Obsessed with biting

[GreenJenny]

Hi everyone, my name is Jen and I have a green indian ringneck parakeet named Jenny, I raised her when she is about 3 weeks old and now she is big girl, 4 and a half month old.

She is so obsessed with biting that she even bite my ear when on my shoulder, when I try to stop her she bite my finger, she is not on bluffing stage like mentioned on the main page of this site. She doesn't get angry or anything, but she love to bite, she love to be petted and stroked. No sign of anger. And its quite hard to get her down from my shoulder, she wouldn't step up to my finger but she bite it hard and push it away. I have to find something else interesting so that she will get off my shoulder.

When I sit while waching tv, she came over and start biting my toes and nail, she even try to take my toes nail off. It really hurt but I dont want to push her away or scream at her, this will break our relationship. I just want her to stop her biting habit.

How to stop this behavior, and is she just playing or being mean? When I try to scold her I just say NO! or blow her face to stop her bite. But she keeps on going. Please help!

Jen

[julie]

Hi jen and welcome to the family. Does jenny have any chew toys to play with? she sounds very curious and it does sound like she is bluffing because she is getting her way eg she bites and you have to find another way for her to get off your shoulder and there for she wins. They are quite smart birds and like to test to see what they can get away with.I wouldnt recomend having her on your shoulder until she learns to play nicely,its very easy for you to get hurt if she decides to go for your eyes ect.

[Donna]

:) Hi everyone, my name is Jen and I have a green indian ringneck parakeet named Jenny, I raised her when she is about 3 weeks old and now she is big girl, 4 and a half month old.

Jen

She still a baby and this could be bluffing. Why do you think she is not in a bluffing stage? First thing don't let her on your shoulder, this is not a place for a bird to be if she can not be trusted. Blowing on the bird when it bites you is not going to help things either it's just going to cause you a bite on the lips. She will grow out of this stage give her time, babies have to bite that's what they do. For that matter when you own a bird your going to get bit, know when and how hard is a guessing game.


Donna

[GreenJenny]

Thanks for the reply everyone.

Hi julie and Donna nice to meet you too.

Yes she have plenty of toys to bite.

I didn't even want her on my shoulder, but she just jumped from my hand to my shoulder without me having time to even allow her or not. She is always like that, she never tried to sit on my finger/hand quietly, she only want to be on my shoulder, unless she find something she want to play with, then she would climb off my shoulder.

I thought its not bluffing because she doesn't get angry or seems angry, she can be petted, stroked and play with like a normal friendly bird, only that she bite when on some case, like when on my shoulder, or when she feel like biting my toes.

Also I blow her from far, I dont stick my lips on her and start blowing, just to let you know.

[Donna]

Your baby sounds like my Tango when I let him out he goes right for the shoulder (he's always done that) he thinks he was hatched there. I never had a problem with him biting me when he's on my shoulder. Tango is 3 years old now but when he was a baby there was a certain noise I would make that he didn't like and he would run up my chest and bite my lip and he wouldn't show no signs of being angry. Your baby will grow out of this stage trust me. We all have taken a few bites from these monsters so don't take it personal, she'll love you again some day


Donna

[Rico's Mom]

my new baby bites and for being 12 weeks old she bites pretty hard and to think I thought with hand feeding her she would be closer to me , but she lunges and does a pretty hard bite for a baby, I think in time she will settle down or I sure hope so, I know it took my Quaker a month to get used to me and the our normal routine, so I'am just waiting it out and having patience

[Neokireina]

I think with the biting. Not only do you need to have the toys but you need to be sorta pro active with them.

With my guys if there are a bunch of toys sitting on the table they wont get touched, humans are far more fun to interact with so what gets bitten is my hand or my mouse or my keyboard if i'm on the computer.
Pay attention to the bird so you can see the bite coming and stick the toy in the birds face so it gets chomped instead, then play with the toy and the bird.
Biting could be a sign that they want attention if so this should eliminate the problem and give your bird quality time with you.

[Hestia]

Jen,
I know when I first got my Indie, he was 4 months old. He started going through his bluffing stage right after I got him. He doesn't appear to be angry, just bites and lunges a lot. He is now 11 1/2 months old, and I thought I would never be able to handle him without getting my fingers chewed up. But he is pretty good now and knows when I mean "up up".
I too had a hard time with Indie as far as shoulders go, and he would jump up there so fast I couldn't stop him. He still does time. But as far as the biting goes. I was just persistent with him and would tell him "no" and push past it to get him to step up. He will still try and bite me once in a while when he is on my shoulder and I am trying to get him off, if he is being stubborn and doesn't think its time to get off of me. I again tell him "Indie no, up up" and he stops and gets up, he has learned that mom means business.
I do feel the frustration and pain of being bit with you and I am sure everyone else here knows what you are going through. Its not going to damage your relationship with Jenny if you show Jen who is in charge and who is the bigger bird in the flock. Just let Jen know that it's not appropriate to bite and she will eventually learn.
Hope that helps

[kyria]

Welcome to the family Jen and Jenny

[conurelover2007]

I hope your Ringneck gets out of the biting stage soon. Chiquita has tried to play bite me but that is it.