alright - that's not the best start, but it can be fixed... you and your BF need to work together on this one... currently you're not doing the right thing IMO...

*) get pickles on a routine.... it's still all new for her, and she needs to get used to everyday-life in your house...

*) which brings me to my next one - your BF has to back off... she seems to be all about him... usually, what you want to do is have him do the "unpleasant things" like putting her back in the cage etc... and you do the "nice things" with her... fixing her food, taking her out of the cage etc.

*) do not hand off pickles between you... pick a neutral place to put her down before the next person picks her up... she will bite you if your BF hands her off right to you... just the way it goes

*) step-up training... it's one of the things that worked best with me to keep valo in line.... both of you need to do it with her, i'd say 2 times a day for 5min in a neutral place... (aka not right next to her cage, gym etc)

*) you should take her to unfamiliar territory.... without your BF... (is she clipped?)... grab a towel, grab the bird and go - i don't know - to the laundry room, to the hallway if you live in an appartment, to the basement... the unfamiliarity will throw her off and she'll realize that she can trust you (my BF takes valo for a walk before handling him every time he comes to visit)

*) sorry to be that blunt - but you made a mistake this morning... don't sit down on the couch with her when she's in a biting mode.. you need to keep her occupied with other things than your skin if she's in that mood... if you sit down just you and her you're asking to get bitten

*) do not(!) let her up your shoulder... not you, nor your BF... she needs to learn the household manners before you let her up on shoulders... some people actually never allow their birds to perch on their shoulders.. i do, but only AFTER they understand that my face is no wooden toy that needs to be chewed up... and that takes time... again, step-up training will help you with that....

i think that you can work things out, but you need to be a little more organized and strict at the beginning.... (did you find her favorite treat yet? bribing can work wonders )

best of luck.... let us know how it goes

Bee, that was a great post! These are all great suggestions, and IMO, right on point. Kate made many of the same points.

I think it's entirely possible that Pickles just figured out that you are female, like her abusive past owner. Anecdotally, menstrual cycles can certainly have a bearing as well. No personal experience here (ahem, wrong sex), but I've read about it.

No matter what put her off you, Bee has the right answers for things to try. It has got to be all about you right now, and the less your BF gets involved with her, the better. Unless, of course, you decide that she's going to be the BF's bird. And I absolutely feel that she was so nice to you before because she was so much out of her element. Now she's starting to feel "at home", and is asserting herself. She needs to find out that all things good come from you, and you can't allow her too many liberties until you've earned her trust. You can have a much better relationship with her, but you'll have to slow down and take it easy at first, and don't try to handle her when she can see the BF for now!

You might need to really go back to basics, and work with her while she's in the cage for a bit. Talk to her, read books to her, bribe her with treats given from your hand. If she'll accept your hand being in the cage without attacking it, then start to work on having her step up. First though, I'd be really curious to know how she reacts to you when the BF isn't around. His absence in it self might be enough to make her more accepting of you.

There is also a possiblity that no matter what, she will always be the BF's "sweetie". If that happens, you have to learn to live with it. Birds can be very opinionated that way, it's not her fault. She can still learn to accept you as a caregiver, perhaps even a friend.

Yes as a female you probably give of a scent she recognizes. Until you become friends this bird may be very difficult. I agree with what's been said.

I would resist any hand contact until the bird is more relaxed just hanging with you.
~ One thing that Laker & my past pets all hated was hand cream. Do you wear any?
~ If Laker is angry I get him to fly a lot as well - it seems to wear off the aggression.
~ I also work with the voice - instead of handling the bird - just hang out beside the cage & talk for a few days.
~ Sarah/svolk posted about the 'Blinking" training - have you tried that?

& yes it is totally normal to feel hurt [inside] when they bite - i always do but try & not take it too personally!

Absolutely. It hurts. A lot. Please don't think that we're not being sensitive to your feelings here, I meant to say something about this in my earlier post. I'm sorry she hurt you both physically and inside, it really can shake you up when they do that.

Please don't give up. It's always darkest just before the dawn, and believe me, the feeling you get when you get a "breakthrough" makes up for all the pain.

Hey everyone! I'm Kris' BF, and as you know we're having issues with Pickles. Is there anything I need to do to make sure I'm helping correct this problem???

Thanks in Advance.

You know Kris, I am going to be totally honest with you. Maybe Pickles really loves your BF and has choosen him. Our bird Danny is like that with my hubby. It hurts my feelings alot, but I have to not take it personally. Danny came from a bad home like Pickles. I have no idea the extent of what he went through there or how badly they treated him. I just know what I saw (screaming and hitting his cage, no perches or toys for him) and I know how horrible that was. Danny cannot stand me, never could. He adores my husband and will let him hold him and kiss him. But I cannot get close to him without him freaking out. It really sucks, because I love him and I want to spend time with him. I clean his cage and prepare his food, and just now after 4 months of having him he has quit trying to bite me when I bring his food. Maybe Pickles just needs time and patience. You just have to understand that what she went through was VERY tramamatc for her. I am sorry you have to go through this, but I am so glad Pickles is with you. Danny's first day home he stepped up for me, but no way would he do that now.

Try reading to her and talking to her alot, even if it is from a distance, Danny really enjoys "talking" to me. I hope my post wasn't really depressing and made some sense.

My GCC Mojo, may he rest in peace, had a love/hate relationship with my hubby Sam. He would go out of his way to bite him at every opportunity. It was heart breaking too because Sam tried so hard to be friends with him.
Don't give up, I know how upset you must feel that you can't snuggle with her. Just remember too that you did a wonderful thing taking her into your home and away from the abusive lady. It will get better but it just may take awhile. Bee has given some great advice, so has Kate (Lol that was weird to write because my name is Katie lmao!). I make Silk do Step up training, it really helps too.
Good luck, hang in there and don't get to down about yourself! We are all here for you both

I think we have found something that works!

Everytime Pickles Bites (or Attempts to bite) kris, she takes her down the stairs (at our apartment) and puts Pickles on the floor. Then Kris makes Pickles come to her, then she does step-up exercises. We think it is working.

I believe this technique is called "laddering" any input folks? I think it can work against you sometimes but Im not sure.

i guess, almost everything that i recommended earlier is said to be counter-productive by some source... i often heard that placing on the floor is counter-productive, and so is time-outs... i guess it's hard to say... i think that a lot of those measures can work against you if you try to do it CONSTANTLY... a lot of them i'd never use constantly, but only temporarily to work things out (did that make sense?!)

if it is something that works, i'd stick with it until the situation gets better... however, i guess the main goal is to avoid the bites in the first place... look at some of the suggestions in this thread, and try the ones you think would work

best of luck!

edit: thought laddering referred to step-up training from finger to finger... could be wrong?!