How to discourage nipping? rk

[Emmilyy]

The last week or so Ollie has definitely shown us some of his feisty personality (and we love him for it!) but how do we discourage the nipping?

He will (often) chew on things that tend to hurt (pinching when trying to chew on my nails, rings, hair elastics around my wrists, or moles. When I try and stop him he seems to get angry and will almost go in a little frenzy and bite my fingers!

I try to remove him from wherever he is or give him something else to chew, but he constantly tries to run back to my nails or whatever he was chewing before

 

[fluffypoptarts]

He'll grow out of it, but in the meantime you’ll have to keep telling him no and pushing the little beak away. It will come down to consistency and patience. Hang in there! Baby lovies can try your patience.

 

[Emmilyy]

Thank you! I do hope he grows out of it lol but we love him regardless!

I think my husband is more annoyed than I am lol. Ollie has chosen him and he doesn't know how to feel about it. He loves him, but is not as animal crazy as I am and gets irritated when he can't go about his business as usual because Ollie is in his face or chewing on him lol. He puts up with it for so long because he knows I'll nag him if he leaves Ollie in the cage when there's no real reason he can't be out! It wouldn't be so bad if Ollie would leave his side for even a minute but he won't

 

[Monica]

Avoid situations that you know will result in a nip and train, train, train desired behaviors.

 

[Emmilyy]

Avoid situations that you know will result in a nip and train, train, train desired behaviors.

It's hard to avoid situations that result in nipping and chewing (hard) on us because it is a constant. If he is with us, that is what he is doing.

 

[Monica]

Didn't say it'd be easy!

If you know he'll chew on your hair or skin on your shoulder, avoid letting him up there for now, or try and distract with a toy necklace. If he chews on your hands, then have a small playstand that you can easily move around the house and figure out ways to interact with him in a hands off manner. Target training is a great example! The better you learn how to interact with him without getting nibbled on, the more you can start to physically interact with him again.

 

[Rachel Karfit]

My little ringneck hen went through a terrible bluffing nippy stage. When she began nipping me I said her name and told her ‘no’ firmly, then set her on the base of her tabletop play stand or on the carpet depending on if I was sitting in my chair or on the floor. Then I ignored her. It took time, but she eventually did realize that nipping got her removed from her snuggle spot and put down, which she did not care for at all. I also would use a foot toy to distract and deflect if I caught her gearing up for a sneaky bite. Consistency and persistance was the key. Those bites hurt like fire though! They know how to pinch you where it hurts when you don’t expect it!

 

[Monica]

Parrots don't bluff though... that is just a way for them to communicate without actually biting. If ignored, those lunges could lead to actual biting. The following articles goes into more depth on this misconception.


Barbara's Force Free Animal Training Talk: Do Animals Bluff?

 

[Rachel Karfit]

I agree Monica. I think the term is a definite misnomer, but not sure of another one to use, as ‘bluffing’ is widely used lingo at this point.
Barbara’s post was one of the first I came across when researching this behavior and handling young parrots.

 

[finchly]

Someone on this forum taught their bird "mine" -- as in my jewelry, my fingernail, etc. I use that and it is helpful. The nippy stage, unfortunately, is not fun. Keep training! This too shall pass!

 

[Emmilyy]

Thanks for the replies everyone! We are trying hard to be consistent but it's difficult sometimes. All he wants to do is nibble and then bite.

The little bugger just tried to give me a septum piercing. When I tried to remove him he clamped down harder.