Does anyone here who owns parakeets know how to stop one who bites all the time?

I just got two, one is cool, the other one bites like crazy, and I mean really clamps down and bites like crazy all the time. Will this behavior settle down once it gets used to me?

I have a great relationship with my local petstore and I can probably trade this one for another but I'd like to try and break this bad habit before doing so.

Thanks in advance for all your help guys!

Steven

Steven,

You might want to invest in some of the Womach brothers DVD's. They walk you through behaviour modification and trick training for all types of hook beaks including budgies and parakeets.

All the best,

Rob

Rob,

Yes I intend to order Dave and Chets dvd's right after christmas. Actually Dave is the reason I went and got some parakeets. I have been interested in adding a few parakeets to our dove act for awhile but never did. Once I saw Dave's parakeet work that was enough to convince me!

Its been 3 days and the little bugger (now called jaws) still biting like crazy. I will give him another week before taking him back for a calmer gentler bird. The pet store manager said no problem exchanging the bird... I will try breaking this habit but sometimes its better to just have a better behaving animal from the start, at least I think so.

I didn't really touch them when I picked them, that was a mistake I won't make again, I just picked looked over the lot, picked the two and the girl boxed them up.

Steven

Good luck with it Steven. We also use the Womach DVD's for training purposes and they worked well with our parakeet.

All the best,

Rob

Sometimes using a spray bottle with water will work. However, it is much more effective for getting them quiet than stopping biting. Remember to them the beak is just another hand! They like to use it.

Good Luck!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Funny thing.. I just got my email from Chet with a short 3 minute video on how to stop them from biting.. Just go to their website and subscribe to the free newsletter with video..

-Vinnie

Don't put you hand in the cage! sorry just had to, I could not resist.

Not even close to funny... okay it was a little funny.

Anyone else? Does anyone know if those clickers people use to train larger birds will also work on a parakeet? I am assuming so but I have not tried that yet.

I have 4 of them now and only 2 of the 4 seem very bitey... I am hoping they will settle down, I am holding them whenever I have free time watching movies, tv reading, whatever...

Steven

Steven,
I use clicker training with all my parrots.

With smaller birds like budgies, I hold the whole body and allow it to bite my thumb till it tires of doing it. That biting behavior will diminish the more you handle the bird.

Okay but how about treats for parakeets to use with the clicker training. Got a clicker but the parakeets don't seem interest in millet spray or several other things I have tried. Any more help everyone on treats suitable for parakeets?

Steven

Steven, your parakeets have to be hungry (not starving) during your training sessions.

http://www.birdtricks.com

http://www.magicalbirds.com

Haywire,

I had the same biting problem with a keet and contacted Dave.

The little guy would not quit thrashing my fingers even after two months of one-on-one

Dave told me that sometimes he too gets the rare one that won't train.

The sad thing is that the next keet tamed in three days.

Darling bird that jumped on my finger, never bit, and followed me everywhere I went like a duckling.

For some unknown reason he died two weeks later though.

So the bird I hated lived and I had to return, while the bird I loved ended up dying.

Good luck!

Birds are not domesticated animals. The most important thing you can do is gain their trust. Also, don't do anything to break it, all it takes is one time of loosing control and yelling at the bird and you have suffered a great setback in that trust.

The bird is biting you for a reason, figure out what that reason is. An example would be it doesn't like you near "his" cage and is defensive. In that case remove the bird to another room where it can't see the cage and work with him there.

Another thought is that you bought two birds, they will bond with each other and not you. If you want a calm bird to train, and as a pet, you should consider seperating them and works with each seperately.