Understanding the mind of your grey and other parrots

[shanlung]

Understanding the mind of your grey and other parrots


2600 years ago, Sun Tzu wrote his Ping Fa better known perhaps to you as 'The Art of War'

One fundamental underlie his thoughts in his PingFa.
'Tse Chi, Tse Di
Bai Jan Bai Chen'

or

Know yourself, Know your opponent
A hundred battles, a hundred victory.

I am not saying we treat our grey as an enemy to do battle with.

But if we understand them, it may make it that much easier to live with them and to train with them.

Whether you want to train with them as friends, or to train them as you the "Alpha', understanding their mind must help.

And perhaps those that thought they must dominate them and be the Alpha might even change their mind instead.

And perhaps those that have been bitten and otherwise terrorised by their grey might be bitten a lot less and enjoy their parrot a lot more, and find training with them a lot easier. And in bonding with them.

If you understand the mentality of your parrot, that might go a long way to becoming friends together. And save you lot of pain and heartaches in the process.


Notwithstanding that was written in early 2005, I cannot add further to that.

I think this is one of the most important of the many entries I have written over the last ten years.

I find what I wrote to be applicable to my currently living with Riamfada, and to Yingshiong even if YS was not a grey.


My 2 cents and for all it is worth.

An extract from Tinkerbell Legacy

Tinkerbell Legacy - Living with a flying parrot - Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality)

shanlung: Tinkerbell Legacy - Living with a flying parrot - Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality)



Warmest regards


Shanlung
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[Spiritbird]

What happened to Tinkerbell? Thanks you sharing your wonderful writing. In your opinion, what is one to do when you are bitten by your parrot?

 

[shanlung]

I visited Tinkerbell in Taiwan in spring last year.

shanlung: Tinkerbell - Rhapsody in Spring 2009

Yu who look after Tinkerbell is in close touch with me and Tinkerbell is doing well with him.

I hope understanding the mind of the grey will help you in avoiding the bites.
The grey can move with such blinding speed.

Should you be chomped on the finger, maybe what I wrote below can help to mitigate the damage.

shanlung: Tinkerbell Legacy - Rant 08 How to avoid getting badly bitten by your bird

[FONT=&quot]Warmest regards


Shanlung
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]山[/FONT][FONT=&quot]龍[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

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[shanlung]

Folks,


There were some letters that I added to above URL.

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(editted and added on 10 Aug 2010 - a couple of letters I wrote on 9 Aug 2010 when I revived this old writing. I think those couple of letters belong here as well)

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[AGPC] Re:Understanding the mind of your grey

Greys are intelligent and I really cannot see their biting in terms of mindless
viciousness from them at all.

Only humans are capable and demonstrate unprovoked viciousness and cruelty. Are
we right in extending that uniquely human trait to the animals in general and
greys in particular?

Greys resort to biting when they are frightened and afraid or if they felt they
cannot communicate anymore of their wishes and preferences.

I remembered the days when I was a tiny boy and a lot more cute than what you
have seen of me in my photos.

My sisters, and their friends, love to pet my cheek when I did not like it. At
that time, if I had known of greys and parrots, I would have turned around and
chomp them on the fingers.

To me, it was so easy to see if birdie is receptive to me or not.
And very often, if birdie is not receptive then (to head rubs or to train
together), just a few minutes later, the birdie will be ready and receptive.

Perhaps its because I do my best to see their moods AT ALL TIMES.
And because I want to see, I do see it.

Smart and intelligent as greys may be, shouldn't the onus be on us the humans
who are supposed to be even smarter?

Are we to blame the parrot because they 'cannot read us' (I think they read us
a lot better!) or should we blame ourselves for not reading them, and in many
cases, deliberately not reading them in the first place.

I think 'Alphas' pay a heavier price for assuming the role of alphas
than those who decide greys are equal and should be treated with the courtesy
and dignity due to fellow sentients.

And if 'Alphas' insist on what they think is God given role as 'Alphas', they
continue to pay the price until they learn.

To each the role they want to play, and the rewards and price they get for
playing those roles.

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Far too often, because people do not see or do not wish to see the reason for
the biting, they rather conveniently say the parrot bite them without reasons at
all.

Or they say its the Terrible 2 or 3. That hormonal changes came.
That might be the case. But even at that, the nuances of the emotions can be so
easily seen in them.

Blaming hormonal changes is another cop-out.

Even without hormonal changes, a parrot might get out of the wrong side of the
bed on that day.

I do not do to them what I done the day before because I can do that the day
before or even on the hour just before. That the birdie liked it then do not
mean the birdie like the same thing now.

The birdie showed so much of what they liked that it is so much easier to make
yourself more receptive to their moods there and then and act to them according
to their moods there and then.

That is just simple courtesy and respect to fellow intelligent sentient.

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On 15 Aug. I wrote a letter elsewhere that folks here might like to read

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Quote from: danmcq

'I agree 100 percent with you, that they do not bite out of just meaness or viciousness. They did it because we did not respect thier space or body language at the time.'

In this thread at another forum somewhere, there is this lady who love to say she graduated from a bird psychology course in almost everyone of her mail. Whatever that meant. Maybe that she became an expert because she got a printed certificate.

Her grey bite her about once a month, and that it was the fault of the grey. That greys are so individual. But of course! Greys are individuals.
I do not treat Riam the way I treat Tinkerbell. But at the very bottom, they all are the same, including getting out of wrong side of bed.

It was so obvious she relished her role as the Alpha and with her psychology course, that she could psycho the birdie to her will. (guess who I wrote indirectly to in letter of 9 Aug). That she carried the birdie everywhere (guess that she clipped the wings so birdie be less uppity)

Also obviously, I am a nobody to her. With none of those fancy certs to hang in my house and none of those fancy affiliations. So again

And if 'Alphas' insist on what they think is God given role as 'Alphas', they
continue to pay the price until they learn.

To each the role they want to play, and the rewards and price they get for
playing those roles.


I also cannot understand whats all those emphasis on birdie pinning their eyes to be watched out for as the magical precursor to biting.
Tinkerbell, and now Riamfada, they kept pinning their eyes (narrowing and then dilating their pupils) almost all the time when I play with them.

I like to think they pin their eyes even when I am not playing and watching them at all.
I never will know. After all, if I am not watching them, can one know if they pin their eyes then?

One might as well say parrot open their jaws before they chomp on you and watch out that opening of the jaws.

One other very special point I like to make.

I always asked them (by voice or by the very actions) and I watched them, as to everything I like them to do, or allow me to do.
My wishes were almost never rejected by them.

I do believe, the very act of asking them, was perceived by them.

And because I did the courtesy of asking them, they allowed me , and played along with me, because I asked them.

Simple opening of the heart, and courtesy and respect to them, gained me a lot more than a dozen beautiful certificates and affiliations.

Your graduation from my course is your better enjoyment with your birdie and having more magic in your relationship. And a lot less chomping from them.

Isn't that better than a beautiful cert and diploma hanging on your wall?

Do try that, and remember that cheque to Gerald Durell Wildlife Trust or to any nature conservation body of your choice on your graduation.

And tell your friends it worked for you and to try this course.




Warmest regards


Shanlung
山 龍

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[shanlung]

Pakistan//Riamfada at home//Dommie at the beach again Ramadhan 2010 //Villa walkabout 3
shanlung: Pakistan//Riamfada at home//Dommie at the beach again Ramadhan 2010 //Villa walkabout 3


Riamfada flying into home//Neighbourhood hide&seek
shanlung: Riamfada flying into home//Neighbourhood hide&seek



9-11//Dommie final visit to ocean Ramadan 2010 & unsheduled Riamfada free flight//The Day Approaches
shanlung: 9-11//Dommie final visit to ocean Ramadan 2010 & unsheduled Riamfada free flight//The Day Approaches

Warmest regards


Shanlung

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[shanlung]

Popping this for new folks in the forum to find and read and consider instead of just clipping the wings

 

[shanlung]

When I wrote
Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality) & Understanding the mind of your grey
shanlung: Tinkerbell Legacy - - Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality) & Understanding the mind of your grey

there had been many experiences and discussions I have had before. Some of them were internalised in me and faded into the bedrock where I stood on.

But the other day at a forum, I wrote of some of those earlier discussions with other people I have had. And realised why I came onto the road I walk on now.

I extract that below, and added a slight bit more at the end here to put the extract into the context it was written in.
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Let us get back to Gizmo.
I thought I write here something I plagiarised from what I wrote in another forum just a short while ago. And which obviously apply to you too.

CAGs are just so painfully intelligent that their personalities will never be the same.
What I did with Tinkerbell will not be what I did with Riamfada and vice versa.

I do not mold them into what I want. I mold myself to what they are, and teaching them what is acceptable and not acceptable.

When I was wrong, I accepted their chastisements on me in the same way they accepted my chastisements.
Training is a two way road.

All those I knew, be they dog or cat or horse family, told me without exception that the CAG was head and shoulders above them all.

I met trainers of dolphins, of great apes, of killer whales, and who happened to have CAGs. It is humbling to hear from them that they felt CAGs showed far greater intelligence than the other sentients that they trained with.


Give them love, respect, courtesy and dignity due to intelligent sentients equal to yourself.

You get that all back, together with the magic that only they can add.

You understand better why your best chance to succeed is to be friends with them and never as the alpha notwithstanding what the bulk of others might want you to think.

With CAGs of that level of intelligence that surpassed the major recognised intelligent sentients such as great apes, dolphins and killer whales, how ludicrous it is to think one is above them and we are to impose our wills on them.