Bitting/Nipping

[Wendy40]

Hiya everyone

We have had our GCC Ozzie since Saturday and he was born on the 13 April so it just a tad over 13 weeks old. He seems to have settled in with us very quickly which we are really pleased about

He seems to have already learned the "step up" command the only problem being that as soon as he is on your hand he kind of bites our fingers. We tell him no (or shall I say I do) in a firm voice no and sometimes he pulls away other times you have to physically remove his beak. He seems to do this more to my other half than me but in all fairness my other half is the one who gets him out of the cage.

Also last night when he was out, he was walking around my partners shoulders and was kind of pecking his hair/head? Any meaning to this?

Also which I found very cute was that when he came over to me he sat on my shoulder and kind of placed his head next to my cheek and under my hair and went to sleep - is that a good sign?

Any information would be great please

[Wolf]

Hi Wendy;

Glad to hear that all is well in the land of Ozzie, and that everyone is adjusting so well. It seems that Ozzie has located the very same favorite cuddle spot that seems to be preferred by most other members of his species-- your neck and shoulder. This appears to be the single favorite spot for every GCC that I have heard of.
Also welcome to the experience of beaking. This is the nibbleing that you describe that Ozzie is doing to your hands, but do be aware that it is not limited to just hands. Basically this is one of the main ways that birds explore everything around them including you. You will have to teach him about pressure though as he will do it too hard sometimes, which is painful. You appear to be doing the right thing in telling him to be gentle. Just be aware that he is not trying to hurt you, he is just checking you out, so make sure that you do not punish him for this as he really does need to do this.
The hair thing could just be an extension of the beaking behavior or it could be preening. Preening is how a bird grooms itself and its friends. It is a good thing, but may be a bit of a problem if he finds a bump, a scab, or anything that he thinks should not be there as he will do his best to remove it for you, with the best of all intentions. He sees this as a major favor to you.
Hope this helps you.

[Pajarita]

Please don't tell him 'No!' in a firm voice, just use another word (I use 'Gently... gently') in a soft voice and pull his beak off your flesh. He doesn't know his own strength yet and you need to teach him to be gentle but not alienating him with a firm 'No!' because he is not doing anything wrong, he is just learning to explore and scolding him will just confuse him. This 'beaking' is a precursor to preening and kissing so you don't want him to think it's a bad thing, just that he needs to apply less pressure.

[Harpmaker]

I agree with Pajarita. This is normal beaking behavior.

Be aware that moles, scabs, and skin tabs are also things that some parrots will try to remove for you. Helpful little creatures, aren't they?

[Tman007]

Wendy I have a gcc also and I am new to birds. But this is what I have notice when Andy (my gcc) steps up he would grab my finger and press down then grab again and again each time it would get harder and harder. Once it becomes to hard is when I would tell him quit. but as long as it was not that hard I would let him grab my hand. after about a week he now hardly grabs at all and when he does it's not hard. He just needs to know that your hand will hold him. Give him time and he will come around.