Help! Lol.

[LaManuka]

Hello you beautiful bunch! I hope everyone is well including your feathered friends! Lol. I have another question for you all if that is ok? I have been told by multiple people that we should not, under any circumstances stroke Nibbles on the back. The trouble with that is... he loves a cuddle! He will lean on to our hands and move his head around to where he wants to be loved lol. Sometimes he turns around making it difficult to not touch his back. He isn't pushing his back into us or anything it is just how he moves. At this very moment he is snuggled into the Mr's hand getting a head scratch and nearly asleep! I was wondering if anyone could elaborate further on the reasons for avoiding his back and wings please? Thank you all in advance!

Petting or scratching a bird anywhere other than the head and neck is, unfortunately, perceived by the bird as foreplay, if you'll pardon the expression! GCCs reach sexual maturity at around the age of two years, some will mature earlier and some later. Even if your GCC is younger than that, it's not something you want to get him into the habit of expecting. It might look cute now, but it may very well backfire spectacularly and result in a very bitey and bad tempered bird when he reaches "that" age.

 

[Breeze and Nibbles]

Thank you so much for the comment. I have taken note and will make sure he only gets head scratches lol. We never scratch his back but we have been stroking his wings so maybe we should stop that too

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Not long after we took this pic he decided to fly off to the Mr and nap on him lol! (Traitor) Nibbles is the best though and I love thay he is comfortable with all 3 of us. I am so pleased that I joined this forum though! Super helpful group and really friendly.

We are over joyed that you and Nibs joined us!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Back and arm (wing) petting will stimulate him for wanting to do..you know...nookie??? He has probably reached sexual maturity and petting him there will want to make him to do the hokey-pokey!
BB LOVES to rub his Keyster against my hand! I call it the "chaa-chaa" and will NOT let him do it
Jim

 

[Breeze and Nibbles]

Back and arm (wing) petting will stimulate him for wanting to do..you know...nookie??? He has probably reached sexual maturity and petting him there will want to make him to do the hokey-pokey!
BB LOVES to rub his Keyster against my hand! I call it the "chaa-chaa" and will NOT let him do it
Jim

this made me smile first thing! Thank you so much

 

[Skarila]

Hello you beautiful bunch! I hope everyone is well including your feathered friends! Lol. I have another question for you all if that is ok? I have been told by multiple people that we should not, under any circumstances stroke Nibbles on the back. The trouble with that is... he loves a cuddle! He will lean on to our hands and move his head around to where he wants to be loved lol. Sometimes he turns around making it difficult to not touch his back. He isn't pushing his back into us or anything it is just how he moves. At this very moment he is snuggled into the Mr's hand getting a head scratch and nearly asleep! I was wondering if anyone could elaborate further on the reasons for avoiding his back and wings please? Thank you all in advance!

As was mentioned by our lovely mods and members already, avoid to stroke the back/wings and anywhere else.

Conures are REAL snuggle monsters, even mine who still has trust issue with my hand, will snuggle up to the back of the hand, simply to imitate the feeling of snuggled up next to another bird (since the budgie will not let him near like that)
Keep snuggling little Nibbles, you can keep him in your hand, shroud him, keep him warm - just don't really pet and stroke anywhere but the head and the neck. Mine often would let me touch even under the wings, but for the sake of my sanity and not wanting to deal with his hormones, I refuse and just stick to the head and neck, the parts where he cannot groom himself.

If you see any signs of soon to be "bow-chicka-bow-wow", give him a little time out for 5-10 minutes. Don't punish! Just distract him or put on a playstand. If he wants to do the horizontal tango with a perch or a toy... let him be, he needs to let out steam somehow! I know I felt ashamed for my bird first time I saw it :'D

 

[Breeze and Nibbles]

As was mentioned by our lovely mods and members already, avoid to stroke the back/wings and anywhere else.

Conures are REAL snuggle monsters, even mine who still has trust issue with my hand, will snuggle up to the back of the hand, simply to imitate the feeling of snuggled up next to another bird (since the budgie will not let him near like that)
Keep snuggling little Nibbles, you can keep him in your hand, shroud him, keep him warm - just don't really pet and stroke anywhere but the head and the neck. Mine often would let me touch even under the wings, but for the sake of my sanity and not wanting to deal with his hormones, I refuse and just stick to the head and neck, the parts where he cannot groom himself.

If you see any signs of soon to be "bow-chicka-bow-wow", give him a little time out for 5-10 minutes. Don't punish! Just distract him or put on a playstand. If he wants to do the horizontal tango with a perch or a toy... let him be, he needs to let out steam somehow! I know I felt ashamed for my bird first time I saw it :'D

Just read this to the mister and both were in stitches! I swear, joining this forum was the best thing I ever did. Thank you. Nibbles has been a monster today! I'm not even joking. But we are persevering and he is allowed bad days too (we have them) he has chosen to go back in his cage so we are just leaving the door open for him

 

[kme3388]

I know people above already mentioned puberty, and so on. Also look for pin feathers. My conure can be a nasty little bugger when she has pin feathers growing in. She also likes to lick. Conures are very beaky as the above person stated. My conure purposely gets stuck in my hair so I have to pry her out. She would prefer to be snuggled into my neck all day. Welcome to conure ownership! You truly will have endless entertainment. I do apologize for the struggles though. Hopefully it does get better with time.

 

[Breeze and Nibbles]

I know people above already mentioned puberty, and so on. Also look for pin feathers. My conure can be a nasty little bugger when she has pin feathers growing in. She also likes to lick. Conures are very beaky as the above person stated. My conure purposely gets stuck in my hair so I have to pry her out. She would prefer to be snuggled into my neck all day. Welcome to conure ownership! You truly will have endless entertainment. I do apologize for the struggles though. Hopefully it does get better with time.

Thank you. Do pin feathers ever go? I think he might have a few already

 

[Skarila]

Thank you. Do pin feathers ever go? I think he might have a few already

Pin feathers are fresh new feathers that are growing, coated in a keratin sheath.

We usually reffer to them when the tip of the pin feathers starts to whiten. You will see them all over the body, I urge you not to touch any below the neck, the bird will deal with them.

The new pins (which are 1/3 white already) can geeeently be open by geeebtly pressing the very tip with the fingernails. One wrong move and you could hurt them. Hurt pin feather can cause bleeding if severely damaged, or the new feather might grow discoloured or simply in a bad shape. Best you can to is simply gently mess with the feathers on the top, and those which are past ready to be "opened" will start shedding the keratin in form of dander.

This is a completely normal thing for a bird -this is how feathers grow!