red Bellied behavior question

[meadiva]

Hoping for some experienced insight here.

I have had Jellybean for about two weeks now. He was hatched in early Jan and was with the breeder till I got him. He was skittish at first and biting everyone, but is settling in a bit now. the breeder said it was just because he was nervous that so many strangers wanted to touch him. There were 4 of us there to see him. He still bites and doesn't let anyone but myself touch him. I can hand him to others once he is on my finger but they still can't pet him. I am hoping in time the biting will stop since he draws blood. He will still go after me once in a while but I pull back when I see he isn't in the mood to be touched.
Jellybean was raised inside a home with lots of other birds, mostly larger birds. There was also a family in the same quarters as all the birds so he was around at least 4 people daily.

The breeder said he doesn't usually bite, so is it just because of being in a new place or am I looking at this for the long haul because its a learned behavior? If so I will have to find my family some leather gloves because I really want Jellybean to be a family bird. (even tho Jellybean bites right thru leather strings)

Also I have a link for video of this odd noise/beak grinding thing he does. Is it normal? I am worried it could do damage to his beak. Maybe his beak is too long and he does it trying to trim it? He seems to do it often, maybe its just a nervous tick?

I have no idea how to embed the video so I am posting the link to youtube.
nvm it worked from the link yay.

[ame="http://youtu.be/Titqp8qMEL0"]Jellybean the Red belly parrot - YouTube[/ame]

Thanks for any help!

Also thought I should note that is his make shift play stand so he can sit on my bed and watch what I do. He talks up a storm all day and has learned at least 4 new sayings in the time I have had him. I hope that's a good sign.

 

[SoCalWendy]

First of all, welcome and Jellybean is adorable.

From your video, Jellybean is grinding his beak - totally normal. They do this when they are, sleepy, relaxed, and/or content. That is a good sign. So relax, it wont hurt him. Him talking, singing, vocalizing is also a good sign.

As for the biting. He is still young and is learning how powerful his beak can be. My Senegal Rio likes to preen me. It's goes from little teenie tiny bites, to full on mouthing my fingers. She doesn't usually apply "too"much pressure. If she does i try not to react and direct her on to something else to distract her. She also likes to preen my hair, except sometimes she will pull it. Lil brat!

Are you watching your birds body language? Biting is usually a last resort, before he bites he will give you clear signs that he does not want to be handled. First, if you or anyone approaches him and he moves away, that's one sign. Respect his space and back off, but don't make it a big deal. Hackles up, head down, puffed up, another sign. Eyes flashing, pinning, bingo! He is going to bite because he already gave you the other signs and you didn't listen. Hee hee

Do some training with him that promotes bonding: How to Tame & Train Parrot - Step by Step Taming Guide

My Senegal is a month younger then your red-bellied parrot. They are very similar, as both are for the Poi family. When I first got her at the end of May, it took me a good 6 weeks before I could handle her without her looking for a place to escape. I went to that website and learned about target training, and other things, and I joined this forum. Love it here.

Now I can pick her up with no biting. She will turn around, do somersaults, lay back. And she is learning to roll over, lay on her back. It's slow, but it's her pace. I am the only one who can really handle her, but we're slowly working on that too. When people come over, they are to ignore her completely. I let her get a feel for them, instead of the other way around. Her bite hurts. Her favorite words are "what are you doing?" I hear this a lot! I am usually making coffee, food, or margaritas. Joking, well sorta!!! She is a great mimic, and likes to laugh at me too.

Would love to hear more about Jellybean. Hang I there. And there are others on here who also have members of the poi family living in thier homes who will chime in too.