lovebird bites

[Justin Garcia]

hey everyone,

i am having a little agression problems with my lovebird Reggie. it all started with just a little nibble, and it didnt think it was that big of a deal untill it got to the point where he started to bite my ears and fingers, and now it hurts like CRAZY. i was reading up on it just a little while ago and it said to try a "DO NOT BITE" command, or put the lovie in a Time Out. i just wanted to know if these are the correct steps to take. I wanted to ask because i feel that i should have tried this sooner and didnt know if it would work now if the lovie bites really hard.


However i dont think that lovebirds do it out of hate, because me and my lovebird Reggie have gotten to be great buddies and as soon as i open Reggies cage, it doesnt take her more then 2 seconds to fly out, and land right on my shoulder

[birdlady49]

Lovebirds are aggressive. I call them the pitbulls of the bird world. You could try the time out suggestions, but honestly I don't think they'll work on a lovebird. I don't have any suggestions because I don't think there's a way to make them stop biting once they taste blood.....

[CrazyBirdLady]

How old is Reggie? Age can be a big part of the biting. Juvenile lovebirds go through a stage between 4-6 months old where they want to assert their independence. Biting is all part of the "I'll show you" type of behavior. I find mine go through this stage for a month or two, then go back to their sweet selves. It often coincides with the first moult.

Do you know if Reggie is male or female? Hens, when feeling nesty or hormonal like to bite.

Generally speaking, "No bite" doesn't work with lovebirds. Like a 3 year old kid, it's best to remove them from the situation and distract them. The other thing with lovebirds is they love an animated reaction. The more you holler, squeal and dance around the room yelping, pleases them and makes them think "Hey, if I give a good bite like that again, I get to watch that crazy human dance around the room cursing!" As hard as it can be, showing as little reaction as possible is for the best.

For instance, your lovie is sitting on your shoulder and decides to give you a bite on the neck, ear, nose or all. No more shoulder privileges for a while. If they continue to run up your arm to get to the shoulder, clip wings to limit flight for a bit. You can also offer them something else to chew and nibble on while they are on you. Make a bird necklace with veggie tanned leather, beads, wooden blocks, etc... The necklace will get the biting, not you.

[Justin Garcia]

Thanks guys. Reggie is 8 months old today. Reggie is a boy. although im still not 100% sure. I can tell by his behavior(not aggressive with other people) and i can see a little lump under his legs.

does anyone know how much sexing costs? i was just wondering because i will get my lovebird reggie, and my cockatiel Sophia bolth sexed

[CrazyBirdLady]

All parrots sex organs are inside their body, so you can't see them.

At eight months old, both males and female lovebirds can become hormonal and show aggressive behaviors.

You can send away to Avianbiotech.com - Avian Sexing Center for either feather or blood kits to DNA. $20-25 depending upon whether you do a blood or feather test and results can be emailed to you.

[Beaks]

lovebirds are like a smaller version of a quaker (pitbulls with a beak) LMAO

Just say no bite, catch the beak on both sides with your fingers and hold it for a few seconds.
do it every time and he will get the idea pretty quick.

[birdloverx6]

Sexing cost about $25 per test at avian biotech here in Tallahassee. There is a quick turn-around time and they are very good. (I have heard what they are doing as far as testing for PBFD and a future vaccine)