by Pajarita » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:38 am
Hi, Raina and lovie, welcome to the forum! First of all, are you sure she is biting your ear and not just nipping it or an attempt to groom it? Second question: is she, by any chance, clipped? Let me explain why I am asking these questions. People with no experience with parrots often confuse their actions when it comes to things they do with their beak. To a parrot, the beak is another hand so they use it to preen (groom, clean themselves, even 'comb' feathers) and to lean on when they move from point A to point B (as when they go from a perch to a hand, for example, and reach out with their beak before they do with their foot) or to 'hang on' when they feel insecure (as in perching on a shoulder when the person is moving so they grab whatever is nearest -like a person would do with a pole in a subway, for example). Then you have biting versus nipping - biting being when they break the skin and nipping being when they just squeeze a bit too hard but do not cause damage. And the difference is not only of pressure but also of intent because they know -or should know- very well the difference.
The second one is because clipped birds are insecure birds - most especially for aviary species (like lovies are) and even more so when they are clipped (because flight is the only predator avoidance mechanism they have). Birds that are not clipped have the option of flying away when something startles/scares them but clipped birds do not have that option so they tend to scare more easily and bite much more than flighted birds.
So tell me, is it a bite or a nip? When does it happen? -like, when you move or when somebody approaches you or when she gets startled by a sudden movement or a noise? And is she clipped or fully flighted?
Also, how long have you had her? Because that makes a difference, too, as newly rehomed birds do not know, trust or love you...