why is she biting all the sudden

[kagaskritters]

I just got Zoey a few days ago. When I got her she didn't bite me at all. Now that I have had her a few days she is really laying into me. She is putting holes in me now. I have been holding her everyday too. So why is she biting me now? She bit my son too. She is biting harder and harder each time.

[Melika]

Is it possible she was a biting bird before you got her? Many birds will become docile for a while when their entire environment in changed. But when they become used to it, their previous behavior problems can return.

When are you trying to handle her? When you go to pick her up, are her eyes pinning? Watch the eyes- they'll pin before a bite (the iris contracts making the pupil appear smaller). If she's very excited, that could cause her to bite as well.

When is she biting you? Is it when you try to remove her from your shoulder? (I remember you said she likes to be on your shoulder)

Any bird that is biting is automatically banned from shoulders. Actually, my IRN is banned for life- I just can't trust him as he plucks my hair. And some birds (like Hane) become too cocky and nippy.

Did something scare her when she bit? That could cause a bite as well.

Most bites are actually caused by us- we just don't think like birds so it's hard to understand. Some more information might be helpful for us to have a better idea of why she is biting.

[kagaskritters]

I know she had bit the guys wife before but supposedly didn't bite him. Her eyes don't pin when I pick her up. They do pin when she puts her head down for a petting, but doesn't bite then. She is mainly biting when I try to get her to step-up. She does it when I try to get her out of the cage, or off the cage, or off my shoulder or anything. Anytime I try to pick her up. All I have to do is get my hand close enough and she will try to bite. Nothing was scaring her as she has bitten many times, not just once. I don't know how I will hold her if I can't put her on my shoulder. If I just have her sit on my hand she gets real fidgety and works so hard to figure out how to jump on my shoulder. It's like she thinks that's the only place she is safe or something.

[Melika]

Birds tend to like shoulders for the height, but also because they can run from you when you want to remove them.

I would ban her from shoulders for now. A lot of birds get really cocky when they're allowed on shoulders, so you might just want to nip that in the bud.

I always have my thumb on my bird's foot, so he can't hop anywhere else and knows he is supposed to stay. But I've been doing that with him since he was a chick, and I'm not sure if you want to attempt it just yet.

I always make a sound (for me, a little clicking noise) to let Hane know that I'm going to put my hand in front of him for a step-up. If I don't make the noise, he isn't sure what I'm going to be asking of him and will react with a bluffing bite. And the sound also gets his attention so my hand doesn't surprise him if he didn't see it coming. Perhaps this will help?

You could also give her a treat with one hand, and put your other hand between her and the treat so she has to step up in order to reach it.

I also do step-up exercises (even now, and it helps calm Hane down when he's getting too excited) where your bird is climbing a continuous 'ladder' made by constant step-ups onto each hand.
You don't want to raise up the hand your bird steps-up to, but rather lower the hand you're trying to make her step off of.
IRNs are smart, so I only do about five or six step-ups (max is ten) so they don't get bored and want it to stop, since they might bite to make you stop.

But I really think making the sound before you present your hand and step-up exercises will help. In addition to a ban from your shoulder.

She'll just have to learn to be pet while she's on your hand with lots of attention and treats while staying there.

Some IRNs can handle the shoulder without getting cocky about it (like my sister's IRN) and others just take advantage of it and cannot be allowed on shoulders (like my IRN).