What about a biting parrot.

It is fair to say that anyone who keeps a parrot will eventually be bitten by it, anyone who isn't prepared to deal with this needs to consider a different pet. I think it is important to define what consitutes a problem bird in this way, since there are some extreme views on this subject.

There are lots of reasons to be bitten by a bird, so after a bite the first thing to do is to ask why it happened. Birds can bite out of fear, because they simply don't like what you are doing, out of confusion, or because they have learned that biting is a way to get what they want. If I have been pushing a bird that I don't know all that well beyond the limits of our relationship, a bite is not a big surprise. I think most excusable bites come from fear, and are nothing we can blame the bird for at all.

I want to offer the following "tongue in beak" scale of bite severity:

• Level 1: "the grab" The parrot grabs a finger or whatever in its beak in order to maintain balance, move around, or explore, perhaps even to allopreen.
• Level 2: "friendly pinch" The parrot in complete control of itself offers a playful pinch that is accepted in the normal give and take of things by the handler.
• Level 3: "hard pinch" The parrot in a moment of mischief or malice, offers a pinch that is painful enough to annoy the handler.
• Level 4: "minor bite" The parrot pinches hard enough to just break the skin.
• Level 5: "real bite" Beyond pinching now, the parrot brakes the skin, draws blood, and produces a bite which takes a week or more to heal.
• Level 6: "nasty bite" The parrot produces a bite that may require stiches, produces a lot of blood, and will probably leave a lasting scar.
• Level 7: "severe bite" The parrot severs a digit or an ear or bites in such a way as to produce permanent disfiguring injury.

One extreme view that I do not agree with at all, is that a bird should never be allowed to touch a person with its beak or tongue. The theory that is cited to back this up, is that if a bird learns that it is OK to touch you with its beak, it will naturally progress from this to biting behaviour.

My view is that since a parrot has no hands, it will be perfectly natural for him to grab hold of you when moving around. Also, it is normal for a parrot to use its tongue to touch and explore things, and to preen those it has a trusting relationship with. I honestly think it builds trust for us to put ourselves in a situation where the bird could bite, but we trust it not to (and they know it). My 9-year old Amazon was always very much aware of where the line was in all of this, and occasionally when feeling feisty, would grab a pinch of my skin and really yank on it, all the while giving me a mischeivous look. I gave him a firm "you better not" look, and he never did. My opinion: the limits of our relationship were simply being tested, (and he was tesing me and having fun).

I expect bites up through level 3 and occasionally 4 on a daily basis. I have had a number of level 5 bites now that I am working with a 12 year old rescue macaw.

Up until I began working with this bird, the only bad bite that I ever received was from a Military Macaw in a pet shop. If I hadn't overridden my own judgement that never would have happened. The event was much as in one of the 3 stooges episodes when someone is handed a gun and told, "Don't worry, it isn't loaded". The girl in the shop told me, "Don't worry, he won't bite, make him get up". In an instant I received a bruising, crushing bite which didn't break the skin, but damaged tissues all the way to the bone. The bird warned me, but I didn't listen; who is to blame?

Biting can certainly be a real behaviour problem (but I have heard it is perhaps the easiest one to fix). I am not even trying to deal with that here, just trying to bring a balanced perspective by pointing out that there is plenty of room for beak to person interaction without getting anywhere near the biting zone. Our birds have to trust us, and we have to trust them.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!