Preventing biting before it starts

[OtterKin]

Is there anything I can do to prevent biting from starting? I have a 9-10 week old (have to do the math) who is NOT biting. Unsexed, breeder thought female though. She is mouthy, but hasn't left marks or really hurt. I don't react to her harder beaking because I know this can reinforce the behavior and make it worse, but is there anything else I can do?

[linda040899]

In my own experience, not all lovebirds are biters. I have a few females that fall into that category. To encourage gentle behavior, I use a gentle touch. Most parrots LOVE beak rubs and when you are rubbing the upper beak, the attention is on what you are doing rather than injuring the hand that is producing a good feeling. I usually have a toy or something distracting close at hand to draw attention away from my fingers. Again, from my own experience, biting usually happens when you ask the bird to do something it doesn't want to do or it's afraid of something. In the wild, the beak is not a weapon. In the event of a threat, the bird simply flies away. Not so in captivity.

You can usually see the body language that comes before a bite. Avoidance is really the best thing. Hope this helps.