Has anyone had a Grey do this, or is mine just a weirdo?

[Botsari]

I've seen it in many, many birds - and have first hand experience with it with both my previous Greys when they were relatively young (less than 5-10 years old) - that a very trusting bird will allow you to gently put them on their back with their feet in the air, especially if you are paying attention to them. I'm very much of the school that you should avoid, not force your physical contact beyond head scratches, especially after they grow up, and the whole on-their-back thing seems to be a position no bird really feels fully comfortable or safe in, especially for an extended period - like beyond a couple dozen seconds. They can't use their wings and without their feet clamped onto something most of them seem to feel out of control and scared. Its cool and all when they trust you so much that they will allow it, but the point has always seemed to be "look at how much this bird trusts me that he will do this unnatural thing".

Which brings us to Goose, who is coming up on 6 months old. He has not had any prior experience of this type of thing before me, and I have never, ever tried to put him in this position. But in the last few weeks he has been literally rolling into this position in my arms and then going into "blissed out though %100 alert mode" for 20-30 minutes. The first time he surprised me and literally barrel-rolled off my shoulder down my arms onto the kitchen table. The next time I caught him and noticed that he was TRYING to do this. Now when he wants this I can feel him slowly start leaning until I bring my arms up to catch him, and then he rolls upside down. If I scratch his head or talk to him he pretty much will stay there absolutely still, just looking at me. I honestly can't tell how long he would actually do this because, like a staring contest, it is always me that gets bored with this game first, and he seemingly can tell from my fidgeting it is time to get up. This behavior is all the more surprising is that his other two modes of existence at this point in his life are eating voraciously, and bouncing around the room exploring and getting into everything. He has reached the point where his fear of new things has been superseded by curiosity for about %99 of the things in his world, and seemingly has infinite energy and enthusiasm at this point for exploring. He is very energetic. Maybe he needs the "blissed out" phases to rest?

So my question is has anyone had a bird that did this? Up to now he has loved to sit on my shoulder with his head pressed under my ear, and I had assumed it was some sort of latent nest behavior - that he liked the warmth and physical contact and that it was just a remnant part of his "baby-wiring". But now I'm wondering what is going on. Maybe it does line up with something biological, but it is new to me. He is a bit young to be hormonal, and I have many decades experience with what that looks like, and at least in the birds I have know it is nothing like this. Is it possible he is just a bird that likes to do this strange behavior? Any experiences, wisdom, or hypotheses that might help me to figure this out would be appreciated?

 

[texsize]

My CAG doesn’t do this.
My yellow nape use to.
when sitting with me he would half roll over and I would grab the elevated foot and roll him the rest of the way onto his back.
when on his back it was his way of playing with me.
I would beak wrestle, pump his feet and tickle his belly.
Because he is one of the “hot three” this activity only lasted about 30-45 seconds before he became over-stimulated and started biting hard so I would flip him back over to calm down.

 

[Botsari]

My CAG doesn’t do this.
My yellow nape use to.
when sitting with me he would half roll over and I would grab the elevated foot and roll him the rest of the way onto his back.
when on his back it was his way of playing with me.
I would beak wrestle, pump his feet and tickle his belly.
Because he is one of the “hot three” this activity only lasted about 30-45 seconds before he became over-stimulated and started biting hard so I would flip him back over to calm down.

Yes I have seen that kind of behavior with birds too - with people and with other birds - for shortish periods of time. It usually involves at least fidgeting playfully, if not downright wrestling. When they do it is reminiscent of a kitten playing, but when a kitten rolls on its back it is freeing up its stronger lower legs as a defense mechanism. With the kittens I've read somewhere that this is also way for them to learn/practice one of their hardwired backup methods - if they grab onto a prey item that is not incapacitated by the first bite they can hold onto it with the front claws and eviscerate it with their lower ones by rolling onto their back. <ouch>

When Goose does this he stays absolutely still and can go on for 20+ minutes - as long as I'm scratching his head occasionally, looking at him, or talking to him. So weird.

 

[cnyguy]

My CAG Scooter did not like to be handled at all, in any way. The only physical contact she would accept was head scratches. I think that if I had ever tried to flip her on her back I probably would have lost a finger or two. She definitely wouldn't have tolerated it, even for a few seconds. Neither of my other parrots were interested in being on their backs. George the YCA would have objected, probably just by growling and flipping himself back upright. All QP Ralph would do is turn himself upright. I learned shortly after I got him that being on his back wasn't something he liked very much. I'm not sure that I would say that you have a weird Grey, but you do have one with an unusual way to be amused.

 

[Botsari]

My CAG Scooter did not like to be handled at all, in any way. The only physical contact she would accept was head scratches. I think that if I had ever tried to flip her on her back I probably would have lost a finger or two. She definitely wouldn't have tolerated it, even for a few seconds. Neither of my other parrots were interested in being on their backs. George the YCA would have objected, probably just by growling and flipping himself back upright. All QP Ralph would do is turn himself upright. I learned shortly after I got him that being on his back wasn't something he liked very much. I'm not sure that I would say that you have a weird Grey, but you do have one with an unusual way to be amused.

Yeah, while I want to understand it I suppose I should enjoy it while it lasts. I'm pretty sure a lot of this is not going to survive into full adulthood.

 

[SailBoat]

Never underestimate a Grey's mind! They are lighting fast thinkers and even while Goose is seemingly resting, that mind is evaluating you and what you are doing and just how long before you want to move on! Also, judging your reaction time and ability to keep-up. Fundamentally developing a data base.

Now, consider what this young Grey is doing a very good job at training you! Know that is a compliment from your young Grey. What behavior you wish to connect it to is your choice, but understand that you have a very intelligent Grey, likely in the top 20% level. And far more is coming.

Your decades of experience are going to be tested as this smart one is going to continue to amaze!!

Enjoy!

 

[Botsari]

Never underestimate a Grey's mind! They are lighting fast thinkers and even while Goose is seemingly resting, that mind is evaluating you and what you are doing and just how long before you want to move on! Also, judging your reaction time and ability to keep-up. Fundamentally developing a data base.

Now, consider what this young Grey is doing a very good job at training you! Know that is a compliment from your young Grey. What behavior you wish to connect it to is your choice, but understand that you have a very intelligent Grey, likely in the top 20% level. And far more is coming.

Your decades of experience are going to be tested as this smart one is going to continue to amaze!!

Enjoy!

I think he has already figured out my body language for when I intend to pick him up and put him to bed for the night which he sometimes resists. Normally I can't get him not to jump on my arm, but somehow he knows when I'm going to put him in and politely declines. That is, before the evening almond comes out! For sure, I am definitely also being trained!

 

[Botsari]

One thing has occurred to me just now is that in the position where we have usually been sitting when he initiated this he typically looks up at me with his head cocked 90 degrees to the way he is laying, but this is also in the direction of a skylight in my kitchen! I've noticed him pausing many times when he is at that spot on the kitchen table and eyeballing it thoughtfully. When the sun is out the blue sky is probably the brightest thing he has ever experienced up to now, so maybe he is also pondering the nature of the universe through the skylight. In the picture in the OP you can even see the square skylight reflected in his eye. In that picture he was standing getting his head scratched a couple of seconds before I had to remove my hand to use my phone to take the picture. But it is actually very close to the spot where he lays flipped over in my arms.

I guess it doesn't really explain anything - except maybe what he is looking at while chillin' out.

 

[wrench13]

Salty, a small Yellow SHoulder Amazon, some times plays in his cage on his back while manipulating a small toy. He will do it for awhile too. He also allows me to put him on his back and in my hand, but not for long, maybe a minute max.
As a part of harness training, I routinely touch him and manipulate his wings on a daily basis. After 5+ years now of doing that, he puts up with it.

 

[texsize]

Due to a lot of factors I have been opening drapes in the living room.
My amazons all become transfixed and frozen looking out the window.

Not sure what is really going through there mind.

the skylight may have something to do with your birds zoned out appearance.

 

[SailBoat]

To a degree, the staring out the window has a bit to do with memorizing an area that has returned /opened-up. Sadly, they find pathways out, but because of the vantage point, not back.

Our Amazon's over the years have all conceptualized the Universe or maybe even the meaning of life. This can be a bit of a dangerous period as although their eyes maybe open, they are someplace else. Your showing-up can result in shaking them out of it and depending on time of year or joy of the moment, they could be more than a little bitty.

 

[Botsari]

To a degree, the staring out the window has a bit to do with memorizing an area that has returned /opened-up. Sadly, they find pathways out, but because of the vantage point, not back.

Our Amazon's over the years have all conceptualized the Universe or maybe even the meaning of life. This can be a bit of a dangerous period as although their eyes maybe open, they are someplace else. Your showing-up can result in shaking them out of it and depending on time of year or joy of the moment, they could be more than a little bitty.

I have often been surprised, considering the vehemence and sheer energy that my birds can sometimes complain about separation, at how satisfied they can be just sitting still and eyeballing me doing whatever I’m doing for hours at a time. I think in both nature and captivity they spend a lot of time just observing. I agree it is a big mistake to assume they are just zoned out.

 

[Botsari]

Due to a lot of factors I have been opening drapes in the living room.
My amazons all become transfixed and frozen looking out the window.

Not sure what is really going through there mind.

the skylight may have something to do with your birds zoned out appearance.

My birds are 24/7 right next to a large curtain-less window In their room. Outside they see many birds, squirrels, deer, skunk, and the occasional grey fox, coyote and mountain lion. This winter due to the many storms the power was out for about 16 full days out of the first three months of the year. When the lights are off and it is raining the skylight is probably the brightest point in the house, so maybe after his experiences this winter he has a special attraction to it. I always wonder if they like this weather - technically it’s a temperate RAINFOREST which I suppose is closer to their ancestral habitat than a lot of places - or if they get as sick of it as I do after several months.

 

[Niteldy]

I've seen it in many, many birds - and have first hand experience with it with both my previous Greys when they were relatively young (less than 5-10 years old) - that a very trusting bird will allow you to gently put them on their back with their feet in the air, especially if you are paying attention to them. I'm very much of the school that you should avoid, not force your physical contact beyond head scratches, especially after they grow up, and the whole on-their-back thing seems to be a position no bird really feels fully comfortable or safe in, especially for an extended period - like beyond a couple dozen seconds. They can't use their wings and without their feet clamped onto something most of them seem to feel out of control and scared. Its cool and all when they trust you so much that they will allow it, but the point has always seemed to be "look at how much this bird trusts me that he will do this unnatural thing".

Which brings us to Goose, who is coming up on 6 months old. He has not had any prior experience of this type of thing before me, and I have never, ever tried to put him in this position. But in the last few weeks he has been literally rolling into this position in my arms and then going into "blissed out though %100 alert mode" for 20-30 minutes. The first time he surprised me and literally barrel-rolled off my shoulder down my arms onto the kitchen table. The next time I caught him and noticed that he was TRYING to do this. Now when he wants this I can feel him slowly start leaning until I bring my arms up to catch him, and then he rolls upside down. If I scratch his head or talk to him he pretty much will stay there absolutely still, just looking at me. I honestly can't tell how long he would actually do this because, like a staring contest, it is always me that gets bored with this game first, and he seemingly can tell from my fidgeting it is time to get up. This behavior is all the more surprising is that his other two modes of existence at this point in his life are eating voraciously, and bouncing around the room exploring and getting into everything. He has reached the point where his fear of new things has been superseded by curiosity for about %99 of the things in his world, and seemingly has infinite energy and enthusiasm at this point for exploring. He is very energetic. Maybe he needs the "blissed out" phases to rest?

So my question is has anyone had a bird that did this? Up to now he has loved to sit on my shoulder with his head pressed under my ear, and I had assumed it was some sort of latent nest behavior - that he liked the warmth and physical contact and that it was just a remnant part of his "baby-wiring". But now I'm wondering what is going on. Maybe it does line up with something biological, but it is new to me. He is a bit young to be hormonal, and I have many decades experience with what that looks like, and at least in the birds I have know it is nothing like this. Is it possible he is just a bird that likes to do this strange behavior? Any experiences, wisdom, or hypotheses that might help me to figure this out would be appreciated?

View attachment 49201

He is Gorgeous! Those expressive eyes!! I quit questioning my Alexandrines behavior!! You can go crazy! LOL I havent seen this behavior before but I am not surprised! Even though birds have a teensy tiny brain- Its complicated and we may never know exactly whats going on in there! Enjoy him being so extraordinary ! Your baby is 1 in a million as far as I can tell. Your Lucky to have a little love bug!!

 

[SailBoat]

He is Gorgeous! Those expressive eyes!! I quit questioning my Alexandrines behavior!! You can go crazy! LOL I havent seen this behavior before but I am not surprised! Even though birds have a teensy tiny brain- Its complicated and we may never know exactly whats going on in there! Enjoy him being so extraordinary ! Your baby is 1 in a million as far as I can tell. Your Lucky to have a little love bug!!

And their connections are very close, so their thinking is lighting fast.

 

[Botsari]

Goose is still doing this, but now has it down to a high art. He is coming up on 9 months old. At LEAST once a day he wants his cuddle time which he telegraphs by leaning down from my shoulder towards my chest until I cup my hand to catch him from falling. He will then flip over with his feet in the air - always been his own idea - and wants me to cradle him and scratch his head for 20 minutes or so. He particularly likes under his chin. He seems perfectly comfy in this position and only gets impatient if I have not scratched him for a while. On the occasion where parrots allow themselves to be on their backs for short periods, the ones I have known seem to be more or less putting up with it as their feet tend to want to be holding onto something. NOT Goose. If I try to put out a finger for him to grab he ignores it. Now he has gotten so comfortable that while he is chillin’ there he will occasionally scratch the back of his head with one foot - that rat-a-tat-tat thing they do when they are pretty relaxed and have an itch - all while being held ”Madonna with child” style, and feet in the air. I don’t know exactly why, but that gesture just breaks me. This seems to me to be Goose’s version of lying on a divan while the servants fan him, and then reaching over languorously for a bonbon. He is such goofball, but has me well trained.