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Post by Diane on Mar 23, 2010 22:00:50 GMT -5
Hello everyone!
My 10 mth old GCC, Watson, suddenly started licking/sucking/pinching anywhere on my skin a couple of days before. He has never done this before and when I say no, he temporarily stops but it seems to have become his new obession. The first time he did it, I thought he might have tasted lotion or something on my hands so I washed them right away but a couple of days later, he keeps trying to do it. Almost like a hickey! He even does it to my boyfriend too. It's more of an annoyance than anything since he is is very good about not biting.
Is this normal? Maybe he is exploring?
On a brighter note, I am thrilled at how smart and how quickly he is learning tricks!
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Post by scootersmom on Mar 24, 2010 16:30:06 GMT -5
They do explore the world with their beaks and tongues. Another thing to think about this time of year is breeding behavior but he's a bit young for that. I know that Scooter can get overly enthusiastic about allopreening (grooming me). I've tried to shape this behavior by rewarding him when he uses his beak gently (by paying attention to him and giving a head rub, which he adores). "They" say that the best thing to do about the unwanted behaviors is ignore them, but there are limits. If Scooter gets too aggressive, I'll blow on him, or say "no" or something. He thinks I should be perfect and if I am not careful he will pick at scabs, moles, hard cuticles, etc. It's a good thing if you are another bird, but it doesn't always work well with us.
But it does sound to me as if Watson is largely just exploring his world, or trying to take care of his flockmate's plumage!
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Post by Diane on Mar 25, 2010 14:12:18 GMT -5
Ahhh okay so maybe Watson is exploring more with his beak...he's still doing it and may just be over-excited about preening me! thank you!!
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Post by Tatianna on Mar 28, 2010 20:12:01 GMT -5
I agree with SM Cinder does it too, but if i am not careful, Cinder will nip at my neck trying to pull off anything he think's shouldn't be there like moles, scabs etc. Just make sure they know their boundries
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