We have all fallen victim to the unforeseen parrot bite at one time or another.  Usually, our feelings are hurt worse than our flesh.  The only thing you can think to say at the time is: “What the…?!”  Here are some common scenarios that are typical of the “unexpected” or “unprovoked” bite:

1) You’re enjoying some quiet out of cage time with the eclectus and a good book.  You are stretched out on the couch and your sweet little bird is preening at your shoulder.  Out of the blue, you have a nose piercing…
“Out of cage” time and time spent with your parrot are two different things.  The time your bird spends on it’s kitchen perch watching you do the dishes cannot be a substitute for hands-on, interactive play, training and communication.  While out of cage time is enjoyable for your bird, time spent engaging your bird is more important.  It is stimulating, creative and an important part of  your bonding process.
I have always been amazed at just how patient my parrots are with my “human-ness” and my hectic life.  They put up with a lot, but even the most easy going of my birds will let me know when enough is enough.  If we don’t pay attention to the body language and sure signs of discontent, it would seem like their mood turned on a dime, catching us completely off guard.
This is likely the cause of the above “unexpected” bite.  It is probable that the eclectus was waiting for interaction from it’s owner, and as it was perched on the shoulder, out of the line of sight, the signals were missed.  A bite may have been the only way left to get the attention of his owner who was absorbed in a book.

2) Your african grey is contentedly pulling a one-footer on his favorite perch in the back corner of his cage.  You walk up to the cage and politely invite him out for a visit.  You reach in to retrieve him and then wham!  You count your fingers, expecting not to get past four.

I think that the normal usage of the beak is more for chewing and less for biting. In  a wild setting, birds typically squabble for perching rights, food and territory.  Rarely, very rarely, do birds ever engage in bloodshed.  Most birds will typically flee rather than fight.  Given this fact, trainer Steve Martin makes an excellent point in that our caged birds have had the alternative to flee removed and sometimes the only recourse is to bite.

Taking this into account, if your bird preferred to stay in his cage to sleep, what were his options in this example of the “unprovoked” bite? Being  that he was cornered in a cage with a “demanding” hand in his space, as the bird may have perceived the event,  he was left with little alternative. And, not to mention, most people clip their birds’ wings nowadays so the “flight” part of fight or flight is missing and all that’s left is fight.

Since there was no emergency requiring that your bird readily step up, retrieve your hand and let him be.  If your bird doesn’t immediately and eagerly respond, it is a sign that he would prefer to stay where he is.  There is no good reason to force your will on a parrot, opt instead for a cooperative effort and a meeting of the minds.  You will find that the more respect you show your parrot, the more agreeable he will be to seeing things your way at times when you need or want him to.

3)  Your sun conure is very bonded to you and wants to be a part of everything you do. Your husband and the bird do not share the same good relationship.  She is happily perched on your shoulder while you go about household tasks.  Your husband approaches you, and your sun conure takes a bite out of YOUR chin.  Why?

This is a very common scenario. Why would a bird bite its chosen person?  Here are a few different perspectives:

Avian behaviorist and author Sally Blanchard states that when a bird feels threatened in the wild, it will bite its mate causing it to flee.  Since a single bird cannot defend its mate and territory at the same time, this action frees it of the immediate responsibility to the mate and allows it to concentrate on the defense of territory.

Steve Martin, however, contests this by saying that biting one’s mate is a poor species survival strategy, and doesn’t do much good in terms of bonding among mates.

Mattie Sue Athen, author of Guide To A Well Behaved Parrot, puts it down to “displaced aggression”, citing that birds are of the mind that “when you can’t be with the one you want to bite, bite the one you’re with”.

I find some truth in all of these perspectives.  The one common denominator is probably hormones.  In this case, the sun conure has chosen the wife as her mate and is defending its territory by deflecting the attentions of the disliked husband.

The first part of the problem lies in allowing a bird to respond well only to you.  It is your duty to see that your parrot be socialized, not only to everyone one in the household, but to all humans.  If something were to happen to you, the parrot would likely spend the remainder of it’s lifetime being bounced from home to home to shelter because of its inability to get along with anyone that isn’t you.  It’s unfair and completely unnecessary.

Make sure your bird is handleable by everyone from its first day in your home. Birds very often will choose a favorite person that he prefers to be with.  That’s just fine, as long as it also plays nicely with the rest of the family.  Let those “out of favor” be the ones who do the fun things like offer treats and fun interaction and training.  Gradually bring your parrot around to being a family bird.

Any of this sounding familiar? More often than not, it is the circumstances accompanying the bite that are more questionable than the bite itself.  In almost every case where a human is bitten by a parrot, the fault lies with the human and not with the “unreasonable” parrot.  The trick is in learning to read your bird’s body language and signs, understanding a bird’s natural responses, avoiding situations that might be problematic and forming a bridge of communication with your parrot that you can both understand through training.

There was a family that lived near me in Austin that had a large front yard that always seemed to be filled with playing children and puppies.  It seemed like several times a year this family was enjoying a new, cute, fluffy little playmate, and it occured to me at some point that I never saw any grown dogs.

One day, when I was walking by the house, I struck up a conversation with one the adults.  I told her how cute all the puppies I’ve seen there have been and asked where all the rest of the dogs were.  She told me that she wouldn’t let her children play with grown dogs because she thought they were too dangerous for them.  Again, I asked her where she kept the dogs, and she said:  “Oh, we don’t keep them when they’re not puppies anymore.”  I asked her:  “Where do you bring them?”  hoping I was not going to get the answer I feared.  “Hill Country.”  she said.

Just so you know, Hill Country is not the name of a 5 star hotel for dogs.  It is the wooded, rural area outside of Austin city limits, where people like her routinely drop off unwanted pets.  I was having a hard time keeping my temper in check but managed to stay calm as I said:  “And that’s okay with you to leave an animal out there to die?”  She snickered at me and said:  “They’re wild animals.  They can fend for themselves.”  The conversation deteriorated rapidly after that point.

Over the course of several centuries, man has bred dogs to adapt to our environment, making the woods as foreign to them as it is to us.  With no wild dogs around to teach them to locate a food source, these poor, once loved dogs died a slow, lingering death either of starvation or a combination of that and exposure to the elements.

Which brings us to parrots, and the people who would toss their birds out the front door when they have had enough of the noise, the mess or the financial strain. I would prefer to see a bird euthanized, than suffer the fate of those who have been thrown away.

Some people feel that their bird would live a better life if it were free.  I understand this feeling.  There are times when one of my flock is hollering for something, and I, as a human, can’t figure out what it wants.  There are times when they want to come out and play as I am running out the door to work.  I get a case of the guilts often.  Let me assure you, though, that the only chance of survival your released parrot will have is by the intervention of another human, and another cage.

Parrots are not domesticated and still have their wild instincts intact, this is true.  However, in order for your parrot to survive in the great outdoors, it must find another of its OWN SPECIES, if it is lucky enough to be accepted, to show him what and where the possible food sources are.  Wild parrots learn everything they know from their parents and other flock members: what is food and that which is poisonous, how and where to stay warm and safe from predators.  None of these things are hard wired into them, especially if they were captive bred.  Those parrots that were wild caught are no longer in their native land where food sources might be familiar.  They have to find new things to eat that will satisfy their dietary needs, and this requires the help of an experienced bird.

Another huge consideration is the climate.  Our parrots have adapted to the temperatures of our homes and its feathers grow in to insulate it for those temperatures and conditions.  If you were to release your bird in the dead of winter, or the scorching heat of summer, it would likely not last long.

There are flocks of feral quakers and mitered conures scattered throught the US whom have learned to adapt and survive in our country.  These are hardy species who have manged to gather into flocks.  The quakers can be found in the harsh temperatures of the northeast.  Others species of parrots are not as adaptable in these conditions.  The white cockatoos, for instance, do not do as well in the cold as the others in that family.

Several years ago, there were a few different groups of people who released small flocks of parrots (african greys and macaws), with the well intentioned idea of creating larger wild flocks.  They thought it would be wonderful to adapt these species to a wild life in North America.  Not one of these birds was seen again after several days.  With any luck, they located sympathetic humans who took them in.

In the best of situations, where habitat is not being destroyed, life in the wild is no picnic.  It is a continual search for food and nesting spots, under the constant threat of predator attack, in all types of bad weather.  With disease, parasites and daily stresses, and no access to vet care, a wild parrot’s life span is notably shorter than that of their captive counterparts.

If you are unable to cope with your parrots needs, or have the feeling that yours is not thriving in your home, call a rescue for help.  Not only is it illegal to release a non-native species into the wild, but your parrot cannot, and will not, survive.

Photo by Alan Lee

In the early morning hours, as the sun is rising and weather permitting, wild parrots all over the world visit clay licks on tall riverbanks to eat dirt.  This practice has long confounded bird watchers, conservationists and scientists alike, and while all of the benefits of this activity are still a mystery, more and more is being discovered and understood.

Wild parrots forage on plants, their fruits and their seeds as part of  their natural diet.  However, plants naturally produce chemicals, poisons, that protect themselves, their unripened fruits and seeds from violators.  As parrots consume these plants, they can become laden with toxins that can overwhelm their system and interfere with nutrient and mineral absorption.  They get tummy aches.  Their diet is less complete.

Photo by InkaNatura.com

Enter the clay lick.  Not only are the cliffs at the riverbank rich with the minerals that are missing from the parrot’s natural diet, but the clay content in the soil contains some of the same ingredients found in our over-the-counter stomach and digestion ailment products.  Clay coats the intestinal tract and binds to the toxins that have been eaten and passes them through the digestive system so that they are not able to be absorbed into the blood stream.

There are still many questions about the clay licks that go unanswered: for instance, it’s unknown how often a single parrot visits his local clay lick.  It isn’t understood why that, while parrots benefit from a high clay content in riverbank soil, they don’t also ingest other soils that have been tested and shown to have a higher nutritional content.

There certainly isn’t enough knowledge about this behavior for us to be adding clay to OUR parrot’s diets, although some products now include clay in their list of ingredients.  We simply don’t know how much is being safely consumed in the wild.  It makes me wonder what other resources wild parrots and animals are using for medicinal purposes and health benefits that we don’t yet know about.  We owe a huge debt to these pioneers who have taught the human race so much.

Photo by Alan Lee

Field researchers logged in about 1,000 parrots visiting the clay lick in Tambopata, Peru early one morning.  Can you imagine the noise? Most people seem to associate the macaw with clay licks, but, in actuality, there are many species that benefits from them.  Parakeets, amazons, pionus, caiques, african greys, conures, lorikeets and parrotlets are some of the others parrot species that frequent the clay licks as well as many mammals.

Clay licks have become a huge attraction for eco-tourists. There are many eco-tours that make the clay licks a focal point in the tour and lodges have been built locally to house the tourists.  This brings a lot of money into the local economy and helps to support the conservational efforts for these magnificent parrots.

Breakfast time!  There are four macaws, four cockatoos, three parakeets, two cockatiels, one congo african grey, a swainson’s toucan and a quaker waiting patiently for their breakfast every morning.  On the menu today is fruit pasta blend, fresh broccoli, beets, sweet potato, and kale.

Breakfast time is always one of my favorite parts of the day.  I really enjoy the preparation of foods and I love seeing the birds watching everything I do in anticipation of their first meal.  I often let one of the birds be my “helper” for the morning. This day it was Linus, and he “helped” himself to the corn that was actually on the dinner menu.  I learned the hard way to only allow one bird to “help” at a time and to never let my quaker, Libby, the resident bowl flipper, “help” from anywhere but my shoulder.

As much fun as I have in the morning, the kitchen can be a dangerous place.  Hot stovetops, boiling water and sharp knives are often present and create all kinds of potential for accidents.  It’s a good idea not to allow your birds into the kitchen when you have the stove on or have open pots of water boiling. Always be aware of birds toes when you are chopping and don’t leave your sharp knife available as a toy.  My “helper” is often unwilling to sit patiently by while I am chopping and filling bowls, so I have to be very vigilant and careful.

I always try to serve a variety of foods and I cut them up differently everyday to keep it interesting for them.  I try to serve an orange vegetable and dark leafy greens everyday because they are so high in nutrients. I also try to feed favorite foods later in the day.  This way, I am more likely to get them to eat, or at least try, the foods that are in their bowl in the morning when they are the most hungry.  It’s a good strategy for ensuring a nutritional balance.

A couple of my birds are very finicky eaters and sometimes I have to be clever to get new foods into them.  Here are a few tips for getting your picky eaters to try new foods:

• Make food fun! Placing food around the cage, woven or wedged into the cage bars, strung onto skewers, or tossed in whole is a good way to get them playing with their food, which is often the first step to eating it.  Try buying a stalk of Brussel sprouts, a head of cauliflower, or a green pepper and letting them have a ball.
• Make foraging toys out of foods. Try putting nuts into a halved head of cabbage or beneath the leaves of an artichoke (with the pointy parts snipped off).
• If they don’t like it raw, try steaming it and serving it warm. This worked well with Linus, my umbrella, cockatoo.  It was what started the ball rolling and he will now eat his veggies raw as well.

These are ways to let your bird find out that something unidentifiable might be a food.  Unlike a dog, a hungry bird will stay hungry before it will eat something it doesn’t like or recognize.  Eating fresh foods is the most natural thing in the world for your parrot and it should be considered the most important part of her diet.  If you have some picky eaters like I do, give them a fighting chance for a healthy life.  Use your imagination, have fun, and show your parrot the variety that’s available to them.

The move went fairly…smoothly.  There was a last minute change in the date we were to leave which created a bit of chaos for us all, and by us all I mean me.  The six days I thought I had left to finish my packing was shortened to two.  I managed to get most of it done, but I rushed through so much of it that I don’t remember which box contains what.

When they first arrived at my place with the trailer, Dave, always the comedian, came in and looked at the pile of boxes in my living room and just shook his head.  I took that to mean that there was no way it was all going to fit.  I went pale, especially because there was still quite a bit that hadn’t even made its way into the stack in the living room.  When they saw my reaction, the two of them doubled over in laughter.  I was very glad to have been able to amuse them.  I had to forgive Dave after he managed to fit everything in the trailer with room to spare.  That may be his greatest feat of magic to date.

The 18 hour drive went really quickly, mainly because Jamie and Dave are SO fun to hang out with.  We laughed through most of the ride, but they made me drive the whole way.  The birds were amazing – all of them.  I knew and expected theirs to be seasoned travelers, but I expected mine to be pretty stressed with the road trip.  They weren’t.  Of course, they did put Linus in a hermetically sealed, sound proofed plexi-glass carrier, so I can’t say for sure whether he screamed the whole way or not.

The first day at the house went equally as well.  My birds went seamlessly into new cages and all the birds were tolerating each other. Linus, my umbrella cockatoo, was being a little love, and spent a good part of the day out in one of the aviaries.  Theo, my easily spooked goffin cockatoo, thrilled with being tossed up in the air into flight alongside Bandit and Bondi, Jamie and Dave’s Galahs,  and Cressi, their African Grey in the living room.  Never in my wildest dreams did I see that coming on day one.  Libby, my quaker, and the cockatiels did fabulously and just went with the flow.

Yesterday presented a few bumps in the road.  Linus woke up in the morning feeling less than cooperative and gave me a few nice bites on my hand and shoulder.  He was showing signs that he was feeling things were beyond his control and I am feeling badly that I may have pushed him too far and expected too much of him on day one.  I set up his cage from Austin in the bird room.  I prepared his favorite foods and tried to fill his day with things more familiar.  It was not a great day with him, or for him.

Today Linus seems a  bit more willing to interact.  He has stepped up nicely a few times and is no longer threatening the humans in the household.  He definitely seems to feel more comfortable in his own cage.  Lesson learned.  I think that as he settles in and I continue to keep him feeling at ease as best I can, he will be fine.  I’ll post new developments.

*I suppose I should add that we did not actually entomb Linus in his carrier.   It was a moving strategy that was up for consideration but not actually carried out.

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE spending holidays with my birds! They are so much fun and there is some desensitization that comes with sharing the holiday with your parrots. I immediately assumed (so not to be disappointed) that my birds might be scared of the pumpkins I got. Which is why I got three smaller sized ones instead of huge ones.

I spent Halloween Eve carving all the pumpkins with Patty, who also blogs on here. Dave and her helped me along with the designs and I did all the carving and drawings. The parakeets hung out while we did this, and once they were carved Cressi was the official “taste tester”. If she will eat it, they all will! And I knew she’d be the most ambitious about the whole event.

We brought her into the kitchen to have a taste… the STEMS seem to be the biggest hit!

After Cressi approved the pumpkins, I headed out to the aviaries to offer them to the macaws. After the mess she made in the kitchen, I thought that would be the best idea!

I think it helped that my birds had had pumpkin seeds before in the past, and that the stems have wood on them that make them great foot toys and foraging toys, really. As well as shreddable. The newest task for every bird was to peel off all the pumpkin around the stem. Jinx came the closest to accomplishing this.

I offered the pumpkin first on the ground of the aviary, but the birds didn’t seem that interested and thought I just came to play. So I moved it into their dishes and held it in front of them as well so they knew what it was.

Some of you may wonder why I bothered carving them if the birds were just going to destroy them… and I became so attached at one point that when my bird took the first bite out of my design I said, “Oh no!” and Patty luckily pulled me back and said, “We are doing this for them, remember?” so on she went in her destruction…

My military macaw, Cash, was probably the one least interested. So I made sure to take the filling from the other pumpkins and over flow his with guts and seeds to entice him into it.

Of course, Cash started out by eating the seeds from the top, but once he knew the pumpkin had seeds in it, I put it in his dish with the carved out part facing him and the top hidden so that he would have to pull the seeds out from the carved part, thus getting the outer skin and having to destroy the pumpkin to get what he wanted. What a GREAT foraging toy!

This is what that looked like.

So make sure you offer your bird some pumpkins this Halloween and really make the most of it for them, too! Now you don’t have the throw out the seeds or the guts, and you can even let your bird design his own if he’s really good with them!  To see more of our Halloween Birdy pictures, click here.