ali_and_birdie
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 5/10/19
- Messages
- 36
My 10 month old caique has started nibbling my fingers, fairly lightly (never drawing blood, and she doesn't do it in an angry way). She seems to like it when I stroke her head/neck feathers, but that's one of the times she will often start this nibbling behavior. She also likes to nibble on the fleshy bit of skin between my thumb and pointer finger. If I keep my hand still, she will nibble up and down each finger in a very methodical way. She will also wedge her beak in between my fingers and make nibbling motions. It's all pretty gentle, as I said, but since she's a caique with a very sharp beak even her gentle nibbles will sometimes leave a small indentation in my skin for a couple minutes.
I'm wondering if this behavior has a certain meaning? Is it some type of grooming thing, or an attempt to grind her beak? Or just a baby thing? I'm also trying to figure out if I should discourage it, in case it turns into more full-on biting at some point...but if it's a normative developmental thing I'm not sure if I should discourage it.
Any advice would be much appreciated!!!
I'm wondering if this behavior has a certain meaning? Is it some type of grooming thing, or an attempt to grind her beak? Or just a baby thing? I'm also trying to figure out if I should discourage it, in case it turns into more full-on biting at some point...but if it's a normative developmental thing I'm not sure if I should discourage it.
Any advice would be much appreciated!!!