Biting

[Duckybill]

I would love to have a lovebird. The only thing stopping me is possible biting. I have read some horror stories about lovebirds biting. Am I misled about this?

Bill

[BareFootAviary]

Well, you have not been misled by hearing that Lovebirds bite, but (without sounding rude) you may have been misled that there are other birds that don't bite. All birds have the capacity to bite, some will, some won't. Some species have a higher tendency to be "beaky" while others do not. Lovebirds are some that do use their beak a lot. They are climbers so using their beak is something they need to do. I have been bit (shedding blood) by many Lovebirds, but I also have a mixed flock of pets and breeders, some semi-tame, some fully tame and some that will take your hand off if you touch them.

I have found that the smaller the beak, the more blood from the bite, but the larger the beak, the more damage can be caused (for example, if a Lovebird bites, the wound is small but it bleeds, when I got bit by an Eclectus, she made my hand numb from the bite on my wrist...).

If you get a handraised baby from a breeder, you will normally experience less bites, but that is not a guarantee. Babies go through a "teenager" stage where they get nippy and want to be independent, but as long as you follow through with training and know how to handle a bird going through this stage, you can get through it with minimal damage to your skin

With daily handling and appropriate discipline, you will not have to worry about getting bit that much (keywords: that much. You will get bit, it happens and sometimes it is an accident, sometimes they mean it. It is just an inevitability.).

[Duckybill]

I read where several were bitten by lovebirds that wouldn't let go!

Bill

[BareFootAviary]

Well, I have never had a bite that bad from a Lovebird, but my Senegal bit me that bad, I had to bounce her off the mattress to get her to let go....

[pixibubbles]

lolo bri... i can so see that happening.
if i'm honest i've had worse bites from budgies than i have lovies, although i've not had much dealings with peach faces who i know can be a bit nippy.

my bird only bites me when doing vet treatments. i figure i deserve it then anyway, and i chose do it. i could take her to the vet for everything but i prefer to put up with the bites than take her to vet every day during treatment.

HOWEVER she does have wobbly feet (problem since she was a baby) and uses her beak a lot more than other birds to climb and balance and stuff. she's caught me a few times when playing if she loses her balance but rarely draws blood.

any good bird you have will bite at some point, just like if you have a playful dog or cat you will get scratched during playing. owner hazard. but i find the bites are few and far between, and more than worth it. and i re-hab birds, so if anyone is going to be bitten, its me lol

[Libertysmom]

I have a baby lovie, I too heard bad things about them, went to a pet store to buy one and the girl said they bite bad..we did some research , went on some boards and read, got my little Thor from a breeder, at first he bite alot, but he was scared, as each week went buy he bite less and less, he hates fingers , will only step up on my wrist,from his cage, but I have found when he flies on the floor, if I put my hand down with my fingers closed he does not bite them, so I guess he doesn''t like the pointer finger..., he is so lovable, we have had him since Oct 19th and I am so glad I got him, the bites he gave me were not bad, just hurt a little but I think he was trying out new things with his beak, learning what was what... he was hand feed, I will never be sorry that I have this wonderful little guy in our lives...

[Duckybill]

I have had 2 Quaker Parrots. They started out sweet and funny. Then they went through a time of NASTY biting. Man can they make the blood pour. But they are great talkers! And FUNNY!