October 2, 2020
Conure behavior
Hello. I am very interested in knowing how to get my 1 year old green cheek Conure Pistachio to stop biting me??
Question:
Answer:
Hi Erika,
Pistachio is an adorable name! Birds always bite for a reason – not necessarily a good one – and they do give warnings before they bite. The first step is for you to try to understand his body language and why he is biting you. Birds respond well to positive reinforcement – this means reward based training, either with praise, treats or a combination. Punishment or yelling at a bird does not work. You can use a firm voice to say “gentle” or even no or stop and this can distract him from biting. But you need to learn why he is biting. Was he previously tame and this just started? This could mean he is feeling hormonal. Some birds get very cranky when they go through a heavy molt. Many birds are territorial around their cage. Stick training can help, as far as getting him away from his cage or putting him back, since many birds will bite because they want to stay out. Is there someone he likes or doesn’t like around when he does this? A bird will bite the person who is closest to them, if there is someone in the room they don’t like and they can’t get to. Or if the bird gets jealous, he may bite to keep you away from someone else. I’m going to give you some links to help you better understand his body language and learn some training techniques. And next week we will have the person who pioneered the field of pet bird behavior counseling, Chris Davis, presenting our Friday webinar. As you have attended one, you will receive a notification.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
