Sun Conure Licking (i think its licking?)

[BridgetTracy]

So, yesterday I got my sun conure. I had visited ,held, and scratched his head twice before we brought him home.
In the car I was holding the small cage he was in, and he would come up to the side and... I'm not sure how to explain it. He lightly bites me (not bites just gently puts his beak on me) and starts licking my finger? I've been doing the guide that Micheal wrote and he did excellent on all the steps. When I opened the cage door he immediately came out onto the top of the cage. He stepped up on the perch, and on my finger. Now I'm working on where I put my hand as close as I can and stop when he gets scared or aggressive, and reward him when he calms down. That brings me to the licking. I moved my finger towards his beak and he lightly clamped on to me finger and started licking it. I had just washed my hands, so I didn't have food on me. I've been trying to find out why he does this but the majority of the internet says he is grooming me because I am in his flock. I find that hard to believe since I just got him. Does anyone know why he does this? Thanks

[Wolf]

You may have just gotten him but you have apparently been spending enough time with him that you have been training him. While I don't know exactly how much time that you have actually spent with him but it was enough to get him to trust you enough to step up for you. Even if you don't think that this was enough to start the bonding process it easily could have been especially if he is still a baby and then when you brought him home, he may be afraid but trust you already and so he will become even more dependent on you for security. If he is not an adult bird then you are his parent at least as far as he is concerned. In either of these conditions then the licking could be a form of grooming as you were told.

There is also the possibility that this was his way of checking your finger out and would be called beaking. It is very similar to a puppy or even a human child putting everything in their mouth. But I tend to agree with what you were told for the most part.

[BridgetTracy]

Thank you for your reply.
I didn't spend a lot of time prior to this with him, but I would scratch his head and do that laddering step up excercise. I think he may be so comfortable with me because no one else was ever interested with buying him, they all wanted his sister. So since I spent the most time with him I guess he likes me already

[Wolf]

Well laddering is not good. It used to be very common but it is no longer a recommended practice.
But spending the time with him especially if he was not getting much attention will do it. Parrots are social animals and in their natural environment are never alone from birth to death so they have a strong drive or need to be with someone all of the time. Their flock provides them with a means of escaping predators, social interaction, a mate and a large portion of their sense of security and well being. Do you know the age of this bird?

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! There is a detail missing and it's the most important piece of info we need in order to reply to your question: age! Because if we are talking about a baby, the behavior you describe means the baby is looking for food as well as beaking (like when a baby would put things in his mouth and touch them with his tongue).

And I second Wolf's comment: laddering is a no-no because it's a form of flooding which is no longer recommended with birds. Also, be careful not to start really training until the bird has bonded with you and trusts you completely.

[BridgetTracy]

Okay I won't do laddering, thanks for warning me. Sorry I forgot, He is around 6 months old

[liz]

It could be worse. Rambo gives French kisses.

[Pajarita]

Then it could either one of the following reasons or a combination of them:
a) lacking some mineral in his diet
b) lacking entertainment and out-of-cage time
c) a more than usual case of beaking

My birds will, on occasion, use their tongues to touch my skin (my sun conure does it all the time to my cheeks, neck and shoulders) but they never do it to the bars of their cages though.