Boredom Chewing

f your bird obsesses over your accessories, or maybe your skin, it could be for a wide range of reasons. I know with Maui, it comes from a place of boredom, or maybe I should say not being stimulated enough, or maybe not having access to things to chew. Though I’m interacting with her, that may not always be enough, or the type of stimulation and interaction the bird desires.

Having appropriate toys to play with helps me decrease this behavior. I will give my birds something to chew that they can so they do not go after my shirt, hair, or earrings as my birds love to do! That way we can all still hangout, my items don’t get ruined, and they can ruin something and fulfill their needs.

If I don’t have anything nearby for them, which is rare since I know they do this, I would remove them from the area and either put them somewhere else on me that is more appropriate, or put them on a perch nearby. Actions do have consequences. Consequences are the driving force of behavior. When they are desirable consequences to the bird, then the behavior increases, undesirable means decreasing.

An undesirable consequence is being removed from me. Since they’re flighted, this is an excellent method, as they can then choose to come right back if they want to, and they can! But, if I'm using removal method, if they do it again, I have to remove them again. Some birds may pick up the behavioral pattern, especially if they’re not flighted, and can cause an increase in biting when trying to remove them. This is because there is a lack of choice for them.

That is why it’s always best to find a replacement behavior rather than always removing. Sometimes, they prefer my earrings than the enrichment items, in which I will always remove them. But my first choice is to try to redirect the behavior to something more desirable and still fulfills their needs.