Skin picking!

[NikkiM]

Hi all,

We have a new Nanday Conure, Floki, and he's a wonderful bird. He's outgoing, friendly, and inquisitive. *BUT* he is obsessed with picking at our skin! Scabs, freckles, tiny hairs... Everything is fair game to him.

My question is, what's the best way to curb this behavior? He's obsessed! He's not biting. He's just gently but relentlessly trying to remove any marks from our skin. I have no idea what to do about it other than just not handling him at all which, obviously, is not a real solution.

Help!

 

[noodles123]

My U2 is the same. She has learned to control her beak pressure. Occassionally she will slip up, but generally, if I say gentle she will be. The exception to this is related to pimples---she tries to remove them in the same way a person pulls off a bandaid--- it's like she is thinking "THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!!!" lol
I guess it depends on how badly you want to stop this behavior. Obviously keeping the bird's mouth busy with something else is one possible deterrent, but if he/she is like mine, that won't last long (freckles are more fun).
If you hate it, you could try putting the bird down or turning away/ignoring when it happens (assuming your bird values time with you), but it sounds like a natural preening behavior, so that response probably isn't fair to your bird...assuming this is instinctual. I do sort of get it though, because it can escalate to an obsession which is just extremely irritating.
Mine does seem to want to do this more compulsively when under-stimulated/bored/anxious.
You might track the rate/intensity of picking and see if it could be linked to anxious/OCD behaviors at times.
My bird always enjoys picking, but she tends to fixate more when in unfamiliar environments etc.

 

[Flboy]

That is their job!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Oh, this is rich... yeah, sure, they're 'just helping'!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Laurasea]

Wait till you have a scab! I have a nice scared from my GCC pulling off a scab over and over, and yes Everytime she looks at me like hold still I'm saving you from this flesh eating ameba!!!

 

[ChristaNL]

I was scared your bird was mutilating itself ...and went: "Pffffffft, oooooh its only preeningbehaviour".
It can be cute/ annoying/ really scary if they do just that.


(I've said it before: a single freckle on an upper eyelid and a very determined macaw (with the subtlty of a mamoth tanker under full steam) are not a really relaxing combination...)