why my head???? a couple questions

[ZahrasMom]

ok maybe this has been posted a million times before but i am new here. My new 4 month old TAG Zahra has been with us for a couple weeks and she is just AMAZING.

 

My question is this:

 

When my husband and son get her to step up and they hold her on their hands she is completely content and stays there.

 

BUT

 

when she gets on my hand she used to try to crawl up my arm but now i block so she crawls onto my chest then onto my shoulder and then onto my head.Always!

 

Then i get her down but she tries to/or bites me when im trying to get her back down again. Then she is on my hand again and the cycle starts over. She is always going for the top of my head.

 

My breeder has advised me, and also i have read that its not a good idea to have her above chest level or she may become aggressive (which she seems to do when she is on my head hence the biting) so i want her to stay on my hand (or lower arm).I try to keep her interested but she is on SUCH a mission to get to either my shoulder or my head (ultimately).

 

Any ideas on how to keep her down? Why do you think she does this with me (she prefers me right now) and not with my son or husband?

 

 

ok 2nd question. I have ordered a few books about parrots and african greys from amazon (in addition to a lot of reading on the net) but im wondering what kind of stuff do you guys do with your greys when you have them out of their cage? I fear that Zahra will become bored with me.

 

We currently dont have a play gym area for outside of the cage though im asking for one for christmas. Other than talking nice and petting her, what can i do to keep her entertained?

 

She wants SO BADLY to be out of the cage a lot and i love it too but i worry that im boring for her.

 

Could you give me some ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Wendy

[judygram]

ZahrasMom wrote:

Any ideas on how to keep her down? Why do you think she does this with me (she prefers me right now) and not with my son or husband?

 

She does this with you because you allow her to do it by letting her get away with it. You will have to block her from going any higher but constantly keeping her from climbing higher. This will take time and many, many times doing it but she will eventually stop doing it, just be patient and persistent with it.

[ZahrasMom]

Thank you so much for replying. You are SO right. i am being too soft on her because for some reason, based on everything i have read, im just afraid of stressing her out or making her not like me.

 

I realize now that that is totally the wrong way of thinking. I need to be the boss if i want our relationship to be good for the rest of my life.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts as to why she pulls this with me and not my husband or son? They dont even have to deal with it because she perches so lovely on their hands forever.

 

not me!

 

Oh well. Tomorrow is a new day and i have a new plan!

 

Thanks Judy!

[BaxtersMom]

I can't help much with the first question but will tell you what I do with Baxter during. Not sure if it's right or wrong but it works for us. I felt like it was a lot of pressure to do things with Baxter but not so much anymore.

 

In the mornings I give all the birds their breakfast and after they have eaten a little bit of it. I sit near all of them and just start talking to them. Telling them Good Morning and what ever I fell like telling them. Then I open all the doors and they come out. Baxter usually stays inside on his own free will and he plays with his plain white rope for about 2 hours. I can tell he does not want to be interupted either. He will talk his "jibber jabber" to it and sometimes will attack wadded up newspapers and tear it to shred and switch out with a thin leather strap. I tie knots in the ropes and leather straps and he works so hard at undoing them. This must be great fun because he never tires of it.

 

I might get him out and put him on the boing for 20 or 30 minutes and just let him enjoy that, sometimes I will just take him down, pet him and tell him what a good boy he is. Some times just a few minutes and sometimes longer. Depends on both our moods, I guess.

 

Early afternoon he gets on this playtop perch and goes to sleep for a few hours. He comes alive again around 5 pm.

 

In the evenings is when we do most things together which is how he wants it. I have a table top perch that I take to which ever room I have things to do in. His absolute favorite thing to do with me is the dishes. He gets on his perch and watches me do dishes and he talks, talks, talks. Not a lot of words but the same ones over and over. After that he is in a happy mood and I will sit down with him and he is usually very happy and loving.

 

Sometimes I let him on my shoulder when I am doing dishes and he talks and whispers. It's pretty neat. I whistle the Andy Griffith tune and he starts dancing on my shoulder. (I love that) We do that several times a day:)

 

We do other things too to change things up a bit but that is a typical day. I do take him into my office when I am working on the computer and he likes that too. Anything I can find that he can come too I try to do that when I can. Even if he just sits on his perch I think he is happy just to be near.

 

For awhile I was overdoing it a bit and trying to give him too much attention in the beginning. I've only had him a few months and he kind of let me know that he didn't want that much attention. I think they just like to be near and you will figure out what "clicks" with them and what doesn't. My feelings got hurt a little bit at first because there are times he would rather just play by himself and want nothing to do with me. But that just let me know I don't have to stress over giving him so much attention. We kind of play it by ear I guess.<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/10/05 03:35

[ZahrasMom]

Thank you so much. Thats the kind of advice i need (im looking forward to my books coming in) but thats great.

 

I think im at the same stage as you where i am paranoid that she is bored and i feel like i have to keep her constantly stimulated.

 

But when she sits in her cage, other than swinging on her swing and digging into her foraging toy, she just kinda sits all fluffed up.

 

I just want her to be happy.

[BaxtersMom]

Yours is a baby and mine was 12 when I got him. Baxter didn't know how to play with toys so I taught him;) There are many hours he will just sit on the top of his cage and perch though. He does this daily and I don't think he would rather be doing anything else. Yours might want more toys or attention from you since she is so young to keep her entertained but Baxter is pretty mellow for the most part and set in his ways:)

[siobha9]

On the stepping up on your head question, Judy is right, you are being too soft. If you allow her onto your head even once a day, then she will try it every time she is on you. You wouldnt allow her to land on the stove even once, you need to have to same diligence with your head;) Personally I wouldnt worry about the dominance thing, but you cannot see what she is doing on your head, you dont know if she will reach down and bite your ears or eyes. And making her step up from above is impossible for the most part:unsure:

 

When my guys are out of their cages they do tend to play on their gym, or sit on my shoulder while I work. But in the evening when I am watching tv (r reading the grey forum) they sit on my knee or on the arm of my chair playing with foot toys. Like Baxter, they love leather and rope tied in knots and they sit on my knee playing with them. I will give them a head scratch or a tickle every now and then. I'm not constantly entertaining them but they are close to me all of the time.

[ZahrasMom]

ok great. Thank you. I appreciate all of the help! This board is so great!

[Talon]

When I got my new cag, Rikki 3 1/2 months ago, she would always fly and land on my head! I hated it! I don't know if that was something she was used to doing with her previous owner, as she is such a sweet bird, but I didn't like it one bit!!

Every time she did it, I had a "Hissy" fit, and she got the idea after a couple of weeks. She has never done it again to anyone! :cheer:

[siobha9]

Penny, I'm not sure what you mean by a "Hissy" fit... can you show us a video please??? For educational purposes you understand:laugh: :whistle:

[Luvparrots]

Ditto here, would love to see that educational video... GO TALON, GO TALON!!!!{Feel-good-0002006B}

[Suzzique]

Zahras the sholder sitting is really a personal choice just like having your bird clipped or flighted. Zahras does this with you not just because you are soft on her but because you are her one. Alex will step up for anyone in the house but only wants to sit on my sholder. You are mom and she will do for you what she wont for others. As long as you have a trusting relationship with her there is no reason that she can't ride on your sholder. That is if it is something you don't mind. I can't imagine not having Alex riding around on mine.

 

As for keeping her busy that is easy. You can work on teaching her tricks. There are some great trick books out there. I have also worked on teaching Alex his colors. He knows red, purple, and yellow so far.

 

Here is the link to the Alex Foundation (not my Alex). Alex was a truely amazing grey and all of our greys have the potential to be just as amazing.

 

http://www.alexfoundation.org/

[ZahrasMom]

Thanks so much. Im following my breeders advice in not allowing the shoulder sitting. You are right though it makes sense because she doesnt even attempt to go onto my sons shoulder or my husbands shoulder but thats all she wants to do with me. She wont sit on my hand even for 2 seconds.

 

My parrot training/trick book is scheduled to be delivered today! im very excited. it covers basic training beginning with step up (which she has mastered) and other basic things and then also a lot of fun learning things for us to play around with.

 

I gave her some "foot toys" and wow she has so much fun! She LOVES lego!

 

Thanks everyone