Should I let him on my shoulder?

[nikidust]

I just adopted a 2y/o TAG. His previous owner runs a large bird rescue/rehab in michigan. Roman was not a rescue, however. He was her personal pet. She just got too busy with the rescue and thought it was best to find him a home where he could get more attention. Roman is a very gentle bird, he came right to me out of his crate (me being a complete stranger) and stepped up, gave kisses and let me scratch his head. When he doesnt want to be messed with he will gently move my hand with his beak. His previous owner said he is not at all aggressive, and doesnt ever bite. He even let my 2 toddlers come right up to him and didnt freak out or run away. Didn't puff up or anything.
My question is, what is your opinion about birds on shoulders? Roman's pervious owner said he was never allowed on shoulders. Her reasoning was that when a bird sees something they think is a threat, they will bite you to warn you (to get you to "fly away" from the danger), and since TAG's can do some damage, she didn't think it was worth the risk of a facial injury. Well Roman is a very good bird, but he is a little nervous and shy. I let him go up on my shoulder for a little while today and he acted so much more secure than when on my arm or hand. BTW Roman is very well socialized and will go to anyone. I've also heard the height dominance thing, but when on my shoulder, I'm still higher than him, he's not that big. And so far, he has not given me any trouble getting him down from his play top of his cage, which is a foot taller than me. So, in all your birdie wisdom, what do you think about birds on shoulders. Birds that are well behaved, even tempered, and big enough to take your nose off?

Thanks so much!
-niki

[greyburd]

Hi Niki, welcome to the group. I can only imagine how excited you are to have that sweet Roman. Greys are a special kind of bird. If you don't know that already, you will soon find out.

To your question...I am one that doesn't think birds should be on the shoulder. If something startles them, they can easily take out an eye, a chunk of your cheek, or pierce an ear. You need to train your bird how to behave on your shoulder if you're going to let him there. He MUST obey the "UP" command everytime. If he misbehaves, remove him from the shoulder. There's a grey't section about shoulders in Bobbi Brinkers book "For The Love of Greys". If you don't have it, PICK ONE UP. It's a must read for any Grey owner.

Good luck with everything, and post pics of your little guy!!

[tattdpixie]

Roman sounds so sweet! That is awesome that he is so good with strangers. My CAG is a bit shy and will not step up for anyone else but me or my bf. I partially agree with npgsoul on the shoulder issue. I made the mistake of letting my conure sit on my shoulder from the beginning. He wouldn't stay on my hand after that. I also could never get him off of my shoulder and sometimes he'd grab for things (like my ear) in order to stay on. I don't let my CAG sit on my shoulder at all. But, if Roman is a good bird and steps up all the time, I don't see it as that big of a problem. I wouldn't let him do it very often though. He might decide he likes it better up there and never sit on your hand again. It might be nice to use it as a treat.

[peeker]

I think the shoulder thing is something everyone has to decide for themselves. My conure is allowed on the shoulder. If she were to ever start avoiding removal by running acoss the back, her shoulder priveledge would be revoked! My ekkies are all sweet and I cuddle them and kiss them but they don't go on the shoulder.....well, ok Jax is allowed late in the evening when he is sleepy. The important thing to realize is a grey could do serious damage to your face. It could even happen by accident, say by being spooked..an earthquake, a bird flies by your window, someone drops a glass and it shatters, or even a small child dashes into the room. I don't know how long you have had your bird, but it takes a while to build a strong relationship. If the bird is fairly new to your home, this could still be "the honeymoon phase", where he is on his very best behavior. In my opinion, take a few months to get to know each other better before deciding to take such a chance with your face. He sounds like a doll though! Congrats!

[Franciscus]

I don't recommend that a bird other than a coakatiel spends much time on someone's shoulder. The risk of injury with the bigger birds is just too great. When you think about it, there really isn't much to do when perched on someone's shoulder for a bird. It would be much better to have a portable playgym that you take from room to room when spending time in different areas of the house or have play areas for the bird.

[mamalovesrico]

Ok, I know I'm going to get hit from all directions for saying this. I have a U2 who sits on my shoulder. He likes to sit there if I'm working on something, folding clothes, preparing his meals, etc. I only let him sit there if I'm standing still. I don't want to move around and have him slip off my shoulder. I'm always very cautious of my face, can't protect the ear though. I rarely turn my face toward him in case something should spook him. He likes to snuggle up next to my head. He hasn't bitten me yet. I know, no one plans an accident.
The only problem I've had so far is, now that I let him on my shoulder, sometimes he tries to get on my head. No, no...I always let him know this is not acceptable.
Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I think you might find it hard not to let him on your shoulder, especially if he's as big of a sweetheart as he sounds. If you do, never turn your face toward him.

[Franciscus]

Lara, here is a typical scenario. Person buys cuddly baby cockatoo. Cockatoo gets used to being on person's shoulder instead of playing on a play structure. Cockatoo becomes sexually mature and hormonal and suddenly gives person a horrible disfiguring face bite where several stitches are required and/or an eye is lost. Person becomes afraid of cockatoo and the bird ends up being caged or given up. Please teach your bird to be the bird he should be.

[mamalovesrico]

I know Frank. I'll start working on it.

[Franciscus]

Rico is a lucky bird Lara.

[sboggio]

I let our CAG on my shoulder, but am careful to wear protective glasses. Jazzey really likes it so I use that for leaverage. She must absolutly behave or its over. Sometimes she gets in silly moods where I don't trust her to behave, but when she is polite and calmed down, its no problem. I think she likes being trusted, and being rewarded for being good.