lovebird chewing on blinds and nipping everything

[littlestever]

hey guys my lovebird has been chewing on everything. i always have her out the cage and see seems to always fly to the window and bit the blinds. there is holes everywhere. im concerned is this normal ? what should i do? lately she has allowed me to fully pet her but wont let me hold her. every time i go next to the window she will fly back to the highest point. sometimes she will allow me to take her from the window and let me put her on my shoulder. any advice?

[friend2parrots]

does your lovebird have a play area, like a jungle gym or a bird tree, with some favorite toys, esp. chewing-type and preening-type toys? this might help focus her attention on those things. also, have you target trained her? if not, read up on Michael's blog on target training, and you can do that as an activity with her. once she's gotten the hang of it, you can hang some natural manzanita or java branches (of the appropriate thickness for lovebird feet) from the ceiling with hooks, and set up some toys on the branches, and target her to go hang out there. i've done this for my GCC and Bourke and they enjoy spending time up there. also you can try hanging those curly boing perches here and there from the ceiling. hopefully these things will distract her from the troublesome chewing. often the best solution is distraction distraction distraction, and praise and rewards/treats for doing certain things you want the bird to do. for example, if you would like her to play with a toy, it may help to target her to that toy, and then when she beaks it, give a reward. eventually, she will discover the enjoyment of the toy itself, without any treats or rewards given to coax her to play with it.

also, see this thread that deals with similar chewing issues:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9678

hopefully these things will get her mind of those blinds! (hey that rhymed )