Bitey Quaker

[Ambermai]

Hi fellow Quaker parents,
I have a little Quaker foster and he loves me a lot but his love when it manifests as preening HURTS! Any tips to get him to stop nibbling on tiny scabs / hair / etc? I've tried distracting him (fail) but in the end I have to move him away and can't have him close. He's such a cuddle bug that he gets frustrated by distance but his nibbling drives me nuts. I've given him paper to chew (loves that), a rag to chew (also a hit), plus chew toys, but it hasn't stopped his nibbling on ME!

 

[Terry36887]

Parrots my friend, they all, or most tend to be nibbly and love using their beaks. I think you will be fighting a losing battle on getting him to stop nibbling, as an inquisitive bird they always want to know whats going on around them. If you do target training, like I urge everyone to do, he may I say MAY be more interested in training sessions and other things instead of nibbling. But by the sounds of it, your bird is displaying normal parrot like behaviour. Give an honest go at Target training and let us know how he/she goes.

 

[Empath]

i think you're doing whats required. if you keep moving him away when he's biting he'll hopefully soon learn. i shave my head, when its been growing for a month or longer my quaker starts ripping at the hairs. thats when i know its time to shave it again once its shaved he stops.

but when any of my brids start being too bitey i move them away or put them back into their cage. i'll also tell them "no" so they learn no is a bad thing