Fids on your shoulder?

[Sunshine1313]

I'm just wondering everyone's view on whether or not whatever size/male/female bird should be on your shoulder. I've heard mixed reviews about them: thinking they were boss when on your shoulder( ), dangerous if they decide to bite for some reason, and only you should decide when they go on your shoulder. So what do you think? Also, do you think it matters if the bird is big/small/male/female?

Personally, I've only had Crackle on my shoulder and she loves it up there and has never bitten me or acted out at all.

 

[vmashley03]

I've always let Charlie (female CAG) on my shoulder..ok well after I had her for a few months and we had built up a mutual trust with each other. She has never once acted aggressive nor have I ever worried about her biting me on the face. We do have an incredible bond and relationship. One of her favorite things to do in the evening and early in the morning is snuggling on my shoulder against my face and her resting her beak against my nose while I'm rubbing her. I think for Charlie being on my shoulder gives her a sense of security (at the vets she "hides" from them on my shoulder/behind my head and peaks around lol) rather than her thinking she is the boss.

 

[Ankou]

In my opinion, depends on the bird and how well a person knows it. Dominance is a load of crock, so that is a non-issue.

To me, it boils down to how much of a brat the bird is going to be while it's there. Is it a bird who is known to bite faces, necks? Moody and easily upset? A bird that redirects it's aggression, or one that will ignore a command/request to step up if it doesn't want to and knows it's somewhere awkward? Does your loving, cuddly, and extremely hormonal bird have a fetish for your head?
Probably not a good bird to let on your shoulder, large or small. (Just, with the small ones we pay less for our mistake. People could loose an eye to larger birds, little beaks mean less damage.) Some people will not allow their large birds on their shoulders at all, no matter how sweet, just because their capacity to do damage if they ever were to bite when upset.


Peanut, in nearly 14 years, has bitten me on the face and neck once each, both when she was young and at her most bitey. She does not bite when I try to remove her (though sometimes she will try to dive into my shirt if she thinks it's bedtime and I want to put her in her cage.)
So, because her good behavior I trust her on my shoulder. However she prefers clinging to my chest or being carried for some reason when I move around with her. When sitting, being in front of me, in my lap, or on my chest means more cuddles for her. Sometimes when she's feeling sleepy she'll huddle right by my neck, behind my hair a bit, and sleep. (It's a pain in the neck, I feel like I have to lean away a bit or I'll squish her, so she moves even closer. )

 

[JLcribber]

Well we all know why pirates have wooden legs. Because they let their parrots run around on the floor.

Keeping the same train of thought I think its safe to deduct why pirates also wear eye patches.

Being the pioneers of looking after parrots, they had to learn the hard way. (There must be a lesson in there somewhere?)

So the question remains. Are you a pirate?

 

[Sunshine1313]

Thanks for the replies so far. @JLcribber - Lol, I think I'll vote on not being a pirate! Haha, but I don't think my green parrot would take out my eye.
@Ankou - I've always been suspicious of that boss thing, nice to know you think the same.
@vmashley03 - That's reasonable, I think I trust FreeFall on my shoulder. Your relationship sounds adorable btw.

 

[Lyzzi]

I let mine shoulder-ride. I figure if I lose an eye, I deserved it. But really, most of my parrots are older and have a fairly stable personality. I know which birds to expect biting from.
I would hazard to guess, that if your parrot is easily excitable, that shoulder-riding probably isn't the best idea. The worst bites I've ever gotten have come from over-stimulation.

 

[clawnz]

Height dominance!
Load of rubbish in 99% of cases.
It is one of those old things that people used to go on about.
Ask JL how many times he has bleed and were these from when the birds were on his shoulder?
Dexter rides my shoulder for hours some days, or someone else's shoulder.
There will always be the odd one that will attack from the shoulder.
It is a matter of knowing your bird and the relationship you have with said bird, I feel.
A bird likes going to the highest place as a safety issue. Hence tops of doors.
ANd on the other hand a comfortable bird does not mind walking around on the floor.

 

[expressmailtome]

I doubt that I would ever let a parrot on my shoulder. When a parrot is frightened, they sometimes quickly give you a bite as a way of alerting you. Those bites can catch your eye and cause serious damage.

Matt

 

[CheekyBeaks]

Personally I do not believe in the Dominance issue with birds on shoulders, birds naturally want to be up high it is in their nature. However I do believe it is a privilege that needs to be earned and needs to be kept in moderation if you do decide to allow it.
One of the issues with shoulders is that you loose control of your bird when they are perched on your shoulder they can easily run around your neck and onto your back to avoid stepping up if they choose, and it is very hard to read their body language. Now over time if you have built a good relationship with your bird and they are not likely to act up and always step up when requested than I think time on the shoulder can be acceptable in moderation.
The other issue can be that sitting on shoulders can imitate a bird sitting with it's mate, now if you have issues with a bird believing your are its mate, stop allowing the bird to sit on your shoulder.

 

[tattoosiva]

I think its a question that can't be given a definitive answer. It depends on the bird, a bird that has never bitten while on your shoulder for 20 years with no problem could chomp your ear one day or a chompy bird could decide that your shoulder is the best place EVER!

Its a roll of the dice, I know we say "I know my bird" but molting, puberty, even an event that you missed can bring out behaviours or feelings that have never exhibited before.

 

[casey&casper]

Well we all know why pirates have wooden legs. Because they let their parrots run around on the floor.

Keeping the same train of thought I think its safe to deduct why pirates also wear eye patches.

Being the pioneers of looking after parrots, they had to learn the hard way. (There must be a lesson in there somewhere?)

So the question remains. Are you a pirate?

For the record, Casper is rarely allowed on my shoulder and when he is there, he isn't there long.

Always respect the beak.

 

[Greycloud]

My two BFAs and my CAGs Sunshine and Dexter are all great shoulder travelers! They are well behaved and as of yet I have never had a problem. Height dominance is a myth. Here is an article written by Steve Martin of Natural Encounters. Very good info here.

THERE IS NO HEIGHT AGGRESSION
By Judy Sturla Landeck on Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 7:50pm
This article was written by Steve Martin of Natural Enounters. He specializes in Bird Behavior.

There is much talk these days about dominance and dominance hierarchies in captive parrots. To fully understand
captive bird behavior people should begin with an understanding of wild bird behavior. Through personal
observations, discussions with many parrot field researchers (personal communications: Brice, February, 1994,
Munn, July 1998, Gilardi, February, 1999, English, November, 2000, May, May 15, 2001) and review of literature,
this author has found no evidence of flock hierarchies in wild parrots. The field researchers all attest to aggression
and disputes among parrots. However, the aggressors are not consistent from one incident to another. A bird that
looses a confrontation with one bird may just as well win a confrontation with the same bird later. It could be said
that the winners of these confrontations are dominant over the losers. However, the dominant position is limited
to each specific incident and does not carry over to future encounters. There is no evidence of social hierarchies in
flocks of wild parrots that resemble social hierarchies commonly found in many mammal species. If dominance
hierarchies exist in wild parrots they are most likely limited to family groups.
Why then do so many people subscribe to the height dominance theory? For many people this is a very easy
concept to accept. Hierarchies are common in human societies. When people were young it was the taller people
who were dominant over them, and even as adults their relationships with others are often hierarchal. Plus, it is
not uncommon to see some forms of hierarchies in captive pet parrots. Again, unnatural environments encourage unnatural behavior. Confined groups of parrots in small environments will most likely work out dominance
hierarchies. However, if these same birds were in the wild they would not be forced into these close relationships
and they would surely avoid aggressive encounters with the other parrots.
It is easy for some parrot owners to misinterpret aggression as a parrot’s desire to dominate. Aggression, for the
purpose of establishing dominance, is common in many mammal species, however, it does not occur in parrots.
Parrots have no natural inclination to form a dominance hierarchy with other parrots in the wild, or with humans
in captivity. Parrots may be moved to show aggression for many different reasons when they are higher than
human eye level. However, the desire to dominate should not be considered as one of those reasons.
Dominance, in all societies, is based on much more than a few inches of height. Dominance is about relationships
and history. Explaining away something as complicated as dominance hierarchies with something as simple as a
few inches is very misleading and does not provide a clear understanding of a bird’s behavior. It is best to avoid
anthropomorphic interpretations and let natural behavior be your guide when evaluating parrot behavior.

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I have small birds, so if they did bite me, it wouldn't do very much damage. Now if I had a large bird like a macaw, I'd be a little bit hesitant to let them on my shoulder.

 

[tozie12]

i have a flock of 5. of those five i let skittles and marley on my shoulder consistently. we have a special trust. twiggy my quaker is iffy, she rarely wants my attention anyway. ollie my zon? i'd sooner let a Bengal tiger on my shoulder! he's not even trustworthy standing next to me. now caleb, my M2? i think not. he's a sweet loving guy 95% of the time. he's also temperamental and has a tendency to lash out. he also refuses to step off me on occasion. he will probably never earn shoulder privileges. unfortunately, this is a VERY individualized topic. even within my own flock the answer varies depending on the bird. and it has little to do with size, my largest parrot has shoulder privileges.

i have to say, its very convenient to carry them on your shoulder as you go about your day. just now i went to make a cup of coffee. i have caleb. so i had to do it all one handed since caleb was perched on my forearm.

on a side note, i'm curious to know: how many large cockatoo moms and dads let their 'too on their shoulders? i'm just curious if mine is more 'hot and cold' than your average too.

 

[Macawnutz]

on a side note, i'm curious to know: how many large cockatoo moms and dads let their 'too on their shoulders? i'm just curious if mine is more 'hot and cold' than your average too.

I have never been a fan of shoulder birds and never had one until my husband allowed the home flock to do such. Korbel is a shoulder rider but he does bite me if something scares him. He should not have earned shoulder priviledges. Sam is a bit upset as he is unlearning those priviledges with me but he does very well by your face.

In my flock, the ones that could be allowed are Rosie and my U2's. They have earned the trust with me but I'm not a shoulder bird girl.

 

[nellysmom]

Nelly has always been a shoulder bird. After a "trial" period I came to understand that when she has had enough she will gently beak my mouth. At that point I put her back on her perch. Often she will take her foot and put it on the side of my face indicating she would like to be cuddled and not just hang out. I think a good rule to follow is that you have to know your bird and be able to read their body language.

 

[Holiday]

Each human/bird relationship is different. Zoe lives on my shoulder pretty much. She's there when I watch tv, when I vacuum, do dishes; it's second nature for me to have to rearrange her when I type or reach for my coffee, etc, but the others are either not allowed or only for short amounts of time and are monitored carefully. Elvis would be just fine up there, but I've never been okay with it, because she's so big. The minis are sweet, generally, but unpredictable, and so is the grey.

 

[Cyreen]

I allow all of mine on my shoulder, the Littles aren't much of a worry and Mayu I trust.

 

[VictoriaVague]

I think it totally depends on the bird and their personality. Titus is going through a very trying, bitey hormonal stage and I'd sooner trust a pit bull on my shoulder. But Magpie is allowed as she's given me no reason for distrust. Both are Conures.

 

[solo]

all 4 of mine love shoulder rides