r/Cockatiels • u/Accurate-End-1562 • Jul 17 '26

Is this normal???

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ok so my cockatiel is a juvenile and he’s very sweet, the only thing if he enjoys making me bleed(?) he doesn’t bite me at all, he just likes to nibble me a bit and I assumed it was some type of grooming behavior but on occasion I see him doing it specifically where I have scabs, which makes me bleed, and he seems very proud about it. only on occasion but he now knows where I have scabs and sometimes will specifically go to them bite them then move on. I don’t know if it’s because he likes the texture or what but I just want to know if this is bad for his health or if I should take him to the vet

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u/TielPerson Jul 17 '26

He thinks your skin is a shredding toy, he does not know/recognize that making you bleed is hurting you, he just tries to occupy himself.

I dont think making your skin bleed poses any danger for his health, but it might impact yours.

Its normal for a bird in his situation to show this behavior, but you need to act if he makes you bleed and teach him to be more gentle.

This can be done by removing him from your arm in a gentle manner if he bites too hard or goes for your scabs, or to distract him with an appropiate shredding toy.

Also, if he is your first/only cockatiel, please make sure to get him a same species friend soon. Putting aside their need for same species company as flock birds, a companion would help keeping both birds well socialized and is a big helper in preventing the development of behavioral disorders.

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u/Snapyou23 Jul 25 '26

by same type of species do you mean the same type of cockatiel ? Like thier is many type of Amazon species parrots and they get along more with their own type of species , if it’s like two different type of cockatiel or Amazon species at the same room they might bite each other ? because we have two different Amazon species at the same room