Hi everyone!

Goodday!

Parrots are naturally social creatures and we are fun to have as pets. Some pet owners however have problems when we bite. Among the three most common behavior problems we have, which are plucking, screaming, and biting, biting is probably the most feared by our owners but at the same time is mostly brought about by things that they do. Most tame parrots will not bite without a good reason. If a human gets bit by an aggressive wild parrot then it is their fault for trying to handle an untamed bird. If a tame pet parrot however bites their human, then the owner does not have to fear because we only bite for good reasons. All they need to do is find out why we are biting in order to address the problem.

Why do I bite my owner?

There are four main reasons why we bite. One of the reasons is that biting is an instinct with us and is often just used to inspect or play with something. Often times people who get bit by parrots were actually just being inspected by the parrot as it tried to “get more acquainted” with the person’s finger. However, people not used to this behavior misinterpret it as biting and get scared and pull back or does something that scares the parrot as well. This leads to the second reason for biting – fear. Parrots bite when they get scared. It is an instinct they have used to protect themselves. Parrots also bite out of territorial aggression. They will bite people who dare stick their finger in their cage if the person hasn’t gained their trust yet. Some parrots bite though because they have learned that biting will get them the response they desire. This is called learned aggression. For example a parrot, even a tame one, can suddenly bite a person holding it even though they seemed to get along fine at first simply because it has learned that its owner will immediately take him back if he bites. Biting is the fastest way to get back to its comfort zone.

Till next time,
Charlie