# african gray bites



## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

hi guys,

i have a 7 year old african gray female, shes very friendly. I get her out and let her fly around and what not but shes always biting me in a sort of a friendly way, she will sit on my hand and will just play with my fingers.

and she makes me bleed every time i get her out and my hands get really sore.

is there any way i can stop her doing this so i cant enjoy getting her out.

take care.


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## Circe (Dec 31, 2008)

If you push her from your hand onto the floor when she bites - but not in a violent way; she will stop biting very, very quickly. Parrots are very vulnerable on the ground and she'll step up back onto your hand with some relief. It took Rosie only 3 pushes and now he doesn't bite me at all.
The trick is not to seem angry and violent but just dismissive of the bird when you push it from your hand, you really don't want to harm or hurt her; just to let her know that biting is not to be tolerated.


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Circe said:


> If you push her from your hand onto the floor when she bites - but not in a violent way; she will stop biting very, very quickly. Parrots are very vulnerable on the ground and she'll step up back onto your hand with some relief. It took Rosie only 3 pushes and now he doesn't bite me at all.
> The trick is not to seem angry and violent but just dismissive of the bird when you push it from your hand, you really don't want to harm or hurt her; just to let her know that biting is not to be tolerated.


Very bad advice! You should never use physical force on a parrot!


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## Circe (Dec 31, 2008)

I don't think it is,ZM. I'm not advocating hurting the bird. I pushed Rosie quite gently off my finger, it was no more violent than picking up his wings to put them in his harness. 
The trick is to push, not throw or be violent, to let the bird know that if he bites,(which is violence from him) he would not be allowed to continue doing so. His being on the floor puts him at a psychological disadvantage and it is that - not the pushing from you - that he does not like. 
I also know the difference btween a bite which is meant to hurt, and the nibbling or clamping (holding on) which the bird does for a variety of reasons but which are not antisocial.


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

Zoo-Man said:


> Very bad advice! You should never use physical force on a parrot!



i agree, if you push the parrot your more likely to have the parrot either turn against you in fear or anger.

Best way to do it is pick the bird up and fuss it, when the bird bites say 'no' and put the bird to a 'naughty area' not the cage as then will associate the cage as a bad place. 

Give it 5-10 mins to calm down and pick him back up.

If the bird after a couple of mins doesnt bite you then put back on cage/perch and reward and talk and compliment it in a positive way.

Its basic positive enforcement and they seem very ruled by their tummys! we have a tin of mixed nuts and banana chips we use for training. We also use these for when we have visitors over so now the birds associate visitors as a good thing.


NEVER scare a parrot or use ANY violence or force, remember that the bird needs to learn its boundarys while still knowing it can trust you, remember its a partnership.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

If she is "biting" you when your getting her out of the cage, maybe its because she does not feel very secure & is actualy grabbing to steady herself.........and then you possibly respond by pulling away (making it worse) thinking she is going to bite? Or of course, you might be making her come out of the cage when she does not actually want to......?

One solution would be to use a stick/perch or something she can step up onto for getting her out of the cage........thus preventing the blood loss :whistling2:

One method used for the nipping when out is to put her back in the cage & time out after a stern NO; then ignore her for a while.......then give loads of praise when she is being well behaved.

There are loads of different training methods that could be used & its a case of finding the one that best suits you both.


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

Parrots use their beaks as we use our hands, they will test a surface before they climb to check it's safe for them. Parrots will pull themselves up with their bill as well as a friend of mine found out when Jasper the green wing pulled himself from the floor to the settee using one of my mates crouch ! 
That brought tears to his eyes I can tell you !
Generally when a Parrot bites with Malice you will know all about it!
Never force a Bird physically this will result in a bite as well 9 times out of10. 
Patience is the only way to go. Use a perch or piece of dowl to get the bird out and give the step up command.
open top cages are a good idea as well as it allows the bird to come out on it's own accord, mine will come out this way and return inside the cage when they have had enough.


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## cobe (Nov 24, 2010)

age, length of ownership infact hundreds of facters come into play here. NEVER get aggressive with a parrot, this could injure mentaly and physically. if you have trouble getting the bird out of the cage try the stick up method. this it using a stick and saying ON or UP always use the same words. African greys are very tempermental birds and it could take months if not years to bond with it. This is why i always say a parrot is for life because in all fairness they should be.
there are many forums books out there with a wealth of knowledge on this subject..
Andy


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