Bird loves me too much

[JimsBrother]

Bebe the Cockatiel loves me. Any time I let him out of his cage he flies to my shoulder and tells me so. Sharing affection with a bird is a wonderful thing, except... all he wants to do is sit on my hand and rub his little pecker on me. I hate that.

It's not a seasonal/hormonal thing, he does this all the time. He did it with my brother too, and Jim hated it as well. If I put my hands in my pocket or hide them in my sleeves the bird gets mad and bites me.

I'm wondering what I can do as behavioral training to curtail this action. I'm thinking of using a water spray bottle to piss him off when he does this. But I don't want him to hate me... Any ideas?

Dave

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Never, never, never punish a bird! Don't squirt him with water, yell at him, flick him, anything. He will lose a lot of trust in you and you don't want that.
Try some target training, and provide a large variety of toys for him. You might find something he really likes.
But cockatiels are known for being clingy. Nothing you can do about it. He will never stop craving affection, even though you can help him learn to play independently.
Good luck.

 

[JimsBrother]

I do give affection to the little guy. I talk to him, sing with him, scritch his head, and pet him. But this behavior is unacceptable.

 

[zERo]

Well whenever I'm petting my Quaker, just his head and neck but sometimes he starts taking it too far (try to mount my hand, panting, etc.) I just put him back in his cage or on a perch away from me and let him 'calm down.' I don't tell him no because technically he's not doing anything wrong, he just can't help it.
That's the most effective way I can think that would help possibly

 

[kme3388]

This is the down fall to captive birds. Some do have a tendency to be overly affectionate, or hormonal. They like to masterbate on you, perches, toys, and so on. It can be rather disruptive when company is over, and a parrot just starts randomly masterbating on them, or around them.

I ignore the behavior, or put him back on his stand.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Sometimes changing the amount of daylight/sunlight is reported as helpful. It resets their circadian cycles so they stop thinking it’s mating season. But I’m sorry, I don’t remember the details…it’s something about making sure the bird has enough dark vs light time. Maybe someone here has experience, or knows a good link?

 

[ravvlet]

Making sure they get 12hrs of dark time for sleep, and reducing the amount of fatty/sugary foods can sometimes help with hormones. Our tiel was a Velcro bird but never sexual with us. Also make sure to never pet him anywhere but his head, if someone hasn’t already said it.

 

[JimsBrother]

Also make sure to never pet him anywhere but his head, if someone hasn’t already said it.

I hadn't heard that before. I'll stop stroking his back, thanks.

Dave

 

[Scott]

This is the down fall to captive birds. Some do have a tendency to be overly affectionate, or hormonal. They like to masterbate on you, perches, toys, and so on. It can be rather disruptive when company is over, and a parrot just starts randomly masterbating on them, or around them.

I ignore the behavior, or put him back on his stand.

Superb advice shared within thread, Dave. I'd advocate highlighted prose above, specifically put him back on stand. Perhaps the best and most direct method of attempting to stop unwanted behavior. Hopefully he'll transfer pleasure-seeking tendencies to the stand or other inanimate objects.

 

[HeatherG]

Bebe the Cockatiel loves me. Any time I let him out of his cage he flies to my shoulder and tells me so. Sharing affection with a bird is a wonderful thing, except... all he wants to do is sit on my hand and rub his little pecker on me. I hate that.

It's not a seasonal/hormonal thing, he does this all the time. He did it with my brother too, and Jim hated it as well. If I put my hands in my pocket or hide them in my sleeves the bird gets mad and bites me.

I'm wondering what I can do as behavioral training to curtail this action. I'm thinking of using a water spray bottle to piss him off when he does this. But I don't want him to hate me... Any ideas?

Dave

I agree that it’s kinda weird to be the object of a tiny bird’s affections, but the best things to do are take all possible steps to reduce inducing breeding condition or hormonal/sexual behavior (reduce hours of light, rich food, petting anywhere but the head) and ignore the masturbatory activities. You can even reduce the amount of time and attention you give him as that’s confusing to him too.

If you calmly return your bird to his cage and turn your back to him briefly every time he humps your hand, he should learn that doing that will get him put back in his cage and ignored. And if he’s rubbing on a toy or perch, just ignore it. He doesn’t understand privacy and making a fuss will make it more exciting.

My Quaker rubbed her bottom on my hand once; I thought she was rubbing her head so I was quite embarrassed. But I just put her in her cage and went about my business. If she ever started to get puffy and hissy on my hand, I put her back in her cage or carrier. She didn’t like it but it was important as she had an egg laying issue that nearly killed her in later life.

It’s better to discourage that behavior as it will lead your bird to be more moody and aggressive. And will make him frustrated. He’ll be happier if you work on the different factors—hours of light, rich food, attention/ body contact—so he’s not confused.