how do i stop my lovebird from biting?

[Wolf]

No what you just described is not going to stop the bird from trusting you, I was referring to starting training too soon. Technically that is what you are doing, but if it is kept to only just a little bit it won't hurt. Many people get into the training to the exclusion of building their relationship with the bird and when that happens then the bird rebels after a while and that is what I was talking about. Training is good but it does not create the bonding and that is what is the most important.

Someone is charging way to much as you can get the kit for DNA sex testing for about $25 US, it comes with everything that you need and instructions too. It is not very expensive.

[Pajarita]

[quote="vikkirikki"]:mlovebird: my birds love each other. They only do mating / loving type biting with each other. My love birds are like best friends. It costs $240 to get both birds sex tested. They do a blood test at the avian vet here. And we don't have money for this test. That is way more than my mum paid to buy the birds with their cage. My lovebirds live very happily together.

I know somebody who, like you, thought her birds loved one another because there had never been a single incident in over 6 years but one day she came home from work and found that one had killed the other - and although I am not going to go into details because you are too young for the gore, believe me when I tell you that it was not a pretty sight!

[vikkirikki]

I wont do anything else for now, I will just keep doing what you say and also get them to follow the chopstick and give them treats when they do

No what you just described is not going to stop the bird from trusting you, I was referring to starting training too soon. Technically that is what you are doing, but if it is kept to only just a little bit it won't hurt. Many people get into the training to the exclusion of building their relationship with the bird and when that happens then the bird rebels after a while and that is what I was talking about. Training is good but it does not create the bonding and that is what is the most important.

Someone is charging way to much as you can get the kit for DNA sex testing for about $25 US, it comes with everything that you need and instructions too. It is not very expensive.

[vikkirikki]

and I will see if I can get a cheap dna kit in australia

[vikkirikki]

looks like we can get a dna kit yayyyyyyyyy

[Chantilly]

looks like we can get a dna kit yayyyyyyyyy

Awesoeme! I dont know if you have bought one already, but if you look at an Australian BirdKeeper magazine at your pet shop (everywhere pet seems to have them in QLD.. and Probably where you are too..)
But I think you can get them anywhere between $9.99 and $19.95 advertised on various pages.. Of course you would need two, I am guessing postage would be fairly cheap seiing as you are prettty much just getting a bag, and some paper to send it away in (I think!). Wishing you, vikki and ricky the best
Edit: so you know if you buy this way you are actually plucking feathers from their chest to get a bit of blood or skin to send away

[Wolf]

Great news as this is very important to know. The sex of your birds can affect how they get along as well as the diet that they need to eat. Let me know when you find out their sexes as well as keeping me updated on their progress with the taming, please.

[Pajarita]

looks like we can get a dna kit yayyyyyyyyy

YAAAAYYYYYY!!!! Great news! It's very important to know the gender of all parrots but, when it comes to lovebirds, it's essential!

[vikkirikki]

We have the DNA envelope ready to post tomorrow mum and dad got some feathers from them this afternoon. They did it because I want them to keep learning to trust me.
I been working with them every day.
They bite some fruit and vegetable now but they don't eat it yet.
The 'girl' follows the chopstick really well and she loves millet spray. But the last few days she has been in the nest box a lot.
The 'boy' doesn't really like the millet spray so I give him sunflower seeds as well. He still wants my fingers more than the treats and he is not as good as the 'girl' at following the chopstick.
They both come towards me now when I go over to their cage (when the ' girl' is out of her box). But I still wonder if they are coming to bite me and not because they trust me.

[Wolf]

Well it sounds as if you are making progress with them and that is good. I know that things went wrong before and they ended up biting you much more than they should have, but you are going to need to put that all behind you and try to trust them as well. Trust is always a two way street. Not all of their biting is meant to be biting some of it is how they explore their world as they use their beak in much the same way as we use our hands. If you are working with them through the bars of the cage then it is very hard to give the bird a sunflower seed properly which is with your fingers on the sides of the sunflower seed and not on the top and bottom of it which makes it harder for the bird to get it without biting your fingers.

Let me know in more detail where you are in gaining their trust as far as what you are doing and what they are doing.