I Need Help With Biting and Eating

[VelocirapGirl]

My lovebird is about a year and nine months old. So far, he will let me hold him with a stick and will eat from my fingers. However, he is really interested in what my fingers have for him because he associates them with food right now so when I hold him with a stick and he's energetic he will chew on my fingers. No intention of hurting me, but it does hurt since his beak is pretty big and sharp, lol. Anyway, he is making me bleed a bit and it's interfering with the step up training I'm trying to do with him and if I try to have him step up onto my finger he just chews it thinking I have food. I don't really know how to stop it and I don't want to yell at him or "punish" him because he's not intentionally trying to hurt me and even if he was I still wouldn't punish him because ya know, birds are birds. I don't know how to get him to stop.

Another problem is his eating. He eats mostly seeds (I know, unhealthy) and the ONLY vegetable or fruit he will eat is broccoli. He goes crazy for broccoli, yet he won't eat any other fruits or veggies. I've tried peaches, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bell pepper, watermelon, he won't even take a bite, and again tries to chew on my fingers. I think he might try kiwi or romain lettuce but I have yet to try. He also usually won't eat his pellets but once in a blue moon I can get him to. I'm hoping he's getting enough nutrients but it's really hard to get him to eat anything that isn't seeds. I think where he was before I got him they only fed him and all the other birds seeds.

Any ideas on what I should do?

 

[DoubleTake]

Do you have a video of when you are holding him for training?

As for food, it takes Loki roughly 2 months to decide if she wants something new. I will give it to her everyday and everyday I throw it away, then one day I will see a bite mark and she will start eating it every day. I do this process over and over again, at first she wouldnt eat anything but now she its cailiflower, broccoli, apples, grapes and sugar snap peas. Have you tried sprinkling some millet seed on his fruit and veggies? Some people have found if you are eating/pretending what you are trying to give him, he may want to try it then. It is definitely a slow process with some, my sun conures will try ANYTHING at least once to decide if they like it or not and will never refuse it if it offered by my hand.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

I’ll be following this thread as Yoshi also hates fingers except he doesn’t nibble, he attacks .

For the food, have you tried sprinkling broccoli over different veggies? Or making a chop?

 

[Zara]

Be sure that Mr Bean is also eating food from his dish, not just waiting your you to feed it. Biting so hard it causes you to bleed sounds like hunger or ¨aggression¨ ie he does not like fingers.

As for the veggies, opt for more veg than fruit and make a finely chopped little salad with broccoli, peas, peppers, romaine lettuce or kale, a little fruit, maybe strawberry or whatever is in season, mix in some millet, and sprinkle some millet and broccoli on top.
Offer the fresh breakfast first thing in the morning when you wake him up, removing his seed seed when you put the breakfast in the cage. Leave it for half an hour then switch the dishes back. Keep doing this daily.

Yoshi also hates fingers except he doesn’t nibble, he attacks

Some birds just don´t like fingers n it´s as simple as that

 

[VelocirapGirl]

Do you have a video of when you are holding him for training?

No, I don't, but I'll try to get one. He does get distracted by my camera too.

have you tried sprinkling broccoli over different veggies? Or making a chop?

I will try that, thanks!

Do you have a video of when you are holding him for training?

As for food, it takes Loki roughly 2 months to decide if she wants something new. I will give it to her everyday and everyday I throw it away, then one day I will see a bite mark and she will start eating it every day. I do this process over and over again, at first she wouldnt eat anything but now she its cailiflower, broccoli, apples, grapes and sugar snap peas. Have you tried sprinkling some millet seed on his fruit and veggies? Some people have found if you are eating/pretending what you are trying to give him, he may want to try it then. It is definitely a slow process with some, my sun conures will try ANYTHING at least once to decide if they like it or not and will never refuse it if it offered by my hand.

Thanks for this, I will try these methods! He will probably try to get some spray millet if it was inside fruits/veggies since he goes CRAZY for it, lol.

Be sure that Mr Bean is also eating food from his dish, not just waiting your you to feed it. Biting so hard it causes you to bleed sounds like hunger or ¨aggression¨ ie he does not like fingers.

As for the veggies, opt for more veg than fruit and make a finely chopped little salad with broccoli, peas, peppers, romaine lettuce or kale, a little fruit, maybe strawberry or whatever is in season, mix in some millet, and sprinkle some millet and broccoli on top.
Offer the fresh breakfast first thing in the morning when you wake him up, removing his seed seed when you put the breakfast in the cage. Leave it for half an hour then switch the dishes back. Keep doing this daily.

That sounds great! Thank you! Yes, he will eat from his dish too. I think he chews on my fingers trying to forage through to find some more millet as I let him have 2-3 seeds of it when rewarding after he does what I ask in training and I think he gets mad that he doesn't get any more.

 

[Zara]

I think he chews on my fingers trying to forage through to find some more millet as I let him have 2-3 seeds of it when rewarding after he does what I ask in training and I think he gets mad that he doesn't get any more.

Stop giving him millet as a treat.
Give other seeds or a pellet.
It´s worth a shot

 

[VelocirapGirl]

Stop giving him millet as a treat.
Give other seeds or a pellet.
It´s worth a shot

Thanks! I think he will still be expecting millet, but I'll give millet at the end of the training session as a special treat for him, lol. I hope that way he will learn it's a treat to get pellets and fruits/veggies

 

[Leih]

Aoife refuses all fresh food. I think I might try some broccoli sprinkled with millet because what bird doesn't like millet?

She was also very nippy for awhile. Have you tried target training? She still nibbles a bit but she doesn't bite, and I'm convinced it was targeting that broke her out of it.

 

[VelocirapGirl]

Aoife refuses all fresh food. I think I might try some broccoli sprinkled with millet because what bird doesn't like millet?

She was also very nippy for awhile. Have you tried target training? She still nibbles a bit but she doesn't bite, and I'm convinced it was targeting that broke her out of it.

I will try it! I think target training will benefit him in many ways.

 

[Zara]

I think he will still be expecting millet,

exactly.

He is expecting millet so he is going nuts biting looking for the millet. If you stop giving it, he will eventually realise you are not the giver of millet.

but I'll give millet at the end of the training session as a special treat for him

then it won´t work.

Skip it 100% for a few days and see if there´s a change. You can reintroduce it as a random ¨you´re a really good bird!!¨ treat after the biting stops.

 

[Leih]

When she'd bite she'd get no click, no treat, and I would turn my back to her for about 5 seconds. She didn't much care for that, so she quit biting

 

[VelocirapGirl]

so she quit biting

Haha, that's great. It might work with Mr. Bean, I'll try it since he loves attention,

Skip it 100% for a few days and see if there´s a change

Alright, will do! I'm also moving him into the bedroom so he will be able to fly around freely and safely and I think he will benefit from it. I have another thread if you want the details

Next time I come back here I'll update on how he's been doing. I'll also update how the bedroom move went on my other thread