# Biting on glasses problem



## kevncaz (Mar 25, 2009)

We got our little Honey last week, and she came to us a cuddly tame bird she still does love human company and contact but, she is always nibbling on our glasses and ears, soetimes she does this with such a force that when she misses the glasses it can be painful, we wondered if anybody else has had this problem, we love the affection we recieve off her, and we knew when we brought her home she liked doing this but it is a behaviour we would like to discourage. she is fully flighted at this moment but we are considering have her wings clipped before she meets our other birds due to them all being clipped, and because we are always worried about her escaping, her obsession with our glasses means that even whilst sitting on our head she will try and climb down our forheads and bite the glasses in the middle, which has resulted in claw marks on noses and foreheads, when we take our glasses off it dosn't seem to make a difference as she switches to ears or the place where the glasses should be as if to say "where have your glasses gone, i'll show you where they should be" 
We are unsure on how to discourage behaviour that is not appropriate and encouraging good behaviour, especially as she is so young we would like to get her out of certain habits that could be a problem in the future.

xxxxxxxxx kev and caz xxxxxxxx


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

I don't have the problem with the glasses but I recently decided to put earrings back in my ears and they immediately go for that!! 
One day Kessie chomped, I hollored, and Kessie got put back in her cage. I didn't mean to but it hurt so much I had tears!
I've since removed them and now she leaves my ears alone. My lovies tho, Jellybean insists on gently nibbling my ear while WHINING... the nibbling I can take -the whining? NO WAY!!!

So other than distracting them and moving them...I don't have any suggestions... sorry.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Mabey have a small toy that you can let her chew on instead or just remove her to a play stand when she starts chewing.


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## Birdlette (Feb 25, 2009)

I have taken to declaring my head a "No Tiels Zone" out of self defense. I have a badly scratched pair of glasses and don't intend for my new ones to end up the same way. When they get up on my head I now politely offer them my hand to step-up on and then replace them on my shoulder or where ever. They are beginning to get a clue. I just have to discipline myself to continue to take them off every time they land on my head... when I let them slide its harder the next time....


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Best bet would be some sort of other distraction. (food can be good)


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## olive juice (Mar 30, 2009)

Echo is the same. She is far more persistent than Halley ever was.

Both tiels are attracted to my earrings and lip ring, and sometimes Halley will forget and nibble at them. A quick "no" as a reminder and he stops right away, though.

Echo...well, not so much.  She won't stop until, literally, the earring is out of my ear and in her beak.
Basically, I just keep correcting her. If she wants to be on my shoulder, she is not allowed to chew my earrings/ears/lip. She can preen my hair, which she enjoys, but the shiny things are off limits. At first I'll just say "no" loud and clear, and turn my head so she can't reach my earrings. When I turn my head back, if she still goes for the earrings, I'll cover my ear with my hand and say "no" again. Sometimes I touch her beak so she's paying attention to what I'm saying, and not the shiny things, lol. If she keeps doing it, I remove her from my shoulder entirely and put her somewhere else.

Correction is key. Eventually, your bird will understand that that's not acceptable behavior. It takes awhile though...especially if yours is as stubborn as my Echo!


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## kevncaz (Mar 25, 2009)

Thanks for all your idea's, we love having her out of her cage but she becomes a bit of a little madam when you take her off your shoulder when shes having fun with our glasses, and she does seem so stuborn as even when we do take her off she will hop back on or fly round the room till she can see a shoulder to land on, or scramble to get hold of my hair so its impossible to get her off without an extraction team, as she gets so caught up in my hair when she wants to be, she also hates to go in her cage unless its to eat, then she will whine ( i do mean whine i have never heard this before ) until we go over and play with her, we are trying to split our time equally with all our animals but as i said if we leave the room to play with the other animals then she calls and goes to the bottom of her cage, with that sad little expression on her face ( we all know that one) we dont know wether to ignore this behaviour or try and talk to her in her cage but when we do go to the cage she is litterally hanging on the front bars of the door. 
we are so grateful to everyone thats replied as we dont know where else we could have got all this information.
xxxxxxxxxxx kev and caz xxxxxxxxxxxx


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## JaspersMomma (Dec 11, 2008)

Jas does the same thing with my glasses. But only if he's close enough now, he is no longer allowed above the shoulder because he gets defensive when it's time to come down, and he leaves me with scratches all over. If you like your bird on your head then my only other guess to leave the glasses off, and maybe she'll get the picture they're not coming back. Also a distraction with the fav. food will help


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