Conure Nibbling

[Tykenolm]

Baby Green Conure Nibbling?

I got a Green Cheek Conure from my local pet store today, the day we brought him home he was great, very tame, calm, not panting, etc. Today in the morning when we tried to pet him he started like licking our fingers? He was not biting, but instead licking/touching with his beak. Is this behavior that should be discouraged or should I ignore it? Thanks for the help!

 

[Tykenolm]

My Green Cheeked Conure is nibbling/licking my finger when I try to pet him, is this normal behavior or should I discourage it? I don't want him to bite when he gets older. He is a baby right now.

 

[ZephyrFly]

As long as your hands are clean and he's not chomping down it's not a problem(mine licks my hands when they're wet, whether it's dish water or juice -_-").
Just keep tabs on how much pressure he's putting on you, GCC are chewers so it's not unusual behaviour but be sure he knows when he's being too rough.

Also, in your intro thread you said Weiland was 1 or 2 years old? These little guys hit adulthood at around 1 year old (give or take a few months). He's one big kid in a tiny body.

 

[Tykenolm]

Ok thanks! Just wanted to make sure it won't turn into a habit of aggressiveness. He's a really nice bird so far

 

[ZephyrFly]

Re: Baby Green Conure Nibbling?

Gotta say this isn't the normal "day(s) after i brought my bird home" thread

Not heard this one before, sure they lick. Are your hands clean? Dry? Does he have access to water at all times? Does he have access to food? Although I wouldn't be all too concerned by this behaviour has he seen a vet/did the pet shop give you any indication he'd seen a vet?

Unless someone has a better idea on licking behaviour, if your hands are clean is there a problem here? (chime in people if I am wrong)

 

[ZephyrFly]

He'll test the waters at some point, but as long as he's not biting down then there's nothing to correct. When he does eventually chomp down a bit too hard, be sure to sternly tell him "No" and put him away/down for 5 or 10 min, then go back to how you were before. I'm not saying to put him on the floor, but put him down somewhere away from you and ignore him for a bit. Birds are social, they generally want to be around others so removing them for that tells them they done goofed.
It may take a few times for him to get the idea but he will get it eventually.