Need advice re: a "wrestling" conure

[Roger P]

Okay, I am posting this in this section because I feel it falls under the category of bonding. However, it is the first time I have posted a new topic, so if this is the wrong place I apologize.

I need some advice or some feedback, primarily I guess from other Conure owners, but anyone that has some input I would appreciate your expertise. Here's the scenario: Lately when Merlin and I are just hanging out on the couch watching TV and "bonding", he crawls under my hand, then flips over onto his back and starts to "wrestle" with my fingers. It is the coolest thing to watch and at first I was wrestling back, and tickling his tummy, etc. However, as he is also using his beak to fight, I am concerned I might be contradicting my efforts to minimize his "nippiness" by condoning or supporting this wrestling. Not sure how to respond to this, as I have never seen this before. Should I allow this to continue or discourage it?

I haven't seen many Maroon Belly owners in the forum, but I know there are lots of Green Cheek owners. Is this something that is "normal" for these birds or should I put a stop to it? Help, please.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Green cheeks and maroon bellies are really quite similar, so I think we can safely compare notes. These little guys tend to like to lie on their backs... and will sleep on their backs. I am not sure I'm correctly picturing this "wrestling" but it may be that your bird actually wants to have a quiet lie down in your hand, but is still hanging on to your fingers for support. You might try making this more of a passive activity than an active one, encouraging him to lie there and relax.

I do think these guys tend to go to the beak as a first line of defense for almost anything. I get beak activity quite a bit, especially if I'm not paying attention -- Scooter will nip lightly to say "I don't like that!", "I don't want to!", "GIve me that!", "I'm sooo excited!", "Hey, pay attention to ME!". I try not to inadvertently reinforce this by doing what he wants (although if I am genuinely distracted, the pay attention one, sadly, works every time). Note that this nippiness is entirely different from what has happened the two times he has become "enraged" with me. That was/is a whole 'nother ballgame. But I suspect what you are describing is him either getting over-excited or trying to say "That's not what I want".

Hope that helps.....

[Roger P]

Sorry for not being clearer, I will try again. I realize that MBC's and GCC's like to lie on their backs, Merlin does it all the time in his sleeping hut. However he does not do this with me (so far). What happens is that when we a sitting on the couch I tend to slouch back, and he runs around from my stomach up my chest, onto my shoulders and back again. If I have my hands together in front of me, he will crawl under one hand, then flip over, and rather than lie there quietly, he will grab my fingers with his feet and proceed to beak at my finger tips and twist and turn while under there. There is no attempt at "I'm comfy, I'll just lay here". At least not yet. Any ideas how to get him to relax there? The "wrestling is cute and all, but I don't want to escalate it to a full blown fight.

By the way entrancedbymy GCC, I totally agree that they go to beak for almost everything, and this could just simply be a variation on Scooter's "hey, pay attention to me!". I have had Merlin for two months now, and it probably took a month for me to figure out what was an actual bite and what was just "I want something". Most often it seems to be "I have to use the bathroom, put me down now!", because if I recognize it and put him down, he poops from his perch and not on me. I cannot believe how "clean" he is compared to my Cockatiel, who pooped on everything and everyone!

[pchela]

Well, my Senegal does something similar it sounds like. When I'm on the couch he will often grab a chunk of my hair and then hang upside down from it ... this is my cue that he is about to start trying to wrestle with my hands. He will drop down to my chest and stomach and head for my hands where he will flip himself over and start wrestling, pretty much like you're describing. It is awfully cute and it appears to be play for him. Problem is, he quickly gets too beaky and hurts me so I usually dissuade the behavior by not engaging in the wrestling, or playing for a short time until he gets too worked up and then stopping the play. I do this by either distracting him with a toy or treat or by putting him in his cage. I don't know if this help but I do believe it is a type of play for them.

[Giantmoa]

my conure does the same thing! I try to keep a foot toy or two in my pocket so she doesn't wrestle with my fingers but a strip of leather that I replace there instead (most foot toys work) or you can just gently disengage your fingers, which is often easier said than done. the good news is my gcc rarely does this anymore since I never really encouraged it beyond the foottoy thing and she hates being on her back unless she has a firm grip on my fingers. The wrestling is cute but it can esculate if its encouraged. I'm interested to hear what other suggestions people have...

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I guess I have the odd bird out, then -- I haven't seen this wrestling thing. Now that we're getting to know our other bird, Scotty, better -- he seems to do a beak-wrestling game that easily goes in the wrong direction but definitely seems to be play.

Not to drag this too far off topic, but, Pchela, I had to laugh at the hair thing. Scooter likes to sit up on my head and when he's tired of it, he climbs down my hair... nothing like having an upside down conure suddenly appear in your field of view, treating you like Rapunzel....

[Roger P]

Thanks Giantmoa, I will try the foot toy distractions. And you are right pchela, it quickly gets out of hand and he begins biting too hard, so I will try to discourage it as well. Thank you all for letting me know that this is not something strange that Merlin is doing. Learning every day!!!!

[jayebird]

My little guy (who it turns out is probably a maroon-bellied/green-cheek hybrid according to his recent first vet checkup) does this, too! He doesn't actively lie on his back, but he will start trying to wrestle and then I usually flip him over and we play. He's good about not being too beaky, but I can see that as a possibility. Often when I'm tired of it I'll just stop the game and gently withdraw.....and then he'll usually hang out on his back for a minute or two and play with his feet before getting back up and finding some other way to be an adorable little squeaker.

[captwest]

My amazon Jake, does the same thing that you all (ya'll)are discribing, and sometimes she gets over excited and bites too hard. i'll tell her no and play some more but it usually escalates qiuckly back to her biting too hard, at which point i quit the game.She seems to realize what's going on but sometimes she just can't help herself from getting over excited, this is play and has nothing to do with being beaky or biting.

[Roger P]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I appreciate just knowing that this is something others are dealing with as well. I find it hard not play this way with him, as he seems to enjoy it, but I don't want it to get out of hand either. I think I will just keep it light for a while and stop if he starts biting too hard, and see if he figures out that playful is okay and biting too hard is not.

Thanks again everyone.