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Jewel has started biting REALLY hard anytime I touch her cage. This includes opening it and getting her out. She's rarely breaking the skin, but she's biting hard enough to leave large swollen bruises. My husband can do anything he wants to her cage and she could care less. She can bite to draw blood and I want to prevent getting to that point if possible. We change around her cage around at least once a month. Strangely if my hand is in her cage she usually doesn't care, it's the outside of it more. withAny ideas to curb this?

I had that same problem with Kiwi, out QP. She would take my arm off at the elbow and leave a bloody stump (not all that much of an exaggeration(sp?)

Once I got her away from her cage, I could handle her but not near, on or in her cage! My DH, on the other hand, could do pretty much anything he wanted with her. She chose HIM.

Sounds like your Jewel has chosen you DH as her person and you are her "rival".

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is little or nothing you can do about her choice of person. Maybe someone else here has better insight than I do but hope I have helped. Just don't take it personally.

Okay, so the little monster today flew to me (she's clipped but can clear a room) and bit my neck as hard enough to bruise. She did this to each wrist yesterday (once I was putting her in her cage, the other time she was sitting on my shoulder and ran down and bit me). She's not breaking the skin, just leaving huge welts. What can we do about this?! Then the little monster will come back to me later and make kissing noises and roll on her back for tickles! MONSTER!

In the August 2008 issue of "Bird Talk" there is a very good article about Biting- Why it happens and what we can do about it. I found it a good read. Not available online as I write this response.

However I have always said that if you can't put up with it (biting) that a bird would not be a pet one should consider.

I just rehomed a very large Greenwing young male, that was supposed to be a "PET." Since he has come to live with me I've already had to get four stitches. Knowing full well before I adopted him that there was going to be some sort of a readjustment period, this one is fast becoming a very hard case. But I know in my heart he will turn out to be a nice bird one day, I find it hard to even type this very response. He is just communicating on his terms and I realize that "Aviculture" is worth anything and everything I can muster as a human to assist in their well-being.

No matter what accomplishments I have made as a human in this world, it will be my accomplishments as an "Aviculturist" that will outlive me.

Dutch
Shelby Township, Michigan 48315


'Fight on' he said ' my brave hearts', 'I am a little wounded, but not slain, I will but rest and bleed awhile, and then rise and fight again, meantime stand fast! Sir Andrew Barton, Admiral 16th Century

So I thought I wasn't reacting to her biting, but Jerry said even though I did pretty well and didn't yell, I still flinched pretty good. Friday when Jewel bit I didn't do anything at all. Jerry was there and removed her from me and handed me Jet (who he was holding) so he could just have Jewel. Biting ended. I know it won't be the last time she'll bite, but it looks like she was doing it for a reaction. When that reaction didn't happen it wasn't fun anymore... now she poops on me and then laughs, which makes me laugh, which is not going to stop the pooping...

The very first thing you MUST do is this: DO NOT REACT when she bites you, neither positive or negative. If you react, that is what she wants, attention, and if she gets it from biting, she will continue to bite. After she is done biting, put your finger gently on her beak and say firmly, but without yelling "No." Then put her in her cage for a few minutes, and cover it, unless she's scared of the dark, which believe it or not, a lot of birds are.

After four months this Greenwing has mellowed just nicely, no biting and is the love of my life.

Ehhhhh Maties...... Happy Halloween Everyone......

Dutch