Relentless ear and lip nibbling

[Parisandvas]

My senegal zeus is relentless. Its non stop nibbling of the ear and lips with some tongue action. Its driving me crazy. Can somebody tell me what i can do to stop this. My other senegal does not do this.

 

[JLcribber]

Revoke his shoulder privileges.

 

[Parisandvas]

Its hard to revoke
him off my shoulders because i try to get him off and 10 seconds later hes back on, and this could go on all night. I dont like to keep him in the cage all the time either

 

[JLcribber]

Wear a big scary hat or a hoodie until he gets the idea. A bird can only bite you if you let them. And you're letting him. It is that simple.

 

[EllaMay]

To me that is easy to revoke the shoulder I shake Ella is off. You have to keep it up shake, wiggle wildly whatever. I did and she finally got the drift that Mommy was a bit upset when she was on my shoulder. Ella lost shoulder privilege because she pinch my lip didn't break skin, but that was enough to say not happening. You have to earn to be back on my shoulder if that even happens in the future.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

If you still want him on your shoulder but not nibbling, you have to stop him from the behaviors you do not like. EVERY TIME he starts the behavior, you stop him and give him something else to do. If that means dealing with the behavior 50 times a night, that is what you do. Persistent behavior modification means a well behaved bird.

Sunny Senegal likes to nibble my teeth. All I have to do is close my lips firmly and tell her NO, and she stops the behavior. I admit I do sometimes give her good from my lips, especially if I am introducing a new food. No saliva with the bite of food, however.

 

[karen256]

Sounds like he's only getting bored and attempting to groom you.
A playgym or other fun out-of-cage area will do wonders. You can also try making a 'birdie necklace' with some bird-safe wooden beads and rope to help distract him when he's on your shoulder. Try to resist laughing, scolding him, ect. when he's nibbling as he probably is enjoying the attention. Instead, praise him for the good things he does - playing with his toys, talking, doing something cute - so he knows a good way to get your attention.

 

[faislaq]

You can also try making a 'birdie necklace' with some bird-safe wooden beads and rope to help distract him when he's on your shoulder.

Scotty would probably love playing with a birdy necklace instead of nipping at our earlobes. Wonder how long we could wear one with bells on it -he LOVES bells. lol Great idea @karen256

 

[RandyMiller]

Pat loves to nibble my fingers. Sometimes it gets irritating but I guess it his way of showing love!