Love Bird Biting - when ignoring it doesn't work

[rudesmurf]

One of my love birds absolutely hates my hands. If she is in her cage and I put my hand up near her she will fluff up, bite one of her feet, or hide in her bed to deal with it. So obviously she is fearful for some reason.

When outside the cage she will go out of her way to attack my hands (drawing blood) when I am using the computer or typing on my ipod and so on.

So I have been target training her to land on my naked arm (sometimes she will bite my arm, but not very hard), I use the clicker and give her a treat...this is fine until she notices my hand and fingers (I was starting with my hand in a fist). She will immediately go to my hand and bite non-stop. She is completely focused on biting and will not stop to touch the target or fly to her cage for a treat.

What else can I do when ignoring it doesn't work? How long am I meant to ignore her for her to stop?

Thank you!

[Pricey_boy]

You said one of your love birds so you have more than one do they share a cage I so thy love bird might have bonded with another if so you won't have that love bird as a cuddly hand tame bird. If its in a seperate cage and want it to bond with you continue clicker training do not grab your bird because you'll get set back 10 steps and make 0 steps forward. Spend time talking to your bird everyday throug the cage. Most important thing to remember is patience if your impatient your wasting your time

[friend2parrots]

If its in a seperate cage and want it to bond with you continue clicker training do not grab your bird because you'll get set back 10 steps and make 0 steps forward. Spend time talking to your bird everyday throug the cage. Most important thing to remember is patience if your impatient your wasting your time

+1

i think it would help if the birds are separately caged, and if you take the one thats biting, in its cage, to a different room to work on one-on-one training there with her. first target training through the cage bars, you can play the radio for the other bird thats still left behind in the other room, at a reasonable volume, to block out contact calls that will distract your training.
it might take you a long time to see progress, as the birds biting may have inadvertently been reinforced over time, even during the target training. thats why i think the clicker/target training through the cage bars, in a separate room, will be an ideal place to begin, because it will prevent bites. that way you can start laying the foundation for a positive interaction with your bird. when she is calm and amenable with through the cagebars training, you can take her out and work with her further outside the cage.

[CaitlinRice413]

[rudesmurf]

They are in separate cages as the peach faced love bird would go out of her way to pick on my other love bird (black masked lovebird). They shared a cage when I got them but the black masked lovebird was very stressed by the peach faced lovebirds constant bullying. She's just extremely aggressive towards myself and others. I will try your suggestions and try to be more patient.