Do African Grey Parrots Bite? (All About It)

Having and raising an African grey can be a wonderful and entertaining experience for owners, but in some situations, this experience can get really nasty, especially when the bird is a biter.

So, Do African Grey Parrots Bite?

Yes, African grey parrots bite their owners or anything they might think interesting. And with a bite strength of 300-400 PSI, African greys can cause really nasty wounds that may require medical care. African grey biting behavior has many reasons, and all of them are stoppable.

Yet, stopping an African grey from biting will lead you as an owner to get bitten sometimes, and it’s better to wear protecting gloves to avoid any wounds. And trust me, it’s worthy to teach your African grey not to bite, and this is because African greys are funny to be around and can be very cuddly and affectionate, but this will happen in their own way.

And without further ado, let’s get into this…

How Bad Is African Gery Parrot Bite

The strength of an African grey parrot can reach 400 psi, and this can make the bite of one of the nastiest things happening to anyone. A human bite is only 130 psi, and this can give an example of how strong the African grey bite is. No wonder why African greys can penetrate strong seeds and nutshells with their beaks.

So, as an owner of an African grey, expect to be bitten and have severe wounds that could require stitching and medical care. Sometimes the African grey bite can transmit infections to humans that will affect the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous systems. And as a rule of thumb, whenever you see bleeding after your African grey bites you, then there is a possibility for infections.

So, you will need to seek medical care.

Could An African Grey Parrot Bite a Finger Off?

No, African grey parrots cannot bite a finger off, at least for adults, and the worst they can do is to cause a nasty tearing in your finger that will require suturing. But for children, it’s different, and losing a finger from an African grey parrot’s bite is possible, and this depends on the way of biting. Is it a side beak bite, or a front beak bite?

And if it’s a side bite, then this is the strongest and the most dangerous. Front beak bite can cause a wound, but it will never bite a finger off. And I remember when I was a kid, I used to play with an untamed African grey. Of course, there was some aggressiveness. Yet I used to make a fist with my hand and protract it to the bird and test how strong the bite was.

Even though the bite was on the finger joints of my fist, but still it was really painful, but there was no bleeding or anything because it was by the front beak. Be careful if you want to try. Make sure the bird will bite only above the finger joints in your fist, never allow biting in between the joints.

Why African Greys Bite?

African grey parrot’s biting behavior has many reasons that could cause this. And not all of them are out of aggressiveness. And These reasons may include.

The African Grey Is Not Tamed

The number one reason any parrots, including an African grey, will bite is that they are not tamed. Untamed parrots will always feel danger when the owners come around the cage, or simply when just seeing the owner. This fear gets to the maximum when the owner tries and protracts his hand inside the cage, then the bite could happen.

Taming an African grey is easy and can resolve this behavior dramatically. However, the taming process should be conducted carefully because there is a possibility of getting your hand bitten by the bird, so always wear protecting gloves.

Fear

All African greys feel fear even if they were 100% tamed and well-socialized. And this fear comes from any sudden movement from you or your other pets, and any sudden sound like a lightning strike. This can put the African grey under some sort of panic attack, and coming near the bird may lead to getting bitten.

So, it’s always important to raise African grey in the safest area of the house, with no things that could scare the bird.

Molting

Molting time that every African grey goes through at least once a year is one reason for these parrots to show biting behavior. And it’s because molting puts tremendous tension on the bird, and it’s easy to annoy the bird while molting. So, biting could happen when the owners try to play or communicate with the bird.

The best you can do when molting is to avoid annoying the bird and provide a diet rich in Vitamin B variants to boost the bird’s mood. Apart from that, every parrot has a different level of toleration while molting, so you should know your bird.

Hunger & Thirstiness

Hunger and thirstiness can induce biting behavior in African grey, so always keep supplies available to the bird.

Hormones Are Kicking

Hormones change in the African grey bodies frequently around the year, like molting and breeding. And both times can induce biting even if the bird is tamed, full, and well-socialized.

Playing & Communicating

Playing is also another reason for African grey bites. However, biting at playing times is not as strong as biting of fear or defense. Yet, you don’t want to reinforce this behavior in a parrot. Try to move away from your hand giving no reaction, just react and reinforce good behaviors of your African grey.

Apart from that, biting is another way for an African grey to communicate and explore new things. They may have the reaction they want if they bite you, or they may bite just for food. However, these types of bites should be discouraged by getting no reactions.

Dominance

Some African grey may show dominance by biting and sometimes attacking whoever comes close to their belongings like a partner, food, toys, cages, and even their owners. However, this behavior reason can be avoided by socializing the birds more often with other family members and other pets and objects in the house.

FAQ

What Is African Grey Bite Strength?

Between 300-400 PSI

Does African Grey Parrots Bite Hurt?

Yes, African grey and any other type of bird can strike a really painful bite. It can make you end up in the hospital waiting your turn for suturing.

Can You Get Disease From African Grey Bite?

Yes, African greys bite can transmit diseases to you, and these infections can affect your respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous systems. Always seek help if you got wounded severely.

Conclsuion

In conclusion, yes African grey can bite and leave their owners with nasty wounds requiring professional medical care. Many reasons are behind biting and solving them will protect you from getting bitten. And yes, that’s about Hope You found this article informative and easy to digest. Thank you for reading…