Pictures No bitey bitey??

[Odin]

Ok, so little Sherbie the lovebird is such a sweet little gal. She's a little bird with a macaw sized attitude. She has bitten us, and the lady we got her from said, "grab her and touch her beak and say no bitey bitey"
I have * no expierence with biting birds. So when she bit me, I just took a breath, quietly said no biting, and waited for her to come to me. (this is when I try to bring to her the day cage from the bedtime cage, they are different floors of the house)
Now, I would love it (yes I am reading the forums too!) if someone can run the scenerio for me. Here we go.... I say, Sherbie, step up. She says step up and then nails me. I say no biting and wait for her to come to me, which is not practical, I cannot wait for her to come. I have to go to work and I don't want her to have to be in her sleeping cage all day. This morning, she stayed in her hidey hut, so I just took the hidey hut out of the cage, quietly talking to her the entire time. And brought her downstairs.
So..... Sherbie bites me.... then I..... ?

Here she is with Odin on the window perch of the bird/craft room.

She got my husband on the cheek, she bit him then flew off. He didn't get mad, he retrieved her and then he went and sat with her and talked to her gently. We don't have any expierence with biting, but I think Sherbie was a bit misunderstood. I am speculating. Her owner seemed ok.... I am not frazzled or anything, just sad that she feels she has to bite.
Please help us. Oh and Odin LOVES her!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

She could be unsure or afraid if she's biting and then flying away. And as for biting when you try to get her out, she's saying she's staying put and you can't make her move! It's a tough situation when they won't come yet also will bite when you enter their territory.

She hasn't had time to forge a bond with the two of you yet, so I think she may act like this for a while. Even lovie hens that adore you can still bite the hell out of you when they're hormonal or cranky. (My older one is finally settling down again and wanting to come out instead of lunging!) It's very much about reading them and working around them.

I thought the way you carried her down in her hut was great, hehe! And maybe that will become your routine for the transfer. I think you're both handling the biting well. I use a firm tone when I say "no bite" to make sure they can differentiate and understand that it's an unwanted thing.

 

[Monica]

Sherbie was not "a bit misunderstood"... she was misunderstood *A LOT*! Biting is probably the only way she knows how to say "No!" or "Not right now!".


My suggestion... *NO* happy huts. Absolutely not! Nothing to be taken as a nest! This can increase her hormones which may make her more "trigger happy" to bite. It's ok if you teach her to run through a tunnel, but don't let her sleep or use any sort of tunnel like thing.

Keep her in her day cage. You can go back to day/night cage later on, but for now, and to make training easier (i.e. not setting her up for failure by avoiding situations where we know she'll bite), its best to keep her in her day cage.


When you have time to work with her, find a favorite treat of hers (millet is usually great with little birds!) and teach her to target onto your hand. You can do this by making your hand an extension of whatever it is that she's on... i.e. place your hand on top of the cage or right next to it, and reward her for walking towards your hand. She may become hesitant, she may run off, but that's ok! Don't force her to, and if she wont come closer, then move the reward a little closer to her until she's willing to walk closer to you. If she makes a move to bite, then remove the reward and your hand. You DON'T want to get bitten! Allowing her to bite only reinforces to her that she needs to bite in order to communicate. If you can learn to avoid bites, she may learn that she doesn't have to bite to get her point across.


If you don't quite understand what I mean by making your arm an extension, watch these videos with Barbara Heidenreich.

Please keep in mind that just because she knows how to say "step up" doesn't really mean she understands what she's supposed to do.



As far as biting your husband, she could have been bored (really, how exciting is it to sit on a giant's shoulder all day long instead of foraging and playing? or exploring?) or maybe something startled her and she bit out of reflex and took off.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Hmm...I have to agree about the happy huts. Even though it's a good way to transport her, it's better that she not have a hidey, cuddly, nesty place. Hens get very aggressive about anywhere they claim as a nest, and they can do this at the drop of a hat. When my older girl is hormonal, she will claim blankets, my clothes, and even the duvet on the bed as SNERKY NEST. She defends these various nests quite vigorously. So when she's out, I have to be half naked and hide all blankets from her. How ridiculous is that? LOL!

I thought about suggesting leaving your lovie in the day cage all the time as well, but then I figured maybe you are moving her to make sure she's not disturbed and gets her full dark/rest hours, which is also important.

 

[Odin]

@Monica will she be ok in the day cage at night? Where will she sleep? Will that stress her out to have no hut? I am not being difficult! I really appreciate all of you helping us!
She is really loving, honest. She loves stritches, she loves to hang off of us, she just gets silly with her cage that came from the original owner. She is actually quite sweet. And, her biting us is likely our fault, we don't know her.
So, day cage at all times. (she is out all the time when we are home)
So, for the biting, what should we do? She bites and retreats, so would we just leave her alone? I am not regretting this, at all. Just really want her to be a happy lil gal.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

@Monica will she be ok in the day cage at night? Where will she sleep? Will that stress her out to have no hut? I am not being difficult! I really appreciate all of you helping us!
She is really loving, honest. She loves stritches, she loves to hang off of us, she just gets silly with her cage that came from the original owner. She is actually quite sweet. And, her biting us is likely our fault, we don't know her.
So, day cage at all times. (she is out all the time when we are home)
So, for the biting, what should we do? She bites and retreats, so would we just leave her alone? I am not regretting this, at all. Just really want her to be a happy lil gal.

Neither of my hens have huts, and they are fine. My boys don't have huts either. Nobody seems put out by it. They just pick a spot they like and tuck their little heads back.

I have no doubt that she can be loving. Hens definitely can be enjoyable and sweet. Just have to learn the work-arounds and what they dislike. I have been able to kiss and mush on my older girl the last few days. Apparently the hormones have cleared out of her system! I love her very much, and her moody times don't impact that at all. I just have to watch my fingers and face more, lol. I swear you can see it in their face even, the way they look at you, whether they want love or for you to stay away!

When she bites, I think just tell her "no bite" and let her retreat (I think it's a good idea to even use a different phrase from the former owner so there's no association there). Don't act frightened, but don't pursue her, either. I think in those cases she is demonstrating that she wants space or to be left alone, and like Monica said, she probably got in the habit of HAVING to bite to be left alone or communicate that she didn't want something. I think over time she will see that you respect her wishes and the biting will taper off, maybe be reduced to warnings instead if she feels the need.

Sounds like she won't be able to help but be happy with the home you have given her! Out when you're home, nice play area, a buddy, lots of love and attention, etc. I think she just has to adjust.

 

[alcmene]

I was all set to answer you, then i read the thread and everything i wanted to say has already been suggested! So now I'll just second that I think you've gotten some really good advice here. Following it will most likely fix the problem.

Also, I totally disagree with the breeder that told you to grab her, touch her beak, and say "no bite." If she's agitated enough to bite, grabbing her is just going to rev her up even more. And touching the beak of a bird who's biting is just begging to get bitten again!

 

[Monica]

will she be ok in the day cage at night?

Yes, she'll be ok in her day cage! Thousands of birds *ONLY* have one cage! Like I mentioned, you can go back to the day/night cage later on. We're trying to set you and her up for success, and if she bites every single time you remove her from her night cage to take her to her day cage, this is the OPPOSITE of success! We want to try and avoid situations where she's going to bite to reduce the chances of her biting.

Where will she sleep?

You can make sure that she has a platform perch or regular perch up high in her day cage. Keep in mind that wild birds don't have the luxury of happy huts out in the wild!

Will that stress her out to have no hut?

It might, especially if she's had one for a long time now, but having something within the cage that could be taken as a nest could result in more biting and hormones!

So, for the biting, what should we do? She bites and retreats, so would we just leave her alone?

Avoid the bites. Learn to read her body language and back off before she bites. Give her something to do OTHER THAN biting. Keep her beak busy!


The ONLY bite that can't be rewarded is the bite that never occurs. If she does bite, remove yourself from the situation. If she's on you, get her off onto a perch, her cage or something! Then consider why the bite occurred and what you can do next time to avoid that bite.

 

[Odin]

@Monica .... I am beside myself... ONE CAGE???? LMAO!!! Thank you, I need the reassurance. Princess Sherbie is down to one cage. You are right, if I give her the opportunity, then we are set up for failure.
@fluffypoptarts Thank you so much.

Odin and I will get the princess set up like she well deserves. LMAO! Thank you again. I appreciate it.

 

[Peachfaced]

You've actually named her Sherbie? I hate to go off topic but that is really confusing having two birds with the exact same name. I know... lots of birds are named some really common names, but I was trying to name my bird something unique. What made you decide on that name?

 

[Odin]

@Peachfaced , I call her Sherbie, but her name is Hubert. And yes, I loved your birdie name, so I nicknamed my gal Sherbie. Sorry if you find that rude of me, but I think imitation is the finest form of flattery. I will use her real name when I refer to her on here. They thought she was a he until she laid eggs.... LMAO!

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Aww, honoring the little marshmallow... (Hubert does not strike me as a lovie name at all, or even a bird name!! Lol! It sounds like it should be for a bloodhound or something!)