About nipping fingers?

So Calypso will happily step up onto anything. I currently use a stick and have been training her "no bite". Which prevents her from nibbling at the stick and then I hope in time - my finger.

When I use my finger for step up, she gives a little nip which is fine and then all of a sudden, grabs a piece of skin, chews back and forth and then is genuinely surprised to see blood appear! I am guessing but can't be sure, that this is grooming? I say this because her feet remain stationary on my finger while she does it - I'm guessing she'd be off like a shot if she hated me? Also because "no bite" has no affect with this at all!

I've read about target training which is excellent, but I just want to make certain I'm laying the right foundations? I figure if I alternate between stick and finger she'll be used to both but to be perfectly honest - her grooming/biting really hurts and although I make no noise to betray it and keep calm - I only have 2 index fingers!!!

Does anyone have any suggestion? I'd love to get to the stage where she will leave my finger alone and I'll be able to pick her up with my hand from anywhere.

As I say, I'm scared of doing something wrong early on. Can anyone help?

Ouchie! Well she is definitely not grooming you. She is asserting her independence. She is letting you know that she is uncomfortable. It is unacceptable behavior to bite you. You can approach this 2 ways. Stop with direct hand contact until you have successfully accomplished acceptable behavior on step ups on a perch. This means no chewing on a perch when giving the command to step up. Practice step up and step down or Off. Praise and treat when successful. If this goes well move to the hand in the same way.
2nd, Keep a very favorite treat, only to be used when step up training, in your opposite hand. Ask the bird to step up and at the same time offer the treat. This temporarily distracts the bird from biting but rewards for acceptable behavior. You can also keep a small stuffed animal in your opposite hand. As soon as she starts to make any move to beak or nip, place the toy in front to block her. Praise her if she touches or plays with the toy. It takes patience and a happy voice and sometimes bandages!

Very good advice from GC.

Thanks GC for your advice - thanks Von for posting the question. I was going to post a question like that too. My lovebird is biting and steps up on the stick but when I bring my hands or finger she lashes out. Ive only had her two weeks so I know she is settling. Will get a small stuffed toy

Ahhhha! I see! So she is basically saying I'm not scared of you and I WILL own you.

Excellent! haha!

Thankyou so much for the advice. I will just keep trying for say, another week with just the stick? as "no bite" works fine for that. Hopefully just more time and patience will suffice. I will also get a small toy - definately, because sometimes she decides the stick isn't where she wants to be - it's my stick holding hand with lots of readily available skin lol. I may have a problem with the treats as she won't take any from me! She comes over to my hand, looks at the treat, usually puts a foot on my hand and then sits by the food bowl with a look that says: It goes in there, stupid woman. That's what I'm deducing anyway because with her general demeaner she suggests she's scared of nothing -this madam does not flinch. Ever! lol.

Our 13-year-old Senegal just bit my husband. She gave every sign that she wanted to be picked up, then she put her foot up to step up, then chomped into his hand, drawing blood in 3 places. We cannot understand why she suddenly did this, but unfortunately it's not the first time. She will go along really well for months, then one day turn nasty again toward him. Yet she will still go over toward him, talk to him, etc. Any ideas? I hate having him fearful of her, and hate even more that she does that to him. It will take many, many weeks before my husband will trust her again.

My Green Cheek will step up, take his treat, then chomp onto my hand if he had been woken up the night before. Usually I can tell when he is going to do this, because he sits in his cage puffed up, but still comes to the door for attention. Usually when this happens, I just put a band-aid where he will bite before he bites me, because he has drawn blood on multiple occasions like this.

More often than not, he is perfectly happy to just hang out on my finger after he has finished his treat though, so I know its not that he doesn't like me, hes just not having a good day. That makes it a lot easier not to get mad at him, but when he starts doing that, I usually leave him in the cage with the door open and sit by the cage talking to him.