Pitbull birdie.

[Jessika]

One of my females, Rainbow, the only one of my budgies that is not handtamed, is... very strange. She bites... hard. Even when you're trying to feed her. She laid an egg last month, and then she ate it! I can't get her out of her cage, and if you put cuttlebone in there, she uses it all up in 1 or 2 days, grinds it until she has no bottom beak! I'm a bit worried about her, I've been trying to train her for months, but it seems impossible. The vet said that she may have some sort of mental problem, is that possible? Please help, I want her to be cuddly like my other babies.

Jessika

[redgirl]

Sweetie, I had a tame hen called Edie but she would bite really hard all the time, no idea what started her off, she wasn't affraid of me or anything, she would fly willingly to me and would follow me all around my home but just got an attitude, all you can do sweetie is try and persevere, it may happen slow or fast but you will gradually tame your budgie. Good luck and let us know how you get on xxx

PS Your budgies are gorgeous xxx

[Jessika]

Yours are beautiful too. Everyone's are beautiful!! I've been trying ever since I first got her, and I'm making absolutely NO progress. And when she bites, she bites hard, and it bleeds, and it's hard not to react to it, but I don't react. And nothing works. The millet in the hand, the gradual introduction of the hand, I have to keep her separated from my other babies because she plucke their feathers out! I'ma keep trying and I'll keep you guys updated.

[Budgiekin]

When you work with her, do you keep her cage out of sight? Sometimes I find taming works better when they can't see their cage.

Also, I like to work with my budgies for short periods of time, but frequently during the day. I would suggest spending about 10 min anywhere from 3-5 times per day with her if you can.

[redgirl]

How old is she Jessika, never heard of a budgie this angry before, especially plucking feathers out, I really dont know what to suggest to you, glad you have her seperated from your other two though. maybe training in a seperate room may help, I also agree with budgiekin xx

[Jessika]

She's just over a year. Her cage is in the dining room, and I work with her in the living room. I have scars all over my hands from trying to tame her, but I'm trying to be patient with her, I love her to death, she's a beautiful bird, but I can't have her flying around the house like I do the other two, because she bites. I have 6 year old twins here, and I don't want them getting bitten.

Jessika

[redgirl]

Is she getting enough sleep hun, Edie was always a nightmare for me if she wasn't getting enough sleep, is she going through another moult. I also know that some budgies never tame so I am not sure what you can do, I am so glad that you haven't given up on her if only she knew how much you love her she may not give you a hard time lol. Really hope someone can help you more then I, keep at it though sweetie, as often as possible. perhaps a room upstairs may help xxx

[Jessika]

She's getting plenty of sleep, and a variety of foodstuffs, she's just a grouchy little birdie.

[alicia]

omg omg omg i love your pic i want one likt that (sob)

[Jessika]

Hey alicia, someone from the tailfeather network made this awesome siggy for me, she'll make one for anyone who asks, and she's awesome at it. I could put you in touch with her if you'd like, all you have to do is supply some pics and text if you want it, and she'll have you a siggy within a couple of days, she rocks like that. :)

Jessika

[Donna]

Wow Jessika,

You really are in a difficult situation. I can see from your siggy that you have other Budgies, too. Is the Budgie that bites, the last one you bought? I am just curious, in what order you bought them? She could just be angry with the other Budgies being in the house. Although, I can't imagine her still being mad after a whole year. But how long have you had the others compared to having her? She could be somewhat jealous. Are the others in a cage near her? And does she call the others from her cage like she wants to be with them? Sometimes they bite just to let you know that they want to get away from you and be with the other Budgies.

I can see your concern with not wanting her to fly all over the room if you have young children around. The fact that you have scars all over your hand and she has made you bleed, does make one wonder why she is so angry with you. Can you possibly wear a glove to help cushion the impact of her beak hurting you? I know it is awkward trying to wear a glove, but it may protect you from her bites. It's really hard to know what to tell you. I do agree though, that not all Budgies can be tamed and trained. The fact that you've been trying for so long makes me wonder if a Budgie can have a mental illness. I have just never heard of a Budgie being this angry and continuing to bite for so long. It's not like she's new to your home. :S Even polishing off a cuddlebone in such a short amount of time makes me wonder if she's ok, physically. I wonder if she could be missing a mineral or something in her diet that makes her do this? Maybe an Avian Vet would know if you called and asked someone.

People who have responded to your problem have really given some good advice. I just hope that something works for you. I really don't know what else to suggest. Let us know if things improve for you.

Oh, and if you don't mind me laughing, I cracked up when I saw the subject title of your post. (A Pitbull Birdie, ha!) Sometimes we just have to laugh to survive, don't we? :D

Donna

[pal0m1n0]

I think Donna's advice to consult a vet in case she is suffering from some dietary deficiency is good. It is possible. I don't see why a budgie is immune from mental health problems though.

I saw a cute little bird in a pet shop once. I was tempted to take it home, but what caught my attention was its behaviour. It walked from one corner of the enclosure to the opposite corner, hopped back and walked again. It did this over and over. I decided there was probably something mentally wrong with it. It seemed like obsessive compulsive behaviour and I didn't feel up to dealing with it and I wasn't shopping for a bird anyway. I wonder what happened to it.

Anyway, my point is, I could see a mental health problem with your bird being a possibility. But definitely check out the possibility of a nutritional deficiency.

[Jessika]

I got Pretty Boy first, her second, then ChaCha last. I didn't buy any of them, they were all given to me by people who didn't want them anymore. I can't imagine why someone would just stop wanting such beautiful creatures.

She was seperated from the other two, but I recently bought a HUGE beautiful cage, a few days ago, and I put them all in it. They seem to be getting along fine, she's not picking at their feathers anymore. If she starts, I'll seperate them again, but everything seems fine.

And, as for the glove, I have an imitation leather glove, with some padding, she loves to chew on it, it's got hole all over it, and sometimes she can find a place to get to some flesh, but I dont like using it, cause I'm worried about the fabric that she's eating, maybe having some negative effect on her digestive tract, I only use it to take her out of the cage, cause that's when she bites the hardest. I had to get stitches once because of an attack from her when I was trying to get her out of the cage.

And about the avian vet, I've talked to several breeders in my area, who tell me to just have patience... *rolls eyes* I'm trying, but it's hard. There's an emergency animal clinic about a two minute walk from my house, and they have someone who deals with birds, on tuesdays. Not an avian certified vet, but someone with experience, I might take her there first, see what he says.

I suspect that she may have been abused as a baby birdy, cause she's very scared... like more scared than the other two were. It took me like... an hour to get Pretty Boy on my hand, and about a week for ChaCha, so this is kind of frustrating. Does anyone know what kind of effect abuse has on a bird?

[Jessika]

I wouldn't call her a "problem bird"... she's just... a bit difficult. I'll get her. I will, eventually. And when I do, I'll tell you guys all about it.

[pal0m1n0]

I don't think abuse is good for any animals psyche. I saw some stuff in bird talk magazine about dealing with problem birds. It related more to parrots but it could work with budgies too.