My parakeet bites my hand. Is he playing or being aggressive?

It is possible he's a bit bored or anxious, and that's why he's continuing to bite you even with training. You can try offering him a treat or toy to put into his mouth while you handle him to give him a chance to bite down on that instead of nibbling on you! Keeping him on your arms away from your face or shoulders and away from perches where he can reach down and bite you may also help reduce it. If the behavior continues, talking to a local animal behaviorist near you may also help. It's also a good idea to rule out any health issues if the biting came on suddenly, or if you're noticing any other changes in behavior or health status.

Thanks for reaching out about Sky. Despite what many people may think, birds are not supposed to bite readily. They come to learn to bite when the other forms of their body language are not seen/listened to by others, including owners (and veterinarians!). I would recommend looking at Sky's body language and your actions in situations - both before she tries to bite and when she is trying to bite. You may see that Sky tries to move away, or leans away, prior to trying to bite. It may be that Sky has not had any good or non-frightening experiences with humans yet so she doesn't know how friendly you are trying to be. I would recommend moving very slowly, and using food items that Sky likes to eat to help start to form a bond with her. When you start to move towards Sky, and there are no signs of avoidance (see above), then she gets a treat that she really likes. If she shows any signs of avoidance, then you just move away - you leaving may be her reward, and that is okay because you haven't pushed her so much that she feels like she needs to be desperate enough to bite. For training, you may want to start by asking her to step up using a stick or wooden dowel instead of your finger. This will be more safe for you, and may be more comfortable for Sky initially as well. There are videos online that give training tips as well - I would recommend searching for positive reinforcement videos as these tend to be very successful for birds. I hope this gives you a place to start, and good luck with Sky!

Thanks for reaching out and including photos. Training birds can be difficult, especially as they reach sexual maturity. Continue with the training process and establish a dominance hierarchy with you primary. A book titled "A Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" is a good start. Good luck.

Biting can happen if Bright is feeling stressed or scared, or just isn't tame enough yet to be handled. If she lives with other birds, it could be she is more bonded to them so may not bond with you as closely. A good start is to offer her favorite treat every time you approach the cage, by tossing it inside. Once she is more used to you coming by, you can then start to offer it from your hand, and then continue working on taming her from there. If at any time she becomes stressed out or bites, taking a break to let her relax and trying again later can help. It can take time for a bird to get used to their owner, so patience is key. Making sure Bright isn't too stressed out from her cagemates, and that she has plenty of fresh food, water, and toys to play with can help as well.

Birds can sometimes bite or nibble if they're exploring something, and may also bite if they are feeling stressed out or unsafe in the situation. If Cheeya is just nibbling or exploring, she may just be checking out her environment. Adding in some new toys, offering her a treat or moving her to something safe she can chew on may help with this behavior. If she's biting aggressively, it may be she isn't feeling safe in the situation or is overstimulated. Giving her some time to calm down and relax in her cage or another quiet area, and then trying to interact again can help her settle down. If she does get rowdy, the time out can also let her know that the fun stops when she gets too naughty.

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about Champ's biting. Parrots are complex and intelligent animals, and sometimes it can be difficult to figure out why they exhibit certain behaviors. Luckily, Champ is a young bird, and can hopefully be shown that hands are not threatening or dangerous. One of the most important pieces of advice I can give you when training a bird is to be very cautious about punishing him for biting. Yelling, scolding, or hitting a bird for biting will only reinforce whatever fear he has of your hands, and give him more reason to bite. Some birds are also very protective of their cage, so entering his cage first thing in the morning when he is still groggy may be startling for him. Try giving him some time to wake up and exit the cage on his own time before attempting to handle him. Try approaching with a food item slowly, and allow him to take it from you, if he wants. Once he is taking the food item without hesitation, try putting your hand next to him while giving him the food item with your other hand. Then, put your hand between him and the food item (so he has to get on your hand to reach it). Champ will probably get off your hand immediately the first few times, but don't be discouraged. It will take some time to build up trust. Even after he is getting on your hand with regularity, there will be times where he will still try to bite you. This is just the way birds are. The best thing you can do is completely ignore him when he bites you. Birds do crave attention, and if he starts to associate biting with being ignored, hopefully the incidence will decrease. Be patient, consistent, and remember - birds are very smart, and understand more than you think. If you're upset, he will know. Do your best to stay calm, use a soothing voice, and only reward behaviors that you deem acceptable. Never force him to do anything he doesn't want to do, and he will learn to trust you. Good luck, and I hope that you and Champ develop a life-long friendship!

Thanks for reaching out about Peekaboo. Not all birds get along but can often be trained to get along. Suspect this is more dominance that anything else. Allow to interact in neutral territory so no one is defending their home territory. Allow to interact with plenty of feeding stations and for short periods of time, to get acclimated to each other. Good luck.