Is it fine to let the conure kiss you... a lot... with tongue ?

[coolit]

Poppy is finally very affectionate... perhaps even too affectionate.

Well, she has her character. She doesn't necessarily come to me or jump in my direction, but when she want's affection, she gets out of her cage knowing that I will take her.

When I have her, she will kiss a lot... like constantly

She will love to go on my shoulder, and nibble at my earlobe. If I don't stop her, she can keep at it for a while.

She will kiss me on the cheek, chin, lips...


On the bright side, at least she isn't the terrified bird she once was. But I am wondering if I should allow her or not.

 

[Iceeyy]

My Conure has recently begun doing the same thing. From everything I've read it seems that this is them grooming you. It means they like you a lot and feel comfortable preening you. It's a bonding thing. Everything that I've read says that you shouldn't discourage it as the bird could see it as a sign of rejection. I personally don't mind it when my GCC does it, I think it's cute! I have read to just make sure you don't have any chemicals on your face such as perfume or lotions.

 

[jenphilly]

I don't think she is kissing you, she's grooming and preening you. You are her flock, she's just making sure you are neat and tidy

 

[Sterling1113]

I don't think she is kissing you, she's grooming and preening you. You are her flock, she's just making sure you are neat and tidy

Or maybe they just think we're weird, bald, dirty birds..

Coolit: My conures do it, too. Kiwi loves to "preen" my hands, in between my fingers. It's totally normal and nothing to discourage(unless of course she starts biting, then that's a no-no.)

 

[lquan]

My conure kisses me a lot; in the morning and when I come home from work. Her kissing consistes of her break budding to my lips. I never let my saliva come in contact with her. You have to protect yourself and your bird. Your bird probably won't get the flu from you, but can get the flu from your bird.

 

[Chelle]

It is totally normal! All of mine do this. They love kissing but they are obsessed with preening me constantly. They love to find the imperfections in your skin and try to fix them. Most of the time it just tickles.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Yes, it is fine - as long as it is not on your open mouth, like Iquan said. I have a friend who "kisses" her bird with open lips, resulting in some 'tongue action'. She obviously doesn't mean it to be as perverse as I may make it sound but it gives me the heebeejeebees! She thinks I'm being silly when I warn her about the dangers of human saliva

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't think birds should have access to our lips. It's one thing to kiss them on the beak or their head, it's another for them to preen or lick our lips.

Many people may say that "closed mouth" kissing is ok, but there's still bacteria present around our mouth and nose that birds could still ingest and get sick because of it. My avian vet treated one parrot for months for reoccurring bacterial infections and could never figure out why this bird kept getting sick.... until the owners mentioned that they kissed their bird. Once they stopped that, and with meds, the bird got over his infection.



I just prefer to err on the side of caution and not allow it.



And can the preening become a problem? Of course it can! It can become like an OCD thing to them where they can't stop. It may be fine to allow it, but you don't want to spend the entire time interacting with your bird and all he or she is doing is trying to groom you. That's not healthy. You should find other ways to interact with her that don't include grooming you.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

My Skittles loves to preen my hair and he also likes to 'tug' at my arm hair which doesn't feel too good. LOL.

I give Skittles kisses on the beak. From what I know and what the vet has told me, kissing your bird and vice versa is okay as long as your bird doesn't have any direct contact with your saliva. (In other words dry kissing your lips). Birds are not immune to the bacteria that exists in our mouths and can easily catch something.

My cockatiel used to like to drink from my mouth (water and juice) and I thought it was cute until the vet told me not to do it and why. I still kiss my birdies, I am just mindful of the germs factor. We are more of a danger to them than they are to us.

 

[Kalidasa]

The title of this thread had me rolling!