Biting Issue(?)

[nikku]

My budgie has recently started biting me. A couple weeks or so ago was when he first started and while it wasn't the first time he bit me hard, it was the first time he did it (seemingly) out of nowhere. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt because we don't speak the same language and I've heard that birds only bite hard if you've done something wrong, but the first time he did it I didn't do anything to him! (I was on my laptop with my headset on. He likes flying and sitting on my mic and that's what he did that day, but then he suddenly bit my nose! It made me actually exclaim in pain.  )

One quick answer online said biting is a bird's way of showing affection, but is that true? Even when they bit hard? I thought he was mad at me for something at first, but he's still interacting with me as usual sometimes. The bites have become more frequent, but he's still sometimes playing nice, so I'm a little confused about his moods...

[ffiscool]

How old is he? A lot go through the biting stage when they’re still under a year. It’s not affection if they bite hard, but testing boundaries I think. You need to be firm when he does it, say no, put him back on/in his cage etc.

They do grow out of it.

[tweetiepiesmom]

I believe what ffiscool said is true - many budgies go through a biting phase. You'll see many people say to ignore it because if you take the budgie off you, you are really giving him what he wants and just reinforcing the behavior. Personally, I think if you ignore it, you're telling him its OK. As Hezz posted to me when Buddy went through his bitey stage, if it were a puppy you wouldn't ignore it. What she told me (which worked beautifully) make the ack ack noise that budgies make when they are angry and immediately put him off you. Since he does like being on you, he'll see that as a correction in his behavior. After 2 or three times doing that, Buddy stopped biting. Now sometimes he just does light kissing nibbles.

Good luck.

[Hezz]

I’ll just add to what TPM’s written and say that you did do something wrong … in his eyes, or brain … you ignored him! Not acceptable in the bird world, so now he needs to learn that he is not the be-all and end-all of your days, and be prepared that he will try to push that boundary. If he doesn’t get the message straight off, consider limiting his time on your shoulder (or mic) if he makes a habit of nipping you because you are not paying him any attention. Two things work here: when you are working you cannot give him the attention that he wants and so he does what he would do to get another bird’s attention - nip. So while working limit the time he sits with you and encourage him to be independent. Then, when you have a break or are finished and can give him your attention, bring him to you and interact with him one-on-one. He will appreciate your full attention and you will also be able to, hopefully, learn to read his body language and be proactive rather than reactive in preventing his bites.

Nibbles are definitely signs of affection; bites and nips are not.