Conures are renowned for having a cheerful disposition, but what happens when they show random signs of aggression? In situations such as these, you often see bird owners asking, “Why is my Conure biting me all of a sudden?”
It can become quite aggravating having to deal with this, but it’s an unfortunate reality that does occur from time to time.
The best strategy is to stay calm, understand what the root cause is, and come up with a proper strategy to improve your bird’s behavior.
This article will take a detailed look into answering the question, “Why is my conure biting me all of a sudden?” while also shedding light on the best gloves for handling conures. This is a great way to protect yourself and learn more about why conures bite.
Table of Contents
Best Gloves For Handling Birds (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
- EXCELLENT BITE PROOF: RAPICCA Leather Animal Handling Gloves is made by Top Grain Leather and reinforce Double Leather Finger...
- SUPERIOR SECURITY FOR FORERAMS - The 16 inches extra long glove with 7.5 inches long sleeve protect your Fingers and Forearm...
- THICK AND DURABLE - RAPICCA Leather Animal Handling Gloves are made from carefully-selected thick and soft shoulder split...
Last update on 2023-12-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The RAPICCA Animal Handling Gloves are a tremendous solution to have at your disposal. These sleek, well-designed gloves are bite-proof and can withstand a conure’s bite easily. These gloves are made of top-end kevlar and leather ensuring the hands are protected at all times during your handling.
Measuring in at 16″ (length), these gloves are ideal for covering the entire arm. For those regularly handling their conure and wanting to stay safe, it’s best to start with these high-quality bird handling gloves.
Why is My Conure Biting Me All of a Sudden?
It can be shocking to see your conure start biting.
In most cases, there’s a central cause for why a conure bites. The most common reasons include:
- Fear Due to Change in Your Behavior (Punishing Them Recently)
- Territorial Aggression (Protection of Food/Water)
- Environmental Issues (Close to a Drafty Window)
- Recent Stress (New Pet in the House)
These are some of the more noticeable reasons a conure will start acting up and/or biting. If you are asking, “Why is my conure biting me all of a sudden?” then it’s time to start digging deeper. You will want to determine whether or not it has to do with one of these reasons.
Your goal should be to assess your conure’s behavior and pinpoint what’s changed. In many cases, you are going to be able to pinpoint a specific change that has led to their biting.
A good example of this can be something as simple as relocating their cage or not cleaning the cage as often as you used to.
Remember, conures can be sensitive birds and will not always respond well to unwanted changes. When these changes do happen, they are not going to like it and will start to act out in response. It’s best to remain aware of this and start reverting back to what was happening before.
How to Stop Conure From Biting Me?
Start with Bird Handling Gloves
While a long-term solution is highly recommended, you will want a reliable short-term solution to stay safe.
What is the best way to stay safe when your conure starts biting?
It’s always smart to invest in the right type of bird handling gloves. These gloves are specifically designed for resisting bites and making sure the bird doesn’t cut through the top layer of material. Having this on is going to allow you to handle the bird confidently.
If you aren’t confident handling the conure, how are you going to start making changes? It’s not going to happen!
Keep things simple and invest in the right bird handling gloves first.
Once you have the bird handling gloves, it’s time to start making positive adjustments to your routine.
For example, you are going to get the conure reacquainted with your touch and building a positive association with your presence. This can be done in a number of ways whether it’s through caressing them or enjoying a bit of playtime outside the cage.
Of course, this isn’t possible without the gloves. Otherwise, you are always going to be scared of getting bit.
Protect your arms first and then start making amends with the bird. A simple change such as this can make a real difference.
Gently Blow into the Bird’s Face
Let’s assume you are holding the bird in your hands and then it starts biting or making the move to bite. What do you do in a situation such as this?
It’s a unique question to ask, especially when you start wondering, “Why is my conure biting me all of a sudden?”
The goal should be to use a simple DIY trick that works like a charm with most birds. The idea is to hold the bird in front of you and gently blow in its face. Yes, by blowing in the conure’s face, you are going to take away its attention from your hand/arm.
Remember, you want to do this gently.
There is no reason to blow heavily in the bird’s face as it won’t offer additional value and it may start to build a negative association between handling and their time spent outside the cage. You want a conure that’s happy to be around you and that won’t happen if you blow too hard!
Be careful with how you implement this trick but do keep it in hand when necessary.
A gentle blow is going to be more than enough to get them to stop biting.
Only Use Your Hands in a Positive Manner
If you are going to be handling the conure regularly, you have to start building a positive association between the process and the bird’s time spent outside its cage.
For example, don’t use your hands to admonish the bird or punish it.
This is one of the worst ways to treat a conure and it is going to lead to negative consequences. You are going to have a fearful conure that doesn’t want to be handled by anyone. They are going to realize humans aren’t safe.
This is a horrible reality bird owners have to deal with when they didn’t handle the conure correctly.
To avoid this from happening, your goal should be to handle the conure kindly. This means taking them out for playtime, letting them roam around, and making sure to pet them gently from time to time.
They should know having hands around their face doesn’t mean it is time to attack in self-defense. Instead, it should be a way for them to welcome the comfort.
This isn’t always an easy connection for birds like conures to make but it is possible when you are careful with your approach.
When you are careful, it will become a lot easier to see a change in your conure’s behavior.
Change Up the Routine Regularly
To the surprise of many conure owners, you should look to change the bird’s routine from time to time.
What does this mean?
In general, you are going to have a set routine when it comes to giving food/water, playing with the bird, and taking it out of the birdcage. This is normal and it’s something the average bird owner does regularly.
However, what if there was a way to change your routine and try something new?
Studies have shown it’s possible for a conure to stop biting or becoming aggressive when you change up their routine for the better.
To change the routine, it’s important to handle them gently and make sure everything is done with a plan.
You should start gradually by letting the conure play outside the cage for 5-10 minutes. Once the time is done, you take them back to the birdcage.
With time, you are going to start feeling confident and the conure will stop biting. A lot of conures like the idea of being outside the cage and the only way to do this is with your supervision. If you make the experience a positive one, your conure will stop biting right away.
Minimize Territorial Bites
When answering the question, “Why is my conure biting me all of a sudden?” it’s important to think about a simple cause such as territorial bites.
What are territorial bites in conures?
The basic idea behind these bites is a bird’s natural reaction to protecting something precious. For example, this can be something as straightforward as protecting their food or water source.
Even though they realize you are the one providing the food/water, it’s a natural instinct that’s going to kick in. While it can be surprising at first with your conure, it’s still important to remain aware.
If it isn’t food/water, it can also have to do with the birdcage. If your hand is always going into the cage, the conure may not like it. This is when they are going to nip at your hands and try to get you away from their home.
By understanding that your conure is being territorial, it becomes easier to make small changes. You can easily invest in a birdcage that allows you to change food/water from the outside. This is a simple tweak that is going to make it easier to earn the bird’s trust.
Final Thoughts
This is the answer to “Why is my conure biting me all of a sudden?” and it’s best to create a long-term plan to alleviate your concerns.
Start by understanding what’s going wrong with your conure, what has changed, and how to make it better over time. In most cases, there’s going to be a central cause that has led to this type of odd behavior.
Look to buy good animal handling gloves for conures and use them until you are sure the bird won’t bite. There’s no reason to put your safety at risk even with a bird you love.
The tips mentioned here are going to go a long way in keeping you safe and making it easier to rebuild whatever has gone wrong between you and the bird.
To learn more about birds, please take the opportunity to read through the following guides – safe bird harness for birds, quality air purifier for conures, good cage setup for conures, and how to remove bird mites quickly.