Trustdace Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I've been training Congo to perch on my shoulder. I know it is advised against but I just enjoy Congo there. The reasons I have heard for discouraging this behavior is because they become dominant. A better reason, in my opinion, is that the bird can bite one of your eyes out or inflict a nasty injury to your face. After considering this I believe there is a danger but maybe with an unknown bird. I wouldn't let a bird I don't know perch on my shoulder. For now Congo is a shoulder bird. So far the worst has been a hard nibble on my ear which tickles a bit more than hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Allowing your grey on your shoulder is a matter of personal choice.Im sure we are all fully aware of the risks but many members do allow their greys on their shoulder.One thing i would say is make sure your grey really knows the step up command,this ensures when you want them down they will respond.I have 4 greys & 3 i trust completely on my shoulder, i also allow my B&G to ride around too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slmclean Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 that is a nice pic trust good luck with the shoulder training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trustdace Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks for the replys guys. And yes Congo steps up and down. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I have two greys, one of them I am quite happy to have on my shoulder and trust him not to bite, but the other one can give a nasty bite! Each bird is different and only you will know your birds personality and what they are capable of. Also it depends if you have had a bad bite or not as this puts you on your guard as its only then that you realise the damage they can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Just remember to check the back of your shirt before going out in public after a shoulder session! (Or before leaning back on any nice furniture, for that matter!) LOL Signed, The Voice of Experience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trustdace Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 Oh yeah nice one Laurie, I think i'm more afraid of that than a bite. Especially if I would lean back on our leather sofa. Then i'd be more afraid of the wife inflicting damage on me....lol...but true! But yes Casper I guess I haven't had that "welcome to the beak of greys" bite, yet. I'm hoping I never experience that. Thanx for the reply guysB) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Roger my Josey is a shoulder bird too, I wasn't going to allow her to shoulder perch when I first brought her home but I soon changed my mind. She does step up when I ask and I have become very familiar with her body language so I feel very comfortable with her there. It is a personal choice and I do realize the dangers but I accept full responsibility for my actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane08 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 We also have shoulder birds. My little man sits on my shoulder and snuggles under my chin for a scratch. He also likes to hold my nose in his beak very gently and have a scratch. The best thing is you can walk around the house with them and do stuff at the same time. Many times he has been just content to sit there and watch me do stuff around the house. He especially likes it in the bathroom as many funny things happen there, brushing of teeth, eyebrow plucking, make up on. His eyes go wide with all the funny gadgets that come out particularly the electric tooth brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Great photo trust. Dayo has been a shoulder birdy since we brought him home. They will definitely "Tweak" the ear every once in a while. Especially if they want you to move due to them sensing a threat and a need to get their "Car" into gear and moving......the more urgency, the harder the beaking. Also, if you or wife wear earrings, take them out or your Grey will rip them out for you. :-) The only issue with Dayo, is if he does not want to get down, he will run to the other side, behind you head etc. to avoid stepping up. If that starts to fail, he will give a strong beaking letting you know he does not want to comply. :-) Thats when the fun begins!! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Yes, I've had those moments with Klaus not wanting to get down. Usually a little after 10:00 pm on a work night when I'm already exhausted... Funny how they can sense these things, isn't it? :silly: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagal08 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 When a bird is higher than you they feel dominate over you so that is why I never let any bird on my shoulder and I never allow them ontop of their cage if it is higher than me. I have raised birds for 25 plus years and seen this negative behavior get worse being allowed to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_split Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Pynchon enjoys my shoulder is well and is quite tame there. Occassionally he"ll try to take my glasses off but i just give him "the look" when he does and he stops. He likes to watch baseball, anime, and MMA, but the greatest part of all? He preens my hair until I get sleepy Z_Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykittykitty Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 All of you seem to have a lot of fun with your birds on your shoulders! We didn't do it after reading about the dominance thing, however. There are times I wish we had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M2MM Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Personally, I think the "dominance" theory is just that: THEORY My TAG has always perched on my shoulder and will occasionally fuss about being taken off, but always complies in the end. He just wants to be close to me. I don't look at him when he's perched there, so he knows that if he wants "face time" (and they always do), he MUST perch on my arm, or hand. He generally only want the shoulder for transportation purposes and to watch something I'm doing that requires both of my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I agree with M2MM. The suggestion that Height = Dominance in the avian community, has been proven wrong over and over. It is a common misconception that keeps rearing it's head by persons assuming it is a fact .... it is not. If you have problems getting any bird down from the top of a cage or your shoulder. It is not dominance it is displaying, but is the message that he/she does not want to come down or step up or be moved. They are simply expressing their "Thoughts" and "Desires". They use their beaks in the wild to communicate effectively with one another all day long, accompanied by body language. The real root of the problem is either the owner has not learned to read that language or is struggling with a re-homed bird that has issues and they must understand that type of behaviour is normal as the bird is expressing it's desire. If it is not neccessary to have compliance, respect the birds wish. If it is required, then follow through using all the various techniques to move the bird to where you wish to take it. It is the natural response of any "Critter" or "Avian Species" to let whatever creature is desiring some type of an action from them, to signal by body language or vocalization that they do not intend to comply. It does not matter if they are on the ground, mid -level, eye level or higher. They will respond in the only way they know how to indicate they do not wish to perform that request. If you are trying train your bird to step-up for example and you know he will fly or run from you. The more remote the "Place" the bird is at, the easier it is for them to not comply and flee. It has nothing to do with dominance. It has everything to do, with that bird expressing their desire for you to leave them be. A supporting study/article on the subject of Height = Dominance written by S.G. Friedman, PhD, Utah, and Bobbi Brinker, Ohio, is available at this link, if you would like to read it: http://www.mawebcenters.com/soaringspirit55426/Dominance.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Thanks Dan for a very informative post on dominance and shoulder perching, you always come thru loud and clear and make perfect sense to me, well at least most of the time, sometimes you can get a little over my head:S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 I agree with Dan. Both my greys will stay on my shoulders as long as I let them. They just want to hang out and be with me. And when I decide it's time to get down, they do love to run onto the other side to escape my step up command. When that happens, I bend down to the back of the couch, and tell them to "step down" , they then realize I mean business and will get off with no bites! :cheer: I do not think dominance is an issue with shoulder birds. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trustdace Posted July 27, 2008 Author Share Posted July 27, 2008 Thanks for the great post Dan. I will continue to let my grey perch on my shoulder. But like Talon says I will let Congo stay there as long as I want.B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Yup Trust! That's us! A Spoiled bird is a happy bird!! {Feel-good-000200A2} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trustdace Posted August 2, 2008 Author Share Posted August 2, 2008 Lately Congo has been lowering its head to be pet all the time. Congo started doing this when I began training him to perch on my shoulder as a matter of fact the first time it lowered the head was while it was on my shoulder. Has anyone else experienced this? I believe that it does this because when I tell Congo to step down the first time and it doesn't want to Congo lowers the head, kind of like to buy extra time on my shoulder. It reminds me of my kids when they have to get out of bed to go to school and I tell them get up and they say, " 5 more minutes dad ".:side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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