I got Tucker as a boy from pet store after 2 years maybe 3 eggs laid I removed them no problem. The last month he’s laid 3 eggs an I can’t get near him for biting me. How to make him stop biting me.
Before eggs he was so tame an sweet but not now. Please help!!
Hi Christine,
Even if you did have a male, they can get territorial about the cage. There are some changes you can make to discourage her from laying more eggs, and this may help with the cage aggression. Biting behavior that is related to hormones usually stops when the bird is not hormonal. But some Quakers can remain territiorial about the cage, and in that case, stick training can help, so that you can get the bird out of the cage and away from it without being bit. Usually once out of sight of the cage, the aggression stops. Review the changes I’m adding here, and then visit our links on behavior and training to address the biting and possibly learn how to stick train her.
You need to do all of these things to discourage egg laying. Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. Your goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.
If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.
When she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam.
When you handle her, limit any petting to only her head and neck – do not pet her on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
