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Post by jusdeb on Dec 11, 2010 13:16:41 GMT 10
Well we have had the little corella here for over a week now bar a 2 day stint at wires ( he is the 1 we found half drowned ) and he has been settling in very well , eating more and much more energetic .
So last night my other half has him on his lap for a scritch and Bubba decides to mosy on up to check out hubbys glasses ....
all is good then for no reason he full on attacks hubbys face , beak and claws ....
asked what he was doing and hubby said he was just scratching Bubbas back ...
Being our first larger bird we need guidance on what to do with him to prevent this happening again ...obviously any interaction will NOT happen at face level again but sheesh what do you reckon bought this on ....
Husband pushed him away ( knee jerk reaction ) then scooped him up and put him to bed ( screaming )... I dont know who was more upset the bird or my husband .
Today he is back to his sweet self .... please be as frank as you want if we are doing something wrong as we only want whats best for this bird.
Thanks folks
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 11, 2010 18:18:10 GMT 10
I probably don't really have an answer except don't trust him near your face/head area. It is not really safe having birds on our shoulders especially the bigger ones. Yes I am "guilty" of having mine on my shoulders......but if they are not trustworthy then they are not allowed on my shoulder.
I don't know what it is about glasses either but mine will bite them and try to chew them and get them off me. It is not as bad as it sounds probably either because it is not something they do ALL the time......but once they are in the mood for chewing them.......I either have to take them off or put the bird away for a while.
Maybe they can see their reflection in them?? Just came to my mind then??
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Post by jusdeb on Dec 11, 2010 18:44:31 GMT 10
Ive been trying to find an article that I read a long time ago in a Parrot magazine about letting birds on the shoulder , if I remember rightly it was a no no as it had something to do with the pecking order and the bird being at your height putting the bird in the alpha position ....I think ....wish I could find it now.
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 11, 2010 20:24:49 GMT 10
I don't believe in the hight dominance or pecking order thing. I do think that birds squabble between themselves and I guess that can be classed as a "pecking order" or just "sorting things out" but the height dominance thing I definetly do not believe in. I can have my birds (pet/tame ones) on a boing and they can be touching the ceiling and they will still come to me........even if I sometimes have to get onto a chair, they will still come to me. Eriks cage ... well his play pen part on top of his cage is taller than me and he is fine when I ask him to step up. I also trust Erik on my shoulder.....it is only when he gets grumpy or moody that I take him off......but he is not an aggressive bird and in the 28 months of his life he has never bitten me or any one else hard enough to do damage ...... I do not class him as a biter.
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Post by avinet on Dec 11, 2010 20:42:22 GMT 10
Some birds you can trust to be on a shoulder and some you can't. Short-billed Corellas are one I never trust. They can be quite devious in nature, - suck you in and then nail you good and proper, as happened in this case. One of my very experienced bird vets told me the worst bite he ever got was a Short-bill Corella that came to the surgery, was remarkably affectionate for maybe 5 minutes and then suddenly took a big chunk out of his forearm -a stitches wound. We had a Corella in our shop for 14 years, I hand raised Baby and kept her as a shop bird since she was so cute. She entertained our customers all that time, never bite a customer, but would attack some of our staff with a vengeance, and a bird I could take out of her cage, play with her, roll her on her back and cuddle her with no problems but I never, never let her on my shoulder. I just didn't feel I could trust her to be there. Other birds can be fine - my daughter's 11 Alexandrines are all birds I trust on my shoulder, my 2 African Greys spend a lot of time on my shoulders, in fact they are on them now at the computer and I have absolutely no concerns, I trust them absolutely, they love to give kisses  However Corellas are a different matter. I am also wary of Galahs - I need to get to know them for a while, Sulphur-crested are another one I'm very cautious with, Long-bill Corellas I find are normally pretty good, and Rainbow Lorikeets I don't like to have on a shoulder, and not just because of the potential mess  I doubt it is anything your husband did - it is just an aspect of their personality. They are great birds, highly intelligent, but you just have to have boundaries when handling them, and the face is on the wrong side of the fence. cheers, Mike |
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Post by avinet on Dec 11, 2010 20:52:54 GMT 10
I don't believe in the hight dominance or pecking order thing. I do think that birds squabble between themselves and I guess that can be classed as a "pecking order" or just "sorting things out" but the height dominance thing I definetly do not believe in. I'm with you Tracey - one of the many myths in the pet bird world. Studies on wild parrot flocks don't seem to demonstrate any "leader of the pack" behaviour, and hence none of the "dominant birds get the highest perch" behaviour. One thing I will say about glasses - most parrots seem convinced that they are there to provide a convenient toy for them to keep themselves amused with while on a shoulder. My female Grey, Jamila, is absolutely sure that glasses, watches and buttons are purely there to keep her amused. Ernie on the other hand is happy to sit on the shoulder and think lofty thoughts - he relies on mental gymnastics for his amusement rather than silly toy playing  cheers, Mike |
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Post by jusdeb on Dec 11, 2010 21:14:47 GMT 10
It is a very very old article Im talking about .... and its no mind now anyway as Im convinced he will not be trusted to sit on any ones shoulder . They certainly do have moods dont they , thanks for the input Im glad it is a sort of normal thing for corellas and not something weve done to him .
Funny you mention galahs being a bit funny too as one nailed hubby bad earlier in the week , was all cute then went up the arm and got him on the neck.
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 12, 2010 9:17:13 GMT 10
I can remember about 20 years ago my Tae Kwon Do instructor had a pet and tame Sulfer crested 'too and I remember on many an occassion this lovely bird "strutting" his stuff around the yard going from person to person, sucking them to pat him loveingly.....only to "out of the blue" nail someone good and proper......he did this many times. I also had a pet galah who was 100% trust worthy in her 15 years of life she was never ever aggressive........ she probably was the exception to the rule  but I am like Mike and probably many others........if I know the bird is trustworthy on my shoulder then it is allowed to sit there (Erik and any of my alex's are in this category) ...... my female eclectus Skye.......is NOT in this category. |
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 12, 2010 9:18:34 GMT 10
oh and some of those "old" articles need to be burned too lol ;D I have read quite a few "old" articles over the years and yes at the time I thought ....... mmmmmmm sounds ok.............but over time I have come realise there is not a lot of sense in "some" of them.
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Post by Robyn on Dec 12, 2010 10:44:55 GMT 10
Isn't this a wild bird? I would think if that's the case & starting to get better will probably return to his feral wild state.
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Post by jusdeb on Dec 12, 2010 12:01:39 GMT 10
Agreed the only good thing about these old articles is to make you realise how far bird keeping has come along ..... That did come to mind Robyn but its a bugger of a situation as wires say he is too tame to release but what do we do if he goes full on feral  The back up plan ( touch wood he has settled down after the incident ) is to build him a aviary and get him a mate . Am obligated now to do the best for him anyway so fingers crossed for him. |
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 12, 2010 15:22:23 GMT 10
I thought he was supposed to be a baby?? Being an adult never crossed my mind   .... once again I just "assumed"  |
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Post by vankarhi on Dec 12, 2010 15:25:13 GMT 10
My female Grey, Jamila, is absolutely sure that glasses, watches and buttons are purely there to keep her amused. Ernie on the other hand is happy to sit on the shoulder and think lofty thoughts - he relies on mental gymnastics for his amusement rather than silly toy playing cheers, Mike This cracked me up Mike.......I meant to say something earlier but forgot.......I love the way you described your Greys lol |
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Post by jusdeb on Dec 12, 2010 15:44:32 GMT 10
He is just older than fledgling stage , Im not sure how much of their instincts they are born with and how much is inprinted by parents ...I cant see him having many " bird " skills being so young ,
I guess what Im saying is I am flying blind here as Ive only got aviary bred and hand reared birds . I dont know what to expect at all .
All I know is I dont want to do the wrong thing and turn him into a problem bird , Im happy for him to be an indoor / outdoor pet .
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Post by carlsandclan on Dec 12, 2010 20:55:45 GMT 10
You know, I think that birds who were hatched in the wild really keep their wild traits more than a 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation and so on captive bred. My AJ was hatched in the wild then taken into care at around 3-4 weeks old. She is different in a lot of ways to captive bred birds that I know. Could just be her personality, but I really do think it her wild nature coming out. She does exactly what your corella is doing - nice as pie, then just nails you all of a sudden. She's really good with me (I am her chosen human) but she is funny with other people until they earn her trust. She can be a little phobic, too. Like I say, it could be just her personality, but I really think it's a bit of imprinting from her wild parents. That's just what I think. |
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but I am like Mike and probably many others........if I know the bird is trustworthy on my shoulder then it is allowed to sit there (Erik and any of my alex's are in this category) ...... my female eclectus Skye.......is NOT in this category. 
.... once again I just "assumed" 
