Perching on heads = Aggression?

[Rowdy]

I have a question. At the pet store where I work, we have a white bellied Caique named Buddy. He's 2 years old and a complete sweetheart. He is out of his cage nearly all day, either playing on his playtop or, more likely, hanging out with an employee.

Recently, though, he has started climbing up and perching on people's heads. He can be very aggressive if you try to remove him.

Is there some way we can "fix" this behavior, or is there anything we should be doing to prevent this type of behavior? Or should we just try our best to keep him from perching on heads?

(Also posted in Caique subforum)

 

[pajarita]

I have several birds that love to perch on my head. I don't think that it's something that needs to be curtailed, it's just a quirk that doesn't hurt anybody.

 

[Bokkapooh]

He feels comfy perched up high. And he may defend himself from people who try to bring him out of his comfort zone.

The best thing to do is prevent him from going ontop of your heads and to also realize he does it because that is wwhere he is most comfortable.

 

[Rowdy]

I have several birds that love to perch on my head. I don't think that it's something that needs to be curtailed, it's just a quirk that doesn't hurt anybody.

My birds also love to perch on my head - I personally have no problem with it at home. But at the store, we the employees, and Buddy could get in trouble for climbing onto a customer's head and causing injury when he defends himself because he doesn't want to leave someone's head. Our manager might make us keep Buddy locked up, and that's the last thing any of us want for Buddy!

He feels comfy perched up high. And he may defend himself from people who try to bring him out of his comfort zone.

The best thing to do is prevent him from going ontop of your heads and to also realize he does it because that is wwhere he is most comfortable.

Thank you very much for your responses! I'll let everyone else know.

Thank you again!

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Bet you the only time you reach up and get him with your hands is when you are going to put him in his cage or move him away from you... Right? The bird as learned a negative happening (in his view) is going to be the result of allowing himself to be removed from your head and therefore objects to the removal (just like a two-year-old not wanting to go to bed).

I allow my birds to sit on my head and rarely have aggression issues whe I go to remove them. They were taught when I first got them if they are aggressive, I will cover them with a towel and remove them from my head and immediately refuse to interact with them for five minutes. I also remove them from my head at random times to get them to realize removal from the head perch is NOT a punishment, it is just something I want to happen. My hen lovie, Blu, will not allow me to remove her; she simply flies off my head as soon as she sees me lift my hand to touch her.

Bokkapooh is also right; birds are most comfortable in the highest perch they can find: this is purely instinctive on their part!

 

[Wolf]

My Senegal love to perch on my head, but I don't like it because she leaves me presents that I am not fond of. The result is that I remove her from my head every time she goes there. I don't ever have any problems with the removal, but I don't send her away, I only place her on my hand or shoulder at these times so she is good with this alternative perch.

 

[macawpower58]

IMO if aggression happens with head perching, head perching should not be allowed. It's an earned right.

I also believe aggression allowed to continue can and often does escalate. Curtail that privilege for a time.

 

[InTheAir]

I have a head percher too and I gave her a fear of hands coming upto reach her there by reaching up very quickly to "rescue" her when I thought she was tangled in my hair. This fear did not discourage her from landing on my head at all, it just meant she would bite or fly away if I reached up to her sometimes.
I changed her association with hands reaching up by giving her a reinforcer (treat) whenever she was on my head. Once she was looking forward to seeing my hands up there I would ask her to step up and then reinforce it with a treat. Now we have no problems if I reach up to my head while she is there and she is always happy to step up from there.
I prefer her to perch on my head than shoulder as she slips around on my shoulder (it is hot and I wear singlets all the time) and it prevents me from moving around while she is on my shoulder.
If you would like your friend to become a shoulder percher instead, reinforce the behaviour of being on your shoulder as well. Ie: move him/her to the shoulder and reinforce.
There needs to be a good reason for a parrot to choose to do what you want him/her to do. Sitting on heads is nice so make the alternatives even nicer.
My bird is very food motivated so she is very easy to train with treats. She's a stomach on wings really!

 

[Wolf]

I suspect that in this case Buddy is becoming a bit aggressive because of what happens to him after he is removed from the persons head, such as being placed in cage or on a perch when what he is wanting is companionship, or just to be a part of what is going on. If he were placed on a shoulder he might not be aggressive as he is still allowed to participate in what is going on, and getting time with someone as well. This is why it works for my Senegal.

 

[macawpower58]

I do agree with not taking a parrot from a favorite spot, and putting them in their cage right away.

I always make sure that being caged isn't removing them from something wonderful.

Sometimes I'll first (after upping them) take them to the kitchen for a snack that they'll then carry to their cage.

They're happy for the snack and connect the cage to that, and not my hands putting them away.

I still think though head sitting should be stopped for now.

 

[Wolf]

I was never in disagreement that especially in the circumstances given that perching on the head should not be allowed, merely that the aggression could be being caused not by removing the bird from the head but by that which followed after its removal.