Why do Parakeets Bite Everything?(Cage, Fabric,Furniture,Wood)

Parakeets can end up biting cage bars, furniture, people, or other random stuff as they are biologically programmed to keep their beaks busy all the time. They may also start to excessively chew on things when they start feeling bored, stressed, depressed, or are suffering from sleeplessness, an injury, or an illness. 

Let’s take a much deeper look at this topic…

Why does my budgie chew everything?

Parakeets like all the birds have got the habit of chewing stuff and it is completely a natural behavior on their part. Birds need to use their beaks for a wide variety of activities in the wild however because of staying within the cage they dont get the same level of opportunity to keep their beaks active as they would outside.

Hence they can end up developing the habit of chewing on random things.

As a bird owner, it is your responsibility to provide your bird with suitable materials and opportunities which will help them to keep their beaks active. This means that you need to provide them with suitable toys and accessories that can keep their beaks engaged by chewing on chewable stuff in their free time.

Otherwise, you always run the chance of your parakeet chewing and biting random stuff around the room or even the home. It can be anything from furniture, window panes, doors, clothes and other fabrics, important documents, mobile phones, stationery items, shoes, belts, etc.

In case they are limited only within their birdcage you can even find them chewing onto the metallic bars of the birdcage.

However, apart from ending up damaging your important stuff around the house, they can even end up chewing on random items that are harmful to them. They can end up accidentally chewing electrical lines, cables around the house, plants, and flowers from your home garden which can be toxic and sometimes even deadly for them.

Reasons why the budgie has suddenly started biting everything:

• The Budgie is feeling bored: Boredom is a steady reason behind why budgies suddenly start biting everything.
• The instinctive nature: Birds are by virtue wild animals. So it’s completely natural to find them to get into a knack of biting. It’s nothing out of the ordinary to find your bird suddenly biting stuff. So it’s important for you to not think that just because your birds are biting more, it has been a naughty bird and misbehaving. You need to accept that it’s completely normal behavior on their part.
• Development of a sense of distrust: Birds are very wary of strangers or people whom they dont consider a part of their family. This sort of behavior is much more apparent in adult parakeets and they may end up biting people whom they fear or still dont trust that much. So avoid letting random strangers come and touch the birds as they please.

• The parakeet may be stressed: Birds often suffer from tiredness or excessive stress when they suffer from lack of sleep. All birds require about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of absolute darkness for proper sound sleep. While sleeping they need absolute pin-drop silence in their room for optimal sleeping experience as by default birds are extremely light slippers.

Improper sleeping conditions can make the bird feel endangered and it can end up sleeping with an eye open.

Using cage covers is also a great idea as it minimizes the light and sound exposure as well as makes them feel safe. Birds that are suffering from lack of sleep can be cranky and hence develop the habit of biting on random things.

•  The bird may be ill:  In general, it can be quite difficult to determine if a particular bird is suffering from an illness. However, any major change in their behavior is often time a great signal that something is not right.

In such conditions, you should also keep a lookout whether the bird is eating and drinking properly, having sufficient sleep and whether they are indulging in playful activities or not. If you develop any kind of doubt it’s best to consult with a vet and if needed take them directly to them without delay.

How to stop my budgie from biting the cage along with everything and everyone around the house?

So in case, you notice any problem in chewing activities in your parakeet then it will be wise to provide the budgies with suitable other options which will help them to fullfil their hunger of feeling their needs of chewing.

Dont let anyone come out of the blue and try holding the parakeet

Birds are not at all spontaneous and are more like creatures of habit. So they may end up biting others whom they dont trust.

If you want someone to get friendly with the bird, let them get comfortable with the parakeet first. Let them feed the budgie something they love eating. It’s important to respect the bird”s comfortability and not force it to get friendly with other people.

Find ways of fulfilling their desire to chew

You should provide your budgie with a sufficient number of chewable toys. They are extremely vital for the proper physical as well as mental wellbeing of the birds. Parakeets like all birds have got the habit of chewing and shredding stuff into pieces.

That is their natural instinct. Toys also make sure that they do not suffer from boredom. Birds living in the wild do not suffer from any boredom as they have things happening constantly and they also need to be always on the lookout for food and enemies.

But pet budgies do not have such tension so they dont have much happening with their days. So toys are one of the many ways by which they can minimize their boredom and will help them to act as a release for fulfilling their excessive energy. It will also help them to avoid obesity.

Excessive boredom and stress can make them bite random stuff from cage bars to furniture. It further can lead to depression which then can lead to other physiological problems. Make sure you dont end up buying toys that are too small for their size as they can and up choking on them. Also, dont end up buying larger toys as that can end up intimidating them.

Whatever you do, make sure you never punish your bird in any way for biting things. This is because they, unlike other pet animals, fail to understand why you are being rude to them and this, in turn, can cause them to misbehave a lot more with you.

Make sure the budgie gets enough rest and activity

Keep the budgies at a location post-sunset that is completely dark and devoid of any loud noises. Cage covers are great but using cage covers doesn’t give you the option of being loud, the covers just help in minimizing the sound and light exposure, it doesn’t cancel them out. And birds can practice unihemispheric sleep where they can partially remain asleep while keeping about 50% of their brain active.

They do that when they remain in conditions where they don’t feel safe enough to completely enter into a deep sleep state. So disruptive sleeping conditions can start to affect their health and moos in the long term.
Also if your bird is prone to night frights, consider using dim lights in their room. Make sure you dedicate at least a certain amount of time every day where you are playful with your bird that helps them to be cheerful and to remain active.

If you liked this post then you must read:

• Can Birds like Budgies Eat Chickpeas?
• Who are Better In Talking: Male Budgies or Female Budgies(13 interesting things to know)