Why did he do this? Love bites?

[faithapaul1]

Hi guys,
So the picture I’m going to post is of my hand after getting “preened” by my conure.
I was giving him love and scratching his pin feathers like we do every night before bed. He sits under my hand for a bit and it’s just a good way to bond.

Tonight he did the TINIEST bites on my hand, non stop through the whole thing! It clearly wasn’t nasty or out of fear. He looked like he was having a dandy old time and continued to let me scratch his pin feathers.

Evidently I didn’t know the damage he was doing until a few minutes afterward (so preoccupied with not accidental pulling a feather, you know how it goes!).

The only way i can think to describe this is like he was preening me. At first I thought he was grabbing at the minuscule peach fuzz on my hands but I realized he was actually taking tiny pieces of skin and nibbling on it, not hard but because it was so little he broke the skin kinda easily.

Anyhoo, just curious as to what this is and how do I get him to stop? Now he’s climbing all over me and trying to do it to my neck and other hands!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Mark & Da Boyz]

When they preen you they are saying I like you. The problem is they don't understand WE don't feathers and are going to bleed if they are too rough. Even my Tiels will at time get carried away. I learned very quickly to stop Cheddar or I'd need some Band-Aids.

Question...How old is your Conure?

 

[Shezbug]

The little bumps on your hand look like you had a little reaction to him breaking your skin. I get that sort of thing sometimes when my histamine levels are high, I end up with hives fairly frequently and also the same sort of thing you have if my skin is scratched by something in the garden or from one of the animals.

If you get your own nail and run it firmly down the inside of your forearm does it raise and get quite red in a few seconds after you have done it?

 

[faithapaul1]

@Shezbug Yes! That does happen to me! I’m a very pale person who gets very red when anything relatively sharp touches my skin!

 

[faithapaul1]

@Mark & Da Boyz My guy is a green cheek! He hatched sometime between last February and April!

I think he’s getting to that “one-year-terrible-hormones” phase ughhhhh!

 

[Shezbug]

@Shezbug Yes! That does happen to me! I’m a very pale person who gets very red when anything relatively sharp touches my skin!

It will be nothing that you need to worry about, if it bothers you then maybe take an antihistamine to settle it down

 

[Farlie]

I simply 'roll' my hand away to stop him from doing that. It took a few days or so for him to realize that that isn't welcomed. He will eventually learn that you don't like that and he will go about doing something else.

 

[Mark & Da Boyz]

I kind of thought he might be a young fella...Cheddar is in that same stage right now. I haven't had any reaction to his nips...thankfully.

 

[EkkieLu]

Sergei does that to me all the time too. It tickles a bit but since he seems to enjoy it I don't make an issue of it. Never left any marks though.

 

[Lesley Yeung]

Bird bites my husband's thumbnail into a point so it is a better preening tool.

Bird also pulls his facial hair if he misses any when shaving. And bites off his cuticles.

I don't preen Bird for this and many other reasons. But my husband is flattered. Different strokes I guess.