Strange behavior?

[Guest]

So Lola has been home for 5 days, and has REALLY surprised me with how well she is adjusting to a very busy house! (We have 4 dogs, lovebirds, 4 human residents, as well as regular visits from my bother and his family of 4!)

 

Today she tried sweet potato, and loved it! Pictures of the "process" can be found at: http://lolagrey.blogspot.com/'>http://lolagrey.blogspot.com/

 

Anyway, after an "eventful" day, I put Lola away in her cage for half hour with lights still on for her to play, and settle down before bedtime (lights off, cage covered.) After I put her in, while saying "go home Lola" I gave her a peanut, which she ate. Then she spent about 15 minutes, climbing the cage in the exact same pattern. "Up the left wall, through the rope, to the purple perch, back up the left wall, to the rope, to the purple perch..."

 

She did this EXACT pattern yesterday after being out away also! What does this mean? She's allowed out of her cage from about 3 pm. (when I get home from work, until 8:30. Then it's cage time, and lights out at 9.)

 

Experience parronts...what the heck?! The EXACT same climbing pattern, after being put away 2 nights in a row? What can it mean?

 

ETA: http://lolagrey.blogspot.com/ - video on blog!

Edited April 27, 2013 by LolaGrey

[danmcq]

It is interesting you brought this up. Dayo has a climbing Pattern he uses climbing around when anxious over something like us walking out of the room or we tell him we need to go someplace and will be right back or we ask if he wants to go outside etc. He has used this exact pattern for years. It seems this is something they all do it seems.

 

I appreciate your bringing this up and would like to hear from others that have noticed such a "Climbing Pattern". They seem to be a complex pattern and used over and over. Don't know why though. This is actually a new topic never discussed on this forum or anywhere else I have seen or read.

 

So, lets hear it folks. Have you also noticed this?

[Guest]

Danmcq- you are correct in that it is a very complex pattern, and it is repeated many times until something stimulates her to stop. (Usually, saying "night night" and covering her cage.) I wonder if it is her way of showing her displeasure about being put away for the night? I don't cover her cage until 30 minutes after putting her in her cage, so I am not sure she is associating being "put away" with getting her cage covered, and having anxiety over that.

 

It is a very strange behavior, and one she has ONLY displayed after being put back in her cage at night.

[Wingy]

Jake does this too. He goes back, across his boing and hops onto his short perch before going to his food bowl. He could take the short route on the long perch that goes end to end and is right there but instead he goes the long way. My guess is that he is checking to make sure there is nothing hiding in the corners or behind toys/objects before he puts his head in the bowl.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

VERY interesting! Sophie has never done that. Interesting though, that several birds do that. Compare notes! Maybe a behavior that several do, and the behavior has never been identified. Nancy

[Luvparrots]

Neither of my greys, a Tag and a Cag do this thing with patterns. They do have routines with how they will go into their cages willingly but once they are in, they settle right down.

[Mistyparrot]

I think Greys like ritual. They will tend to make patterns of play and enjoy a certain amount of routine. No doubt Lola had a little energy left to dissipate so climbing around her cage would help work some of that off. It makes sense for her to climb around in the same pattern because it is a route that works without her thinking about it. Misty will not let me put him in his sleep cage unless I take him to the bath room first. He just glues himself to my hand. I put him on a rail over the bath he may or may not make a deposit, I brush my teeth and then we admire each other in the mirror. After that he goes into his cage with no stubbornness. As I close the door he says "Bed time baby" I say "Bed time Misty" "Sleep well, see you in the morning" I get another "Bed time baby" and as I close the door he makes a quiet and gentle "Whee" sound. This routine has evolved over time and it is all self taught by Misty.

A famous animal researcher named Konrad Lorenz made a study of geese and the paths they walked from their resting place to their pond or food tray. He would place obstructions in their path to increase the complexity and distance of the route they walked. After a while Konrad removed the obstructions to make a direct path possible but the geese continued to walk the path they had originally made even though it was significantly longer. The circuitous path had become like a ritual that they felt more comfortable following than the now obvious shorter route.

 

Steve n Misty

Edited April 26, 2013 by Mistyparrot

[Timbersmom]

Ritual is a good word for it. All I could think of is that Timber seems a bit OCD! Ritual fits better. He is very much a creature of habit, and once he knows a routine, he doesn't tolerate deviation from it very well.

[Guest]

I'm not sure Lola's is a ritual, because it's not something she does then settles down. It's also not a specific way of eating. It is a pattern of "climbing" that she repeats, over and over and over again, without stopping, when I put her in the cage for the night.

 

Her cage was opened as soon as I got home at 3pm. She only was "put away" at 8:30. She spent some time with us at the dinner table, sat on the laundry basket as I showered, and went up to the bedroom while I got dressed. She also had some "step-up" training today, not to mention climbing around her cage at her will.

 

But it happened... AGAIN! 3rd night in a row! I actually got it on video tonight! Trying to figure out how to post a video or link to it, then I will let you guys see?

[Guest]

http://lolagrey.blogspot.com/

 

Video posted on our blog! Any one's grey behave this way, in response to a stimulus? (In this case, being out away.)

[Timbersmom]

I don't have enough experience to give you any insight. However, I can tell you that I have seen Timber do a similar thing. He only does it when he is very excited and the cage door is closed.

[Ray P]

It`s funny that my grey dose not do this but my amazon dose her own figure eight pattern in her cage when it`s time to come out.

[chezron]

It's kind of like being put in a little room when she still has energy left. I think she is just not quite ready to settle down for the night. Sort of like pacing. I think the pattern is comforting for her too. i wouldn't worry about it.

[Mistyparrot]

Thanks Lolagrey. I have just watched the video and I don't like where the cage is placed. I suspect Lola thinks the same. She is unhappy about being caged in such an exposed and noisy place. I don't think she finds it easy to relax there at all. She is in a new and scary place. She is almost certainly worried about the dog as well. What she wants is to be with a friend but she has had no chance to bond with anyone yet. I can't tell you where to place her. I don't know how much space you have or what the layout is. But she needs to be able to feel secure and I don't think she is.

 

Steve n Misty

[Jayd]

Thanks Lolagrey. I have just watched the video and I don't like where the cage is placed. I suspect Lola thinks the same. She is unhappy about being caged in such an exposed and noisy place. I don't think she finds it easy to relax there at all. She is in a new and scary place. She is almost certainly worried about the dog as well. What she wants is to be with a friend but she has had no chance to bond with anyone yet. I can't tell you where to place her. I don't know how much space you have or what the layout is. But she needs to be able to feel secure and I don't think she is.

Steve n Misty

Sorry, the cage is fine, it has it's back to a wall, lots of places to explore. The dog barking isn't constant, no problem, Following a path is normal for most parrots, she wants out, that's plain and simply, don't worry about it.

[Mistyparrot]

I have to disagree with you Jayd. If you look carefully you can see the shadow of the curved top lower down the wall behind. It looks to me as though the cage is exposed all round and away from the wall at an angle. I can't see clearly what is in the dark place on the right hand side but it may be that monsters lurk there at least in Lola's mind. If she is wary about the dog it doesn't have to be barking all the time but something is exiting the dog. Besides there is no way to tell how much barking the dog does because the video is too short.

 

Steve N Misty

[Steve 2]

Hi there. Noticed in your post that you have both a Cag and a Tag. Was wondering if you notice any differences between the two that may be species rather than individual personalities.

[Steve 2]

oops...still experimenting with this site. Sorry my post is out of topic.

[Jayd]

I have to disagree with you Jayd. If you look carefully you can see the shadow of the curved top lower down the wall behind. It looks to me as though the cage is exposed all round and away from the wall at an angle. I can't see clearly what is in the dark place on the right hand side but it may be that monsters lurk there at least in Lola's mind. If she is wary about the dog it doesn't have to be barking all the time but something is exiting the dog. Besides there is no way to tell how much barking the dog does because the video is too short.

Steve N Misty

All that is recommended concerning a Greys Cage is that one side of the 4 sides is facing a wall, not how close it is. A Greys cage can be free standing in the center of a room, if the Gray accepts it that way. The only definite concerning a Greys cage is you never put a Grey in a circular cage with a dome top!. These are scientific avian facts you can verify. A cage is always kept away from being really close to a wall, the reason is to insure a constant temperature.

Not all Greys are afraid coming home, in this case anyone can see the baby wants out of the cage. If you look, you'll see the baby is having a good time out of the cage. The only monsters are the ones we make or go out of our way to look for. Read some of the posts of other members who have dogs, you hear of very few problems. When our Joe hears a dog bark he makes a click like your slapping your hands and says "Shut-up" and he was server mentally abused. We have here a very smart bird who is playing on emotions to get out of the cage, no monsters...........Thanks Jay

[Mistyparrot]

Jayd. You just made the crucial statement "If the Gray accepts it that way". Obviously in this instance this Grey is quite possibly unhappy with the cage where it is. He does seem to want to be somewhere else. As for "circular cage with a dome top" this is the kind that Misty has for his sleeping cage. He has no problem with this at all. He is sensitive to its position and it took a little experimenting to find just the right place. I have a it placed against a wall and he can see who is coming near without being taken unawares.

It is partly covered on top and that is where he prefers to snooze. He is happy to go in of his own volition to relax. I certainly agree that it is not a cage to live in. He spends nearly all of his time free to fly around our apartment.

 

Steve n Misty

[danmcq]

In my opinion, the video and the climbing pattern is an anxious grey such as when the loved parront leaves the room, has just pulled in the garage, is walking down the hall where the grey cannot see and is saying "Here I come" for example. I know this, because dayo has a dome topped cage and does that when anxious or excited about an eagerly awaited event to happen. As a side note, when our conure jake is excited, he grabs on the side cage bars and flaps like a mad man while squawking loudly like an insane person. Jesus if he ever let go he would hit the other side at a gazillion miles per hour.

[Jayd]

Thanks Dan, I hope the cage isn't moved because we disagree on how close it is to the wall.

[danmcq]

Thanks Dan, I hope the cage isn't moved because we disagree on how close it is to the wall.

 

I saw that. I only know what works for my parrots and other birds owned over decades, just as you. It seems to be a general thought that the backside of a birds cage be near a wall, not out in the center of a room. Both the cages back side is about 5 inches from the wall. The other sides are all unobstructed views to the room.

[Guest]

The cage is up against a wall, about 6 inches or so from it. It is on a diagnoal, but the entire back side of the cage faces the wall. And has a "partial" wall, (3 posts) on the other side. Lola is allowed out of her cage for about 5 hours a day. She has no "complaints" during the day. The dogs do not bark constantly, only when the bell rings. She enjoys being in the family room, with people. The "noise" was the TV. She isn't afraid of the dogs, and frequently "whistles" to call their attention and when they come she rings her bell to drive them nuts. She does not do this when the dogs are outside.

 

She has not screamed, plucked, paced, or shown any other forms of anxiety, despite only bing here for 8 days.

 

 

I watched her again last night, I think it is her, "comfort." She doesn't do it when I lock her in her cage during the day. Only at night. I think its her way of nor wanting to go to bed yet, almost like a 5 year old asking for 5 more minutes. I didn't cover her until she stopped this time which took about 10-15 minutes. Then she settled on her perch and I said goodnight and covered her cage.

Edited April 29, 2013 by LolaGrey

[Jayd]

Thank you..your cage looks great, you are doing a good job.