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What's That Behavior??


Elvenking

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So I had a bit of an idea that could maybe become a sticky. Would like to start a thread for observations of our birds behaviors and what people think these behaviors may mean. It might grow to be a nice resource of why our birds do the things they do. So I will start with one about Issac.

 

Sometimes I like to show Issac things or he approaches things to investigate them. He sort of takes the front of his beak, and taps these items a few times in quick succession. He does it to cups, bottles, walls etc. What do you think he gets out of this activity? Is he trying to tell me something?

 

The other thing that Issac does is get really excited and acts like a goof every time I am doing something that involves my head. Talking on the phone, brushing my teeth, or flossing them. He gets all nutty and sometimes starts panting and drooping his wings. Especially when I am on the phone. People can hear him panting near the phone and he is getting all lovey and rooling upsidedown in my arms and just being....really a total sweetie. As soon as I stop, he is over it. Also, if he sees my teeth, he really wants to help me out with them. I can;t let him get close, but if I am smiling, he gets excited and appears to want to clean my teeth. (Yes, they are clean...ha) What is that behavior and why during those acts.

Edited by Elvenking
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Corky does the same thing with the beak. When my son, wife or myself take her to window she will tap on the glass with her beak. I gess she wants to wake up all the out side birds in the morning. When we are doing some thing she has to be there to see whats going on. When I say there it`s in your face there.

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Well at least Issac gets "sweet" when your on the phone! Biscotti is a total s*#@!! I am sure it is because he no longer has my undivided attention, he is jealous because I am talking to someone besides him!! He will attack the phone, dive bomb my head, etc... I just have to wave him off with my hands & pretty soon he'll go to one of his perches & pout!!

It is amazing the way they behave & react to certain things, who knows what is going on in those little birdy brains! :)

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Maybe it's a younger Grey thing? Marcus doesn't do anything like that. :( Everyone here always talks about their Greys doing their "sexy dance". I have no idea what that is! The closest thing is, in the morning now, I just have to open their bedroom door and walk in the room and Marcus will start bobbing his head to try and regurgitate for me. Doesn't do that for his daddy at all--according to him, Marcus is nippy in the morning when he says hi to the boys before he leaves for work. And I've never seen Marcus (or Beaker, for that matter) tap on anything I hand them...

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Maybe Issac likes to hear the sounds things around the house make when he taps them. I am not sure, but it looks like he is concentrating when he does it. And when he is doing his 'happy' dance, I really don;t know what I am doing to get him all riled up, maybe he is just pulling out all the stops to be as cute as possible to get my attention back. He may not even want it initially, but he will not miss a phone call, flossing or brushing if he can help it. Something about my teeth for sure, he obviously would LOVE to get the chance to inspect them. If I smille big for only a second when he is close he is coming to check out daddy's choppers. Strange bird...but I love him insanely.

 

One other behavior is that he gets quite upset when I use my remote controls, and he will try to take them by force (Biting). Nipping at me like...."I want to play with it too". Does anyone else have a Grey that does this? Is there a way to curb this behavior?

Edited by Elvenking
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Dayo taps on things to 1) To see how they sound respective to what they are. 2) Testing for density 3) If I or Someone is outside, he will tap on the window and say hello loudly to get attention. He will also stick his head down in cans, bowls etc. and talk while listening to the sound effects. He does the same thing with remotes. I must hide them from him and also change channels very quickly or he will fly and try to snatch it out of my hands or land on my hand and grab it.

 

He does the regurg dance for his life long love, my wife.

Edited by danmcq
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Biscotti does the remote thing also, heck if your gonna play with it why can't he?? He does that pretty much with anything I handle, just want's to be involved! He also does the droopy wing dance & gets all excited sometimes- he has not regurged on me yet, I move away as soon as he gets the neck bob going!

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Lol....so at least two other matches to Issac's 'gimmie that' behavior. I also have to be very quick on the remote ans stuff it into the couch pillows when I am done. I have this little thing where he will get down by my hand to get the remote and I have to fling him up to get him off and so I don't get bit. Ninja stuff.

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Bodhi also has an obsession with my teeth and really wants to get in and feels them and puts her beak in the grooves like a dental tool! It's fun to gross out the family...for some reason they don't find that behavior endearing like I do :)

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  • 2 years later...

Thought I would pop this thread back to the top. It is a GreYt topic and I believe everyone here can add tons to this thread. All our greys have many commonalities and also individual behaviors. Lets get this rolling again! I hope Also that Elvenking might just pop in as well. :)

 

Another behavior Dayo does that I know others Greys do as well. Is climb to the top of the cage, grab on the top bars with both Talons, then do a 180 with his body sticking through his legs the wrong way. Looks like it would half to hurt. But it is a common thing he does. What's this behavior? Who the heck knows, maybe Yoga stretches? :P

Edited by danmcq
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Hahhahaha...Isaac does a similar thing on his hanging rope....puts his head between his feet like that. Don't you just love them? Super cute pics.

 

I always look forward to our morning routine where Isaac likes to do fly-bys over the top of my head saying "Little booooyyyeeee" as he passes above. Yep....flying and talking at the same time. To see a parrot excited is a pretty cute thing. It is the perfect thing to get my day going. I love my baby more than most anything.

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What great posts! I can answer one. The obsession with cleaning the teeth, is actually, " there is tartar to be removed... and I can help you!" LOL They are better than dentists. Of course, we can't let them as it is unhealthy. Bummer... a cheap way of dental cleaning.

The wing dipping, flapping of feathers is the " sexual dance". Who knows what triggers it. Sophie goes crazy when she sees Ryan's disgusting toes. They are " hammerhead" toes, and he will eventually need surgery. Sophie LOVES his toes. We all get grossed out and have an ongoing joke how Sophie will be there to support him during his surgery. Nancy

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Ok, I have a question about the lowering of the wings, panting, cooing. Is it sexual in nature even at near 1 year old? Greycie does this with me but it seems to be only when I'm sitting in my chair and she's running around above my head. She then jumps on and lowers her wings and starts doing her thing.

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Ok, I have a question about the lowering of the wings, panting, cooing. Is it sexual in nature even at near 1 year old? Greycie does this with me but it seems to be only when I'm sitting in my chair and she's running around above my head. She then jumps on and lowers her wings and starts doing her thing.

 

Yep...that is the lovers dance for sure. I don't think they can help it...I think they just get an overwhelming feeling for you and have to express.

Edited by Elvenking
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Thanks for bringing this thread up Dan, I missed it the first time and its a good one. Gilbert as well as my other greys would do the tapping thing. She puts her forehead against the wall and it doesn't look like her beak is moving but it makes a real loud tapping sound. She does it against the bars of her cage also, she must be moving her tongue or something and it is usually an attention seeking sound effect. It is really loud and she is usually wanting something. As for the remotes, it might be that he is so intelligent that he knows your attention will be on the tv and he wants to keep you from looking at anything but him. More likely when any of us see a sharp beak coming for the remote we snatch it right up and move it to keep from losing chunks of it. Anything we take away from them becomes the object of their desire.

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Hi Stephen - Whats ya been up to "Little booooyyyeeee"? LOL I love that. Isaac is such a character. I always look forward to hearing what he's doing. :)

 

Hey Dan!! Isaac is still being the loveable rascal that he is. He loves to make himself useful by opening the food cabinets to show me where the food is. He just got done showing me how he can hang from the stove fan hood like a bat. Even I have to appreciate how much curiosity I allow him to satisfy. I still look forward to seeing the little guy every time I get home. I always get a "Hiiii boooyyee" when I get home. Shortly followed by "ouuuuutttt". He really knows how to make that sound really feeble so it pulls at your heart strings. He still doesn't talk too much but the things he does say are funny. He says, "Butt". I guess cause I call my daughter a butt sometimes. He loves eating cherrios with me too....among many other things. I have found it easier just to go with the flow and let him have something off my plate.

 

How's Dayo?

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