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My parakeet is not afraid of me, he sits on the palm of my hand and eats food. Sometimes he even refuses to get down. However he bites me when I move my finger towards him while he is eating (sitting on my palm), he tries to bite and rip off the skin (but it doesn't really hurt much).

Does this mean he is trying to dominate me? Or is it something else?

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  • This may be related to the position of your finger when you move it towards him. Are you pointing, or offering your finger horizontally (like a tree branch) to step onto?
    – elbrant
    Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 3:02
  • @elbrant I was pointing at him i.e. I was trying to pet his head with my finger.
    – Mohan
    Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 3:18

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From the bird's perspective, a finger (pointing, or) coming towards it might trigger safety alarms: "oh no! a snake!" End result: a nip or bite. Try a different approach.

If you want the little one to climb onto your finger, present the finger horizontally and (ever so) gently allow your finger to brush the stomach or linger in front of both feet. Your bird will then climb onto your finger like it would a perch. If your goal is to pet (or stroke) your pet's head, bring your hand up from behind the bird while you speak to it. This should be less concerning for the bird and eliminate the nips and bites.

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  • Thanks for answering. I tried observing the bird for a few more days.He is not afraid of my finger(even if I point at him) because he tries to feed my finger(by spitting food on my finger tips).He even does that head movement, like a spring(he does that with other budgies before feeding them).But when I give him the backside of my hand(especially the thumb), he starts chewing and scratching my skin vigorously.What can that behaviour mean?
    – Mohan
    Commented Mar 14, 2019 at 14:13
  • The feeding behavior is typical of feeding young, unsure about the chewing/scratching thumb (will see if I can find a reference for it).
    – elbrant
    Commented Mar 14, 2019 at 16:42
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I think this behavior may be a result of 2 things:

  1. The parrot is in The hallmarks of bluffing are lunging, nipping, biting, hissing, and a general resistance to interaction. Birds can enter into this stage seemingly overnight, and generally when they are between the ages of 4 months and one year. stated in this link

  2. The owner is already scared of the bite and continuously withdraws his hand in a fast way from the bird. And the bird don`t feel safe when you to touch this specific location of his body.

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  • Your answer appears to be directly taken from elsewhere on the internet without attribution. Please ensure you read our guide on referencing and then update your answer with the appropriate credits to the authors.
    – Henders
    Commented Feb 26, 2019 at 14:22

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