Bitting bird?

Question

i have this bird(cockatiel) she keeps bitting everyone exept me mostly my little brother , i guess shes very attached to me... just wondering how do i get her to stop?

Answer 1

Yeah, don't flick your bird, regardless of how gentle it is. That may work for a dog, but birds are a whole nother talk show.

When she bites, have the other person tell her firmly "No biting!" and then separate her from everyone for 2-3 minutes. Go put her in a room by herself for just a couple of minutes every single time she does it. Soon, she'll realize that biting equals separation from the flock. This may take a little longer than "flicking" her or spraying her with a bottle, but it's tons more effective.

The key is consistency. Birds unquestionably do not like to be separated from the flock. 9 times out of 10 they'll do anything to avoid that happening to them, including reforming bad behavior. Don't forget her in there though. If you leave her separated too long, the discipline becomes ineffective and you then create separation anxieties that can create more problems. 2-3 minutes for a cockatiel should do it.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Just tell her to peck on someone her own size.

Okay, seriously, I’m not a bird person, but any living creature can be taught to do or not do something through classic conditioning. (think Pavlov’s dog) Generally with pets bopping them on the nose (or whatever) or squirting them with a spray bottle of water dose the trick just fine. Just bop or squirt them when they do something bad and eventually they will begin to associate being bopped or squirted with the behavior and then stop the behavior in question.
I don’t know how you could do that to a bird, off hand. Gently flick it? It dose have a brain and it can be taught to do things, though taking into consideration the size of the bird, it will have a small brain and therefore might take some time for it to begin to associate the behavior (biting) with the stimulus (being flicked). Just be patient it’ll work out eventually.

Okay, I’d never heard about the “Bitter Apple” product (mentioned above), that, actually sounds like it might work better that bop’n your birdie. Still, same psychological principle, though.

Answer 3

You can't some birds do get attached to the handler.Try having him put atowl on his arm or a glove & start handling the bird he wont be happy at 1st but after a few times he may.

Answer 4

Well at most pet stores there is a product called Bitter Apple. It's a liquid in a green bottle (usually) and it tastes very bad to animals. Have the people she bites rub a little but of Bitter Apple on their fingers (or where ever else she bites) and after one bite on the bitter apple finger, she most likely will never bite again. And bitter apple usually costs 5.00! I hope this helps!

Answer 5

I would not suggest flicking it either because then they will peck more, thinking it is a fight. I used to play fight with my cockateil, putting my finger out and let him peck and now he will bite hard, so I started something bad. I do not do that with him anymore and when he bites me I return him to the cage.

Answer 6

I don't know a whole lot...my 'tiel is nippy too...but I've read several places on the 'net that say "bopping" is *not* effective; it reinforces the behavior. At least don't do that.