by Elizabeth Armstrong-Brown

Created on: December 31, 2008   Last Updated: August 11, 2010

Have you ever been bitten by your parrot? Have you tried to figure out why you were bitten? Are you now afraid of your parrot biting you again? Do you want to hold your parrot with the confidence that he will never bite you again?

Once you have been bit, it is hard to be comfortable around your parrot. It takes an affirmative mind set and it is best to return with some understanding of the parrot's behavior.

As unbelievable as it may seem, it is actually quite easy to put a stop to parrot biting! It's as simple as just understanding your parrot's behavior!

Did you know that one of the most common reasons that your parrot will bite you is because you are trying to make the parrot do something that he does not want to do?

Have you ever been bitten by your parrot when you are trying to get him to step off your shoulder? Or perhaps, you want to spend time with your parrot and you reach into his cage to get him and he bites you?

Well firstly, parrots love high places and your shoulder is the perfect height for them so, no, your parrot is not going to want to leave your shoulder, and secondly, just because you want to spend time with your parrot right now, doesn't mean that your parrot wants to spend time with you right now.

Do you see how these common mistakes on our part as humans can upset our parrots? Some of the other common reasons that your Parrot will bite you are:

• Fear

• Frustration

• Hormones

• Molting

• Territorial

• Jealousy

You will need to learn how to read the subtle behavior signs that your parrot gives you to warn you that he is not happy and is preparing to bite. Being able to recognize these signs will enable you to not only understand your parrot's behavior better, but also realize what the triggering factors are that lead up to a bite, and of course will help prevent your parrot from actually biting you!

How many times have you noticed your parrot pinning his eyes or fluffing out his feathers when you want him to do something? These are just some of those warning signs that your parrot is telling you to back off!

The worst thing that you could ever do is to ignore those warning signs! What happens next is that your parrot will bite you and you will flinch and/or scream out in pain. Remember, parrots enjoy comic antics! You have now taught your parrot that if he bites you, he will receive a show! You have just taught your parrot that he will be rewarded with your loud vocalizations whenever he bites you.

Did you know that placing your parrot in a round cage is a surefire way of setting him up to be a nervous parrot? Nervous parrots like to bite to protect themselves! But why would a parrot be nervous if placed in a round cage? It's simple, in a round cage a parrot does not have a corner to which he can feel protected and secure. Many experts discourage owners from buying round cages as this disorientates the bird and makes them anxious. Your parrot will literally be going around in circles' in its own cage and this can make them quite irritable!

By learning to understand your Parrot's behavior you will no longer be nervous of your Parrot being around your family and friends and you will be able to trust your Parrot to behave and not to ever bite. Your Parrot, in turn, will have learnt to rely on you to understand him better and a loving bond will have been created between the two of you!

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