Re: New Parrotlet

General Specific wrote:

> The only problem I have, besides my wife griping that I stole her
> bird, is the biting.  He gets on my neck and just sinks his beak in!
> 
> I tell him no and put him away when he won't stop.  Other than that, I
> don't know how to train him to stop.

Perhaps the breeder sold you a vampire bat instead of a parrotlet ;-)

Actually some parrots are vampires  I've seen films of wild conures 
feeding on cattle by biting their backs and licking the blood.

It may be your parrot doesn't realize your neck is part of you.  It's 
not unusually for a bird to only consider a human's head as the part 
they bond to.   They can think of hands as separate creatures (not 
unlike serpents) which are independent of the head.  They may also think 
of the rest of your torso (including shoulders and neck ) as just a soft 
tree to perch on and nibble at.   My advice would be that when your bird 
bites your neck to immediately move your head rapidly to brush him off 
your neck and simultaneously give a sharp scream of pain.  You need to 
make your bird aware that you (your head) doesn't like him biting your 
neck.  Removing the bird with your hands won't  have the same effect. 
He'll just think is those pesky serpents that stuff him in his cage 
doing their usual thing and not realize that his biting your neck caused 
it.

I have a "rescue" blue crown conure which when I got him was terrorized 
of human hands, but was immediately willing to sit  on my shoulder and 
cuddle my neck and head like I was a long lost friend. He's never bitten 
my face or neck.  After living with me for six years and sleeping nearly 
  every night cuddled against my head he still screams if move my hand 
rapidly near him, but if I move slowly he'll "step up" onto the back of 
my hand or finger without protest.  If I wrap my palm around him even 
lightly he still attacks my fingers aggressively.  I suspect he was 
handled roughly when he was young and I doubt he'll ever get over it, 
but if I keep my hands away he's my most cuddly and affectionate bird.

In most cases you don't "train" a bird to do anything.  It's usually 
more successful to modify your own behavior so the unpleasant situations 
don't occur.   Most birds have a strong desire for companion****p but 
they have an even stronger instinct to prevent themselves from being 
injured.  Parrots bite for two reason.  One is to protect them selves 
from a perceived danger.  It seem unlikely to me that  your bird would 
find your neck to be a threat.   The other is if they mistake an object 
as potential food rather than part of a friend.    I expect that is the 
case you have with your parrotlet. Parrots chew on just about anything 
to "test" it as potential food and in the case of harder objects to keep 
their beaks sharp and in the proper shape.

Reality is that your neck is edible for a parrot.  Offer your parrot a 
little piece of raw steak and watch what happens.  All of my parrots 
enjoy tidbits of meat occasionally.