Hi,
I’m not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but here we go.
I’ve had Olaf, my cockatiel, for around 4 months now. He was around 5 months when I got him, but it’s a bit uncertain since he’d already been rehomed 3 times then.
He’s regularly out and steps onto a stick with a simple “up” command. Recently he’s even had the courage to step onto my finger with a little food bribery.
Since the first time he was out, he’s always preferred climbing all over me, nibbling my hair, clothes and jewellery, as opposed to doing much else.
He’s been getting more and more comfortable, but he’s still scared of my hands.
Which is why I’m confused. He’s started nuzzling me, rubbing his head on my hand, almost like he’s petting or scratching himself. Then he starts suddenly nibbling and making this quiet squawking like sound, before going back to nuzzling me. This happens very frequently now. I try not move my hands too much and don’t react to the nibbling.
Does anyone have an explanation for this behaviour? I haven’t seemed to be able to find any posts on it anywhere
I’m not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but here we go.
I’ve had Olaf, my cockatiel, for around 4 months now. He was around 5 months when I got him, but it’s a bit uncertain since he’d already been rehomed 3 times then.
He’s regularly out and steps onto a stick with a simple “up” command. Recently he’s even had the courage to step onto my finger with a little food bribery.
Since the first time he was out, he’s always preferred climbing all over me, nibbling my hair, clothes and jewellery, as opposed to doing much else.
He’s been getting more and more comfortable, but he’s still scared of my hands.
Which is why I’m confused. He’s started nuzzling me, rubbing his head on my hand, almost like he’s petting or scratching himself. Then he starts suddenly nibbling and making this quiet squawking like sound, before going back to nuzzling me. This happens very frequently now. I try not move my hands too much and don’t react to the nibbling.
Does anyone have an explanation for this behaviour? I haven’t seemed to be able to find any posts on it anywhere
