Why is my bird so interested in my hair?

Rico_Tiel

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Oct 21, 2022
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Parrots
Ricochet - Cockatiel
Cricket - Budgie
So yeah, title. Rico is REALLY interested in my hair and has been ever since I let him play with my bangs. He lands on my head to play with my hair, and will sometimes hang out on my shoulder and preen the peach fuzz on my face. He even plays with my ear and licks it which is really weird to me. Back in October, he discovered I have leg hair and lands on my leg and plays with that too. But, why does he do that? I assumed preening at first but heā€™s like, obsessed with it. He only does it to me, he Ignores everyone elseā€™s hair. Iā€™m not complaining because I find it funny and cute but Iā€™m wondering why he does it. He goes nuts for my hair when itā€™s soaked after a shower or being in the snow/rain.
 
Itā€™s the closest thing to feathers he can find on you to preen.
I find it incredibly relaxing and wish my Bingo did it more often.
 
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Itā€™s the closest thing to feathers he can find on you to preen.
I find it incredibly relaxing and wish my Bingo did it more often.
That does make a lot of sense but I donā€™t know why he is so obsessed with it. He sees my leg propped up on my knee and heā€™s like ā€œOOO LEG!!!ā€ And goes to my leg and preens/plays with my leg hair haha
 
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Wow an easy question; Cause its your hair and it is so much fun to play in!

And, of course what Wes stated!!
I wonder if he likes the way my hair feels on his feet and in his beak too. He is a weirdo so I wouldnā€™t put it past him! I am now a living foraging tray, preening toy, and play gym!
 
My galah loves my hair too. Hanging out on my head is one of his favourite things to do. He also has an obsession with skin, so I basically pin it on baby curiosity (that he seems to have no intentions of growing out of :rolleyes:). Issue is several times he has gotten some of my hair wrapped around his feet and then I have to try and detangle him while keeping my fingers safe šŸ˜…
 
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My galah loves my hair too. Hanging out on my head is one of his favourite things to do. He also has an obsession with skin, so I basically pin it on baby curiosity (that he seems to have no intentions of growing out of :rolleyes:). Issue is several times he has gotten some of my hair wrapped around his feet and then I have to try and detangle him while keeping my fingers safe šŸ˜…
Yikes! Rico has never gotten caught in my hair which is kind of insane considering how messy my hair usually is because it is long and SUUUUPER thick! And it sheds like crazy and ends up EVERYWHERE.
 
Some parrots are wannabe hairdressers. They just love to play with human hair. Ralph likes to give a gentle tug on my hair a few times a day, and I have to say "Quaker parrot! Are you pulling my hair?" He thinks that's funny. It's better than what he did to me the first time he was brought out to perch on me at the pet store before I brought him home. He sat on my arm and pulled out hairs. That hurt, and my arm looked like it had been attacked by a maniac with an ice pick. Fortunately he gave that up. :)
 
Yikes! Rico has never gotten caught in my hair which is kind of insane considering how messy my hair usually is because it is long and SUUUUPER thick! And it sheds like crazy and ends up EVERYWHERE.
I have thick hair just past my shoulders and Rocky "preens" it a lot too and plays with it. Rico is obviously bonded to only you, and parrots bonded to parrots preen each other's heads, so it's only natural that Rico "preens" your head. In addition to preening you, Rico considers you his favorite perch and giant bird toy and your hair has such a great texture! It feels nice in his mouth and silky on his feet. By grooming and playing with your hair Rico is paying you a huge compliment!
 
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I have thick hair just past my shoulders and Rocky "preens" it a lot too and plays with it. Rico is obviously bonded to only you, and parrots bonded to parrots preen each other's heads, so it's only natural that Rico "preens" your head. In addition to preening you, Rico considers you his favorite perch and giant bird toy and your hair has such a great texture! It feels nice in his mouth and silky on his feet. By grooming and playing with your hair Rico is paying you a huge compliment!
I never saw it that way and now my heart has been liquified! Why is he so sweet? šŸ„ŗ Rico deserves all the treats ever! Also, has rocky ever gotten caught in your hair?
 
I never saw it that way and now my heart has been liquified! Why is he so sweet? šŸ„ŗ Rico deserves all the treats ever! Also, has rocky ever gotten caught in your hair?
Happiness is a parrot that loves you as much as you love them! Just today I realized that I need not worry that Rocky will "reject" me in favor of one or more of my other seven budgies. When I got home from work at 9:30pm and opened Rocky's cage door she flew right out to me and clung to me for well over an hour even though there were seven other budgies in the room in their cages, included one beautiful boy that has cought her fancy! I gave her a small piece of the Birdy Bread I just baked for her (like a good Mama, LOL) and she liked it a lot, but she likes anything I make for her, myself, or my husband. She loves food but she's simply not motivated by food at all, especially not seed- she couldn't care less about spray millet!

As for getting stuck in my long thick hair, she's never gotten so wound up that it was hard to get her out, but my hair is pretty straight. If it was curly or six inches longer (or BOTH) I could see that happening. If it did I would reach in there, cup my hand over her back and wings to prevent her from flapping, getting stuck even worse and injuring herself, and gently pull her out. She doesn't like being handled like that but it doesn't upset her- she never holds it against me. I sometimes pick her up like that when I need to get her into her cage quickly and she doesn't want to go. I admit that Rocky is NOT a typical tame budgie. I'm not just her favorite human- I'm her Mama- and she doesn't have ANY fear of humans, even strangers.
 
Happiness is a parrot that loves you as much as you love them! Just today I realized that I need not worry that Rocky will "reject" me in favor of one or more of my other seven budgies. When I got home from work at 9:30pm and opened Rocky's cage door she flew right out to me and clung to me for well over an hour even though there were seven other budgies in the room in their cages, included one beautiful boy that has cought her fancy! I gave her a small piece of the Birdy Bread I just baked for her (like a good Mama, LOL) and she liked it a lot, but she likes anything I make for her, myself, or my husband. She loves food but she's simply not motivated by food at all, especially not seed- she couldn't care less about spray millet!

As for getting stuck in my long thick hair, she's never gotten so wound up that it was hard to get her out, but my hair is pretty straight. If it was curly or six inches longer (or BOTH) I could see that happening. If it did I would reach in there, cup my hand over her back and wings to prevent her from flapping, getting stuck even worse and injuring herself, and gently pull her out. She doesn't like being handled like that but it doesn't upset her- she never holds it against me. I sometimes pick her up like that when I need to get her into her cage quickly and she doesn't want to go. I admit that Rocky is NOT a typical tame budgie. I'm not just her favorite human- I'm her Mama- and she doesn't have ANY fear of humans, even strangers.
I like your ā€œbirdie breadā€. How do you make it ? We have 8 Lovebirds I would love to try it for as a treat for them ā˜ŗļø
 
I like your ā€œbirdie breadā€. How do you make it ? We have 8 Lovebirds I would love to try it for as a treat for them ā˜ŗļø
I cook a lot but Im not much of a baker so I cheated and bought Harrison's bird bread mix. It comes in three flavors. You add two eggs and a tablespoon of cooking oil, mix well, put in a small cake tin or meatloaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. It seems expensive at about $20 a package but it made enough bird bread to freeze most and give Rocky treats for six months.
 
I cook a lot but Im not much of a baker so I cheated and bought Harrison's bird bread mix. It comes in three flavors. You add two eggs and a tablespoon of cooking oil, mix well, put in a small cake tin or meatloaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. It seems expensive at about $20 a package but it made enough bird bread to freeze most and give Rocky treats for six months.
Here's a Dagger-Faced Water Budgie I saw on our lake today!
IMG_20230513_164802027.jpg
 

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