If you own a budgie then you likely love the bird to death and want to cuddle and pet it all day, unfortunately, these birds may not want to be cuddled all day, they may even bite when you pet them, but why do they do this?
This article is a quick look into why your budgie bites when you pet him
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Why does my budgie bite when I pet him?
Giving your bird all that it needs, food, water, care, and attention may be good for the bird but the bird can still exhibit negative behavior like biting you.
There are a few reasons why a budgie may bite you when you pet him, here are some:
It’s a new experience:
If you’ve just gotten your budgie from the pet store then the bird is likely not used to this new environment or the new people around it and is acting accordingly.
Budgies can only relax once they are used to an environment and used to the things and people in it. So, the first few days in your care will be foreign and uncomfortable for the bird.
You’ll know that the bird is uncomfortable if it is not relaxed has a rigid posture, and doesn’t make too much noise or move around too much and hangs it’s head low, this is a submissive stance.
The bird, who is uncomfortable in the situation, will also back away or bite you when you try to pet him
What to do:
You need to get your budgie to like you and get used to its new environment. Once the bird is comfortable in your space, and with you, the bird will let you pet it without biting you
Allow the bird to have its alone time in its cage while going about your daily activities around the cage where it can see you, this will indicate to the bird that it is in a safe space where you won’t hurt it and will also show the bird that you aren’t there to harm it
Once he is comfortable with you and comfortable with being in the same room with him you can talk to the bird and offer him treats. Note: When approaching him remember to be calm and speak in a soothing tone so as to not frighten him.
Spend a least an hour a day with the bird, this can be spread out over a few short sessions a day. The treats will help him develop a bond with you, offer these occasionally.
The bird will start to let you pet it and won’t bite you when you do this but remember to practice extreme care when you do this
It’s playing with you:
Your bird may enjoy being pet by you and may bite you as a way of showing this. One of the ways that these birds have fun with you is by biting you while you pet it.
If your budgie thinks that you are about to play with it as you pet it then the bird will bite you as a way of playing with you.
What to do:
If the bird is biting you, and isn’t biting too hard, and you don’t mind it, then you can let the bird be and keep playing with it, but you should know that this will reinforce this behavior as it seems, to the budgie, that you’re happy with this behavior
If you don’t like the bird playing with you in this way, and want to stop this behavior, then you should stop playing with the bird immediately when the bird starts biting you.
This will communicate to the bird that you don’t like this type of behavior and that negative consequences will ensue when it bites.
They are tired:
While budgies like and need interaction they can also get tired of the interaction you give them.
These small birds only have so much energy and if you want to play with them or interact with them by petting them, and they aren’t in the mood, the birds will bite you as a way to get you to stop this.
This doesn’t mean that the bird has started to dislike you, it just means that the bird needs some time to rest before interacting with you again.
Trying to force your tired budgie to play with you will only result in the bird giving you a bite
What to do:
If it’s been a while since your budgie has had some rest and you’ve been playing with the bird recently then you can leave the bird in its cage and allow it to relax and rest.
The bird should be up and ready to play with you once it has recovered.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other budgie-related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Budgie Twitching Wings, Budgie Twitching Head, Bald Budgie Vent, What To Do With Unwanted Budgie Eggs, How To Stop Budgie From Laying Eggs