What does this mean?

[MissileMe]

Hi, I had a question that have perplexed me for some time.

My triton too is very tame, easy going, no feather picking, no excessive screaming, not a picky eater. In short, she is a very good bird.
But..... she has a habit of nipping only my wife.

The funny thing is that she likes my wife more than myself, even though I am the "owner" and do all the daily chores.

I could understand if my triton was jealous of her and attacked her due to jealousy. She always prefers to be with her than with me. But she nips every now without any visible reason. She nipped at her the other day when she was in the portable pet carrier cage. She also nipped at her when she was petting her. Such nipping takes place once or twice a day.

She has never drawn blood and she knows that it's not right to do such a thing. But she does this. Is this spite? Is she testing her boundaries? What could be some possible reasons?

Thank you for your time.

Dai.

[KimBear]

Sometimes parrots that are usually docile and good natured will nip when they're crabby, like if they're tired or just happen to feel irriated about something. Realize that what's irritating them at the time may not be anything we can think of. They can react to just about anything that happens to irk them at the time.

If this sounds like a possibility, one thing your wife can do is try to break up the bird's interaction time a little bit. For example, instead of holding her for 20 minutes at a time, just cuddling and petting, add some play or other activity in there.

Parrots need a lot of physical exercise and mental stimulation, and enhancing these opportunities can often help a parrot be a bit less crabby and out of sorts. On the opposite end, being tired can contribute to cranky behavior, too. If a parrot has been out of her cage for several hours, she may just need a snack and a nap.