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Post by siobhan on Jul 31, 2014 18:19:15 GMT -5
YOU may think they're biting for no reason, but they DO have one. Every time. You may not know what it is and you probably wouldn't agree with it if you did know, but they have a reason. Here are some of ours:
Clyde bites me if one of the others distracts my attention from him. Reason: Jealousy. He bites me if I should be doing something he wants me to do and I don't do it, even if I have no idea I should be doing something. He bites to make me stop doing something, even if he asked me to do it (e.g., scritching his head -- when he's had enough, he bites me to make me stop). He bites me when he's preening and finds a knot in his feathers. I don't know why. LOL He bites me when he's grumpy because I'm there.
Jade bites because she has a troubled background and doesn't know how else to interact. She tries, but she's confused and her default setting is biting.
Both are rescues.
Of the three tiels, only Freddie really bites and he does it to establish his dominance. He was hand-raised and I've had him from 8 weeks old, but in the pecking order, he's about midway down and desperate to keep his spot. Johnny bats me with his beak when he wants me to stop doing something (like putting him to bed, LOL) and Greta does that, too, but usually her thing is "You are NOT finished scritching my neck yet!" (even if I think I am, LOL).
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Post by baconfamily on Aug 4, 2014 23:17:34 GMT -5
I had a 4 year old Quaker a few years ago that was hand fed and loved to be out and about with his owner. I got him because she was having a baby and did not want to deal with the bird anymore. He was a great bird until we upgraded his cage. We got him a bigger cage and he went crazy. he started biting everyone for no reason. He would climb off his cage and charge across the room to my son on the floor and bite his neck as hard as he could. We had to find him a home with someone that could deal with his biting. He would find my kids anywhere in the house to bite them. I am not sure why. Once we gave him back his old cage he stopped biting me but still went after the kids. My new Quaker I got him at 4 weeks old and so far he does not bit unless he wants me to stop doing something *like messing with his wings or feet,
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Post by laura on Sept 22, 2014 22:44:23 GMT -5
hi all,
to the original question of if it makes a difference between hand raised with one owner and rescues my opinion is that it depends on the season, day, situation and mood of the quaker in question! I have had both my quakers since they were 2 weeks old, i hand fed them myself and raised them with all the best instructions i could get and trained them from the time they could walk - they still bite me on rare occasions but will go for my husband if he is in the vicinity (strange because he helped to raise them!). they bite if i am not paying them enough attention but mostly it is during spring/breeding season when their little hormones go into overdrive that they start to bite for no reason and are overly sensitive to EVERYTHING! For example, it is spring now in Australia and this morning gypsie stepped up really nicely onto my hand but after a moment she decided to chomp down on my wrist - HARD. i was bleeding. this is so rare that i bleed from them but there was no warning and she was normal again within minutes - freak attack!
so i do not believe that it is totally about their upbringing but depends a lot on how well their humans are trained (and stick to that training!)
laura.
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Post by biteybird on Sept 23, 2014 4:04:24 GMT -5
Hey Laura, Hi from another Aussie! We are in Melbourne and have a Blue Quaker called Bonnie. She nips/bites now and then but I reckon it is just because she wants to play. She really enjoys being roughed up and seems to get carried away at times.
Incidentally, do you know of anyone in Melbourne that would babysit a QP if we decide to have a week-long holiday in Tasmania now and then? If you do, tell them we'd look after theirs in return! Welcome to the Forum, by the way!
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Post by siobhan on Sept 23, 2014 16:35:45 GMT -5
I assure you that no critter bites for "no" reason. They have a reason. It may not be apparent to the human, but they have a reason. I have eight birds comprising five species, a leopard gecko, two dogs, three fish and uncountable snails. I've had chickens, cats, a pony, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, mice and a skunk. Animals bite because they feel threatened; because they're frightened or startled; because they want you to stop doing something and have tried to tell you with body language and you missed it or ignored it; because you're messing with their stuff or their babies or their eggs in the case of birds; because they're sick or in pain and on a hair trigger as they would have to be in the wild to defend themselves; because they're used to ill treatment and don't trust you to not hurt them.
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Post by biteybird on Sept 23, 2014 18:52:57 GMT -5
I agree. I think Bonnie does it sometimes when she thinks we haven't paid her enough attention or we didn't let her out when SHE wanted to come out (in other words she is making us pay for a perceived transgression!). Yes, the body language is different and us poor humans need to train ourselves to be more observant.
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Post by laura on Sept 23, 2014 20:26:38 GMT -5
oh I agree too - I probably shouldn't have said 'no reason' - perhaps I should have said for reasons I am not sure of or that they become more territorial of their cage/surroundings/humans/toys etc. when they become hormonal in spring and the things i normally do (like change food bowls or toys) get me chomped BIG TIME... I do try to watch their body language and be more careful during these times but sometimes it really does come out of the blue (little pun - they are blue quakers!)
I have one of Barbara's DVD's on body language and am buying her book tomorrow but I also think that things have changed quite a bit with their behaviour in the last 2 years (they are no longer babies, sniff!) and since we have moved a couple of times and the family dynamics have been changing... I will have to brush up on my learning and train myself as much as them!!
Hi Biteybird! I am sorry to say that I don't know of anyone in Melbourne - I am in Brisbane and don't really even know anyone here! maybe that could be a thread or post? asking if anyone is in your area? although in the old forum there was a section for it - i haven't yet explored the new forum since i came back!
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Post by biteybird on Sept 23, 2014 21:59:54 GMT -5
Funny, I'm in Brisbane until Saturday (staying with friends in Deception Bay). Thanks, I'll start a new thread if I find the right spot to do it! I think I need to check Barbara's DVDs too...I don't know when Bonnie will no longer be a baby (she is 9-10 mths old now) and I don't know when their hormones start to kick in, so best to be prepared.  |
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Post by nikib5 on Sept 30, 2014 9:45:47 GMT -5
Niki is 19, was handfed, and has always bitten for what seems like "no apparent reason." I've come to understand some of his reasons though. When it's a word that excites him, he will make like he's going to bite, I think it is just his way of expressing himself. I even tease him about it. I say "niki no bite" in a gentle way and he bobs his head and mock bites or "air bites". I learned quickly to keep my distance when saying certain words or moving too suddenly. The times I don't move fast enough, most times he will just push at my finger or hand and not actually bite it. This is a very interesting topic and I've always wondered if Niki was unique. If he does manage to bite me harder than he knows he should, he always acts like he feels bad about it.
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Post by biteybird on Sept 30, 2014 10:36:56 GMT -5
If he does manage to bite me harder than he knows he should, he always acts like he feels bad about it. Ha! Yes, when Bonnie goes too far with nipping I hold her in my fist upside down (she doesn't seem to mind this though) and say "No!". Then she looks intently at me and does one slow blink. I could swear she actually looks embarrassed for a few seconds! Then, about a minute later, Her Rudeness is back to her chaotic self...  |
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