What do you consider a "normal" bite?

[gregt]

Based on my limited (very) experience with birds, I don't consider it a bite unless it breaks the skin. Anything else is a nibble. ;)

I'm just curious when folks say "bite" what exactly they mean.

As I understand it, many birds will use their beaks to test a new perch (such as your hand) before climbing on, I don't consider that a bite even if mild pressure is used.

Basically to me it's not a bite if it doesn't make your eyes water. :funny:

With Bailey, it's been either nothing or bleeding. No in between. Vicki's got one and I've got three so far. All during situations that are "understandable" IE: High stress. Never out of the blue or for no reason.

Just trying to determine what "normal" is.

[Joe]

Good question. Most birds nibble. I consider a bite as being a sitiation that breaks the skin or causes a scratch. Some bits can break a finger or cause ligament damage, dependinh on how big the bird is and how hard they clamp down. The bites that I have endured have only been superficial ones. I have a friend who has recieved two surgeries to her thumb. A U2 bit her and damaged a tendon on her thumd. She still has numbness after two years.

[Shirley]

I posted this on your other thread.. then realized this is a new thread, so I copied it over here too...

That's how I would have said it...

However, when Dr. Cook, my avian vet, was over for a home visit with Skyler one day, she was playing with Shelby, and Bare-eyed's have a rep for being a bit nippy and very playful, a bit hyper at times. She was sitting at the dining room table and Shelby was hopping all over the table being as cute as she could be, bringing things to Dr. Cook, b/c she had just taught her to do so with the clicker. So, Shelby wanted to bring her EVERYTHING on the table!

Well, she got so excited that she gently grabbed at Dr. Cook's finger. IMO, not a bite. However, Dr. Cook immediately said, No Bite, and turned her back on Shelby and looked completely the other way. Boy was Shelby visibly shocked! She knows what No Bite! means. We say it when she sends us through the ceiling! Well, Dr. Cook said it when she tugged at her finger. I looked quizzically at her and said nothing. About a count to ten later, with Shelby saying in her sweeeeeeetest voice Hi Shelby Hi Sheellllby! Dr. Cook turned around and asked her, "Are you going to play nicely now?" Shelby:" Hmmmmmmmm???" and their play continued. The nip happened again. The behavior from Dr. Cook repeated. etc. again. And then Shelby never nipped again... for another hour of play NO PLAY NIP! OMG!!! big lesson for me! I never thought of stopping the nips THAT early in the game! Well, I guess, why wait til you're bleeding?

I asked her about it later. She said, "first of all, when you have a Moluccan, you don't wait 'til you've been bit hard to teach the bird not to bite. 2ndly, why wait until the bird is that upset?" Good point.

So, with Holly, she isn't allowed to even barely nip me. And she knows it. She has a POWERFUL beak. She reached up one time and pierced the ball of "meat" on my chin. Now that HURT like you wouldn't believe!!! She did it b/c I was talking to the boys while holding her... and I was talking too long to them IN HER OPINION... and she was being held low, but she reached up and made a pierce just above and just below that meaty area of my chin... man did that hurt! And I let her know it! She all but apologized in parrot language, too... she was extra nice all day and just kept bowing her head and saying "hello" in her nicest voice. I think she really was sorry. She hasn't pulled that one again. That was last Christmas; she was 18 mos old.

[Islandzoo]

When Basil bit my finger to the bone and it hurt like #### - I would say that is a bite :eek: was dripping blood and i was crying like a kid :rolleyes:
honesty, that hurt so much.. I guess fingers are really tender cos we have so many nerve endings on them..

[Shirley]

Thus the reason Dr. Cook trains them not to nip... (my post above)

And I'm really sorry you got such a horrible bite! :(

[amazing greys]

I agree, that a real bite is when it tears the skin or breaks the bone :eek: Most bites I've gotten was pinch bites, so never really suffered any real damage unless a beak was getting sharp. Also helps w/bigger birds like Too's, when you beak them w/your fingers to keep your finger in the hook of the beak, lol or else it can hurt if they get a little beaky back and use that lower mandible. (I learned that one real fast, lol)


Shirley, I have used that technique and it works!! Akeela went through her terrible 2's and when she would nip, I would set her on the counter and turn my back, then asked her if she was going to play nice, did some step up's and praised. It also helped to let her know I was not afraid of her bites to get her to be nice. Sometimes I would stick my hand near her to test 'her' and if she was nice I would reinforce our "good gentle" technique (btw Michelle taught me that one ;) ) if she went to nip, I would say "gentle" and she learned how to be nice w/her beak when I remind her to be gentle.

[Shirley]

I agree, that a real bite is when it tears the skin or breaks the bone :eek: Most bites I've gotten was pinch bites, so never really suffered any real damage unless a beak was getting sharp. Also helps w/bigger birds like Too's, when you beak them w/your fingers to keep your finger in the hook of the beak, lol or else it can hurt if they get a little beaky back and use that lower mandible. (I learned that one real fast, lol)


Shirley, I have used that technique and it works!! Akeela went through her terrible 2's and when she would nip, I would set her on the counter and turn my back, then asked her if she was going to play nice, did some step up's and praised. It also helped to let her know I was not afraid of her bites to get her to be nice. Sometimes I would stick my hand near her to test 'her' and if she was nice I would reinforce our "good gentle" technique (btw Michelle taught me that one ;) ) if she went to nip, I would say "gentle" and she learned how to be nice w/her beak when I remind her to be gentle.

Right, Barb! :) And can you explain again what I marked in bold red?

Thanks!

[Shirley]

Good question. Most birds nibble. I consider a bite as being a sitiation that breaks the skin or causes a scratch......

I'm not referring to a nibble as in exploring my finger or touching my finger, I'm referring to grabbing, beaking, a pre-bite kind of bite, the kind of bite that is the nagging kind of bite, the kind of bite that could hurt an elderly person's tender skin or a young child's skin. :)

[gregt]

What's "beaking"?

[Joe]

Some birds like Caiques, Senegals, Lories, Lorikeets, and RB2s user their beek's more than other birds in play, socializng, and to explore for food. This is called nipping, beaking, and who knows what else. Some of these birds may nip as a form of play, then bite really hard seconds later.

[harleybaby]

Sammy does that too. You think he's being all nice and gentle and then wham! I learned fast that no beak is good beak;)

[Jean]

I agree about what a bite is. I have had three "big" cockatoo bites. One CAG bite, a few conure and tiel nibbles.

One was when Elvie was going through his terrible too's, he wanted to play with a
bottle of iced tea I was drinking from. He literally lunged and bit me trying to take it, I used the same theory your Dr Cook did. I told him "NO" in a firm voice and put him in his cage, trying to hold my cry as I walked to the bathroom to clean and dress it. When I returned, I told him he hurt mommy and gave me an owe. He really felt remorse for hurting me. and tried to kiss my band aid. The second bite he gave me was when he lunged for an empty water bottle and my hand was getting ready to give it to him. That one required stitches on my finger.I do not believe he meant to hurt me that time just grabbed the bottle where my finger was wanting to take it away from me. I saw a negative way of his approaching a toy someone was trying to give to him. Again he was told "NO" and put back in his cage. He instantly felt bad about hurting me. Unfortunately, when a larger bird get carried away with expressing his desires or anger in a negative way he can inflict a great deal of harm. The third bite was last February where he went into a jealous rage. He lunged and bit me on my face under near my eye as I viewed a full sized picture of him on my computer screen as I reached to pet my Elvie and he thought I was petting another bird. This is now the newest project we are working together on.


This is where we have worked with Elvie a lot with a treat or extra love time for good behavior. Elvie is as sweet as can be, he is also as full of energy and fun as he can be. His biggest behavior problem is possession of his toys. He has learned to share a lot of them during playtime but still values them as his friend and likes to control them. We continue to work together on this issue.

[SadennaAndFlock]

how I have always viewed it a pinch leaves a bruise and bite draws blood or worse...

[Shirley]

Skyler is very "Beaky" and so are parrotlets. they put their "mouth" on everything when they are with you. And they are very quick about it. They touch things with their beaks. They sometimes are gentle, but sometimes Skyler "chews" on us and it doesn't hurt at all, but if he gets carried away, it can get a bit rough. Chewing isn't like biting and Shelby and Holly don't "chew" on us. In fact, Skyler's the only bird that's ever chewed on us. He sort of grabs our hand or finger and nibbles and then chews and if we don't know when to stop him or redirect his play, then it gets a little rough and could become a bite, but not the same as an intentional bite. It's more like a slow clamp that then gets harder and harder until you pull his head off of you and he's all happy and doesn't realize he was getting too rough.

[Jean]

Shirley, You said the right, :highfive: too's are often that way, they are the cuddle babies and the best chewers. They can very easily get a little rough at play. LOL

[Sue]

I've only had 1 really bad bite form Toto which I suppose is good over 21 years.
Right between the join of my thumb and forfinger, I have 3 lumpy scars. I actually heard a crunch and thought it was a tendon or bone but it wasn't. It bled buckets:eek:

I've had some minor ones over the years and mostly I should have known better, you know when you can tell their mood by their eyes, (Greg, birds have moods just like people:funny: ).

He has gone for Dave twice and on both occasions he had that "wild" look in his eyes.

He scratched the side of his face but it wasn't too bad as I saw it coming and grabbed him in time. The other time he got the fleshy part of Dave's arm at the top and back, he has a scar which I'll try to get a pic later. I think it was a jealousy thing although he loves us both equally, we tried not to make him a 1 person bird.

[Jean]

I think it was a jealousy thing although he loves us both equally, we tried not to make him a 1 person bird.

Sue, You made a good point there. Al and I have done the same with Elvie. He is
bonded to me as his mate however, he loves his daddy very much and gets along with most everyone else. He has bit his dady about 4 or 5 good ones in over 10 years.

[morgavin]

Well I guess you could consider my last post a bite. Read it in Amazing Amazons, Frustrated Amazon. Don't laugh too hard

[amazing greys]

sometimes Skyler "chews" on us and it doesn't hurt at all, but if he gets carried away, it can get a bit rough. Chewing isn't like biting and Shelby and Holly don't "chew" on us. In fact, Skyler's the only bird that's ever chewed on us. He sort of grabs our hand or finger and nibbles and then chews and if we don't know when to stop him or redirect his play, then it gets a little rough and could become a bite, but not the same as an intentional bite. It's more like a slow clamp that then gets harder and harder until you pull his head off of you and he's all happy and doesn't realize he was getting too rough.

Shirley, that's exactly what I was refering to about beaking w/Turk. He does the same thing if he gets too beaky and does clamp harder. I am VERY careful when we play like that. He loves to get his beak rubbed and I also give kisses that way. I will hold his beak to kiss him, and do this over and make it a kissy game. He sometimes will push back as if to say, well, kiss me again, hehehe Since then, I have trusted him to go give kisses w/out holding his beak, just have to be cautious about 'when' you do it ;)

[Xakana]

The 'turn your back' technique (after a really dirty look and "no bite") worked with Dionysus as well. Her bites hurt a ton worse than any other bite I've received (and Shadow once pierced my lip and hung from it after leaping off his cage to attack me on new year's eve night) from grey, macaw, cockatoo, quaker, cockatiel, or budgie. Teaching her not to bite was imperative! But for some reason, it only worked for me. Anyone else trying it with her has not met with success. But I'm glad it worked for me!

~Xak

[Majj]

I get nipped when playing with Sunny if he gets excited but I would call a real bite broken skin and blood ...which I have had only occassionally ..once when trying to put a harness on Sunny ..lol..:eek:
Sunny is good about giving warning nips and I know that he is not in the mood and if we keep going I will really get bitten ..Buddy hasn`t bitten us yet though he will bop his head up and down playing nipping with my hand:agree: ...
I would be scared to have a BIG BEAKED fid play like I play with The boys ...
This was a I am not happy with you Mum Nip :rotflmao: he pressed hard and it hurt but he let go and ran away ..lol..:wavey:

[Jean]

OUCH ! how dare our birds stretch our wrinkles. :rofl: