one cause. The bird is put in a situation it wants out of, but can't escape, so it lashes out and bites. A lot of birds that are handled on a regular basis don't often have this type of reaction. So you have to dig deeper for the cause.

Call of the wild time. This is when the bird is looking for a mate. They become hormonal and bold. Normally, a bird owner can figure out when this time is, read body language and know how to avoid a nasty bite. Not all birds get grumpy during this time of year, so you may have to dig deeper.

When dealing with a bird, you are basically dealing with a 3 year old that never grows up. They will, can and do train their owners. Your bird doesn't feel like playing, so they bite in order to get you to go away and get a reaction from you. Birds are drama addicts. If they bite and you make a big deal out of it, they will bite again.

Reaction bites take an enormous amount of patience. You have to let the bird bite without giving it a reaction. I would only suggest this with smaller birds, they do a lot less damage. With the larger birds, you can wear a heavy glove, but gloves can also cause them to be afraid. So let them see the glove and get use to it before using. The bigger they are the harder biting can be to deal with.

Then there's the displaced anger bite. You site playing with your bird and he bites when someone else enters the room. This can range from a sharp sudden bite to an all out attack. When this happens it's a matter of changing the behavior. After the bite, place the bird back in its cage for a time out. In doing this, you teach the bird that it gets no fun time when behaving in an inappropriate manner.

Dealing with a bird that bites is not only painful, but frustrating and disappointing. It can take a week or months to change the behavior. It's a time that will call upon every ounce of patience and all the love in your heart. Just keep in mind, it can and will get better.

I have a 15-year-old Severe Macaw that came to live with me as a biter and man hater. After working with her, a lot of blood and even a few scars, she's one of my friendliest well-mannered birds. We take her out with us, she loves her daddy, and will even let strangers pet her. So I know, it can get better, just don't give up.