IndianRingNeck.com

Hi ALL.I Have a 3 months old IRN. He started Bluffing (Biting) when he/she was almost 2 months old. 1 months passed but he still gives me nasty bites which are unable to be ignored plz plz plz help I will be very thankful .He/she was was very friendly with me in the beggining but now he/she is a MONSTER. Plz plz helppp

Hello Umarmalik,

I know it can seem horrible but you have to hang in there. Every ringneck parrot is different and all have different levels of bluffing. My Archimedes bit me during this stage (male), same for Pistachio (female), Devi (female) and Regan (Female) . You know what though? Now my birds never bite. I might get an occasional bite here and there but it’s not as bad as when they were bluffing.

Now you should understand why these parrots bluff. I spent a good few years watching feral ringnecks up in Bakersfield, CA and I watched the juveniles interact with other ringnecks and integrate into their flock. While thinking about this topic for years—I have finally come to the conclusion it’s a behavior that’s very beneficial to them. As juveniles compete for food, they need to be aggressive as other ringnecks relentlessly compete for food as well. This behavior allows them to push through other adult birds and get their share of the pie. As the ringneck matures, this behavior eventually fades.

Now what can you do to ensure you don’t develop a biting ringneck? Firstly, if you feel yourself getting too scared, working up, or just angry, place the bird into its cage. Never flick the beak, yell at the bird, or tell it anything—nothing. Ignore all unwanted behavior. That means eye contact as well and facial expressions. When ringnecks fight in the wild, the quarrel is quickly solved and the birds go about their business—you have to think in the same way. Laughing or making any fuss about the bite could lead to the parrot thinking it’s getting your attention and that’s bad.

I knew when my birds were best left alone. I would simply keep them in their cage until I saw they were calm. If they were still nippy—return him/her back to the cage. No need to say anything—just do it. When the parrot is acting as it should, then and only then, should it be praised. Believe me, these creatures are VERY smart and they’ll quickly adjust their behavior. Especially when they know you have food to offer to them and cuddles.

So hang in there! I promise, if you follow through you’ll have one heck of a bird and people will just be amazed at your little parrot friend.

It will pass! Hope this helps!

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

Sky is about 10 weeks old now and has started to get nippy. Our little angel can be a little devil...but I still love him to pieces. His worst times are in the morning and early afternoons. Towards evening he turns back into my cuddle bug. When he is moody and lunges at me, I say "no bite" and have a smaller cage that is his "time out" cage. He goes in this for a few minutes. I ignore him while he is in it. After he calms down he is allowed back out. I do not want him to see his regular cage as a punishment. At this point he would rather be out of his cage than in it, but if he did decide to like his cage then he may learn to bite if he wants to be returned to his cage. Since I started this, when he starts to act up I can say "no bite" and he lightens up a little. Not all of the time, but it has helped a lot.

You could also have a toy in hand for him/her to target his/her temper towards. During his moody times I will play with a little stuffed animal or toy with him. He almost wrestles with it, is getting interaction with me, and my fingers get to stay in one piece

Something else that we do is take him along on our nightly walks. He enjoys going and has so many things to look at while we are walking so he is distracted from any angry mood swings that he may have. It is a good bonding time for us during this "stinker" stage.

Good luck with your little devil

My baby IRN is about 12 to 14 weeks now and this morning she did it for the first time, it really shocked me, then it hurt my feelings. She never got a bite in, but she was pretty nasty about trying to, I finally grabbed her with a towel. Should I not use a towel? How long do they go through this stage?
Thanks for any advice, I'm glad I found this section.

Hey Kim,

First welcome:)

I know you resorted to a towel but you have to be calm. When you used the towel, did you just pick the bird up and place her back into her cage? Did you tell her anything? If so, you started off wrong I know it's hard, believe me as i have three very wonderful ringnecks; however, they went through this same stage. I want you to read this article here-- http://www.indianringneck.com/bluffing/

If you feel your bird is a bit worked up just leave her alone in the cage until she settles down. By doing this you are avoiding a bad situation. We are not trying to create a negative pattern about biting. The overall goal should be not setting the bird up to bite and not reacting to the bite--for if you do break these golden rules, the parrot has gained control of the situation. Only when the bird is clam and doing what she should can you reward her w/ praise and treats. Believe me, these parrots are really smart and will quickly change their behavior.

Another thing, don't take it personal. This is how they are wired and it's much like a teenage child. They sometimes act out but love you

Hope this helps ,

IMRAN-C

Thanks for the great advice, I was trying to get her out of her little cage (her sleeping cage in the house) and into her daytime outside cage. I didn't scold her, I just got a little hand towel and she bit at it but I was able to pick her up. I'll see what she does this afternoon.

I think partially what may also have brought this on was that I have been away for 6 days and my husband has had to handle her while I was away, and now that I'm back, I think she's upset with me for leaving. I plan to spend a lot of time with her today and see if that helps.

Thanks again!

Anytime Kim:) Thank you!

I know that whenever Skye gets a tad nippy with me, it's because he/she (beginning to think he) is tired, hungry, or wanting our attention. A long sleeved shirt has saved my skin on more than one occasion! Can't find the skin, he gives up and steps up. I don't respond to the nipping and it's been a long time since I've gotten a good nip.
Dana

Hi rather than a towel find a perch or a stick you can make him/her step up on to return him/her to the cage. It really will stop afterawhile, hang in there. It was nearly 2 months before Chili my baby stopped biting and nipping. Now he is just a mush pot. He will sometimes pretend he is going to bite when I put him back in his cage when he doesn't want to go or if I touch a toy he is rather possesive of but doesn't even connect. So really it does get better. I know it can be difficult not to react when they bite cuz man it hurts but it will pay off in the end.