Nibbling

[rebekahbr]

So Patsy has really been nibbling alot on my hands and fingers lately, and she is getting to where she is nibbling harder. She hasnt broken the skin or anything and it doesnt hurt, but I want to teach her not to now before it gets to where it hurts. I lightly tap her nose with my finger when she does it and say to her NO, and she will either stop and tuck her head in my hand or she will reply back with another nibble:sanp3 . My question is: Why is she nibbling so much on me?:dono Is she teething or something? Should I give her something to nibble on so its not me? :thinking Just thought of something, Could I use some of that bitter tasting stuff :yuck on my hands or would she start back once I quit using it? I would like to teach her that I dont approve of her nibbling on me without her disliking me, or is that even possible? Any help on nibbling would be appreciated!:help

[tatcat]

hey darlin, i agree with gamma...i think she is giving ya love bites...my lil one does the same to me!!!

[rebekahbr]

oh okay, glad I'm doing everything right. I didnt want her to think I was mean by tapping her nose. And I will try the blowing on her too. I didnt think about her not wanting to come to me with using the yucky stuff, definitely wont do that.

That is wonderful that she is giving me love bites, I feel so guilty now for tapping on her nose, she is probably thinking what on earth is mommy doing that for me loving on her........lol. I was just thinking I needed to start teaching her now not to bite.

So WHEN should I give her a gentle tap and a :nono ? When she does it hard? And just not do anything when she is lightly nibbling?

Oh, and I have her a monkey biscuit she nibbles on in her cage. I am gonna order her some of the rodent blocks and antlers though here soon. I have some cuttlebones. They dont have too much calcium in them?

Also would she nibble or get aggressive if I have scents on my hands, like one time I used some hand sanitizer from Bath and Body that was Japenese Cherry Blossom scent and I couldnt get her to stop nibbling, I had to put her in her cage. Sorry for so many questions, I just want to make sure I know what I am doing.

Thank you so much for all the help and advice. :bowdown

[rebekahbr]

:thankyou for all the help!

[rebekahbr]

:poke what about voices, Can they recognize the sound of our voice?

[Sciurus1]

Hi, I wouldn't tap her on the nose with your finger, for that can become wtih some a contest of strength, and aggression in their face, for when they get older they may challenge you. If it does not work now, trying instead using your voice not like a human negative, with no, even so some Squirrels it works for, but rather as a squirrel equivolant of NO, making the sound EET, as in Met, or or AAT, as in Cat, in a short sharp tone, with a soft T, works well. As the Dog whisperer noted of dogs, the sound and touch brings them out of the state of mind, but with Squirels is it more sound and visual presence.

Speaking of visual presense and sound, this voice technique plus the use of a simple empty paper towel cardboard tube to tap on something to make a sound, works really well. The longer wrapping paper rolls worked well to mimic a shepherds staff to move the squirrels into their pen after they had been out, and wanted to play into the night. When they got older they rarely needed that, save to just show it to them and they would move away from where they were and go in their pen. If some encouragement was needed, they would just getted bomped with it on their fuzzy butts, which again just bounces off with negliable impact, just to show you aren't bluffing! Understand, chasing is a GAME with squirrels, and as to who wins, well that is the biggest, and who is better at chasing, which was me an my tube! I did check to see if they were afraid of the tube, or rather the movement and how it was able to keep up with them. It was the latter, for our girl would just come and look in the end and then bite it when I presented it to her still. One though was more in awe of it than the other, and so all we had to do with her, so all we had to do was to pull it out and put it near her, and she would turn to run ligetty split into her pen. he long tubes work well to get them out from under furniture safety, not harming them, and moving them from an area that is not safe for them to be in, or that you don't want them in. They are intelligent and need convincing, and this seems to do that job very well. I did check to see if they were afraid of the tube, or was it more the movement, or presence of size of it. I found it was the latter, for our one girl would just come and look in the end, and then bite it, when I presented it to her still, but once it moved, well that was entirely different matter, for it was alive then to her, or seemed so, an extention of the long arm of Mama, and she knew it, game point for Mama!

I hope that helps!