Why Does My Budgie Bite Me? 5 Reasons Explained!

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Suppose you’ve brought home a little budgie hoping it will play with you all day. But instead, it keeps biting you every time you try to get closer to it. Frankly, this is not an uncommon experience at all among budgie owners. 

There are multiple answers to your question when you ask, “Why does my budgie bite me?” It can be due to stress, fear, or even simply their way of being playful. Usually, you can detect the reason just by observing their behavior.

Let’s sit down and go through the reasons why budgies bite people.

5 Reasons Why Your Budgie Bites You

Sometimes, knowingly or unknowingly, budgies can bite you so hard that your fingertips might start bleeding which is quite painful. Once you find out the reasons behind them biting you, it’ll be easy for you to overcome the situation.

1. Fear and Anxiety

Budgies are tiny birds that can get easily spooked by new environments, new people, or even new animals. If you have recently brought your little friend to your home, it’s very likely that he is still not used to his new place. 

As a result, his nervousness makes him defend himself by biting the first person who comes close to him. You have to understand that he is not biting you because he wants to hurt you but rather to protect himself.  

The initial anxiety and stress should gradually reduce as he spends more time in his new home and becomes comfortable. For that, you need to give him a calm and safe space so that it becomes easy for him to adjust.

2. Biting Is a Form of Play

Budgies are so well-loved as pet birds due to their playfulness. And biting is one of the ways they like to play with each other and have fun. Once he becomes comfortable with you and thinks of you as his friend, he might try to bite you too. 

And they feel encouraged to continue biting people when their owners also take it playfully. In their mind, they are only being cheerful fun birds and entertaining others but fail to realize that sometimes their bites can hurt others.  

So, try to notice if your budgie is only biting you during playtime. If that’s the case, then be assured that your bird is only excited to have fun with you and not at all trying to be aggressive.

3. Hormonal Changes During Mating Season

Budgies tend to become a bit aggressive when they reach the mating season due to the fluctuation of hormones. Because of the sexual tension, sometimes they might resort to biting their owners.

It might sound quite odd but it’s possible that when a budgie doesn’t have another bird to live with, the budgie might start thinking of its owner who takes care of it as its mate. And then it bites the owner to catch their attention.

During this time, budgies also feel jealous if their owners are spending more time with others. Sometimes, the jealousy also causes them to act way more aggressively as they start screaming and of course, painful biting.

4. Misunderstanding You as a Threat

Similar to most animals, budgies are also very protective of their personal space. If they think that someone is trying to invade their home and belongings, they will instantly activate their territorial mode and may bite the person in self-defense.

Sometimes they can mistake you as a threat too if they are not used to seeing your hand near or inside the cage. That’s why it’s important to be near them from the very beginning so that they can learn to trust you.

Remember it’s essential for budgies to feel safe at home. Otherwise, they get stressed out pretty easily and become hostile and unhappy. Their state of mood directly affects their overall health and lifespan.

5. Molting 

Every year, birds go through a period of molting when they shed their existing feathers as it makes the path for new feathers to grow. Molting is absolutely natural and necessary for them as it helps them have healthier feathers.

During this time, it’s normal for budgies to feel unwell, irritated, and a bit aggressive. After all, they go through a serious hormonal change. And this can be a reason behind them acting out and even biting each other or their owners.

Because of the physical issues caused by the molting, their mood and behavior also change. But this period should be complete within three weeks and your budgie will start to feel confident again. After that, the biting should stop too.

How to Stop Your Budgies from Biting You?

Now that you’ve learned the possible reasons behind why your budgies bite you, it’s time to read about a few techniques that you can follow to make your budgies feel at ease and quit biting.

• When you are new to your budgie, provide him with a safe place and enough time so that he feels comfortable enough to come to you on his own. Don’t forcefully try to be close to him as he will perceive you as a predator and try to bite you. 

• Do not yell at your budgies as it will make them severely stressed and consequently become aggressive towards you. Instead, always approach them with love and care. 

• During the mating and molting period, you just have to be patient and let your budgie get over it. You can also introduce it to other people so that it stops obsessing over you.

As we’ve reached the end of our article, hopefully now you have learned that budgies can bite you due to their initial fear of you, hormonal changes, or even because of excitement. And by following simple techniques, you can make them and yourself feel safe.