Gwen Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Just curious about a couple of things... I've just reacently been able to pet & give neck scritches. I've noticed when he's ready for me to pet the top of his head, he likes to be holding either my shirt or the pillowcase in his mouth (like a security blanket). When he's ready for neck scritches and massage. he immediately begins to preen himself. Has anyone else noticed anything like that??? Also, my question is: How sensitive is their beak?? Roscoe really enjoys petting around the side of his head and last night I started rubbing his beak bwt. my thumb & forefinger. He will just stand very still, close his eyes & purely enjoy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Petting the beak, is absolute bliss for a grey. ( at least mine!) If Sophie wanted to grab my shirt, crinkle it up, I would be glad too! Sophie loves her beak rubbed. She loves to rub her beak against my finger. Next... she sits on my shoulder, rubs her beak against my nose, I rub my nose against her beak. We nose rub like Eskimos! A lot of love in the nose rubbing! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I've noticed when he's ready for me to pet the top of his head, he likes to be holding either my shirt or the pillowcase in his mouth (like a security blanket). Also, my question is: How sensitive is their beak?? Roscoe really enjoys petting around the side of his head and last night I started rubbing his beak bwt. my thumb & forefinger. He will just stand very still, close his eyes & purely enjoy.... Phenix will grab hold of something & close his eyes to ask me to rub his head & neck, too. I don't know why, exactly. But I've come to think it's his way of saying, "Ple-e-ease? Pomise not to bite you. See...?" lol He also likes to have his beak rubbed like that. I'd think their beaks may be pretty sensitive, considering they use them to explore everything. Even if they aren't skin, I kind of wonder if they have something like the sensitivity of our finger tips. But I've never seen anything on it, one way or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 we've noticed that kallie "touches" things we give her with her beak before she takes it from us, whether its food or a toy. she bows her head and touches with the center of the ridge of her beak and very slightly lifts her head while her beak is still touching whatever the item is. i don't know if she "feels" it, or if its a "sound" she hears when she touches an item, or what. it makes me laugh though! it's like watching the old "everybody loves raymond" tv series when the brother would touch everything to his chin before he'd eat it. lol!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 LOL...Isaac is a lot like that. He loves it when I rub around the beak area...especially the lower area where it meets the skin. When they are leaning into your hand and closing their eyes, you can be sure they are loving it. I can see nothing wrong with gentle touching of the beak...besides...they will let you know if they don't like it. Just don't grab the beak and hold it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 Thanks to all of you !!!! Just in the last few wks. Roscoe has allowed me to start with petting the top of his head. Becoming a nightly occurance, I would softly say, "AWW" -- I was so thrilled my hand was shaking. I totally let my guard down & in just a few days he was holding onto my shirt and leaning the top of his head up against me. I had let the thought of a bite disappear and I firmly believe he sensed that too. He wanted more !! He has never had human touch in his 12 years !!! What a blissful way to return the love and trust I've been working towards for two years. Consequently, I have massaged his neck and now the beak thing.... I was curious as to whether this was truely a grey thing or what it was. It's amazing how baby steps have led us to this "NEW" thing. He's still a tad skiddish as once in a while he pulls away; his head still lowered but turns it sideways and lokks up at me. Then boom... like a cute little snowplow, puts his head down & runs back into my chest for more. We both, I think, look forward to our 2 hour session every night now!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 i may be wrong, i don't have a year yet with kallie to know for sure, but i'm thinking its a grey thing. athena is soooo different. she'll rub her beak on a finger, but only if she wants to. sometimes she'll let me "grab" her beak and play "get you". as for "touching" things like kallie does, athena just does her grab and dash or grab and eat like she hasn't had food in a year, lol!!! she's too eager (sometimes greedy, hehehe) to take the time for "touching" like kallie does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 It's not just a grey thing. A few of my birds have liked it. My ekkie loves it. In fact, she doesn't like scritches much at all. But she'll close her eyes & zone out while you rub her beak until it looks like polished ebony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 Yes, thenabird, Roscoe is like Kallie, very cautious & reaches out slowly to "test" with his beak. Poor little guy, everything is done very slowly. He's never had the chance to just explore freely. With my husband around (in the same room) he keeps his territory to about 6 feet away from his cage, ready to hurry back to safety. When I'm alone w/ him, he's like a curious baby... leave about a few feet away, reach out, touch something & run back to me. A few minutes later, get brave again, wander in another direction, look around and then right back. It's so cool to lay on the floor with him & just watch him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 I had let the thought of a bite disappear and I firmly believe he sensed that too. He wanted more !! He has never had human touch in his 12 years !!! What a blissful way to return the love and trust I've been working towards for two years. It is so beautiful that you are able to be such a comfort for him now. Twelve years, poor baby... I am so glad to hear that Roscoe is opening up to you so much now, more and more, Gwen, that is just so wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 (edited) Misty also adores beak rubs and will allow me to finger his beak almost any time. He also loves beak kisses and will climb up my chest and plant his beak on my lips to initiate a beak snog But neck rubs or scritches are a different matter. Unless he has specifically invited me he will avoid my attentions. He invites me by sitting at my shoulder or on my knee and says "You're allright" or "Tickle tickle". then he will insist on gentle neck rubs until he is satisfied. He looks to be in some kind of ecstasy and moves his head to direct my attentions to the current spot. It can go on for many minutes. He will object if I touch any other part of his body and his wings are a definite no go area. If I so much as accidentally brush against a wing he screams like a demented banshee. I put this down to poor handeling by a previous keeper when he was wing clipped. He is of course never clipped now. Steve n Misty Edited December 11, 2011 by Mistyparrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Gwen.... fantastic! Remember, the grey does so well, away from the cage. I LOVE to lay on the floor while watching tv. I put Sophie on the floor with me. I get LOTS of love! She's usually so in my face, there goes the show I was watching! LOL Thats okay.... I would rather bond with her. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 This is getting to be a really fun thread !!! It IS SO INTERESTING that our fids prefer only certain types of touching !!! Roscoe really enjoys a good toe massage when he's hanging on the bars too. He will do a little shuffle & place other opposite foot down to make sure I get both feet. On the floor cuddling I'm very careful to only touch his neck, beak, head and feet. He is prone to want to regurgitate at times & try to climb on my shoulder. Then it's all over & he drops wings & starts crying. I have a heck of a time getting him down!! When I put my hand to my shoulder & stay, "Step up" he just grabs tight w/ one foot & starts up again. Sometimes I just get up, walk over to his cage, putting my shoulder on it and say "get on your cage". I tell him "thank you" & walk away. When he comes down again, he's ok. There's a fine line bewteen him trying to regurgitate and the beak rub calms him down!! He's almost mesmerized. I guess he's still a little mixed up being able to show me me loves me and wanting me to be his mate. Nancy: Yes, my bonding time and TV get scrutinized by my husband alot !! He doesn't mind me missing a program but if we rent a movie he asks, "did you see that?", "are you watching?", "do want me to back this up, so you can just see what happened?" OOPS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Love! these stories. Brutus loves his head and neck rubbed. His beak is special. It is the first thing he greets us with in the morning. He wants a little beak rub as soon as he sees us. Then at night, he stretches up to touch my lips with his beak while i am scratching his head. It is funny and forceful. When i bring the parrots outside he always runs over to the side of the cage for beak rubs. Even when he was a baby and I was transporting him across country in a carrier, I felt he got a great deal of comfort from beak rubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I love all these posts, great thread. You are so right Gwen that it is all the little baby steps that you have done to build trust with Roscoe that has permitted him to overcome the great fear and distrust he built up over the long haul before coming to your home. Gilbert has been discovering the back of the sofa this week. He fluctuates between wanting to scurry back to his cage, but is conflicted because he loves to have a little scratch on his head and neck. He does the same thing with holding onto his fleece blanket for security while he starts out being really tense and stiff. Soon though, his raggedy little tail feathers are up in the air and his head, neck and chest are snuggled into the cushion while he enjoys a gentle massage and some preening gestures from me. He also does that beak tapping when I offer him an almond. He will touch it with his beak and tip his head back and forth to touch the right side, then left of his beak against the almond while making a sort of human infant sound. I also thought of the episode on Everybody Loves Raymond and the chin tapping thing! That is so funny. I had no idea all these things were so common with our greys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Yes, Dee !!! Just like Gilbert, Roscoe takes about an hour of warm-up: he will walk around on the floor, go back & sit on his cage door, come down & play find a peanut in his "tent" and then settle in up next to me on the floor. He gets really close & soaks up some body heat and starts rubbing his head on my chest that he wants to cuddle. The head goes down, the cute little red butt goes up & he's so sweet. He will tense up alittle from time to time but finally gets into his massage enough to close is eyes. Last night he let me rub the space under his neck at the base of his lower beak!! Thanks for the clue..... that definately is a spot he responds to, just like Gilbert. Yes, this is a fun thread!!! It is amazing how many things our greys do and at this point I am so honored to be able to be a part of this !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I think it's neat to read how your Greys all accept/want attention--in ways that I might lose a nose if I tried with Marcus! (Haha, just kidding!) But whenever I try to touch his toes, he gently but firmly grasps my fingers and moves them away. And he's not much for 'beak rubbing' either, unfortunately... that sounds so sweet! Thank you all for sharing your stories here, they're wonderful... Marcus will bow his head for a back-of-the-neck "tickle" when he's feeling affectionate with either my hubby or myself, and we can both kiss his beak. Very occasionally he will respond by pushing into my lips with his beak and make a big *kiss!* sound, which usually startles me (for a half-second I worry that he's lunging, it's so rare for him to try and 'kiss' me back), but it is adorable and heart-warming to contemplate his intent after the fact. Generally, though, if he's feeling loving I can get away with kind of laying my head against his head/neck while he's perching somewhere, and kind of rubbing my cheek all along his neck and upper wing. Sometimes he will try to sing to me (he hums, really) and then I'm expected to sing a song to him in return. That, to me, is our version of "special time" and I really treasure it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsjr Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Just curious about a couple of things... I've just reacently been able to pet & give neck scritches. I've noticed when he's ready for me to pet the top of his head, he likes to be holding either my shirt or the pillowcase in his mouth (like a security blanket). When he's ready for neck scritches and massage. he immediately begins to preen himself. Has anyone else noticed anything like that???Also, my question is: How sensitive is their beak?? Roscoe really enjoys petting around the side of his head and last night I started rubbing his beak bwt. my thumb & forefinger. He will just stand very still, close his eyes & purely enjoy.... my orange wing did the exact same thing. but it was the ONLY time you could touch him period. if you tried to scratch him and he wasn't giving you the OK by holding on a bar of the cage you will get bit and bit hard enough that a trip to the bathroom for a band-aid was in order. my CAG loves her beak rubbed, especially the really short feathers next to her lower mandible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Gwen.... Roscoe is trusting you. With leaps and bounds! FANTASTIC achievement! Be very proud. Remember, 12 years old, is still a juvenile. Continue to work on the trust. I would suggest, going out and buying the board game " trouble". Sophie LOVES it! Sit on the floor, play the board game between you and hubby. Whose ever turn it is... Roscoe needs to step up, to that person, help pop the bubble.( they think they did it!) YAY! Praise. Sophie is a pro now. It is her favorite game, besides UNO. She learned to step up to entire family thru this game. I think I have bought the game at least ten times! ( sure, they chew the pieces alot!) LOL She has loved all of us equally for years now. Of course, I am her Rom ( mom). I LOVE being called rom. Many times she would yell " ROM!", If I was busy, I would have one of the kids check on her, satisfy her needs. She learned she could trust either Ryan or Sean. She yells for them as much as Rom! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 14, 2011 Author Share Posted December 14, 2011 Yes, I'm elated with my new found trust & respect !! This is new to both of us and we BOTH are enjoying it. I have all the time in the world to wait for him and, yes, he is just a youngster. He brings with him so much baggage I really never imagined I would ever get to the point we're at. I have a cuddly, lovey tiel and just figured I could provide a safe and happy home to this Grey. I conceded from the beginning that he would ever be able to show affection, maybe just not be scared to be handled. He is a bit curious from time to time of my hubby. He walks out to the center of the room and just stares up at him. He also enjoys it when Charlie is reading the Sunday paper, to go over and shred the sections he puts on the floor for him. Thanks for the idea of a board game!! It sounds like an excellent way to get him to interact with my husband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 The greys that have come into our lives after they have had many changes in theirs are a little more complicated than those that learned alongside the people they loved and trusted as babies. It is interesting to watch those long months of patience and waiting for Roscoe, Phenix, Marcus, Gilbert and the other rehomed birds pay off as they respond to us as while they learn to be trusting birds. We watch for signs they are seeking out the attention we all so desperately wanted to give them on the first day. I think the key is to be predictable and understanding that they need a different amount of space and a very sensitive approach. As soon as they realize you won't push them too far, they start needing less space and less time to recover when they get too jumpy or snap out when startled. The games we play from a little distance where they can see us will eventually win them over until they want to play too. I love the idea of the game of trouble. Great ideas and encouragement folks! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 It is interesting to watch those long months of patience and waiting for Roscoe, Phenix, Marcus, Gilbert and the other rehomed birds pay off as they respond to us as while they learn to be trusting birds. It is such a beautiful process... I'm personally enjoying reading about all of your memorable breakthroughs and milestones almost as much as I'm enjoying living through this wonderful time of discovery with our dear Marcus. <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Girls... It's as though we have a new subject in Grey Forums !!! "REHOMED GREYS" I'm so happy to share and brainstorm our experiences and ultimately learn from each other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Hmmm.....this gives me some thoughts on starting a room for issues regarding birds that have been rehomed and we are trying to rehabilitate into our homes........name ideas, or thoughts on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Hmmm.....this gives me some thoughts on starting a room for issues regarding birds that have been rehomed and we are trying to rehabilitate into our homes........name ideas, or thoughts on this? Maybe it could be broad enough to encompass all the species, like the "Rehomed Parrots Room" or something. Then everybody with a rehomed bird whose 'baggage' they're dealing with and working through could feel welcome to post there (and not just parronts of rehomed Greys) and the different threads could be more species-specific, as necessary. Just a thought--but I like the idea in general very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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