Bowing behavior ??

[DebraB]

Hi, I have just adopted a 15-18 year old Red Lored Amazon and have questions about behaviors. Snickers stands on his perch in his cage and when I approach him, he bows up and down slowly with his body and head while making a tiny chipping sound. He does not willingly step up onto my hand, but if he is on top of his cage he will step up if I hold my other hand to the side of him. He will let me gently scratch the back of his neck without him moving, but does not seem to really enjoy it. He is not cage aggressive at all, but he does want to step up off his cage yet.
So...what is the bowing?
And does he enjoy the scratching or just tolerates it?
(he does not put his head down for a scratch, but will let me do it)

Thanks for any help

 

[Birdman666]

If he raises his head feathers, it means he is enjoying it.

Mine doesn't bow like that. She curls up into a ball, puts her head all the way down when she wants head scratches.

General interest curiosity at your approach, but also apprehension, because at this stage she isn't sure.

 

[Empath]

could just be a behaviour he's picked up/developed rather than something with any specific meaning behind the behaviour.

one of my cockatoos shakes his head up and down (like he's nodding really fast) when i say "good boy", the behaviour itself isnt symbolic for cockatoos, its just something we've developed

 

[Birdman666]

Put it another way, if he didn't enjoy the touching, you would not be able to do it.

At the very least, he would put a beak on your fingers and push them away. At the most, he would recoil in horror and growl at the sight of your approaching fingers, and then bite the crap out of them if you persisted after that warning.

If he isn't doing the macaw "territorial intrusion" postures, then he is welcoming the contact. It's black and white.

Now, sme days he may not be big on the touchie-feelie stuff, which is normal for an amazon, but it's generally specific to that particular moment in time. It doesn't mean don't touch. It means not now.

Red Lored's tend to be one of the shy-er amazons, but they are "guardian angel" birds. In the wild, they watch out for their flock mates. When they bond, when they love, it is 110% and then some.

I have had mine for over a decade. I got her as a badly abused rescue. She turned around in 4 months (from a bird that was so crazed, they were talking about putting her to sleep!)

Even with a greenwing in the house that is easily five times her size, she has always been the "flock leader" in my house. The other birds take their cues from her... and she keeps them in line.

 

[DebraB]

Thanks for that insight about the petting. I was wondering if he was just too scared to react to me petting him....but I think you are right...if he hated it he would let me know! It's hard not knowing any of his handling history. He wants to sit on my shoulder if I pick him up, but I will not let him. I just don't know him enough, and even then, it seems a bad idea.

He wants to stay on top of his cage, or fly to the Linnie cage and back. He is VERY quiet. In the month I've had him, all he makes are quiet little squeeky chirps. No talking or anything else. My husband loves him because he's so quiet. The rescue he came from said he was very quiet there also.
They have so many birds needing homes there, that it's hard to give them all a lot of individual attention.

Well...he's getting it now! Thanks again...

 

[Birdman666]

Mine is a shoulder bird. In fact, all of the amazons I have owned or fostered have ended up being shoulder birds.

Could be what he needs to bond (i.e. relax and loosen up), especially if he was once bonded to someone else who allowed him to be a shoulder bird. You make the call. But if he isn't showing any signs of aggression, I wouldn't worry so much.

Amazons are absolutely NOT shy about letting you know when attention is unwanted...

My guess is he just hasn't had this kind of attention in so long, he doesn't know what to do. Kinda sounds like a classic "sensory deprivation" case to me...

I've seen a few hard cases you could literally push over, trying to just get them to react. And they would just sit there, frozen, and do nothing.

Those birds, you kind of have to show them progressive stimulation. I tended to put them on my lap with a towel and a toy, and play with them and the toy at the same time, until they began to open up a little more.

 

[SandyBee]

Amazons will tell you in no uncertain terms if they don't like something.

Mt amazon does the bowing thing when we sing to him, in Bosley's case it's excitement.

 

[cnyguy]

My old YCA George would do a little bow and lift his wings when he wanted to tell me he was happy to see me.