Expert: Maggie - 5/12/2006

Question
Hi,
  I am a new owner of a cockatiel who was hand raised/tamed and is 1 yr old approx.  I have had him about a month and he has been a great bird.  Recently however, he has begun to bite during petting time.  I have been rubbing behind his neck since after the first week and recently he will allow petting but is biting more often.  His cage is positioned such that when I am at work (4 pm-midnight) the TV light gives him a shadow against the wall.  IS it possible for him to bond with his shadow?  Any insight would be appreciated!  Thanks Again,  Adam

Answer
Hi Adam,

You shouldn't worry about your bird bonding to his shadow. Although a bird might watch their shadow. Have you considered putting the lights on a timer for when you are away at work (so that the bird can go to bed at 8, 9 or 10pm?) Birds need a full 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. If he is not getting this, after a  month he might start to get more cranky.

Also- could he be molting? Sometimes when you rub a pin feather the wrong way it can hurt the bird (even though you don't mean to) or aggitate them so that they bite. Some birds also become bossy and kind of mean when they are molting, because it is an uncomfortable time for them. (Think of some women when they are PMS'ing)

Here are some articles that should help you with learning about biting behavior- what causes it and how to correctly deal with it:

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww5eii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww12eii.htm

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/biting.html

I hope this helps.

-Maggie