Ask Lafeber

Curbing Parrotlets’ gnawing

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for my current situation with 2 parrotlets. A couple of weeks ago, both parrotlets got into the habit of gnawing at my hands and fingers for “fun”. As soon as they leave the cage, they fly to my hand to start biting and gnawing. The problem is, they are drawing blood on me all the time, and it has become unacceptable behavior that I have been unable to curb.

I take very good care of them, constantly giving them attention and letting them out off-and-on throughout the day. I recently got them new chewing block toys for in the cage, as well as out. But, they still go for my hands and fingers!

They are currently being fed a formulated pellet diet, so nutrition is not a concern (they are healthy).

Despite them being a “pair” living in the same cage, they are quite bonded to me and call for my attention many times when they are in the cage.

I am trying my best to not have to rehome them as they are members of the family now (have had them 6 months), but this is becoming too much to handle. As I type , my finger is hurting from a bleeding bite wound they just inflicted. Even trying to “jiggle” them off my hand doesn’t work. They firmly grasp the skin and don’t move. Again, I can tell they do this for “fun” and not any sort of negative intent from them.

Any ideas or suggestions on how to curb this behavior is much appreciated.

Hi,

While these birds may still show interest in you, once two birds bond, they become less and less interested in humans most of the time. It creates a lot of confusion and conflict when you have a pair like this. Three is a crowd with most parrot species. They can exhibit jealousy, and they can be torn between each other and you. Typically neither bird wants the other to be near you. To complicate things more, this is hormone season for most captive parrots. We have just had several webinars on hormone topics. You best option is probably to consult with a behaviorist. I’ll give you links to our behavior pages, as well as a behavior webinar, and you might want to go to our channel and view some of the hormone related webinars. You have a complicated issue that needs to be addressed by someone you can consult with regularly.

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior

Teaching Your Bird

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda