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Shoulder Perching

Kodigirl210

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:wacky:Sif is a 3mo old CAG who has damaged feet. I have found out from the vet this was due to lack of humidity. Her feet altogether have 3-normal toes. The rest are shortened/deformed & in one case partially amputated. She seems to have a lot of trouble perching on my shoulder even though she wants to which usually ends with her crawling up my head, then digging & wrapping her toes into the top of my head. From there it’s usually a squawk-fest trying to get her off my head & untangled from my hair. Other than cutting my hair short, anyone have any suggestions for giving her a better grip on my shoulder? Any advice appreciated! Thank you
 

Feather

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If she doesn't come down willingly, I frankly wouldn't let her up there at all. But perhaps fashioning some kind of fleece sling to wear on your shoulder for her to sit in? Oooor... A shelf. Look up cosplay tutorials for pauldrons. That might give you some ideas of how to pull it off. I found this one that looks like it might work.

You could modify that design by covering it with fleece or vet wrap for her to grip.
 

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Mockinbirdiva

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I wouldn't recommend you allowing her to sit on your shoulder.. ever. What if she lost her grip, fell and was injured because of it. That and those beaks can cause great injury to faces, necks and ears.
 

Kodigirl210

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@Feather - I will have to think on that. Also it’s not a matter of not wanting to come down, its the tangling in the hair that causes the issue. She will step up onto my fingers but the hair is long enough to get trapped in her toes so it’s a lot harder than just moving her away from my head. Thank you though. It was not something I had considered doing. :)
 

Peachfaced

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I would feel more comfortable with the bird being on my lap vs on my shoulder. You can keep better tabs on her, she won't get tangled, and you have less to worry about in general. If you want to have her hang out with you (like while you're doing chores) maybe try building a little play station that can be moved from room to room, so that she can play safely with you nearby.
 

Kodigirl210

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I’ve ordered a regular play perch to be moved around but the better news is since the partially amputated toe has healed she is now able to manage a tight grip and stay on my shoulder.

I am still going to use the rolling perch to keep her there most of the time as that is just going to be the safest option and use the shoulder for when it’s not as serious aka lounging in the recliner chair. :)
 

Kodigirl210

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@BertAllen - Sif doesn’t use my ear but she does reach for my necklace. It’s my very favorite gold one and I would prefer to not have it snapped in two :hehe: It would be an “ouch” of a different kind :rofl:
 

Brittany0208

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I've learned quickly that the shoulder is a big No-No. Just a few months ago, Java got spooked and flew from his cage, landing behind my head while I sat in my recliner. I figured he was comfortable so I let him stay. Within seconds, he started nibbling my hair, my headband, the back of my neck, then once he discovered my ear, he gave me a decent bite. Mind you, it was NOT full chomp but it hurt like Hell, and he thought it was a game because each time I went to remove him, he'd nibble my fingers and nip my ear again. (There's a video of this on my page somewhere)
Also, on Christmas Day, while we were unwrapping presents, the sound of the wrapping paper scared him so he crawled up my shirt and perched on my shoulder, even with his poor mobility and missing leg, and as soon as he was up there, he remembered my ear and started nibbling. I took him down quickly. Last thing I need is for him to lose his footing and grab my ear to steady himself. He's roughly the size of a large African Grey, so if he really wanted to add to my assortment of ear piercings, he would've. Just some food for thought.
 

Kodigirl210

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@Brittany0208 - I truly understand Your concern and thank You for Your thoughts. Sharing Useful, Real-life, Experiences are always very, Very helpful. Hope you had a wonderful Holiday :)
 
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Brittany0208

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@Brittany0208 - I truly understand Your concern and thank You for Your thoughts. Sharing Useful, Real-life, Experiences are always very, Very helpful. Hope you had a wonderful Holiday :)
Thank you, always happy to help. Hope your holiday was great as well :)
 

Mockinbirdiva

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I've learned quickly that the shoulder is a big No-No. Just a few months ago, Java got spooked and flew from his cage, landing behind my head while I sat in my recliner. I figured he was comfortable so I let him stay. Within seconds, he started nibbling my hair, my headband, the back of my neck, then once he discovered my ear, he gave me a decent bite. Mind you, it was NOT full chomp but it hurt like HE double hockey sticks, and he thought it was a game because each time I went to remove him, he'd nibble my fingers and nip my ear again. (There's a video of this on my page somewhere)
Also, on Christmas Day, while we were unwrapping presents, the sound of the wrapping paper scared him so he crawled up my shirt and perched on my shoulder, even with his poor mobility and missing leg, and as soon as he was up there, he remembered my ear and started nibbling. I took him down quickly. Last thing I need is for him to lose his footing and grab my ear to steady himself. He's roughly the size of a large African Grey, so if he really wanted to add to my assortment of ear piercings, he would've. Just some food for thought.
I've had the top of my ear bitten by a Pionus and it not only hurt like heck, it felt like it was burning for three hours. Years ago my now ex-husband was bitten by my yellow nape on the upper lip. He leaned in towards her while she was out sitting on perch repeating things he had taught her to say and in one second she grabbed his lip and his reaction was to jerk back which pulled her off the perch... attached to his face. He had a horseshoe shaped hunk of deep tissue at least the size of a dime torn down the center of his lip. This was a major injury. Lucky for him I worked for the oral surgeons of the county and I called one of my doctors that night and met him at the office with my husband to get his lip sewn back together. This injury by a bird with a beak similar in size to that of a grey would put all the bird bites posted on AA as minimal bites based on the amount of torn tissue. I've seen it happen and this is exactly why I discourage anyone from allowing large birds on their shoulders. He did have her all jacked up but I have also known for people to be bitten on the face by simply picking up a telephone while their bird was on their shoulder. Sometimes the most unsuspecting action can cause a bird to bite.
 

Kodigirl210

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@Mockinbirdiva - Wow that sounds horrible. The rescue I had prior was small and Sif will also never have the stature of a true CAG due to whatever lottery she drew. I had already planned to mostly use the perch stand anyway as it really is more comfortable for both of us anyway. Sorry to hear you had such bad experiences & will definitely keep it in mind!
 
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