Help! Lovebird loves to cuddle but hates hands!!

[Meeps112]

Hi, so my lovebird Kally is around 4 years old now and she is just the best birdy. She is a cuddle monster and loves to take naps on me. She rubs her head on my shoulders and my nose! She loves scratches with my nose and loves scratches on the head with my face. I can only touch her with my face. Its not like she doesnt trust me. Because she turns her back on me when eating and sleeps on me all the time. But when ever my hand gets anywhere near her she freaks out! She will bite me so hard when my hand or fingers are near her not even if I'm trying to pet her. Even when I'm just scratching my head she'll bite me. She is hand trained. She'll go on peoples hand and stuff just not petting. When we first got her at 6 months the breeder pet her no problem. We kinda taught her that biting hurts but how do i fix this? Its hard cause i live with 5 other people. Thanks! Also heres some photos of how cuddlely she is.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum! She's very cute.

@Zara ? @Ankou ?

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the forum Kristina

Does Kally snuggle with anyone else or just land on their heads? She may only like snuggling with you, and everyone else will have to accept that.

And it´s very interesting how snuggly she is, but doesn´t like being touched. You could try really stripping it back.

Start by giving her head scratches with your nose and say a key word. Whatever you want. So she identifies, this is what this sound means. Only say the keyword when you are touching her.

Then offer her food, hand feed her treats and all of her favourite things. Start a little far away, not in her space, let her come to you to get it. Best using a table top, and keep you hand low. Keep doing it in little sessions every day until you are able to get right up to her to give her her some food - if she bites, retreat and no treat. Wait a little while before trying again.

Then you can hold the food (a cluster of millet would be good for this as she will have to stay to eat it) between the thumb and middle finger, and stetch out you index finger and over time, say the key word and touch her while she eats the treat. You might be able to start with this if she will let you get close while she is snuggling on you.

Just remember hands really are scary to a bird, and open hand coming in to scratch can seem like a predetor. Always come from low down and in front - Slowly.

Sydney is my only bird that loves a scritch and a snuggle, I offer him a head scratch by rubbing my thumb and index finger together low down in front of him - he can choose to back away meaning no, or bow down to accept.
I used the same concept but as my birds didn´t bite, I would be scratching his head and pull back and do the gesture, he would always bow down like ¨carry on woman!¨ and then I´d continue.

Be patient, it may take time. It´s like a person getting over fears like spiders, heights, or darkness - it uasually doesn´t happen over night.

Good luck!

 

[faislaq]

lol @sunnysmom I was going to tag you when I read this title. You beat me to it!

 

[Ankou]

Aww, how precious!
It's clear she trusts you from those pictures but she may not trust your hands.

Honestly this is probably going to be slow to fix, biting is a bird's strongest tool to say NO and for whatever reason she's saying NO TOUCHING... with hands.
She may just be a bird that will never like hands but I know when I've had trouble with my lovebird biting and hands and not any other part of my body it was because hands grab and steal. After all, when is the last time your nose forced her to step up and "stole" her toys or food? Perhaps she trusts your nose isn't going to do something she doesn't like so she doesn't need to tell it to go away in no uncertain terms.

So my advice is to try not to use your hands to force her to do something she doesn't want to do. If she doesn't like you taking away her things avoid allowing her to get things that you will have to take away. If she doesn't like hands moving her around try to train her to step up on a stick. Instead, use your hands to do stuff like drop treats nearby and don't try to touch. If you feel like she's feeling comfortable enough to touch her without an immediate bite, just stroke her head quickly and leave her alone. It's going to absolutely be about not pushing her past the point where she feels like she has to bite because every time she does it reinforces the act of biting even if she didn't get her way. (It really really is not about ignoring her bites. God I wish someone had been around to tell me that the first 10 years I had my lovebird because wow I got bit a lot until I learned to back off and respect her NOs!)

It's going to be about trying to make every interaction with your hands as positive as possible and hopefully she will start to learn hands are not a bad thing and fingers give better scritches than noses!