Do Parakeet Bites Hurt? All You Need To Know
The plain and short answer would be YES! Parakeets do bite. But don’t be afraid of this answer and don’t keep yourselves away from these beautiful birds.
They are social birds and love to make companionship and affectionate bonds with their owners. However, sometimes they bite you, which may have various reasons and factors.
In this article, I will discuss the issue of Parakeets’ biting behavior, such as whether their biting hurts and why they do so, along with some tips and suggestions to prevent them from biting.
Do Parakeets Bites, Hurt
Being a new parakeet, you might have a playful and active personality. However, you might not know their biting behavior, which may be a little shocking for you. Well, don’t be afraid of their biting behavior.
It’s a natural moment of their behavior. They bite to protect themselves or if they feel scared. Their biting instinct might vary depending on different contexts, such as their environment and personality.
If you’re holding a parakeet, their sudden bite might give you a little shock and may cause you some injuries as well.
However, if parakeets bite for the first time, it is not always aggressive; rather, it will be a warning to ensure their territory or adjust to the environment. New parakeets are not used to being held by someone, so they might bite you when you first hold them.
However, their aggressive bite might also cause bleeding or bruises on your hand. Sometimes, if they continue to bite you in the same place two or three times, it can require medical treatment.
In rare cases, it can also grow into an infection level if your wound is not properly cleaned.
They have sharp, pointed bills, so their biting can cause little harm. However, the pain level depends from individual species to species.
It also depends on the bird’s size and strength, as well as the place where it bites. For example, if your Parakeets bite you on the tip of your finger or hand, it will hurt you quite a lot, as those areas are sensitive.
On the contrary, if they bite you on the arms or leg, it will be less painful as those areas of your body are less sensitive. Your pain might vary depending on the body tissue, which has thin and thick areas.
However, if they bite any children around your house, they will feel more pain as their tolerance level is not the same as adults. And so, kids might be traumatized by birds from that incident.
Why Do Parakeets Bite
Well, parakeets are not naturally aggressive birds that always bite people. Their biting instinct might happen occasionally for various reasons. Let’s find out the reasons for the Parakeet bites.
Rough Handling
One possible reason might be the rough handling of your parakeets. If you are a new parakeet owner or do not know how to hold a bird, you might be the reason for their biting behavior.
If you hold a parakeet very tight or make them uncomfortable, they might bite you on your hand.
Feel Threatened
If your Parakeets are not used to your touch, they might feel threatened around you. If they feel threatened or exhibit any other uncomfortable behavior around you, they might bite you.
Similarly, if they are not well-familiar with the environment and are unable to move around, they might bite you as well.
Feel in Pain or Discomfort
If you are a bird owner, you must monitor your parakeet regularly. Any unusual pain or discomfort might cause you to confront their biting behavior.
As they are not communicators like humans, they will use their biting instinct to tell you about their painful feelings or what they want.
Biting in Feeding Time
Every bird gets excited and restless when given food in their cage. So, while giving you food, they might excitedly bite you on your hands without any intention.
However, if their feeding is not done properly, they will remain hungry for the next feeding time. In that case, they will become more anxious and excited when they see their food.
And so, they might bite you with that excited behavior.
Accidental Bites
Sometimes, you might wonder if your parakeet bites you without any reason. Well, they do bite sometimes without any reason. It’s more or less their playful nature.
They may want to play with you or be affectionate with your bond. That is why they might bite you. So, you do not need to worry about their biting behavior.
If you monitor them thoroughly, you can differentiate their biting behaviors.
Tips to Prevent Painful Bird Bites
So far, we have discussed parakeets biting behavior and the reasons for their biting behavior. Now I will give some tips and suggestions about preventing their painful birds. Here are those:
Handle your parakeet with care
Try to hold them gently and softly. You must not make them feel uncomfortable around you. If they feel discomfort or uneasiness around you, they will bite you.
That is why you should try to hold them or pick them gently. Avoid harsh grading and sudden touch; it will scare them even more.
Eventually, they will feel threatened by their surroundings. You can offer your hands despite grabbing them. Nonetheless, if they bite you, don’t move your hands too aggressively or strongly; rather, gently put them into a cage and move your hands.
Take note that you should always handle them with care and gentleness. Doing that can reduce their biting behavior.
Train Your Parakeets
If you want to have well-mannered Parakeets, you must train them first. You can not get the desired result if you don’t train them properly.
Additionally, the best and golden time for training a bird is when they are younger. You can shape and mold their behavior according to yourselves.
A young parakeet has less exposure to learning and environment than an old parakeet. An older parakeet already has much experience or exposure to learning and environment.
It will be quite difficult for you to train an older parakeet. However, a young parakeet has less exposure to the new world and environment so that you can shape them according to your preferences.
Healthy Interactions and Socializing
You must maintain interactions with them as they are social birds and playful by nature. If you socialize with your birds, you can reduce their biting behavior.
Try talking with them in a gentle, soft voice when you are interested. Then, they will feel comfortable around you and become more playful.
Try to Make Decent Distance With Other Animals
If you have other animals in your house, such as cats or dogs, try to keep them separate from them.
If they see any predators figure around their cage, their biting instinct will be triggered automatically. That is why you try to keep your parakeets away from other animals.
Offer Hand Feeding Techniques to Feed Your Parakeets
Sometimes, try feeding your parakeets with your hands and gently touching them. This will give them a positive and warm vibe around you, and they will feel more connected to you. Eventually, this will reduce their biting behavior.
Furnish Them Treats and Toys Rather Avoid Punishment
You can stabilize their mind by offering them treats and toys. It will divert their mind and body to react to certain things and reduce the biting behavior.
You can give them food and toys to motivate and encourage them. It will create a positive reinforcement during their training period.
Avoid giving punishments because they will scare them more. If they bite you, you can gently move them and give them toys to divert their minds. This will also minimize their biting instinct.
Perching Training on Finger / Stick Training
Try to train your parakeets to perch on your finger. By this perching technique, you can help them to feel more at ease around you.
You can offer them treats and toys every time they try to perch on your hand. This will encourage them even more.
You can also use a stick instead of your hand as a perch. You can use lightweight sticks so that they can grab the sticks comfortably and stand on them.
You can also go from nearer to longer distances by growing their learning. Perch landing or stick landing can make parakeets more comfortable around you, which will eventually minimize their biting habit.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, parakeets have biting instincts in their behavior. However, their biting depends on various reasons, such as a threatened environment, uneasiness, and unintentional excitement.
So, their biting can cause injuries and even lead to face infections if they’re not properly cleaned. Still, proper training and techniques can prevent their biting behavior.
On that count, you can acknowledge your parakeet’s biting behavior and be a responsible bird owner with proper companionship for them.
