cricket has been extremely crabby lately and i don't know why. he has never bitten me in the 2.5 years i've had him. i didn't think he knew HOW to bite... until recently.

i don't know why he has begun biting me... all the time. he askes to be picked up, i hold out my hand and he latches on to my finger and shakes his head while screaming. at first i would just walk away but lately i've been making him step up all while he's attacking my hands.

he asks for a kiss, i lean in and he latches on to my lip and shakes his head while screaming. i thought maybe he was becoming cage aggressive so after i took the bites while getting him to step up i'd take him to the couch with me but all he does once we're seated is bite at my fingers.

i don't keep my nails long or painted. i don't wear jewelery. i just don't know whats wrong but it's starting to affect my relationship with him because i don't want to pick him up anymore.

but the guilt sets in because i'm avoiding him so we go thru the process all over again.

tonight i went too far because i was so upset with him. he was hanging on his cage door and asking in his sweet voice "wanna come here?" i naturally held my hand out and he attacked my fingers again.

except this time, out of frustration, i pushed the door closed. i didn't mean to hurt him, just scare him (which i know is wrong too) but he wasn't hanging on to the middle of the door, he was too close to the edge so when i pushed the door closed, it closed on his neck.

i didn't push the door hard. it wasn't hard enough to hurt him but i feel ABSOLUTELY horrible! he's not judging me because he's sitting on my computer right now preening my fingers while i try to type but i could have killed him!

i can't stop crying. i don't know what to do. i know i can't take my anger out on him. obviously something is wrong with him but i don't want to ignore him either. i don't want to give him up... i LOVE him SO much but i want him to be happy too and if that means having to give him up, so be it. i don't want to hurt him again... or scare him.

HELP... please.

Oh Kris, don't beat yourself up so bad. He's ok. He loves you and its just fall "crazys". My quaker is 5 and he's a sweetheart to me, but has been biting me like crazy lately. I think its fall hormones. Try turning your back on him when he bites you or trys to bite you. Years ago Simie bit one of our Budgies, he didn't know any better, and bit off a toe. I wanted to toss him out the door. But I didn't. I was very disqusted with him for a day then with myself for weeks for feeling like that. They are just being birds. Hope you are ok and it will be alright, give him time he's 2. It may be that he's getting territorial about his cage, try using a pencil to pick him up instead of your hands, my daughter does this and he doesn't bit her that way. Another thing it could be is that you react so much when he bites that he is finding it to be a game. Quakers love it when you yell and wave your hands around. They think its a great time. Loud noises are wonderful and he's making you give a reaction, its what he wants. So don't give any. Don't put your face by him for a while and don't react if he bites, yes its very hard to do. Just remove his beak and leave. No sound and no reaction = not a fun game. My husband won't listen to me and Simie has learned that he can make him holler if he bites him, so he bites him to hear him holler.

Ok read the post ' Wow, Clyde Is Sybil In A Bird Suit Tonight ' we all have this problem sometimes.

Oh, Dear Kalipso 2...dry your tears *handing you a kleenex*
I'm sorry I can't offer any insight into why Cricket is crabby so instead I will try to comfort you...
Take a big deep breathe and let it out slowly. Pamper yourself in some way tonight and try to stop feeling guilty. We all have "bad" days and the great thing about life is that the next day is always better.
Its so great that you recognize that you acted in a way that you don't like today but tomorrow you can try harder to act in a way that you want towards Cricket. Obviously he has forgotten already the little incident and you should grant yourself the same!
You are a great Quaker Mom! (make that your mantra for a few days).
Hope Cricket comes around soon and realizes its not in his best interest to bite you!
Take good care,
Heather (hlm584)

Mine has been having bitey moods lately, too. I'ts hard not to react, so don't beat yourself up. Now when she gives me a hard bite, I just turn and walk out of the room and leave her to herself for a while. When I come back, she's a sweetie again.

oh kris, i'm so sorry to read this. i understand the guilt you feel, because i feel guilty when the noise gets too much for me. i mean, they're birds for pete's sake, what do they know about quiet? they do what comes naturally, and noise is one of those things. but sometimes, wow, louie makes my ears bleed. he gets so loud and rowdy, and i can't understand why. or he gets bitey when i try to love on him (and he doesn't give a warning like zu does), and that hurts my feelings. but i agree, it's good that you can recognize you snapped so that you don't do it again. sometimes they just get weirded out for no apparent reason, and while you know there's a legitimate birdy reason, a human mind may not be able to wrap itself around the reason.

all you can do is what you've learned - do what you can to minimize your reaction and hope he learns how boring mom is, but don't give up on him. he will be back to his sweet cricket self soon, and you may well never know what caused his quakerzilla attitude. each day is a new beginning, so do try to start over new every day - hard as it can be, no grudges allowed

kris

Oh, you must feel so bad! Yikes! Well, I had this experience with my quaker about a year and half ago. It was BAD, he left scars on my fingers. Very cage agressive. I talked the vet and she suggested to avoid the behavior from happening in the first place. I began opening the door and not trying to take him out, just sit and talk to him. If he had to come out for cleaning, I toweled him and moved him to his T-perch. It helped somewhat, but not completely. Then I bought him a MUCH bigger cage, put a ton of fun toys and ropes and made a jungle of toys in there. I began toweling him and for as long as he could go without biting, he got to play in the big cage and got good treats. If he started getting nasty, i simply put him back in the old smaller cage. He started to get the point. Also, since that period of nasty attitude, I have never allowed him to shoulder perch. Completely lost that privilege when he bit my lip and cheek. Don't want to lose an eye! He's a sweetie pea now and havent had a problem in over a year, but still no more shoulder perching.

They sell something online called a buddy perch that is a handheld perch with a guard on it so they can't bite your hand while you hold them, so it avoids the behavior. My vet also strongly suggested clicker training.

Kris, try not to beat yourself up for this. You've acknowledge it, now move on to trying to figure out what is causing the change in Cricket.

He's 2.5 years old, which is about the age that Quakers reach full sexual maturity (they can breed younger then that, but they shouldn't). It's like the terrible twos. IT could also be the change in season...some birds are more touchy with the season changes.

Why not take a few steps back and start by offering him treats from your hand...if he takes them nicely, then reward him with lots of praise. If he tries to bit, walk away and don't give him the treat. Sit and talk to him next to his cage. Treat him like he's a brand new bird in your house. And you're starting from square one.

As hard as it is, don't avoid him, because then that is just going to cause more problems. There are also some rules that you should follow:

1) Cricket shouldn't be allowed on your shoulder at any time;
2) No kisses....you don't want to have a bit lip;
3) Use a perch, or ladder to get him to step up from his cage onto, then reward him with lots of praise when he does. He may balk at the perch/ladder if he isn't trained to it, but he does know how to step up and you can make him step up onto it by pushing the perch/ladder into his tummy area, and blocking his exit from behind (cause he'll try to run).

Hopefully some of this helps.

Hang in there...with any luck it's just the change in season/hormones and he'll be back to his loving self again soon.

Most critters are very forgiving of occasional lapses on the part of their humans. Cricket probably IS hormonal or molting or upset by the change in seasons even if neither of the other things is happening. Just keep telling him not to bite and if he does, put him back on his cage and leave him there and when he's being good, tell him so.

Don't give up on yourself or him . This is a phase and will pass. Think of your little adolescent bird as an adolescent son or daughter-- they can get downright evil as tweens! It's a normal part of life. Don't take it personally!
Hugs to you

thank you, everyone, for your support. it means a lot to me but i still feel horrible. i need to figure out what to do from this point on... whether to start perch training or just walking away when he tries to bite.

i knew he was entering his sexual prime but i thought he'd only show "symptoms" in the spring. i had no idea that their behavior can be wacky in the fall too.

i thought maybe he was molting... and he is just a little, not a bad molt though... but he asks for a bath when he's itchy and he has been asking for them more recently. he doesn't like me helping out with the pin feathers so he knows i wouldn't preen him.

*sigh* i need to focus on my patience and pray that my sweet boy returns soon!

Sorry to say, but this type of QP behavior happens. It is hard not to react! Sometimes it is really hard.

One time my QP looked like he wanted to come out, and he climbed to the door to step-up. I put out my hand and he Bit me, Hard! I reacted without thinking, and pushed the door closed. Now it didn't hurt him but the fact that the door flew back so fast almost made him fall. I felt Horrible!

But later I realized it was an eye opener :: When my QP get's like this he needs his step-up perch to come out. If he behaves himself by not biting when he's out, then I will hold and play with him like normal. But if he tries to nip, he goes straight back to his cage. The lesson :: Good bird's get played with and naughty one's go back to their cage, until they start to behave!

Now for some background on my QP :: He has Never been allowed on my shoulder, he has a a fairly large cage, and he has three playpens/ T-perches. The newest playpen seems to help with his behavior. It is an Avian Adventures Recreation Center.

There is nothing better than this playpen :: It is powder-coated, and has wheels so you can move it around, Manzanita perches, a pull-out tray to make it easier to clean (very important for bird's!), a wire grill so your bird cannot climb down into it's own "mess", and holder's for toy's, unlike most that have toy attachment that leaves the toy below the top perch where most bird's tend to sit. I searched for more than 10 year's for a playpen that actually works. Now I've found one!

Besides the playpens & T-perch I also have a small stand to pick up my birds. This is made out of a normal dowel, as well as two half inch thick & 5 inch long slices of cheap wood, and a block of wood at the bottom allows you to sit it on a table or counter. Now I do wish that it was made out of Manzanita, and acrylic to make it easier to clean, but I can honestly say that I use this perch Every day. It is a Life Saver when you need to get an angry bird out of their cage for wing clipping.

(That's when they are Angry & Moody because their wings have grown out, and they need their wing's clipped, but you cannot get them due to their Mood!)

I suggest not letting your bird on your shoulder, ever, and getting a small t-perch that you can use to get your bird out of their cage. Remember to get one with a bottom so you can sit it on a table after your bird is out. Oh, and Keep You Bird Clipped!

An unclipped QP is usually a contributing factor for this aggressive behavior. Most of the time your QP's behavior will Change as soon as they are clipped. Don't forget to get a small T-Perch and start using it to remove your bird from the cage.

Last Tip :: Hold the T-Perch at the bottom where you cannot be bit by your bird. This is most important!

I never use my hand to get my birds out of the cage. Part of it is due to the fact that I might get bitten. We are talking about two birds in a cage so they have a pecking order if you know what I mean. I can put my hands in the cage to slean and whatever but unless it is a dire emergancy, I will never have them come out of the cage on my hand. It often turns in a game of cat and mouse.

I use a buddy perch. It is a great tool and the girls LOVE it. It is sold and probably easier to perch on then a hand or finger.

Here is a link to the Video I made about the Buddy Perch in the Photo Gallery of the forum.

http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.p...si&img=5816

thanks, Jennifer! i loved the video.

I know Mater gets this way sometimes and so does missy, I just chalk it up to them being in a bad mood or something didn't sit right with them during the day.. I just leave them alone and when they are ready to come out with out biteing they normally will...
Don't feel guilty about it, it happens sometimes..
(((((HUGS)))))

Chewy has been a little pain in the rear lately....I'm not "his" person anyway, but I think he's mad because I'm not home during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday....I'm at my parents house, babysitting my niece. Today he's been okay. The problem is, when he bites me I get frustrated and upset and Zach tries to get me to pick him up but I don't want to handle the birds when I'm not in a good mood for it. So I go into the other room for awhile, then come back and talk to Chewy, see how he responds...and if he doesn't want to be picked up, I don't. There's no benefit in picking him up when I KNOW he's going to bite me.