Lovebird that bites... Ouch!?

Question

I have a new lovebird. he was hand raised but is still extremly nippy! I dont scream or pull away when he bites, just give him a flick on the beak and say no bite or bad bird like my vet showed me. But he still continues to make a pin cushion out of me. I've been working with him for 3 months now, with almost no progress. He even got my hand so hard I could see the bone and had to get stitches! My fingers can't take it anymore! help! how do I get my bird to stop from biting! and dont say take the bite pls.

Answer 1

the love bird I got as a baby bit me.hard.any time he wanted to.I took it, and thumped it with my finger everytime he did that.on the beak.it stoped .this other one I had bit me, I thumped it on the beak,it stoped also., the one I had for pet. then got to love me and flew to my shoulder and nibbled my ear and he really loved me, because I loved him and gave I him a lot of attention.but dont thump to hard or it will give them a headache.the lady below me says dont thump it,but I had two breeding pairs.and everytime one of the babys bit me I thumped it, they stoped biting,EVERYONE of them and I raised maybe a hundred of them.But you must love on them after you thump them,you dont just thump them and put them back in the cage.

Answer 2

I just got a lovebird as well. I rescued him from a shelter so who knows what conditions he went through before. He did bite me a lot, and even drew blood. You could have a female, which is even more aggressive than a male.

What you can do is put it in the bathtub. Wear gloves at first since it bites so hard. Eventually you won't need them. Gloves do scare the bird more than the normal hand, but if your bird bites you hard enough for stitches you need them. With the bathtub make sure your birds wings are clipped, and try to get the bird to sit on your hand. Next actually sit in the tub with your bird and let him walk on you. Try to hold it close to your heart. Something about the beating heart calms a bird. Just pet it and whisper to it. Even sing lightly to it. Eventually your bird will love you before you know it. You just have to prove to it that you aren't going to hurt it.

All the flicking of the beak does is make it even madder and reinforces the biting. What you can do too is buy him toys and treats to get his beak dulled down some. Just tell it no in a very firm voice when it bites.

My lovebird now sits on my shoulder and is affectionate towards me. You have an advantage as well. It is easier to train younger birds. My bird is already a couple of years old.

Answer 3

Lovebirds are notoriously nippy and more than likely territorial (upon sexual maturity, 6-8 months old). Whether hand raised or parents raised, it depends on the level of handling it received between feedings and thereafter when it became independent and learned to defend itself. Are you going to a certified avian vet? That doesn't sound like something an avian vet would say knowing how painful that can be. I would not recommend flicking a bird's beak, as it is a VERY sensitive area. If anything to get him to stop, blow in his face to make him uncomfortable and distracted with that odd feeling rather an inflicting pain. Worse comes to worst, you can physically lift his beak off of you.

When I tamed my lovebirds (I have 5 and tamed 3 as adults), I offered my arm as a perch knowing that there's less grab-able skin on my arm and obviously no fingers to grasp. I would avoid using a verbal command when he bites, because this gets a reaction from you - it may not be screaming or pulling away, but it's attention for biting nonetheless. Definitely don't deal with him until you've calmed down after the bite because he'll be able to pick up on your emotions and he'll feel and mirror that on himself.

In regards to the second answerer, I have two pairs of lovebirds and with over a year and a half of consistent handling, attention, and care, both pairs have been very friendly and willing to see me. In fact, the two that I tamed as adults are the biggest attention hogs I've ever seen.

There's a page on biting here: http://www.rationalparrot.com The entire site is a very valuable, knowledgeable source. Definitely check it out for your parrot needs. :)

Good luck! It does take a long time and a lot of patience, and some of that tends to go down the crapper when they hit puberty, but constant reinforcement of giving no reaction, praising when they do right (ie. stepping up without chomping on you first), and carefully monitoring your own emotions as well as theirs will give you a great little feathered companion. It's taken me over two years to get some of my birds as trusting of me as they are now, and they feel safe enough and know to not bite.

Answer 4

i hate to say this but i have to be honest. it's next to impossible to tame a fully grown lovebird. quite often pet stores do not understand how to keep lovebirds & it causes great behavioral issues. a good lovebird will be hand fed AND properly socialized by the breeder and once it's weaned it should be kept alone. when this breed is put with a mate they bond so deeply with the mate that they become very aggressive and territorial. if raised improperly they can have severe aggression issues and more often than i care for they are given away because the owner wasn't expecting the problem. you should not feel bad because whoever bred her didn't raise them right & the pet shops are only there to make money. you can try to offer her veggies as treats, it's going to take a LOT of time and perseverance and a few boxes of band-aids to get her socialized properly. since you are lacking in some experience i would highly suggest a visit with an avian vet to get some behavioral help.

Answer 5

I had two lovebirds and neither of them EVER got out of the habit of bitting. In fact, I had to wear leather winter gloves when I cleaned the cage because they would absolutely attack my hand!.

I always thought it was because I had TWO birds and they were protective of each other, but if you have only one and still have a problem, I'd have to say it's something with the breed.

Answer 6

I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like a female lovebird! All my females are biters. Yes, they do draw first blood! I would NEVER thump a lovebird on its beak! All it does is piss them off.

What I would suggest to do is clip her flight feathers just the first 5 on both sides. (This is a wonderful attitude adjustment. She must depend on you for transportation!) Work with her in the bathroom only after you bird proof it. So she doesn't hurt herself.

This is a method that works for me. Maybe it will work for you.

Good luck!

Answer 7

I find it extremely hard to believe that your lovebird is handreared.
I have aviary lovebirds, and i also have a pair of lovebirds that i handraised myself, yes ive been bitten by both aviary and my babies, but not to the damage that you have gone through.
Don't flick him on the beak, that wil just make him more p*i*s*s*e*d.
Are you sure that you have a lovebird, (sounds like a bigger bird to have done that damage)

Answer 8

Go back to your vet. Your bird might have something wrong with its beak.

Answer 9

Get rid of the bird. It obviously in not a good pet. some animals are hostile and not friendly at all . Others are the sweethearts of all time. So, make your choice~~~~ no one wants an unfriendly pet, especially one that brought you pain and ran up your medical bill ~~~don't feel sentimental, just get rid of it~~~~there are a lot of lovely animals in this world.
You do not need to suffer.

Peace & Love

Answer 10

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