You can love your lovebird, but keep it well away from your mouth and certainly don't kiss it.
Do you love your bird? That's good but you shouldn't get carried away with your affection. For instance, kissing your bird is not healthy and one reason for this is the disease Psittacosis. Psittacosis is a zoonosis, a disease which can be spread from animals (birds in this case) to humans.
Is it okay to kiss your bird on the top of their beak or on their head? Yes, it surely is. Kissing or giving your bird a quick peck won't do any harm, and it surely is delightful to show affection towards them.
Cockatoos are especially cuddly and will show their affection by snuggling up to your chest and resting their head on your shoulder. These birds are actually dubbed the “Velcro bird” because they won't stop cuddling for as long as you'll give them your attention.
Saliva is the most common way to transmit gram negative bacteria to parrots (who, hopefully, do not have access to any other body fluids from ourselves or our pets.) This means we should be careful when we kiss our birds and we should never let them eat from our mouths or our utensils.
Lead and zinc poisoning are the two most common heavy metal toxicities seen in bird patients. These two materials are also frequently found in and around the home environment.
A True Bite
Birds will truly bite now and then, but only if they are frightened, startled, or if they feel cornered and vulnerable. Chances are that your bird is not trying to be aggressive, as biting is not a dominance behavior in birds.
Birds have a sensitive respiratory system, so it's best to avoid spraying most common household cleaners in their air space. And moving furniture, sweeping, or vacuuming can certainly send some birds into panic mode.
There's a phenomenon among captive parrots often called the “one-person bird.” These birds closely bond to one person in the household and may shun the rest, even becoming aggressive to anyone who isn't “their” person.
Like a typical cockatoo, most enjoy being held and petted, and are friendly and sociable. Goffin's can also be a bit mischievous and are quick learners. Don't be surprised to find that your Goffin's cockatoo quickly learns to open the cage after seeing you unlatch the lock.
Every bird has positive and high energy; birds can love or have feelings of love, hate, fear, etc. Even though birds are not able to express their feelings to us easily through verbal communication, their feelings of love, emotions can show their feelings to people. Trust is also a part of love.
Although you might have witnessed kissing behavior between two birds, this does not have the same meaning to what we humans attribute to a kiss. Many times, it happens during courtship and what is actually happening is that the male bird is passing food to the female one.
To help your bird build a healthy bond with both you and other people, keep caresses and petting limited to the head or feet only, and ask others to do the same. The reason for this is that birds' sexual organs are located directly under the wings on a bird's back.
While many young birds do learn to enjoy cuddling, this can actually be detrimental to their health as they mature, especially for a female bird.
Your saliva can make your bird sick and you just don't want be to french kissing your parrot. It's not good for anyone. So make sure to always kiss the top of the beak and not inside. It may be cute to do otherwise, but I doubt your vet will think so!
A favorite spot for touch enjoyed by most cockatoos can be under the crest, right on top of the head, where species such as umbrella and Moluccan cockatoos have a bald spot. For other species of parrot, I've found that their forehead or top of their head is a favorite spot.
They love to come out and cuddle with their owners.
They have the reputation of being sort of the velcro of birds. They like to cuddle. They like to watch TV. They're very, very devoted to their owners, and they're very, very sweet.
The Avian Welfare Coalition informs us that parrots can become jealous especially with visitors and other pets.
Toxic foods and foods to avoid giving parrots
Cassava (tapioca) Caffeine. Dairy products. Onion, garlic, scallions.
Cockatoos are scared of birds of prey
Consequently, cockatoos are wary of birds of prey and this fear may be exploited to scare cockatoos away using kites to simulate birds of prey.
If you notice your parrot is shaking it could be cold, scared, excited or broody. Shivering may convey anxiety over new surroundings, companions, or a new toy and is also a means of releasing tension after a spat with a companion. More seriously, your parrot could be signaling an illness through shaking.
The best thing you can do if your bird bites is to gently put the bird down—just like giving a time-out to a child having a tantrum—and walk away. Try not to acknowledge the behavior.
There are numerous signs that you can pick up on to determine that your bird trusts you. These include shows of affection such as cuddling, preening and grooming as well as the bird's relaxed demeanor when you enter the room. Birds such as parrots also favor mimicking some of your own behaviors as a sign of trust.
Why do birds bob their heads? For domesticated birds, head bobbing is a normal way to communicate with their owners. When a parrot wants your attention, they will start bobbing and moving side to side. As soon as they feel ignored, they will do their best dance to get you to look.