I'm having trouble finding any really good descriptions of what this behavior might mean.
Safety statement: Opie (yellow shouldered amazon)'s cage is placed in an alcove in my office area. The alcove is deep enough that the cage is fully protected on three sides, there is plenty of room for Opie to retreat if he is uncomfortable. The cage is raised so that only about 5-6 inches of the bottom bars are even within reach of the dog, and those bars are covered on the outside with plexiglass panels. Opie can look out but cannot be touched through the bars at that level.
The dog pretty much doesn't care about Opie at all, but OPIE sometimes gets interested in the dog. He will specifically climb down to the bottom of his cage and come over to the plexiglass panels to look right at him from the closest point. This happens most when the dog is being very active or interesting somehow - like when he first runs in from outside or is playing tug with one of us in a place where Opie can see.
Opie doesn't seem to be trying to attack him or warn him off - he doesn't lash at the cage or make any loud noises, he just gets hyper and rushes to the bottom of the cage with some chirps - the same way he rushes to the top when he sees me walking over with a treat.
Well today the dog had some zoomies and when he came inside he started jumping on me and trying to wrestle with me at my desk. Opie ran down to look at him as usual. Normally the dog is only allowed to wrestle in another room, but for a brief time today I turned around and was playing with him right in front of Opie's cage. Just batting/ruffling his ears while he danced around and tried to catch my hands.
Opie did something I have *never* seen him do before. He rushed over to the closest possible point but then 3-4 times Opie ducked his head and lifted his shoulders at the dog.
Head fully ducked down like a deep bow (showing us the top of his head), wings lifted up and out enough for me to see underneath but not really stretched to the sides. I do think the wings were quivering a little. And he was definitely deliberately positioned as close to the dog as he could physically get.
What is he doing... ?
If the dog is scaring him/making him feel threatened I will re-arrange the house so he never has to see him again! But I know Opie lashes his beak at things he doesn't like - he does it to me - so if he was scared or threatened by the dog I would have expected to see that kind of reaction?
On the other hand he's also never done this posture at my boyfriend, and I know he loves my boyfriend!
Edit to add: I just can't find a description of this combination of behaviors. Wing quivering is supposedly fear, but he usually backs away from things he does not like. Head ducking/bowing is something he usually does when he wants my boyfriend to scritch him, but never comes with the wing lifting.
If it was territorial wouldn't he make noise? Squawk or growl?
Safety statement: Opie (yellow shouldered amazon)'s cage is placed in an alcove in my office area. The alcove is deep enough that the cage is fully protected on three sides, there is plenty of room for Opie to retreat if he is uncomfortable. The cage is raised so that only about 5-6 inches of the bottom bars are even within reach of the dog, and those bars are covered on the outside with plexiglass panels. Opie can look out but cannot be touched through the bars at that level.
The dog pretty much doesn't care about Opie at all, but OPIE sometimes gets interested in the dog. He will specifically climb down to the bottom of his cage and come over to the plexiglass panels to look right at him from the closest point. This happens most when the dog is being very active or interesting somehow - like when he first runs in from outside or is playing tug with one of us in a place where Opie can see.
Opie doesn't seem to be trying to attack him or warn him off - he doesn't lash at the cage or make any loud noises, he just gets hyper and rushes to the bottom of the cage with some chirps - the same way he rushes to the top when he sees me walking over with a treat.
Well today the dog had some zoomies and when he came inside he started jumping on me and trying to wrestle with me at my desk. Opie ran down to look at him as usual. Normally the dog is only allowed to wrestle in another room, but for a brief time today I turned around and was playing with him right in front of Opie's cage. Just batting/ruffling his ears while he danced around and tried to catch my hands.
Opie did something I have *never* seen him do before. He rushed over to the closest possible point but then 3-4 times Opie ducked his head and lifted his shoulders at the dog.
Head fully ducked down like a deep bow (showing us the top of his head), wings lifted up and out enough for me to see underneath but not really stretched to the sides. I do think the wings were quivering a little. And he was definitely deliberately positioned as close to the dog as he could physically get.
What is he doing... ?
If the dog is scaring him/making him feel threatened I will re-arrange the house so he never has to see him again! But I know Opie lashes his beak at things he doesn't like - he does it to me - so if he was scared or threatened by the dog I would have expected to see that kind of reaction?
On the other hand he's also never done this posture at my boyfriend, and I know he loves my boyfriend!
Edit to add: I just can't find a description of this combination of behaviors. Wing quivering is supposedly fear, but he usually backs away from things he does not like. Head ducking/bowing is something he usually does when he wants my boyfriend to scritch him, but never comes with the wing lifting.
If it was territorial wouldn't he make noise? Squawk or growl?
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