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So, your sweet baby bird is biting and you're at your wits end...what do you do?
Many baby Green Cheeks will go through a biting stage during different periods of their lives. I do
know from our experience with many different pet Green cheeks that they do stop this biting if it is correctly handled.
I have had people ask me how long will it last? That is like you asking my how long will your child
whine. The answer depends on how the parent handles it and on the individual makeup of the child. Same with a Green cheek.
I am not there to see what you do and how consistent you are with your reaction. I can tell you what has worked for us and
others who have had our babies for a few years.
The first may begin soon after you bring your baby home. Do not think that he hates you and loved his
hand-feeder or any of that nonsense! Just know that he is going through a “teething stage” and you’re the
“teether!!” and that it’s going to hurt a couple times!! You need to teach your new baby the difference
between "beaking" and "biting." This stage reminds me of puppies who are rough housing on mom and all of it is acceptable,
until all of a sudden she growls and snaps at them. She does this when a puppy gets out of hand, BITES instead of nibbles
and she lets him know it is unacceptable. I am not saying you should growl and snap! You do need to teach them no.
It is important that you buy your baby from a breeder who is willing to help you through this stage
with guidance and a breeder who starts the process of teaching them unacceptable bites right from the start of their weaning.
I know as a breeder, you have to start this during the handfeeding stage. Our babies have gotten better and better as far
as the initial nipping stage, the longer we have done this. Ask your breeder if he/she is going to help you on down the road
as your baby matures. I get so many calls from bird buyers who say their breeder will not talk to them any longer.
The wrong ways to teach a bird "no" is by hitting them, yelling at them or by the means you see when
a person loses self control in anger. The right ways will be discussed below. Anger does not produce righteousness in humans
(so says God in His Word) nor in birds (so says me).
The next nipping of a Green Cheek usually occurs when they are almost 2 and are becoming hormonal or
reaching sexual maturity.
One lady says, “My Rocky was a little monster when going through the "terrible twos." When
I first got him, he was the sweetest little baby...and then he changed. One minute he would be his sweet cuddly self,
and the next a biting machine. It was awful. I sustained some bad bites...one to my nose that bled horribly.
I talked to some people and they told me to be patient, not to give up. They were right.
This
is what I did...I learned what would set him off. Mainly, if I was holding something SHINY like car keys or if I had
plastic grocery bags (what I was holding when he bit my nose). For some reason I was not to have these and they were
HIS. He loved to attack the bags and the keys. Also, if he was thirsty or hungry, he would nibble on my lips,
but sometimes a little too hard. I drove out of state to visit some family and took Rocky. I decided
that in the new environment I would take action. If he bit, I would let him flutter to the counter, or even the floor,
and walk away. Sometimes I would even shut the door. I would leave him for maybe 30 seconds at the most.
I could hear him crying and when I went back he would quickly hop back on to me. He was scared in the new environment.
I continued this at home. I don’t know this method is why he quit biting or if he just outgrew it, but
he RARELY bites now. Even if he is hungry, he gently nibbles my lips. He has turned into a great pet, and I couldn’t
love him more.”
You get so many stories like that of people who have little “biting machines” that turn into “a
great pet.” Like this lady did, figure out what sets your bird off. It may be nothing…some Green Cheeks will just
get wound up and then…watch your nose! They will get over it. Green cheeks are very playful and get overly
wound up and lose self control too. I do KNOW that they mature and work into wonderful pets though. We have completely trusted
ours; enough to pass them around to dear elderly folks at the retirement homes and to little children. Both of these are folks
I would never want to see bitten. It takes consistent handling.
Another lady says that the “turn your back and walk away” is a good way and she also says,
“Cover the cage for a few minutes when you go to your baby out, tell him to “be gentle” and she said it
works like a charm. The key is to be consistent and use the words “be gentle” lowly and firmly. Don’t get
excited or mad or scream. Birds like screaming!
One other good thing that you need to make sure you do is
use positive language with your bird. When your bird is being good, make sure that you praise them. One lady calls them "Drama
Queens!" If you yell at them, they want attention so bad that they will (try) to yell it back at you :) Just remember that
you want to make sure to praise them when they do good, not just scold them when they do bad.
Remember that you want their biting to work against them. Thus if the bird feels more secure
in his cage, you would not want to put him there as a consequence. He is then being rewarded for his actions. You want to
choose something that motivates a change in behavior.
You may want to gently wrap him in a towel and talk softly to him and try rubbing his head. Sometimes
those time outs just don’t work. Wrap him all up and talk to him. Stroke him and tell him to be gentle. They get
this attitude of, “Let me out!!! I won’t bite…”
Another good trick is to make ‘em work! If they bite, instantly make them step up, step up, step
up, about ten times. You are basically saying, “If you’re gonna bite, you’re gonna work!!!”
I have seen one family who blew gently in the bird's face to discourage them and get them to let go
of the finger.
One last trick is this: when they bite, grasp them on the cheek bones (just below the eyes) and gently
rotate them onto their backside. Then stroke their beak and say your instruction of “be gentle” or “no bite.”
I hold them there talking to them until they relax in my hand. This is the method we use the most often. If the bird
is on my shoulder and nibbles my ear too hard, I reach up there (while saying "nooooo" and restrain the baby under the cheek
bones for about 5 seconds.
 
Here is a little checklist of things to do...
- Turn your back
- Cover the cage
- Wrap ‘em up
- Step up…make ‘em work
- Blow gently
- Grasp their cheeks and relax them.
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