I have an urgent question about my Quaker Parrot!!?
My Quaker is a great pet. He does not ever bite but he nibbles for fun. Sometimes it can really hurt but its never agressive. Ive tried telling him off, ignoring him, or putting him in his cage and covered over but it isnt working, he just keeps coming back for more. Any ideas to stop this??
Putting him back in the cage and ignoring him will not teach your bird that excessive pressure is undesirable because there are many other times that you perform these actions, and they are not all because he has nipped you. You need to teach him that you don't like it when he clamps down a little too hard. Maybe it would be a good idea to teach him to stop nibbling you altogether. I have a lorikeet that does the exact same. She loves to nibble every part of me, but when she is over-stimulated, that playful nibbling can become a bruised finger or earlobe. What I did to curb this: If she is on my hand and tries to dive for my fingers, I shake/wobble the hand that she is on so that she must quickly forget about nipping my hand to regain balance. She learns to associate her nipping me with losing her balance, and soon stops beaking me. If she is on my shoulder or any where else, I wave a toy in front of her or some other object to distract her from nipping me. Although the latter is not a permanent fix, if will work in the moment. Reward your bird with praise and positive reinforcement when he nibbles on toys and not your flesh. He he continues to do so, give him a firm NO and a 'dirty look' you can also turn your back on him, as this is the way birds show abandonment and contempt. Once you get him to stop, he will continue to test your boundaries, as all mischievous little birdies do. Remember to keep the rules firm and let him know that you are boss and do not want him to nip you! Good luck, and remember that reinforcement is key!
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