LegendClappitao
New member
- Dec 19, 2024
- 5
- 4
- Parrots
- Conure & Cockatiel
Hello! I’m a new bird owner and I’ve recently got my first bird! A Green Cheek I named Fern, she’s 3 months old. I’ve had her for about a month now, and I’ve learned a ton, but there’s something I still don’t quite understand fully.
Whenever I ask to pet her, she kinda like, goes crazy at my fingers. Nibbling/biting at my fingers and flapping her wings a few times while making noises, although none of it looks malicious. I’m not pointing them straight at her and they’re slightly bent, and my nails are trimmed. When she doesn’t do that she’ll just move her head away or step away, and I retract my fingers from her because clearly she doesn’t want pets.
She will also kinda “freak out” in the same way in other situations. Like if I’m brushing crumbs off a surface near her (even if I go slow and gently), and while she’s walking around on the couch cushions. Sometimes she even randomly do it while sitting on my fingers, while I’m completely still. She would also bite around and rub her beak all over the finger she’s perched on as well as the rest of what she can reach, as if she’s looking for something(?).
My questions are these;
1. Is the behavior I described when I try to pet her and in those other situations playful or something else? (People have told me it’s playful, like how a dog growls when you play with it, but I’m unsure because I don’t know what playful behavior looks like)
2. I understand that she just might not like pets, but is there anything I can do or a way I can act that will make her more warm to the idea? (I reallllyyy want to pet her)
3. Is all of what I described because she’s still very young? Will she chill out and be more open to pets as she ages?
4. If it’s playful or something else, how should I approach or deal with it? Especially the “freaking out”.
Here’s a short clip of an example of her “freaking out”. Before anyone comments, I want to make it known that I understand that she just might not like the position of my hand or the fact that I’m swiping away food crumbs, and that she acts like this in other situations where these factors aren’t present.
She also flies to me and chirps for me if I walk away or out of the room, so I believe the main issue might not be a matter of comfort, unless I’m wrong.
Another thing I’d like some feedback on.
She’s gotten less cuddly. When I first met her at the bird shop and for about the first week after I took her home, she’d lean up against my neck and refuse to go anywhere else. She’d sleep on my shoulder and generally just be really cuddly.
But that stopped after the first week, of course she still enjoys being on me, but she won’t sleep on my shoulder anymore, and she’ll sit further from my neck and shoulder.
Is this for any reason? Maybe it’s because she’s young and growing up? Or getting more comfortable? I don’t know why, so if you know I’d love to hear!
I’d really appreciate some insight!!
Whenever I ask to pet her, she kinda like, goes crazy at my fingers. Nibbling/biting at my fingers and flapping her wings a few times while making noises, although none of it looks malicious. I’m not pointing them straight at her and they’re slightly bent, and my nails are trimmed. When she doesn’t do that she’ll just move her head away or step away, and I retract my fingers from her because clearly she doesn’t want pets.
She will also kinda “freak out” in the same way in other situations. Like if I’m brushing crumbs off a surface near her (even if I go slow and gently), and while she’s walking around on the couch cushions. Sometimes she even randomly do it while sitting on my fingers, while I’m completely still. She would also bite around and rub her beak all over the finger she’s perched on as well as the rest of what she can reach, as if she’s looking for something(?).
My questions are these;
1. Is the behavior I described when I try to pet her and in those other situations playful or something else? (People have told me it’s playful, like how a dog growls when you play with it, but I’m unsure because I don’t know what playful behavior looks like)
2. I understand that she just might not like pets, but is there anything I can do or a way I can act that will make her more warm to the idea? (I reallllyyy want to pet her)
3. Is all of what I described because she’s still very young? Will she chill out and be more open to pets as she ages?
4. If it’s playful or something else, how should I approach or deal with it? Especially the “freaking out”.
Here’s a short clip of an example of her “freaking out”. Before anyone comments, I want to make it known that I understand that she just might not like the position of my hand or the fact that I’m swiping away food crumbs, and that she acts like this in other situations where these factors aren’t present.
She also flies to me and chirps for me if I walk away or out of the room, so I believe the main issue might not be a matter of comfort, unless I’m wrong.
Another thing I’d like some feedback on.
She’s gotten less cuddly. When I first met her at the bird shop and for about the first week after I took her home, she’d lean up against my neck and refuse to go anywhere else. She’d sleep on my shoulder and generally just be really cuddly.
But that stopped after the first week, of course she still enjoys being on me, but she won’t sleep on my shoulder anymore, and she’ll sit further from my neck and shoulder.
Is this for any reason? Maybe it’s because she’s young and growing up? Or getting more comfortable? I don’t know why, so if you know I’d love to hear!
I’d really appreciate some insight!!
