Update on Gryphon

[zandische]

Just wanted to give everyone an update on Gryph's behavior issues. For those who don't know, Gryph is 3.5 years old and has been with us since he and his sister came home to us at 4 months old. He has been going through what I believe are hormonal cycles about every 2-4 months for the last year. He basically becomes extremely aggressive during these times. This behavior is only demonstrated toward me, and to my husband he is just as sweet and gentle as can be. To his sister, he does a classic bird dance and acts like he wants to court her (but she has already made up her mind about my husband, so she acts disinterested, for the most part.) No amount of patience or other behavior modification technique has worked on my part, and for roughly 2 months at a time I can't interact with Gryphon without fear of losing body parts. Once the hormones pass he settles down and we can interact again.

 

However, things have made a dramatic change. He is doing really well, which is confusing and amazing me every day. Gryph has gone from crazy monster to now velcroed to me any time he is out of the cage. Most of the time he acts like he wants me to feed him, which involves him sitting under my chin and begging with his beak open. If I don't respond, he reaches up and either grabs my lip or tries to stick his beak in my mouth, albeit gently. I thought at first that this was baby behavior, but I am now starting to think it is a mate behavior. I am trying to cultivate the pre-begging behavior into "kisses" for a more healthy interaction so that we don't get to the feeding stage. He has not bitten me once (over a month now, yay!) and has become extraordinary gentle, letting me touch him anywhere, which before was almost never allowed. He has begun preening my hair (which he -never- did before) and he is mostly content to sit on my arm at chest level (the better for begging to be fed, apparently) but occasionally crawls up to my shoulder and "snuggles" up against the side of my head. (This was another Gryph no-no...he was content to sit on the shoulder, but didn't like touching my head.)

 

These changes started after I decided to eliminate seed entirely from his diet and feed primarily sprouts, fresh veggies and soaked grain. I did some research into hormonal parrots, and while it seems greys are not known for getting hormonal, other birds are apparently very affected by saturated fat, high protein and most human food. Breakfast & lunch consist of sprouts, dinner consists of fresh foods & a Volkman soak mixed with Red Palm Oil. He is not allowed saturated fat or animal protein of any kind except in the form of healthy nuts like almonds or red palm oil. During the day he has a full spectrum light on him and I also started putting him to bed earlier, even though this means less interaction time between us. From almost the first week of this change to his diet and schedule his behavior altered. Before, I would get home from work and he would be a basket case, bouncing off the walls until 9 or 10 pm when *we* finally went to bed, with rarely any interest in some 1 on 1 time. Now, I get home and he immediately zeroes in on me, and by 7 pm he is tucked up on my arm or my shoulder, content, bruxing and giving me the "blinky" eyes. Before, he was extremely cage and toy territorial (to me only), now, he willingly steps up from the cages and doesn't seem to mind if I play with him and his toys.

 

The change in my bird is dramatic and although I would say a majorly positive one, it IS a little unsettling - sometimes I feel like I'm living with a bipolar bird and I wonder when Mr. Hyde is coming out again! I'm going to continue with the changes we've made and see how things go - I really want to foster this positive interaction but I am worried about encouraging a mate type behavior. So, we're just taking it slow.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Around the age of four for all my birds, they became the birds I knew they were going to be. ( at least hoped for!). No longer bipolar.Let your defenses down, listen to your bird, and follow his willingness to trust you with all his heart.Its been a long time coming. It stinks when a bird picks one person to love when the other person does a ton of care and gets ignored. Now its your turn to " reap" the rewards your bird is offering you.Sophie STILL preens my hair, offers her regurg( only allowed in my hand).What you are experiencing now, I get daily! Offer your trust, see where it goes. Nancy

[Timbersmom]

I wonder if the diet could really make such a difference? I'm a novice, but I suspect it was a combination of things, diet included. As for the mating type behavior, I'm clueless because I have no experience.

[zandische]

Timbersmom - I too have wondered if it is only diet, and naively I hope that he's finally just decided I am "the one." And by that, I mean I hope he is maturing into, as Nancy says, "the bird I hoped he would be." But even when he was a baby, Gryph was never much of a snuggler, so all this canoodling and desire for interaction is all new territory for us so I think I agree, I'm just trying to trust his intentions and see where it goes. He's seen the vet recently, had bloodwork and a physical and he appears to be healthy all around. Maybe he is just going through bird puberty? LOL. If so, I hope this is the adult stage!

 

Nancy - thank you for your words of encouragement! It makes me so hopeful to know that other people have gone through similar situations and their bird has matured and they've been able to share a rewarding relationship. That feeling of being loved by your bird is just so amazing and you and Sophie are lucky!

[danmcq]

I am very happy for you in regards the change in Gryph's behavior towards you. I do doubt it had anything to do with hormones, diet is a possibility perhaps, but he was always great with your husband. It seems he may be taking a shining to you after all. I hope so, as you deserve it.

 

I would really caution you though on being that close to your lips and interacting on the level you describe. I am not harping, just cautioning. Lips are so tender and soft that it does not even take a true bite to puncture them. I do give Dayo kisses, which he loves, but am very cautious and only a very quick one.

Edited November 16, 2012 by danmcq