juvenile personality needs guidance

[LeahC]

Hey everyone..

 

I have a one year old female grey named Keaton. She's a good bird, talking a little and imitating all sorts of noises. I've been around her since she hatched, and brought her home at 12 weeks.

 

Since she was very young she has always had issues with being touched. She loves having her head and neck scratched, and enjoys having her back stroked but if I try to touch her wings or tail she immediately bites. She has always been this way - since being pulled from her parents' nest.

 

Is there anything I can do to teach her to relax? I would like to be able to look at her wings to check on her wing clip, look for blood feathers, etc. but I can't get anywhere near them. She is molting right now, so I understand they're likely pretty sensitive, but not being able to touch them is going to make her next wing trim (her first since she was 12 weeks old) extremely stressful for both of us.

 

One other thing I want to ask about is her sense of entitlement. She has a very Amazon-like personality, in that she is very demanding. If she wants a scratch and I don't comply immediately, she sometimes nips and bites. I don't believe in giving her everything she wants, so I don't scratch her if she's nipping, but I was wondering if there's anything I can do to establish some boundaries. As it is now, she clearly feels very much in charge although I (to be the best of my knowledge) have never encouraged that behavior. Dominance is a serious issue with her, but I'm not sure how to set up boundaries or how to enforce them.

 

Any ideas or suggestions are very welcome!

[Lovelylew]

I wish I knew what to tell you. I'm a relatively new Grey owner and I'm trying to figure out my Grey's (Obi) personality, if there is such a thing - lol - I hope that Obi comes around, but I've been told it takes patience. In your case, it seems you've been patient for a long time, since it's been a year. Good luck to you!