DrTak

Sorry. I think I fixed my quote.

This is pretty much the direction of a discussion under the "no-nos" thread. It seems to be depend on owner desire/bird temperament, IMHO. Lulu has never ridden on a shoulder. She tried for a while, but was never rewarded with that perch. She seems happy on my hand, forearm, in my lap, doing flips, cuddled up against my chest. I think she would behave on a shoulder, but I had heard it wasn't advisable. If it is personal choice, I think no shoulders still works for me. My dog does not come up on bed or couch, so maybe that is just me.

I am interested in opinions on this. I have heard shoulder perching is a bad idea from many people. I am certain Lulu would be happy up on mine, but I have never allowed it. Anybody have experiences? I bet bad experiences are rarer -- anyone have problems with shoulder perching?

I apologize if this thread is already here -- I did search and although these topics are scattered throughout, I thought I'd start a specific thread: "No-nos for keeping an African Grey". I am going to start with a few that I have read, or that my bird vet shared. I expect that others have much to add. By no means do I think I am some authority -- I expect disagreement and discourse. I suspect some non-nos are absolute (like toxic foods), and some are relative to bird, owner or environment (behavioral). Never punish your bird (see existing excellent thread! -- the inspiration for this post) Do not feed your bird avocado, pits from stone fruit, chocolate or alcohol. Birdy poisons Do not use Teflon coated pans. They may be safe if utterly unscratched and not overheated, but if either is untrue, it is chemical warfare on your bird. Scented candles, incense, kerosene lamps all generate stuff that may sicken and harm your bird. Do not feed birds fruits or veggies that overly acidic or have been prepared and kept in a refrigerator (frozen until served is fine). Bacterial overgrowth that is harmless to mammals is a killer in birds. Citrus, tomatoes are quite acid, and can provoke nasty digestive issues. Juices and baby foods are culture media, once the seal is broke, despite refrigeration. Birds tolerance is very low for colonized food. Do not get a bird that has not been weaned. Baby birds are too easy to kill. Do not feed your bird dairy (birds have no lactase), or red meat or shellfish (high in phosphorous; may worsen calcium deficiencies) Chicken, egg and finned fish is fine. Do not feed your bird a seed only diet. It is the equivalent of feeding your kid only fast food; it should be an occasional treat, not a 21-meal-a-week diet. Sunflower seeds are particularly regarded as the French fry of the Avian world. Peanuts in shells and dried corncobs can harbor aspergillosis and should be avoided. Pellets without food coloring, and fresh or frozen veggies are the staples for your bird. Do not feed grit, or chemical calcium supplements. Use cuttlebone, whole and ground, balanced pellet diet, and full spectrum high intensity light to fight calcium deficiency. Don't let your parrot routinely perch higher than your head. Although not pack animals like dogs, parrots do have a social order, largely visible by who perches where. You don't want an alpha parrot. Shoulders are similarly problematic; there is a reason those pirates had eye patches. Very few Greys will beak an eye or tear an ear. Those that do are remembered forever. Don't isolate your bird. It wants to spend all day with you, out of its cage. That's not practical for mots people, and you must view it as a toddler that can get into serious trouble unsupervised. That's why toddlers have playpens and cribs, and birds have cages. Neither should be regarded as prison cells. Think about it -- a playpen in the family room is cool. The Hanoi Hilton is not. Which describes your parrot's cage is up to you. Additions, disputes and clarifications encouraged.

It seems so easy to mess a bird up. They are way less forgiving, IMHO, than the aforementioned dogs. Not to belittle the effort of dog rescue, but parrot rescue seems unbelievably challenging.

Well written. I think the predator v. prey thing is key. Dogs need an alpha that is consistent and strong, or they will try to be the pack leader, with predictably disastrous results. Parrots need infinite patience, understanding, and support in exploring and trusting. Both are highly social, just in very different ways. What both pets have in common is the need to spend time with your animal to form that bond. It is the same with kids, too. "Quality time" really is no substitute for quantity of time. If you like being with your animals, they will like being with you. Once that happens, you begin to understand each other better, and I think "punishments" of the sorts you describe become intuitively obvious as bad ideas.

Lulu has started a new behavior. While playing in my lap, she flips over, into a supine position. She dangles her feet out, and if I pet her beak, she looks like a dead bird. If I leave her be, she starts doing "curls", and eventually will get bored and flip back over. Other Greys do this?

Lulu is one month younger, and her "baby talk" is a bit clearer every day. We'll see in a month or so!

Good bye all