Do you have a budgie that is biting a lot and you are worried that they might bite you and hurt you?
Will it hurt? What do you need to do? What do you need to know? I will cover all of this and more below
So, How Much Does a Budgie Bite Hurt? Typically a bite from a budgie will not hurt an adult, but it could hurt and cause an injury to children.
Also a bite from a budgie can give you a fright if you are not expecting it
What Does It Feel Like?
Because budgies are so small and they have very small beaks you will not feel much when they bite you.
In fact it might even tickle you when they bite you, they will only cause you pain if they bite a hair on your body and pull it.
A bite from a budgie could cause a small amount of pain to a small child but it shouldn’t be enough to injure them. The bite will most likely scare them
Does It Hurt
Depending on what sort of bite you received from the budgie it will depend on, if and how much it hurts.
Below I will go through the different bites you might receive.
Nip
Budgies tend to nip a lot, it is their way of exploring their environment, no it is not unusual for them to nip you or others especially if they are unfamiliar with you.
A budgie would typically nip you if they are scared or do not like something, this is just their way of warning you.
Typically a nip will not hurt you, but it will most likely come as a surprise to you.
Bite
A budgie will typically bite when they are not comfortable in their environment. by biting they are communicating with you that they are not happy with something.
A bite will hurt more than a nip and will also last longer.
If a budgie does bite you it is important to find out what is upsetting them and resolve the issue which should calm them down
How To Stop Your Budgie Biting
To stop your budgie from biting you you need to find out the root cause of why they are biting and resolve that issue.
You might also need to work out what the pattern is when they are biting, for example does the biting always happen when they are in their cage.
Below I will cut cover the main things that you can do to stop your budgie biting;
- Don’t React
- Biting When In Cage
- Create or Change Schedule
- Frequent Exercise
- Frequent Interaction
- Relieve Boredom
I will go through each case below
1. Don’t React
If you are bitten by a budgie it is important that you do not react to it because this could be what the budgie is looking for and the root cause why they are biting you.
If you make loud noises and jump around when the budgie bites you this could cause the budgie to become even more scared and will have a negative impact on them.
It can be difficult to do especially if the bite has surprised or hurt you but it is important to not react as much as you can.
2. Biting When In Cage
If your budgie is biting you frequently when they are in the cage, this is a clear sign they are not happy with your presence.
They are most likely not used to you and they are either scared or nervous have you been in there cage.
The best way to over come this is to frequently try to put your hand in the cage and slowly move it towards them so they become use to you. I recommend to hold a treat in your hand for them so they have something to look forward to when you go in their cage.
3. Create or Change Schedule
If you have a frequent schedule this could be the cause. If you let your budgie out of the cage in the evening when you return from work do they bite you then? If yes the bite could be because they are tired, to test this let them out of the cage in the morning and monitor if they stop biting.
If you don’t have a schedule try starting one. Let them out of the cage at the same time every day, Introducing a frequent schedule for them will really help them to feel more secure with the environment and you.
4. Frequent Exercise
By giving your budgie frequent exercise this can help them to kick some of their bad behaviour.
The main reason your budgie is behaving bad or biting is because they are either bored or have extra energy, which exercise will help to reduce. Exercises that you can give your budgie include
- Letting Out Of Cage
- Toys In Cage
- Interact With Bird
5. Frequent Interaction
Similar to exercise interacting with your budgie will make them more familiar with you and will feel less scared and nervous with you.
Make sure to start the interaction slow and go at your budgies pace, do not try to force them to do anything they might be uncomfortable with.
6. Relieve Boredom
It has been proven that budgies will bite or nipple things when they are bored. So it is essential to make sure that we relieve their boredom.
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Why Do Budgies Bite?
The main reason that budgies bite is because they are scared or feeling anxiety which is usually caused by something within their environment.
It is important to find the root cause of why they are scared of feeling anxiety and resolve it.
The first thing you can try is changing the location of where their cage is because something nearby could be scaring them such as then they can see through the window.
Can a Budgies Bites Break Skin
A budgies bite is not strong enough to break skin in normal circumstances.
Some budgies do have exceptionally sharp beak and it is possible that they could tear a little bit of your skin, but it is on highly unlikely they will break skin and draw blood.
Do Budgies Typically Bite A lot?
It is not normal for a budgie to bite, they will only bite if they are scared or have anxiety.
They will frequently nip at things, as this is their way of exploring their environment, but biting is uncommon for budgies.
if your budgie is biting frequently you will need to find the root cause and fix it.
Should I Punish Them?
You should never punish a budgie if they have bitten you.
The most common reason a budgie bites is because they are scared and if you punish them they will become more scared and are more likely to bite again in the future.
So if you are bitten by a budgie it is important to stay calm and not react to it
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you do if your budgie bites you?
If a budgie bites you it is very important not to react to it as this will most likely scare your budgie and will in turn make them unsettled around you.
Is my budgie biting or preening me?
There is a big difference if a budgie bites you or are preening you, you will be able to tell the difference as a bite will slightly hurt and preening will feel ticklish
Why is my budgie biting my finger?
If a budgie gently bites or nibbles your finger they are just playing with you but if it is a full-on aggressive bite they are trying to communicate with you that they are unhappy the current environment, they are most likely scared or feeling anxiety
Why does my budgie like to bite my finger?
Budgies will typically lightly bite or nibble your finger to play or interact with you.
Can you get an infection from a budgie bite
It is highly unlikely a budgie bite will draw blood or cause any injury to you at all, but of course it is possible a larger budgie to cause damage to you when they bite you which could lead to an infection in a rare case.
