It can be pretty annoying when your pet bird decides to chew a hole in your brand new t-shirt.
Especially if it cost a fortune!
So you may be wondering – Why does my parrot bite my clothes?
There are a few reasons why a parrot might display this type of behavior.
A parrot may bite your clothing when it is craving attention.
They are also affectionate creatures who enjoy cleaning their friends, so a simple bite could also be your bird’s attempt to sharpen your look up a bit.
Here’s what you’re going to discover in this article
- Why your parrot is biting your clothes
- Is it okay if your parrot keeps biting things?
- Why does your bird bite stuff
Sound good?
Let’s get started!
Why Your Parrot Is Biting Your Clothes? 3 Possible Reasons
It is important to understand the behavior of your bird and to determine the reason why it may be biting holes in your favorite clothes.
Whenever you allow your bird to perch on your shoulder, it may become curious and explore the objects near it such as your face, hair, or your clothes.
Your clothes are interesting to a parrot, and since they use their beaks to learn about things around them, they might chew or bite your clothes when they are nearby.
When your bird is biting on your clothes, this could also be your bird telling you that it is bored and wants to play.
Parrots are playful creatures and enjoy the attention they receive from their humans.
It is not always enough to just allow them to be held.
They should also be played with and talked to – they crave interaction.
If you have some of your bird’s favorite toys nearby, try redirecting their attention to this, in order to stop it from creating holes in your shirt.
The final likely reason that your parrot will bite your clothing is that it is preening or grooming you.
A bird will clean you like it cleans its young and mate in the wild.
The smell or taste of your clothes may trigger the cleaning instincts and the bird may grab your clothes with its beak or lick you to keep you clean and hygienic.
Your parrot will only preen you if they are completely comfortable with you, so take it as a compliment!
Question is – Is it okay for your parrot to keep biting things?
Let’s find out
Is It Okay If My Parrot Keeps Biting Things?
It is completely normal and natural for your bird to nibble and bite things, especially when something new is introduced to the parrot’s world.
Since a bird does not have arms like we do, they will use their beak like an arm, to grab things, to balance, and even just to explore.
If your pet parrot bites you consistently or aggressively then you should take action and try to figure out why it is repeating this behavior.
However, it is not cause for concern in general if your parrot is using its beak a lot as this is just behavior you will need to get used to as a bird owner.
It is a common occurrence to find your bird biting your clothes when it is perched on your shoulder.
They may also bite your fingernails when perched on your fingers or bite and chew items in its cage or even an assortment of items outside of its enclosure.
The general consensus is that it is okay for a bird to bite and chew, but it is important to keep an eye out to make sure that it doesn’t accidentally chew on anything dangerous such as electrical wires or sharp objects.
Also be sure that your parrot does not ingest any unsafe substances, plants, or poisons.
Instead of always being on the lookout to make sure your parrot is not chewing anything dangerous
It would be a good idea to get them a toy that they can chew on
This way they’re using their beak where they should and you’re not worried about your clothes being chewed on
Here’s a really good toy you should check out
Bonka Bird Toys 1547 Natural Helix Cardboard Shredder Vine
You can get this over at Amazon by clicking here
Related article – Why is my parrot eating newspaper
Now you may be wondering..
Why Does My Bird Bite Stuff?
Birds use their beaks like we use our hands.
They use them for grip, balance, and to investigate their world.
It is a natural behavior for a parrot to use their strong beaks to crack nuts and grab things.
In nature, they shred vegetation to build nests, break branches, and create holes in trees, so it is a completely normal thing to witness your pet constantly chomping down on various items.
But keep in mind that although it is a natural thing, it is important to train a parrot to not bite things that it is not supposed to.
Especially if it’s you they’re biting
This is not a good habit to allow your parrot to have
Because a parrot bite can hurt
Talking about parrot biting check out my article – Can a parrot bite your finger off?
An unsupervised bird will destroy clothing and furniture, so it is paramount that you prevent it from getting in the habit of destruction.
Otherwise be prepared to buy lots of things which can cost a lot money!
Final Words
Parrots are an extremely curious species.
They love to learn new things and to explore their environment.
They will use their beaks to bite and lick their surroundings to learn more about it.
They also require a great deal of interaction, so don’t be too surprised when you find them biting your clothes to grab your attention while perched on your shoulder.
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