I need some help with Pepper

[schlisa]

Pepper is my 6 month old male Nanday Conure. I love him to death and I am learning so much from him. There is one thing he does that I simply do not understand. He bits be at random times. Of course I know birds bite (sometimes the owner deserves it, lol) but I don't know why he does. I can touch him EVERYWHERE whithout a problem. Then, out of the blue, I get attacked. Like just 5 minutes ago we were cuddeling in bed and he was getting scritches from me, he made that angry squawking noise and bit me. It hurt too. He's never drawn blood. Why does he bite me for no apperant reason? Pepper is my first larger bird so I am still learning a lot. Would you guys please help me out?

Edit: I'm not talking about the playful beaking. The actual painful intended bite, lol

[javi]

is he going through a molt and ya are rubbing a pin feather the wrong way?
how old is he? could be hormones?
how do ya react after the bite? ya should not react and place him back in the cage
is anyone getting near ya? may be jealous
are there any stressers in the room? that can set a bird off

[schlisa]

Nice Questions! Let me answer them

is he going through a molt and ya are rubbing a pin feather the wrong way?
--> Yes. I've been helping him getting rid of those shafts. Sometimes I get carried away and he bits but not hard. I can tolerate that biting.

how old is he? could be hormones?
--> 6 months DNA sexed as a male. No idea when they get hormonal. Any ideas?

how do ya react after the bite? ya should not react and place him back in the cage
--> I yell "OUCH!!" Not the best reaction on my part I am guessing. It does seem to startle him and he then lovingly nibbles.

is anyone getting near ya? may be jealous
--> No. Goodness I don't need another jealous bird

are there any stressers in the room? that can set a bird off
--> I'm not sure how to answer this. I wish I could ask him I don't think so but then again, I'm not Pepper.

[rottncosmo]

I hope you figure out what is causing Pepper to bite. Cosmo became a monster a month or 2 ago, where she would bite, and she was looking to draw blood! We finally figured out that it was due to Kaylaur being moved temporarily into "her room". They are usually in 2 different rooms of the house. As soon as Kaylaur went back into his usual room, Cosmo returned to her sweet self. I mean, she's always nibbled and nipped, but this was different. It was almost hostile!

I actually got a book that helped me through my ordeal called "Your Outta Control Bird". The tag line is "How to turn your beastly bird into a captivating companion". It really is a great book that helps to remind us that birds are truly wild animals and that everything that they do is driven by instinct. 2 instincts in particular - every behavior somehow comes back to survival or breeding.

Anyways, the book gives the following reasons for biting (most of these we already know, but it's nice to have reminders): Fear, Control, Jealousy, Territoriality, Illness, Excitement, Attention Biting. Each of these headings obviously has more details to them...

Anyhoo, it really is a great book, and I am sure that there is a good reason (in Pepper's head anyways ) for his biting. You just gotta figure out what that reason is...

Good luck! Keep us updated.

[schlisa]

Thank you Mary for the suggestion! Let me attempt to tame my beastly bird

He is really rather sweet though. It's just out of the blue he becomes a monster for a few minutes. I've noticed he doesn't really like being told "where" to go. If I try to put him back on the cage he looks at me like "no you wont" but I always win