Why Do Parakeets Chew on Paper?

Parakeets are beautiful, small birds who make friendly companions when they are raised correctly. When hand-raised they will rest in the owner's hand and allow the owner to pet them. They bond with each other and with humans. Their behaviors, however, may be confusing, including their insistence on chewing paper.

  1. Natural Chewing

    • Parakeets will naturally chew a variety of materials, preferring wood and paper, but will chew on metal if nothing is made available. Parakeets have softer beaks than bigger birds such as parrots, so they need softer materials for chewing. Parakeet owners need to understand that chewing is normal behavior for parakeets and owners should provide materials for them to chew on.

    Playing

    • Parakeets are extremely playful and social. They chew their toys when they play with each other and with their owners. Parakeets prefer to play with noisy, hard toys, but their curiosity will pull them toward paper. Magazines, books and newspapers outside the cage can be victim to the parakeet's playful curiosity. Since birds discover with their beaks, they will chew paper while they play.

    Beak Wiping

    • Parakeets wipe food and water from their beaks. Typically, wood is used for wiping the beak, but the birds will use paper when wood is unavailable. This behavior is similar to a human using a napkin to clean the mouth. The parakeet, who has no hands to manipulate the paper, will put the paper in its mouth and drop it in an attempt to clean food from its beak.

    Conditioning the Beak

    • Beaks need to be conditioned. The beak is the main tool the parakeet has, and it is used as hands, for sustenance and for protection. The beak needs to be worn down, as it grows much like a fingernail. Chewing is essential for this conditioning. Soft wood is best for this conditioning, but the bird will chew paper if no wood is available. If the parakeet is chewing on the cage, provide wood immediately as the metal is dangerous for the beak.

    Stress

    • Stress will cause a bird to obsessively shred paper. If the bird is shredding paper aggressively and exhibiting other signs of stress, find the cause of stress and eliminate it. Other signs of stress in parakeets include screaming, loss of appetite, feather picking and diarrhea. Parakeets can become stressed when new birds are introduced to their habitat, the parakeet is ignored, too many new experiences are presented at once, or the bird is picked up around the wings and body rather than being allowed to hop onto the hand.