my first lovebird.

[gooftroop]

I just got him about two weeks ago and he's constantly trying to pick at my nails, almost feels like he's trying to rip them off.... just wondering if thats normal? and if theres a way that i can make him stop doing this..

:confused:

[bookworm0550]

you can try to pull him away or shake your fingers at him to see if he'll stop. you can try to distract him w/ something else, like toy or something.

[Bubblelady]

Gussie, my GCC, did that a lot when she was a baby. She would actually make nicks in my nails. I just gently pulled my hand away, or gently pushed her away from my fingers. She never bit any soft part of me, however--except my toes. I figure my feet are so far away from what she perceives as "me" that she doesn't consider biting my toes to be biting me She hardly does it anymore. She has, however, gotten a little nippier--which I figuered would happen. Her nips really do seem to be communicative, however. Like letting me know she wants something when I'm not paying attention, or letting me know that what I just did is unacceptable.

Buddy, my lovebird, used to kind of "chew" (not bite, not nibble) very intently& and rapidly on my finger tips when she was a baby. It became clear that this was her way of saying "Hey! Hey! I want something!" She would keep it up until I figured out what she wanted. She did that from the day she came home. Still does, occasionally. But she doesn't have to do it very often now because we "understand" each other & I can read her body language quite well so usually know immediately what she wants. Like, she will look at my water bottle & lean toward it ever so slightly when she wants a drink. That's my cue to pour a little into the cap and give her a drink. She has me very well trained. :whistle: And not to worry. Your lovie will have you trained in short order. Lovies are superb parront trainers. :happy:

[Jally]

Yep, it is very normal. What worked for me was to hold an old fashioned clothespin or a piece of broccoli or carrot so that he'd nibble on those rather than me. I also clipped a clothespin to my shirt so that he would work that off instead of my buttons or my ears.

Congrats by the way!!

[lemonypickett]

Congrats on the new babe!

Yes, Eddie did this ALOT in the beginning. I would either push the hand gently toward him to knock him off balance while saying no, or I would shake the hand he was perching on and say no! It worked.

Now my new tiel is doing it... **sigh** a fidmom's work is never done. :whistle:

[StormyMom]

Congrats on your baby!

I would have to say ALL of my birds did that as a baby...it hurts alot more with a Goffins Cockatoo! lol

I would just distract him, or even try covering your nails with stuff. Eventually they grow out of it...altho i swear my quaker Mika has a fettish for them to this day

[gooftroop]

thank you all so much for the answers, he is just over three months so i'm assuming with what you all have said it is very normal, when I have him out and on the computer he will do it alot more as to say "play with me not that" so i'm learning each day... its the cutest thing, the moment I get home from work and I start talking he sings as to tell me "come see me, ignore them" and he'll get on his swing that has a bell and goes nuts... if you ask me he is the cutest thing! i'm just so in love.

thanks again!!!
i'm sure ill have more questions later

or does anyone know of a really good couple of sites that I can do some reading on so some things that come along I wont be surprised, ive read a couple that have helped so far.