neoow

I'm trying to encourage Alfie to forage more for food. It's a natural behaviour of African Grey's (and other parrots of course) and a good one to encourage as it keeps them active and makes them work that bit harder for their food. Tonight I made a foraging tray and put it on Alfie's shelves. I put some fruit and veg and other tasty morsels in the bottom of a tray then filled it up with shredded paper and foot toys. He had to root around and pull the paper and toys out before he could get to the treats. It kept him busy for quite some time. Most of it (including the food) ended up over the sofa but he seemed to enjoy digging through the tray. I have a couple of foraging toys in his cage (a buffet ball and a wheel that he has to spin and line up the holes with the treats in different compartments) and I'm thinking of putting a tray at the bottom of his cage for him to forage in. I'm also toying with the idea of getting some bird safe plants and putting them in his cage (whilst supervised) so he can dig through those and pull them apart. I just need to be a little bit careful because I also have two cats- so I would have to make sure they either can't get at the plants or that they are cat safe as well as bird safe as my two cats get into everything! (they are indoor cats) Do you provide foraging opportunities for your birds? If so, what do you set up for them?

I went to the Think Parrot show yesterday for the first time ever. If you live in the UK then it's hosted annually at Kempton Park Racecourse (off the M25) and is definitely worth a visit. I picked up some good bargains on a few toys and also bought a backpack style carrier (similar to the pak o bird) in the hopes that Alfie likes it so I can take him out for walks (and get him out to the aviary). I also sat through one of the 'masterclasses' which was really interesting. It was about cognitive beahviours/abilities in parrots and enrichment. There were also some free flight sessions where we got to watch macaws and sun conures flying without harnesses. That was pretty spectacular. Here are the goodies I bought: This is a plastic crate stuffed full of leather strips. I'm planning on hiding a few tasty morsels in there... once Alfie accepts it. It's huge and quite heavy. This will either be for his cage or for his shelves- if I can find something strong enough to take the weight of it on the wall/ceiling! Alfie loves rope and swing toys so I grabbed a couple of those. These are huge so will be used in the aviary. Another swing toy- this is HUGE so will be another aviary toy. Here is the backpack carrier. Alfie has been REALLY interested in this. I built it in front of his cage and have been practicing putting it on and off (whilst trying to keep it as steady as possible) in front of him. Today he decided to take a closer look and climbed down to the floor to take a look. He rarely goes on the floor and if he does he normally gets to higher ground as soon as he can- so he must have been really curious! Checking it out form his cage Having a closer look!

I'm doing my best not to let it bother me - it just seems strange that it was such a rapid change. Hopefully it's not a permanent change but if it is I'll just have to roll with it and take the good bits where I find them! We had a good time today - no attacks. I removed all the cardboard and magazines from his shelves and put toys for him to fling around up there. I also filled a tray with fruit, veg and treats topped with shredded paper and toys so he had to forage around to find the treats. Once he cottoned on to the fact there might be tasty food at the bottom he was busy for a while.

Thank you, I wish I could read his mind too! He doesn't seem to get angry when I talk to him or go near the cage - but he won't lower his head for scritches. If he doesn't lower his head, he doesn't want them and any intrusive fingers will probably result in a bite - so I never try and force anything with him. I can be really close to his cage whilst talking to him and he's not giving me any signs to say he doesn't want me there. The flying to the back of my head and striking out always comes out of the blue. I can't spot anything that happens before it to trigger it. It could also be hormone related. Maybe he's seeing the shelves as a nesting area seeing as that's where he tears up all his boxes and magazines? I wonder if I should remove the boxes/magazines for a little while and replace them with foot toys to see if the behaviour happens then... I'm just clutching at straws at the moment!

Still struggling to work this one out. Alfie comes out of his cage of his own accord as soon as I open it. He doesn't wait for me to leave, he'll climb right out. He then flies to his shelves and plays and ignores me for a while. If I'm round the corner at my computer he will sometimes fly to his cage and check up on me. Or he may climb onto his tree and start preening. He's still not letting me give him scritches (but my housemate is allowed). Yesterday he came and sat on the coffee table next to the armchair I was sitting in but I just talked to him and watched him. Normally he would come and ask for scritches and sit on my knee but he didn't. I didn't force the issue either. Today he pushed a box off his shelf and flew to his cage so I wandered over to the shelf to put the box back for him. He flew to me and landed on my upper arm, then lunged at the back of my head twice. I put my hand/arm over my head to stop him from getting it again and to either usher him down my arm or to get him to step up and he grabbed the finger instead. Then he flew back to his shelf. I wish he could just tell me what I'm doing wrong! 😂 I'm still suspecting either the haircut or him being protective over his shelves. I'm leaning towards haircut because he doesn't let me scritch him through the bars of his cage anymore like he used to. I'm really not sure how to tackle this one and resolve it. I'm doing my best not to get upset about it but I do worry that I've done something to break the trust or upset the relationship. I just wish I could understand it and know what to do to prevent it from happening.

Yay! Glad all is going well with them both!

Great to hear things have improved for you both!

Yes - last summer we had ridiculously hot weather for long periods of time (never known a summer like it) and when Aflie was moving about a lot he started panting. So I covered part of it to keep it a bit cooler. It creates shade but does let a little sunlight through as well. Originally I was using whatever I had to hand - towels/sheets/blankets etc but they kept falling off. So I bought two sheets of the material in the photo instead and made it a bit more permanent. It has eyelets and I just cable tied it to the aviary bars. Makes it easy enough to remove too. It's like a plastic woven screen... not really sure how to describe it! There are still some areas which get full sunlight throughout the day as I didn't want to block it all out.

Here's another one for you! I think this is a little easier than the first one?

Managed to convince Alfie to get in his travel cage so I could let him play in the aviary today. It's glorious weather outside and the first opportunity that he's had to go out there this year. Can you spot him in his aviary? (he's definitely in there, honest!)

Hmm. I'm now peering at Alfie wondering whether he is in fact an african grey or just a pigeon with a painted tail... he is totally indifferent about cheese. Flings it across the cage if I dare to give him any. The only treat he will do (nearly) anything for is cedar nuts.

That's great news!

What a wonderful update.

It could be that my housemate is the new favourite. My housemate has very little to do with Alfie but Alfie likes to follow him around and see what he's up to. So it may well be that he just wants attention from my housemate and not me. I'm just the live-in servant who keeps the food and water bowls full and the cage clean!

It has lessened but Alfie isn't overly keen on socialising with me. He will make contact calls and will make noises back and forth but he not allowing me to give him his usual morning or evening scritches as readily and he mostly seems to want to amuse himself whilst he is out. He will fly to me to see what I'm up to if I'm out of sight for any amount of time but then will quickly fly elsewhere. Not sure if he's just going through a phase or what. He is active and eating, drinking etc. No other changes in behaviour or body language. Very peculiar!

Thanks for the update. Hopefully the vets can help and Jambit will be back with you and causing mischief very soon! I personally wouldn't recommend adding any supplements unless it is mentioned by an avian specialist. I also wouldn't add anything unless it is designed/made for birds. (e.g I wouldn't add human supplements to Alfie's diet). Speaking of teas... I have started Alfie on an avian tea (from here: https://www.northernparrots.com/pollys-natural-deptpollys_natural/ ) and he seems to enjoy it. I brew it in a cup and let it cool then just let him have it straight from the cup. He seems to like it so far, but he's only had it three times. I went for the 'golden blossom' variety because the others were out of stock.

I hope the meds help and that Jambit is back to good health very soon. Do keep us updated. I definitely would have done the same thing and taken Alfie to the vet like you did. So I don't think it's over-reacting at all!

Great news, thanks for the update!

Thanks both. There has been a lot of changes because I had to move the cats litter trays and food into the room and the cats spent some time sleeping and living out of the downstairs of the house whilst I redecorated the upstairs. This went on for a few weeks. Then I had the flooring done upstairs and in the hall. Alfie wouldn't have seen these changes as such, as he remains downstairs even when out. But all the noise and commotion plus sharing space with the cats was obviously a lot of upheaval. He seemed fine throughout, though I did worry about the reduce time out of the cage. He was still allowed out -but I had to be very mindful of when the cats wanted food or the litter trays so his out of the cage time was reduced. Everything in Alfie's 'space' is now back to normal and no changes were made to the areas that he sees and plays in. But it could still have have an effect. I think you might be right Inara- it could well be a territorial thing with his shelves. I have been sitting in the armchair (which is still near the shelves but not directly under them like the sofa is) and and also at my computer desk at the other end of the room and it's happening less. In fact every time it happens I think I am sitting on the sofa under the shelves. So you could be right in that it's a mix of hormones, upset from the recent changes and being a bit territorial? I'll continue to test things out and see if I can confirm the trigger. I'd rather not be banished from my own sofa but I also don't want to cause Alfie any stress/upset. Hopefully it's a passing phase and I won't have to worry about it for much longer. I'm not sure if it is a mating behaviour? Alfie tends to go very lovey and will droop his wings and make baby/clucky noises when he's 'in the mood'. He's never really beaked or bitten me when like that. This seems to be more aggressive, as he strikes out at my head two or three times. He will allow me to remove him (and sometimes gives my arm a bit of a chomp for good measure before stepping up). he then goes back to exploring or playing or will sit on my knee for a while. I've had a crazy week and I haven't really been settling down on the sofa whilst he's been out since I posted this. He's been playing and flying around and amusing himself then coming to me when he wants to check in or get some scritches. So it hasn't happened in a little while. It'll be interesting to see if it happens again if I settle down on the sofa for a while when he's out.

Welcome back! Lovely to see you back here posting. I misread 14 chickens as 14 children at first...had to do a double take!

It is amazing how our bird manage to continually surprise us, even after many years together! Good to hear from you Maggie. I hope you are looking after yourself as well as Jay.

I have seen a change in behaviour with Alfie recently and can't quite figure it out. He comes out to play and will happily fly to 'his' shelves in the living room, where I leave out boxes and toys for him. He also has a boing hanging there so he can climb between shelves and relax/play on the boing. Normally he'll entertain himself for a while and may check in on me to see what I'm up to if I'm at the computer. He'll also fly round the room, go and play on his tree etc etc. Sometimes he'll come and sit with me on the sofa and either explore or sit on my knee and have some scratches. Recently though he's taken to flying and landing on my head or back when I'm on the sofa and he will peck and bite at the my head aggressively. I can't figure out what the trigger is. I'm not sure if he's annoyed because he wants attention or maybe it's because I had a biiig hair cut a few weeks ago and now have very short hair instead of my usual long hair. It doesn't really hurt that much because he can't really get a hold of anything but I do worry for my eyes and ears so make sure I turn my head then put my arm behind my head for him to step up... I usually get a chomp or two before he does step up. He's a no shoulder bird anyway because he always seeks out ears to nibble/bite so I don't encourage him to go on my shoulder and usually direct him back to my lower arm or knee if he does try to creep up there. But it seems he is deliberately flying to my back just to give the back of my head some abuse. When it happens I just remove him from my back or head and put him on the sofa, my knee or back on his shelf. I may say 'no biting' or have a little chat with him to ask why he decided to bite or what brought that on but I don't shout at him or put him in time out or anything like that. I'll let him decide what he wants to do- whether he wants to fly back to his shelf, sit on my knee, have head scritches or explore. My hair was done about a month ago and he's not normally THAT change adverse. I did have my hair cut short about 5 years ago but in a different style and I don't remember that triggering this kind of aggression. It's strange that he's also waited about a month before starting this behaviour this well. Maybe he was trying to decide whether or not he liked it? 😂 Is it just the time of the year? He has been particularly hormonal this season- I can't give him any kind of toy that resembles a small ball or egg because he tries to treat it like an egg and will droop his wings over it and tuck it under himself. He's fine when he first comes out and I tend to do a bit of harness training with him which he does fine with no aggression or biting. I think in the first instance I'm going to try moving to a different chair. If I sit on the sofa under his shelves he sometimes lunges for me from his boing when I move around or get up. I might try sitting in the armchair instead, which is a little distance away and see if he repeats the aggressive behaviour. It will be easier for him to fly to me there so if he is just seeking attention it will be easier to get it. Any suggestions or advice is welcome. If I could work out the trigger then at least I can try to avoid it or figure out a way to break the pattern. But I'm a bit stumped on this one. I can take the bites and don't take offense to them but I'm worried that this behaviour might also happen to my housemate and I don't want it to damage the relationship they have ever so slowly built up over the years. They don't spend an awful lot of time together as my housemate mostly stays out of the way but I'd hate for Alfie to fly to him when he does enter the room or decides to join us when Alfie is out.

Aww happy hatchday Flynn! He's still a little baby really! Hope he is causing lots of mischief!

To be fair, that's probably much more likely than him letting me progress to touching his wings! 😂

Here's an update on the harness training so far... Training has been a bit limited recently because I was in the process of redecorating half of the house (all three bedrooms and hall/stairs/landing). This meant the cats had to have their litter trays and food moved downstairs to where Alfie is. As a result I had to limit Alfie's out of cage time to make sure the cats weren't bursting to use the tray or missing out on food. I didn't focus on the training too much during his out of cage time, just let him fly around and get as much exercise as possible before the cats woke up and wanted to come downstairs. However, I did make sure to get the harness out pretty much every day and ask him to put his beak through the bars and through a hoop to get a treat. This was pretty easy for him as it was only ever his beak coming through the bars, but it allowed me to familiarise the words 'head through' and the action of putting his beak towards the hoop to get the treat. Things are (almost) back to normal in the house now and the cat stuff has all moved back upstairs. The last few days I allowed Alfie just to play and fly around as much as he liked to get used to having the extra time out of the cage again. I carried on asking him to put his head through when he was in his cage and now I'm starting to work with him out of the cage too. Yesterday I asked him to put his head through the large loop three times - then he wandered off to play so I stopped the training. Today I let him out, let him fly to his shelves and settle down then grabbed the harness and 5 cedar nuts. I managed to get him to repeat the behaviour 5 times (giving him a nut each time) AND I was able to make the loop a little smaller each time. Now that he's training out of the cage I am asking him to put slightly more of his head through. He was a little hesitant a couple of times but I didn't force it, just kept the loop and the treat in place until he was ready to lean forwards. I'm letting him come to the treat each time. A couple of times I managed to move the harness back ever so slightly so more of his head was going through. He also brushed the harness with his head a couple of times. Again, not a major update but I am being very cautious and not forcing the issue at all.