Pinching my neck

[eatemijw1998]

Hey I just created an account to ask this question.....ok so I have a cinnamon pineapple green cheek ? I believe ... She loves my shoulder and does fine up their !but I recently cut my hair pretty short and now she started pinching the back of my neck (I've read she's "trying to groom my little hairs" or something) so I was wondering how to stop this ..because I doesn't feel great as u can imagine ...tbh it hurts very bad lol...thanks

-Isaac

 

[Birdman666]

Actually put your hand up there between you and the bird, and physically keep her from doing it when she starts. Clearly communicate to the bird that you don't like this... Reinforce, shoulder privileges depend on you behaving up there. If you want to stay up there, you can't chew on my neck.

But it does sound like she is trying to preen you... Hey, it could be worse. I had a macaw that use to "remove" freckles from my shoulder that she felt didn't belong there... YIKES! That hurts...!!!

 

[Anansi]

Hello and welcome to the forum! The situation with your conure really just comes down to patience and consistency. As Birdman pointed out, you want to get your hand up there and physically stop her from pinching at your neck. Tell her no in a stern but even voice, as an excited voice might encourage her to repeat the behavior, and make it clear this is something you don't want. If she does it a 2nd or third time, you then take her off your shoulder and put her on her perch or in her cage for a few minutes as a timeout. Consistency is key, here.

I'm currently working on a similar issue with both of my eclectus parrots. They have a shared habit of nibbling on my ears. Fortunately, both are very gentle about it, but it's just something I choose not to encourage. So I'm currently using these techniques, and they're gradually showing improvement.