African Grey - biting

Question
About 2 months ago I purchased an African Grey from a local breeder. He/she is now 6 1/2 months old.  She has a very good appetite and enjoys playing with her toys. She also is very demanding about having her neck rubbed.  I have worked with him/her on the step up command. She does well during her training sessions but I find it hard to get her to focus. She is easily distracted despite being in a quite room with as little distractions as possible.  When I pick her up from her cage she is very "beaky" - not biting but likes to put her beak around my fingers.  I am having a hard time breaking her of this habit. I think this is his/her way of asking for a neck rub - but she is so focused on getting a neck rub i cant get him/her do do anything else?  Is this normal behavior?  How can get her to calm down when I first pick her up?

Answer
Hello Becky and thank you for posting.
As long as she is not biting, she is fine.  It is normal for any kind of parrot to be "beaky" when they are stepping from one place to another.  This is their way of testing how sturdy the surface that they are stepping onto is, along with keeping their balance.
All but one of my birds does this (and the one that doesn't has fallen off of an unstable surface).
Once (s)he steps up onto your hand, then give her the neck rubs, but just a few.  The neck rubs can be used as a reward for training purposes.  A job well done will deserve a neck rub for a few seconds.
Please feel free to come back with any further questions.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna