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How to stop my parrot chick from biting and get it to step up?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male

My parrot is biting me.he eats food from my hand sometimes but bite me every day.it is an alexandrine parrot chick.I want it to come on my hand and not bite me

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 3rd, 2017

Champ may be biting due to fear or being protective of his cage. Try working with him in a safe, neutral area - a bed or floor where he can't hide or get caught. Teaching him commands such as "step up" and "perch" to move from your hand to perch can be helpful. Many birds are protective of their cages, so removing him from the area may help. Give ample rewards when he does what you want. Teach him to understand that "NO" means his behavior is not acceptable, but never hit a bird as that will only increase fear and potentially injure him. I've posted some resources below for further information. Good luck. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/biting-and-screaming-in-birds https://aav.site-ym.com/?page=basiccare The following book has good basic training and behavior info as well https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Dummies-Gina-Spadafori/dp/0764551396

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on August 11th, 2017

    Training your baby bird will take time and patience. If you are moving too quickly you may startle Champ, causing him to be scared or bite. Going slow, and in steps can help him get more used to you. Start by just offering him treats when you visit him, then proceed to offering it from your hand, then handling/petting him, then picking him up/having him sit on you. If at any time he becomes scared, or bites, go back to the previous step and stay there for a bit until he is more comfortable. This won't happen overnight, and may take days to weeks for him to feel comfortable enough to sit on your hand.

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