Beak wiping.. on absolutely everything.

[Ossie]

Hello all. I have a 12 year old rescue B&G macaw that has found a home with me for about 3 years now. He's an amazing guy and picked me when I was volunteering at an exotic shelter, according to his original owner and the other volunteers, that made me the first man he ever liked in his life. Beak kisses, cuddles, and falling asleep in my lap all in the first night home. One thing that has utterly puzzled me from about a week in is his fixation to fabric. It seems like it goes deeper than territory, and he does it much too often and too long to be cleaning. When he sees us pull a blanket off of the back of the couch, he comes waddling as fast as his chicken legs will take him to come rub his beak on it. Doesn't matter what material either, though his fixation seems geared towards microfiber. Jeans while you wearing them? Yep. Big fluffy comforter? Definitely. Pillow or shoes? Sure we'll give them a chance. Vigorous, long winded, beak rubbing session until he's panting tired. It's not a repetitive motion, though, he really gets into it and feels it every which way from ripping at it with his feet to picking it up and rubbing his beak up and down against it when he's tired of side to side. He's as destructive as he is quiet, and he's the most silent macaw I've ever met. He's never torn up anything he's done it to. Anyone have any clue how to read this? I can't find anything about large parrots doing it out of enjoyment.

 

[Clueless]

@Macawnutz any clue?

 

[Hankmacaw]

If it hadn't been going on so long, I would say he has a throat infection. But since he has been doing it since you have gotten him, it's probably a habit. Many birds will develop a fetish and if he isn't ill it looks like that's his fetish. My Hank loved slick things like the binding on a blanket and would rub and rub it, but that was all he rubbed on. It could also be sexual.

 

[JLcribber]

If it hadn't been going on so long, I would say he has a throat infection. But since he has been doing it since you have gotten him, it's probably a habit. Many birds will develop a fetish and if he isn't ill it looks like that's his fetish. My Hank loved slick things like the binding on a blanket and would rub and rub it, but that was all he rubbed on. It could also be sexual.

That's what I would say too. It's just a coping mechanism. But I like ML's word better (fetish )

 

[Macawnutz]

Sounds a bit hormonal to me.

I have a few blanket crazy birds, Two of mine will get all poofy and rub their beaks against the blanket when they first find one, although it seems your guy is continuing longer than mine. Sounds pretty normal to me but you can always upload a video. I can tell a sexy BG from two miles away.

My word would have been idiosyncrasy.

 

[Macaw Lover]

Jody likes to rub her lower mandible on my shoulder when she is up there and seemed to do it more when I wear sweatshirts and it seemed to be more of a comfort or a 'good feeling' thing, not really sexual.