What am i doing wrong?

[margemcsimpson]

Hi, i bought a lovebird two days ago which had been brought up on its own and was very tame. That night it spent all night going round all our hands and was perfectly behaved. Now it still sits on our hand and comes out the cage no problem, but bites us. This started when i hand fed it a cheerio and he is biting everyone now. I am getting the impression that it doesnt like any of us :( what do i do?

[Janie]

Hi and welcome. :)

When you say it was "brought up on its own", I don't know if you mean by humans or by his lovebird parents. If this baby was hand fed, it will likely have no fear of hands and might be biting, not because he's mad, but because he is very used to hands, has no fear of them and is investigating everything. I have two, hand fed brothers and one does bite (often) and the other never bites. The one who bites is actually much friendlier and loves human interaction. Is your lovie drawing blood with these bites? Mine rarely does and even when he does, it isn't so bad and he IS a very sweet little bird.

This little one is still very new to your home and probably needs a little time to adjust. You mentioned that everyone had him in their hands and that might be too many people for right now. It is good for everyone in the family to get to know the bird but he also needs some time to settle in and feel comfortable in his brand new home. If he doesn't act like he wants to be handled, I'd let him be. Talking to him and giving him lots of attention but also a lot of space and time to adjust. How old is he?

When you have a chance, check out the Lovebird Resource Library and also the health/diet section of the forum. Lots of good information there and especially on the best fresh foods to offer that will be healthy for your bird. Good luck and do give him time and lots and lots of patience. :) You are just starting a very important bonding process that will be worth all the time and effort.

[BarbieH]

Hi and welcome. :)

Parrots explore the world around them with their beaks. They don't have fingers, and lovies don't really use their toes that way. Beaks tell them what they need to know in order to stay alive in the wild.

I would also like to know how hard your bird is biting. That will let us know what kind of advice you may need to build a good relationship with your bird.

Best wishes, :)

[mangotiki]

How old is your little guy? In my experience, the toddlers go through a biting stage like human babies! I had one the was VERY nippy, but it was a play thing...loved our fingers...I started holding pellets for him to chew, and that seemed to make it worse (maybe the cheerio did the same thing?)
They all grow out of it, though, and become gentle little things...
Is your lovie around 4 months of age?
Traci

[margemcsimpson]

Hi, he/she (still dont know what sex it is) was born in December and raised by humans. His bites are quite deliberate and sore, but he is very pleased to come out of his cage to see me but jumps up on my shoulder and bites my ear and when i take him off he bites my thumb sore. I think he is generally very happy as he goes to us and sits in his cage muttering, i was just wondering what to do to stop him biting me sore. Maybe he is missing the lady i got him from as he seemed to have really bonded with her.

[Janie]

How to get them to stop biting is the million dollar question! :D Seriously, some people say that they do it so they will be taken back to their cage but in my biting birds case, he loves to be OUT of the cage so putting him back is punishment. I've also heard that they always have a reason for biting but I beg to differ. Big Boi is always as happy as a lark and I've never known of a single time that he bit me for a reason. Plain and simple, he bites. I always say "no bite" and usually hold his beak (very gently) but it hasn't done a bit of good. Again, he is a very sweet bird and I have no doubts that he adores me and loves to be on me. Unfortunately, his beak pressure gets the best of him and I feel the results of that. There are times he'll climb all over me w/o a single bite and other times that he gets me.....good! :D

There is always a good chance that this is a phase and your bird will grow out of it. Good luck! :)

[mangotiki]

since he is a hand-fed baby that is 4 months old I am putting my money on him being an incorrigible toddler in the middle of a nippy stage. He will grow out of it, maybe a month or so, keep some little sticks and toys around to give him and tell him in a low voice, "no" and when he bites. Don't know if this worked or if Oliver and Angel just grew out of it on their own, but several other lovie slaves have mentioned that their babies also did the nippy thing...so don't worry that he doesnt like you or anything like that, he is just misbehavin' and pushing his boundaries like any youngster...

[LauraO]

First, Congrats on the new family member:D . Lovies are the best:D . I agree that your lovie is young and likely going through a toddler stage, as others have put it. I have too many lovies to count and most have been with us since they were babies and most have gone through a stage where they explore the world around them with their beaks. Most grow out of it between six months to a year old. Unfortunately, some explore a little harder than others:x . I've had several birds that have no pressure control and can bite a little hard but don't mean to hurt me. I just take it all in stride as I'm one of those who believe that all birds bite and the best way to deal with it is to just get used to it:rolleyes: .

Just remember, your lovie doesn't hate you. It really likes you and loves being part of your family or he/she wouldn't come anywhere near you:D .