ovebird loves me but hates my hands ?

[genio]

i have had my devil since he was 2 weeks old

i hand fed him and taught him how to come to me on command

but ever since he learned how to fly he started to nibble my fingers and I was told it was normal and he will learn with time that does nothing and will stop but with time that nibbling turned into biting

and he kinda forgot his training

when I wake up I go and open his cage or usually my mother opens his cage and lets him roam around the house or come to my room if my door is open and he fly's to me if i open his cage (it seems he just likes to fly to me and if i whistle to him or tell him to come to me he dosent respond to it and he just comes to me when he likes it )

and lands on my shoulder or head and trys to nibble my cloths or ear

but if i bring my hand closer to him and try to touch him or massage him he bites my hand

i used to touch his beak with my thumb and index finger and tell him NO

but that felt useless after a while so i stopped

he isnt afraid of me and he usually sits on me or trys to bite my phone but the moment i try to massage him or touch him he bites me and goes aways (moves aways) not fly

even when i am typing this he came from my sholder and to my keyboard just to bite my hand
and just 5 miniuts ago I was on my bed on my phone and he flys on top of my phone and bites the case so hard and then my finger which is used to hold the phone and he BITES SO HARD I DON'T KNOW WHY
right now he is on my shoulder nibbling my ear or biting it while screeching in my ear

 

[SailBoat]

Sorry, that your have having difficulties with your Parrot...

Well, it looks like you have set one thing in place "i used to touch his beak with my thumb and index finger and tell him NO" So, now he avoids your thumb and fingers. Take care what you are teaching.

A Huge Basic:
- Only good things happen when Humans are around!
It is very important to create a reason for your Parrot to WANT to come to you when you ask.

I'm guessing that "Step-Up" is not in place. It is the foundation for developing a relationship with your Parrot.

Parrots have no natural reason to trust Humans. We must, everyday, provide them reasons to WANT to be around Humans...

Birds do not see Humans as a whole of our Parts. They connect with our Heads and everything below is kind of like a tree in which our Head is perched in. As a result, those things that move are like other creatures hanging around the tree. And, since hands can both bring treats and rewards, they can also bring a swipe-away. Take a long look at what you are doing with your hands.

 

[genio]

Sorry, that your have having difficulties with your Parrot...

Well, it looks like you have set one thing in place "i used to touch his beak with my thumb and index finger and tell him NO" So, now he avoids your thumb and fingers. Take care what you are teaching.

A Huge Basic:
- Only good things happen when Humans are around!
It is very important to create a reason for your Parrot to WANT to come to you when you ask.

I'm guessing that "Step-Up" is not in place. It is the foundation for developing a relationship with your Parrot.

Parrots have no natural reason to trust Humans. We must, everyday, provide them reasons to WANT to be around Humans...

Birds do not see Humans as a whole of our Parts. They connect with our Heads and everything below is kind of like a tree in which our Head is perched in. As a result, those things that move are like other creatures hanging around the tree. And, since hands can both bring treats and rewards, they can also bring a swipe-away. Take a long look at what you are doing with your hands.

I appreciate the help thank you

but how do you think I should fix the issue especially with the biting
I yesterday I introduced him to a pellet diet and I am working on changing his diet to pellet only instead of the all-seed diet
so do you think after I do that I take treats and make him eat it off my hand?
Like open the cage let him come to me and letting him eat it off my hand ?

 

[fiddlejen]

I suggest "Target Training." You can get a book on Target Training for Parrots, or you can start by looking up posts about it. You may modify it after a while but it is a very good basis for starting to train a parrot.

(Then also look up Bite Pressure Training as well.)

 

[Flboy]

At the moment, anytime your hands approach him, they are holding a treat! Walk by the cage? A treat! Remember to alternate hands! If he’s really determined to nail you, use a larger piece for now, but work your way down to really small pieces! Work your way toward giving treats in an open palm. For now, avoid the urge to give him a scritch! Remember, you both were trained into your present situation, so it will take time to develop new associations!
For stepping up, use a stick for the time being, and treat!

When I first got my JoJo, he was terrified of hands! He lived in an open pit and was groped by every kid that walked into the rescue! It also helps to approach him with hands palms down!

 

[abababa]

I'm a bit 50/50 on whether birds recognize the 'whole as the sum of the parts' (i.e realise the head and the hand are the same person). On the one side it makes some sense, but in experience I've seen it rare that they'll be nervous with a hand but happy on a shoulder and vice versa.

The main thing when approaching a bird with a hand is to not stick a finger towards it. Any bird owner will have discovered the first thing guests often do (and should be immediately cautioned against!) is to cautiously poke a finger towards a bird to pet it; the bird inevitably attacks it because it's a threatening, bitable thing invading their personal space.

If you approach a lovebird to pet the best thing to usually do is bend the fingers so you're moving your knuckles/thumb towards it. This is much less threatening to them. Do not touch the lovebird, stop a few inches away; if it wants to be petted it will typically lower it's head and nuzzle against your fingers.

You can solve anything with treats, but then the risk is, unless carefully done, it's basically not learning your fingers are ok, it's learning to grab the treat then go back on the defensive.

This is complicated by the way birds bond; lovebirds typically have one bonded 'soulmate', which can be human or avian, and if you're not it, it takes much more time to build trust to the level you can pet (it absolutely can be done though).

As a side note it's difficult to discipline a bird. It's very easy for them to confuse a telling-off with attention, and you need a *really* tight and consistent coupling between action/outcome. They don't necessarily seem to interpret human sounds or tone of voice as we do (I have a lovebird that often becomes a little bit aggressive at the sound of laughter) As a short version negative reinforcement is not worth bothering with; rely on positive reinforcement and ignoring bad behaviours. Obviously, as biting is hard to ignore, one option is to wear a glove short term so the bird learns biting does not result in a reaction.