How do I introduce my borb to my little cousin?

[Rico_Tiel]

Rico is very social and I doubt he will have any issues but how can I ensure that he won’t hate her on sight? He is used to chaos and my craziness but I dunno how he will fare with an 8 year olds craziness. Just as long as she isn’t in a red shirt she should have very good chances of getting along with him.

 

[wrench13]

In a word.......... Bribery. Never hurts to grease the wheels of new experiences.

 

[Cottonoid]

Don't be too worried if he suddenly isn't social if he hasn't met them before

I agree with wrench, if he has any favorite treats, give your cousin a handful of them!

My younger bird will gladly land on anyone's head where he's safe, but we're still working on being able to step up for people he isn't sure about yet. And he's generally a super social guy, wants to be the center of attention when I have people over. So you'll kinda just have to play it by ear and see how Rico reacts I bet you, on the other hand, will be amazing at showing your cousin what parrots are all about!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

In a word.......... Bribery. Never hurts to grease the wheels of new experiences.

Ooh yes, that is a good idea! He loves food! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Don't be too worried if he suddenly isn't social if he hasn't met them before

I agree with wrench, if he has any favorite treats, give your cousin a handful of them!

My younger bird will gladly land on anyone's head where he's safe, but we're still working on being able to step up for people he isn't sure about yet. And he's generally a super social guy, wants to be the center of attention when I have people over. So you'll kinda just have to play it by ear and see how Rico reacts I bet you, on the other hand, will be amazing at showing your cousin what parrots are all about!

Thank you! I feel a lot more confident in the introduction! And he is great with people since he never really uses his scissor face on hands! Thank you so much!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Don't be too worried if he suddenly isn't social if he hasn't met them before

I agree with wrench, if he has any favorite treats, give your cousin a handful of them!

My younger bird will gladly land on anyone's head where he's safe, but we're still working on being able to step up for people he isn't sure about yet. And he's generally a super social guy, wants to be the center of attention when I have people over. So you'll kinda just have to play it by ear and see how Rico reacts I bet you, on the other hand, will be amazing at showing your cousin what parrots are all about!

We need to be sensitive to the fact that some people really get freaked out when a bird flys around and lands on their head. They may instinctively SWAT at the bird scaring them or even hurting them.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

We need to be sensitive to the fact that some people really get freaked out when a bird flys around and lands on their head. They may instinctively SWAT at the bird scaring them or even hurting them.

That just gave me a minor panic attack. I’m going to have to explain he is flighted and is not aggressive. He is due for a nail trim soon so I’ll clip those the day before she comes over since his talons are naturally VERY sharp. Almost like cat claws. Rico thankfully doesn’t land on anyone but me (which I have positively enforced since I don’t like him landing on people) but he does step up to people and accept scritches (except my brother and dad since he doesn’t exactly like men)

 

[Cottonoid]

We need to be sensitive to the fact that some people really get freaked out when a bird flys around and lands on their head. They may instinctively SWAT at the bird scaring them or even hurting them.

Oh gosh that's not likely here. I'm very sensitive to my guests' triggers and needs, as well as the emotional needs and physical safety of my pets. My collective social network includes kids, friends with C-PTSD, friends who have vision issues, friends who just plain don't care for animals at ALL, and everything in between. Ope isn't flying all about unless he's invited by every single person involved I wouldn't put any of my pets nor a visiting human in a position that would have even a hint of leading to a mishap. First rule of training: set them up for success!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Oh gosh that's not likely here. I'm very sensitive to my guests' triggers and needs, as well as the emotional needs and physical safety of my pets. My collective social network includes kids, friends with C-PTSD, friends who have vision issues, friends who just plain don't care for animals at ALL, and everything in between. Ope isn't flying all about unless he's invited by every single person involved I wouldn't put any of my pets nor a visiting human in a position that would have even a hint of leading to a mishap. First rule of training: set them up for success!

Then you are way ahead of the game and a very gracious host.

 

[Cottonoid]

Then you are way ahead of the game and a very gracious host.

It's more that I started with a very reactive dog back in the day, so had to learn fast how to make it all work!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

UPDATE: my cousin is mildly scared of Rico and Rico is swooping like usual. Rico doesn’t care for her presence.

 

[Cottonoid]

Well hopefully they'll both get used to each other and be a little more relaxed soon. IMO that sounds pretty normal to me, and it's not bad that they're hands off while they size each other up.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Update number two: my cousin and Rico like each other. He steps up and recalls to her now!