Parrot can't bite hard?

[yoelleoy]

So I got some walnuts and since my lovebird Jojo has never tried them I decided to let him try one. He is obviously too small to break a large walnut so I cracked one for him and offered him a piece. He tasted it with his tongue and didn't like it, but when I took off the bitter brown skin that covers and tried the white/yellow inside with his tongue he went all over it. However, he didn't bite any chunk out, more like he was trying but couldn't. I never noticed cause he normally eats an apple or steamed broccoli and other soft foods but he has never bitten hard. Even as a new bird he never bit me hard, only soft bite with some pressure that hurt only if he got you at the wrong angle. So is it possible that my bird just doesn't like or know how to bite down hard?

 

[Scott]

Wish I was more familiar with Lovebirds. Hard to know how hard they can bite, though if yours is gentle but can manage food, consider yourself lucky!

 

[Teddscau]

Lovebirds should be able to bite as hard as a parrotlet. However, since your boy's not used to eating harder foods, he likely doesn't understand that he has to chop down hard to eat the walnut. For example, if I give my birds something that's juicy on the inside, but they don't expect it to be that way, they'll immediately drop it, not sure as to what to do. Birds need to be exposed to foods several times before they know what to expect and know how to manipulate the food. Likely, Jojo thinks something is wrong with the walnut and isn't confident enough to take a proper bite out of it. This is common in birds who weren't exposed to a wide variety of foods prepared in various ways (frozen, steamed, cooked, chopped, whole, unripe, ripe, over-ripe, etc.).

Lovebirds should be able to crack open sunflower seeds, bite off the toes of other birds, and take little chunks out of your flesh. Odds are, his beak is fine, but just keep an eye on it. I'd recommend giving him balsa, balsam, palm, yucca, and mahogany pods to shred. Order s one shreddable toys online for him. He needs to be encouraged to use his beak so he can become more confident in using it.

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

Bite off the toes of other b-b-b-b-b...

Don't let my wife see that!

 

[Teddscau]

That's right! Be glad Rickey isn't a parrotlet or lovebird, otherwise your toes would be next ! The little guys always go for the toes... Now that I think about it, budgies are bad for biting toes. Beware the foolish creature who treads atop the budgie cage.

 

[GaleriaGila]

The Rickeybird's Rival has had to give up sandals/bare feet completely, except when we make sure the Rb is locked up. It's part of our "security flight check list", like the pilots use...
TOILET CLOSED, WINDOWS DOWN, NO COMPANY, NO COOKING, SHOES ON, FANS TURNED OFF... CHECK... CHECK... CHECK!!!!
Okay, release the Patagonian (or Kraken, as Kentuckienne would say)!

 

[yoelleoy]

Lovebirds should be able to bite as hard as a parrotlet. However, since your boy's not used to eating harder foods, he likely doesn't understand that he has to chop down hard to eat the walnut. For example, if I give my birds something that's juicy on the inside, but they don't expect it to be that way, they'll immediately drop it, not sure as to what to do. Birds need to be exposed to foods several times before they know what to expect and know how to manipulate the food. Likely, Jojo thinks something is wrong with the walnut and isn't confident enough to take a proper bite out of it. This is common in birds who weren't exposed to a wide variety of foods prepared in various ways (frozen, steamed, cooked, chopped, whole, unripe, ripe, over-ripe, etc.).

Lovebirds should be able to crack open sunflower seeds, bite off the toes of other birds, and take little chunks out of your flesh. Odds are, his beak is fine, but just keep an eye on it. I'd recommend giving him balsa, balsam, palm, yucca, and mahogany pods to shred. Order s one shreddable toys online for him. He needs to be encouraged to use his beak so he can become more confident in using it.

On the biting toes off thing. Could that maybe be related to why Jojo is missing a toe/nail? Due to the circumstances in which I obtained him, I didn't get to pick which bird I wanted, instead, one was delivered to me because there were no parrots anywhere in my city. So I was surprised when I noticed that he was missing a toe (more like the nail and what the nail is attached to, he still has a tiny stub stoe) but it has never affected him when it comes to moving. Could it be he had a fight with another lovebird and lost a toe? And could that have maybe traumatized him in some way that I havent noticed?

He also does have a cuttlebone that he chews on, but I imagine that it isn't enough.

 

[Teddscau]

It's quite possible that another lovebird bit the tip of his toe off. Another possibility is that one of his parents bit his toe when he was a chick (not uncommon with stressed or inexperienced parents).

When it comes to experiencing something traumatic like that... It depends on the individual and how long the aggression went on for. If he was being attacked day after day for months, and he felt helpless and was constantly in fear, unsure of when he'd be hurt again, then he'd probably have some psychological issues. However, it might've been a one off thing, and he could very well have gotten over it. When it comes to lovebirds, you need to be very careful when having them with other birds. From what I've read, unless raised together from a young age, lovebirds can suddenly turn on their cagemate and kill them.

What's your experience with birds?

 

[SailBoat]

Just an FYI: We commonly are faced with new Amazon members of our home that because of their illness and or injuries will avoid harder food sources. What we do is to crush them and provide in that form.

As they become healthier, we size things-up!

With your Parrot, by crushing it to smaller size you can create an interest and with time, increase the size and their interest in working their Beak to get what they have come to like!