• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Charlie insisting on standing on my head!!

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
Okay, Charlie is now six months old. He has now found the top of my head. It has become a constant battle for him to sit on my shoulder instead of the top of my head. This is all the time!

Are all Caiques like this?
 

Donna turner

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
9/10/16
Messages
1,183
Real Name
Donna
Don't know but my gcc decided she likes my head better than my shoulder so I leave her there. Only thing, she comes down by sliding down my bangs lol. It so humorous to see that little face peering at me as she starts down.
 

Laurul Feather Cat

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/12/10
Messages
11,162
Location
Steelton, PA, USA
Real Name
Lois
Bocca GCC used to be a huge biter and totally afraid of hands. Over the last year I have retrained him to tolerate hands and literally forced him to endure being petted while he was trying to hide from me while on my chest. He has become so fond of individual, one on one attention he rarely leaves my body when he is out of his cage. His favorite place to perch is the top of my head and when he wants a nap, he wedges himself behind my neck and I can feel his hot little breath on my neck while he sleeps. Bocca will still attack hands, especially if they are not my hands, but he has no stylus on his upper beak, so all he can do is pinch rather hard.

Bocca and the lovebirds feel my head is the best perch in the room.
 

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
Charlie grooming on head.jpg Charlie doesn't want off head.jpg

He doesn't use my hairlip to stay there. He uses my hair. Quite often he doesn't like my hairstyle so he just uses his beak to cut. The second photo is my hubby trying to see if he would be willing to step up. He will grab my hair, step on my forehead and try to attack anyone who dares to get him off (look at his cute foot on my forehead-offensively using my age lines to grip). I can't get enough but I'm tired of the the old food in my hair and the "special hair gel" he leaves behind.
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
Omg Charlie we don’t just attack people:lol: He is just too cute! He certainly rules the roost!
My boys love sitting on my head too, usually during nap time one Will sit on my left shoulder and one on my head, they Will preen my hair and Fëanor uses it as a climbing rope too:D
8C55E531-AFA6-4E8A-8E9F-76ACA2A93D88.jpeg 002E62D1-9DC3-4D2C-AA31-57F1CDEA6B00.jpeg 7F3102FF-943B-417A-A2DE-FBB0F99AFAD3.jpeg
 

Halo

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
1/19/18
Messages
4
Location
Irvine California
Real Name
Kyle Markofski
This can mean multiple things. Either your bird likes the feeling of hair on his feet. If it's moving around a lot, or flapping his wings on your head, this means he could be trying to prove dominance over you. In the wild, Caiques sometimes live in flocks and the bird on the highest branch is in charge. Try to not let him on your head so much because if he thinks he is the head of the flock, The bird won't listen to your commands and does what he wants.
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
This can mean multiple things. Either your bird likes the feeling of hair on his feet. If it's moving around a lot, or flapping his wings on your head, this means he could be trying to prove dominance over you. In the wild, Caiques sometimes live in flocks and the bird on the highest branch is in charge. Try to not let him on your head so much because if he thinks he is the head of the flock, The bird won't listen to your commands and does what he wants.
Dominance in birds doesn’t exist:) They like to be up high because they feel safe there, near the ground they are a lot more vulnerable to predators like snakes and ground dwelling predetors. They might not want to come down because if it is more reinforcing for them to stay up high then be down with you. Incoporating choice and positve reinforcement into the lives of your fids can be a great way to prevent them from staying up high and not wanting to come down:) my lovebirds are both flighted and live age free, all I have to do is stick out my arm and call them and they Will be right there, Unless they are not up for interacting which is fine too:)
 

Halo

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
1/19/18
Messages
4
Location
Irvine California
Real Name
Kyle Markofski
That is somewhat true. But from what I have learned from vets/professionals the head bird of the flock is at the top. I've seen friends birds get very dominate over them when on their head. I'm not saying your wrong but from what I have learned I somewhat disagree. Also like I said, it could mean they feel safe being up high but also could mean trying to become head of the flock.
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
Yeah I agree that when they feel safe and are unfamiliar with a person or enviroment for example, they might not want to come down. And it is okay to disagree, as long as there is no bird suffering bevause!:)(and they don’t in this case of course!:heart:)
 

WendyN

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/8/16
Messages
7,843
Location
California
Real Name
Wendy
Joey likes to caique surf in my hair on top of my head.
I have to be careful because he has reached over and clenched is beak on my eyebrow and lid. The bite swelled up. Fortunately, did not get my eye.
So needless to say, he has limited top-of-the-head previlages.
 

Begone

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Joined
11/29/12
Messages
15,651
But from what I have learned from vets/professionals the head bird of the flock is at the top.
Sad that vets and professionals don't know that the bird that is at the top is the one that landed their first. :D
Dominance doesn't exist with parrots.
 

Familyof12

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/25/17
Messages
1,362
Location
Santa Clara, California
Real Name
Liz
That is somewhat true. But from what I have learned from vets/professionals the head bird of the flock is at the top. I've seen friends birds get very dominate over them when on their head. I'm not saying your wrong but from what I have learned I somewhat disagree. Also like I said, it could mean they feel safe being up high but also could mean trying to become head of the flock.
Flock birds don't have a hierarchy like chickens. They have group mentality and work to confuse prey if there are many of them. Charlie would live in a pack of about 30 birds and they just do what they need done. Charlie believes we are stupid because we don't post a sentry for danger from above. He knows the dogs do the door and they are the ground sentries. He just plugs himself in where he believes there are holes in the defense of our unit. He stays higher than us no matter what we are doing unless we are directly playing with him. When he's playing by himself which is often he likes his tree stand and plays with his toys while still keeping a look out. You can see here he's looking out the sliding glass doors looking for danger. Isabelle is eating an apple pie with ice cream. He's too concerned for her safety to go down and grab a bite which is what he usually does. This is how I know he's just looking out for us. If we were in the dining room or no glass door, he would demand a bite!

Isabelle has no idea he stole a bite of her cobbler.jpg
 

orphansparrow

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/2/11
Messages
2,130
Location
Santa Fe, NM
Real Name
Cara
That is somewhat true. But from what I have learned from vets/professionals the head bird of the flock is at the top. I've seen friends birds get very dominate over them when on their head. I'm not saying your wrong but from what I have learned I somewhat disagree. Also like I said, it could mean they feel safe being up high but also could mean trying to become head of the flock.
I've read a lot of both sides, and from what I can tell, dominance in parrots is a myth. But maybe it matters more how we go about "solving" whatever it is we are trying to solve, and understanding where the parrot is coming from (which doesn't seem to be a need to dominate) rather than semantics. Here's an article that seems pretty unbiased if you're interested:

https://www.parrots.org/pdfs/all_ab...tal_enrichment/The Struggle for Dominance.pdf
 

TikiMyn

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
12/13/16
Messages
6,723
Location
The Netherlands
Real Name
Robin
Flock birds don't have a hierarchy like chickens. They have group mentality and work to confuse prey if there are many of them. Charlie would live in a pack of about 30 birds and they just do what they need done. Charlie believes we are stupid because we don't post a sentry for danger from above. He knows the dogs do the door and they are the ground sentries. He just plugs himself in where he believes there are holes in the defense of our unit. He stays higher than us no matter what we are doing unless we are directly playing with him. When he's playing by himself which is often he likes his tree stand and plays with his toys while still keeping a look out. You can see here he's looking out the sliding glass doors looking for danger. Isabelle is eating an apple pie with ice cream. He's too concerned for her safety to go down and grab a bite which is what he usually does. This is how I know he's just looking out for us. If we were in the dining room or no glass door, he would demand a bite!

View attachment 266182
Is she home already?:jawdrop1: That is awesome new:hug8:I am so happy that your family is safely reunited:heart: Also that is a lovely picture of them together, Charlie carefully watching over her like a little Guardian angel:rolleyes:
 
Top