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Do you let your bird perch on your shoulder?

4K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  LarrytheBird 
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#1 ·
I have strict rules about this. Both Beeper and Sam had to learn some serious manners before they were allowed on the shoulder. They had to learn how to sit nice, and how to come right off without running from the hand or biting. There were times when neither of them was allowed on the shoulder.

But since they are rescues, I don't have any idea what they're previous experience with being on the shoulder is. They both wanted up there pretty bad - I'm assuming they're previous owners let them.

Originally, I wasn't going to let Sam up there. She's just so big. Her beak is right at my eye level, which is scary. But she has excellent manners, and just kept begging and begging, so I finally gave it a try last night. She's been very, very good so far.

How does everyone else feel about this?
 
#3 ·
Nope. I love my african grey, Bailey, but he has his moments. I wouldn't put it past him to yank my earring out or nip my face. It is dangerous to have larger birds sit on your shoulder.

I was reading Bird Talk magazine one month and a lady wrote how much her Amazon parrot loved her but hated her husband. One day the bird was on her shoulder and the husband appeared around the corner. In a jealous, protective rage the bird proceeded to rip her face open from the top of her cheek down to the bottom of her nose. :(
 
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#4 ·
Yes, I read that story too. I don't know if I am going to continue letting Sam perch up there or not. Right now we're in trial mode :) She's never shown signs of aggression to anyone, as far back in her history as we know, so we might be able to get away with it.

Cami and Beeper are small enough that they don't scare me.
 
#6 ·
Ahhh, another controversial birdie topic.

IMO, shouldering all depends on the bird. Some birds are ok on shoulders and some birds are not. I don't think it's appropriate to use any kind of blanket statement on this topic since there are so many variables.

Toby is not allowed on my shoulder even though he's bonded to me and I'm *his person*. On the other hand, my hubby allows Toby on his shoulder and Toby does very well up there.

With macaw there are usually warning signs before a chomp but not always. They're known for the good ol warning bite when others approach which can be a dangerous situation with a macaw size beak.

But on the flip side, Toby seems to do very well with some of my friends on their shoulders. The last time Stephanie was here Toby spent most of the day on her shoulder and was a perfect gentleman.
http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=21889&highlight=Toby+girlfriend

Like I said earlier, it all depends on the bird. :)
 
#7 ·
Eli goes on the shoulder, I used to try to make him let me pet him before, he went on, but it seemed that it scared him more then anything so, I quit doing that, and he's sweet and gives kisses, and plays games. Now I know there is one thing I do that I should not do, is Eli, will see little eye lashes that have connected from my top lid to my bottom lid, and will pull them off for me. I tried to make him stop one time, all that did was get me bit lol. ( I don't advise, letting them do that, as I try to get my lashes off before he comes out of the cage in the morn ing)
 
#8 ·
;) Toby was awesome up there for me. I was pretty assertive with him though - he'd do almost a "hey I have a beak and can use it - are you scared?" guesture when we first met and I didn't recoil. I told him no and held my ground. A couple hours later, I was getting kisses. :heart: I was always on guard with him though, I know what kind of damage a beakie like that can do!
 
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#9 ·
IMO, shouldering all depends on the bird. Some birds are ok on shoulders and some birds are not. I don't think it's appropriate to use any kind of blanket statement on this topic since there are so many variables.
Ah, when you're talking about animals, you can never say "always" and you can never say "never" when you're talking about a particular group, species, or even individual. They are unpredictable :) I completely agree.

In my experience, macaws, amazons and greys are all very predictable. If they're going to be nice on the shoulder and you know you're bird, you can usually tell. Cockatoos, on the other hand, are very unpredictable. Anybody around with a 'too? They do have signs of aggression, but they tend to be very fast and not very obvious.

In the end, perhaps the most important thing is really knowing your bird and what s/he is capable of. If you are still comfortable with letting the bird on your shoulder, then that is your business :) I don't know if I'd be comfortable with letting a macaw on my shoulder, but I don't have my own macaw yet. I may feel differently when I get my B&G (one day...)

I used to say that birds larger than 6 or 7 inches (body) should not be allowed on the shoulder at all. But that was before I decided to try it with Sam. We'll take it day by day with her, and see what happens. If I end up with my face ripped open, it's my own fault for letting her up there in the first place.

I never let my birds climb up there on their own, though. They all know what "no shoulder" means. If I ever have trouble getting one off the shoulder, they don't get to go back until they've worked on step-ups for at least a week. And I never let other people put my birds on their shoulders. That's a liability risk that I'm just not willing to take. Fingers, yes. Faces... no.

That's JMO and how I handle things at my house.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Alika said:
In the end, perhaps the most important thing is really knowing your bird and what s/he is capable of. If you are still comfortable with letting the bird on your shoulder, then that is your business :) I don't know if I'd be comfortable with letting a macaw on my shoulder, but I don't have my own macaw yet. I may feel differently when I get my B&G (one day...)

I used to say that birds larger than 6 or 7 inches (body) should not be allowed on the shoulder at all. But that was before I decided to try it with Sam. We'll take it day by day with her, and see what happens. If I end up with my face ripped open, it's my own fault for letting her up there in the first place.

I never let my birds climb up there on their own, though. They all know what "no shoulder" means. If I ever have trouble getting one off the shoulder, they don't get to go back until they've worked on step-ups for at least a week. And I never let other people put my birds on their shoulders. That's a liability risk that I'm just not willing to take. Fingers, yes. Faces... no.

That's JMO and how I handle things at my house.
Exactly. I wouldn't dare to make a blanket statement...I just know what I personally would or wouldn't allow :)

YOu do have to know your bird. You also have to decide for yourself if it is worth the very REAL risk or very, very SLIGHT risk..depending on the bird... whether or not you want to take a chance you will bit about the head and/or face.

On a side note, my own personal opinion is that Amazons during the breeding season should not be on the shoulder. This is just from the behavior I have witnessed in my friend's Amazons. Very frightening indeed
:yikes: And I absolutely love Amazons :D
 
#12 ·
I agree, it depends on the bird. Jezebel is a perfect "shoulder bird" for now, as she hasn't reached maturity yet, she will sit there for hours, and not move.

Lu, is not allowed on my shoulder, he likes to pull my earrings, and I am one who is NOT going to take out my earrings for his convenience, he needs to learn to ignore them, and he hasn't, so no shoulder for him. He also likes to give a nip when I'm not giving him the attention the thinks he's worthy of, and I like my face and ears just the way they are.

Sid, NO WAY he will EVER be on my shoulder! He is very unpredictable and will even sucker you over to his cage for some pets, and after you feel comfy petting him thru the bars, he'll step up onto your fingers and proceed to bite your fingers, while he's standing on them. And he's FAST!!!!

I've been bitten by all 3 of my guys, and they all have a different MO, Jeze will bite you so fast and hard, she's back in her original position before you even realize you're bit, Lu will "test" first, then grind, or he also likes to bite with the side of his beak, and THAT really hurts.

Sid, well, he's a too, and he has 3 pressure points on that beak, opposed to my other 2 fids. Those bottom beaks are really sharp, and it's more of a scissors bite.

Now that I've rambled on and on, (why didn't anyone stop me? :D ) I'm back to my original statement, it all depends on the birdie.
 
#13 ·
A male budgie, sure. Beekle's been there a few times. It doesn't seem to be his favourite perch and he might have been put off by his (almost) last escapade.

I was talking to friends using voice comms over the internet for a game. Being a bit geeky I have a headset and microphone.
I was taking part in a group covert operation. I pressed the button to say something and this green feathered animal on my shoulder let rip into the microphone.

I don't know if it was the first time a budgie screech had been sent round the planet via the internet but I can attest that it worked just fine. I just hope that if he ever starts talking he doesn't repeat what he heard that time. :rolleyes:

Female budgies though..depends. Of the two I've known both realised that biting earlobes could inflict pain on humans. They didn't do it for the fun of it but female budgies can get annoyed sometimes and like to make their feelings known.

Apart from those issues the only regular problem I find is if the bird manages to dig its claws into the nerve on top of the shoulder. That can be very irritating and uncomfortable.
 
#16 ·
I let Larry, Johnie and Kia onto my shoulder.

Larry simply can't do that much damage. Johnie's favorite spot is nestled in my hair -- he can nip at my ear, neck or cheek if I move my head and mess up his little nesting arrangement, but he's learned the limits of what is acceptable and what is not. He gets a shoulder wobble or deposited back on the cage when he bites instead of nibbling and we now have an arrangement.

Johnie can be a problem because at bed time, he'd rather stay on my shoulder and sleep with me than go into his cage, so we sometimes have a bit of a battle to get him into his cage at night. This is particularly true when we've been watching a movie or something and he's basically settled down for the night in my hair.

Kia goes onto my shoulder sometimes to move her from place to place -- only because its where she feels most comfortable -- you know her history and issues.

I do not let Peach onto my shoulder. I love him but don't trust his mood swings.
 
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