Catastrophe avoided... just a reminder...

[ParrotletLover]

You could put a big sticker or decal on the window, or put something, like a non-toxic plant, in front of it.

[RickNCheri]

Another issue I have been made aware of with a flighted bird (Senegal in my case) is dominance. You can't fly (you can try) will most certainly be on a lower perch, and be looked down upon. All indication of your lower status. I'm not sure if this is true of all parrots but for sure some. Its the reason Jessica isn't even allowed on my shoulder. I'm the boss applesauce.

Its an interesting argument on both sides......

[Adi]

Yup, what made the situation extra scary is that Sunny is now not clipped...

I used to get his wings trimmed but so many reasons caused me to do otherwise. There are pros and cons on both sides, and dangers to be avoided on both sides...

By not clipping him, Sunny has become a happier bird and although I don't want to get into all the reasons now... we certainly are avoiding a handful of dangers.

As of now, we definitely won't be getting even near a door without checking that Sunny is snug in his cage.

As people, we get absorbed in our routines, distracted by our issues, and sometimes just simply forget. It is however sooooo important to take those couple seconds to slow down and think about our companions...

I can't speak for everyone, but it's quite easy to forget a 50g bird on your shoulder that's keeping nice and quiet because he's enjoying the ride....

[Freedomoflight]

Birds dont have a pecking order tho. Scientists who study birds in the wild show that there is no pecking order amoung a flock. So really there shouldnt be a height dominance issue. The bird who is highest on a tree in teh wild is just the bird who happened to land first, it is never the "top" bird, it is never the same bird in the flock either.

[ParrotletLover]

Originally Posted by Freedomoflight

Birds dont have a pecking order tho. Scientists who study birds in the wild show that there is no pecking order amoung a flock. So really there shouldnt be a height dominance issue. The bird who is highest on a tree in teh wild is just the bird who happened to land first, it is never the "top" bird, it is never the same bird in the flock either.

Freedomflight, that may be true in some instances, but Lily does certainly have a height dominance issue. She cannot be higher than my eye level or she gets nippy, refuses to step up, and gets quite vocal. I know this to be true of some other birds, but also isn't a problem to other. Birds may not have a pecking order, but each bird is different and may have different tendencies to heigh dominance.

[Freedomoflight]

But maybe it is just the situation, I mean, if there is no pecking order in a flock there should be no height dominance issues. So is there any other way to show yourself as top bird? Parrotlets are also commonly nippy birds... just thinking of different things.

[ParrotletLover]

Originally Posted by ParrotletLover

I know this to be true of some other birds, but also isn't a problem to other. .

Parrotlets are known to be nippy, but that wouldn't explain why other birds of different species had similar reactions.

Lily has the same reaction in any environment - I was curious so tried it at the pet store, in different areas of the house - all with the same reaction. Lily knows I am "top bird" but challenges that when she is higher than my eye level. Perhaps she is one of the small percentage that is like that.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by PawsN'Claws

Tiki I have been thinking I may not reclip wings but how do you safeguard that they don't fly into a closed window?

Karen

Karen,

All my windows have security bars on the inside so the birds see them as perches, they also prevent the birds from flying into windows. Every single window on my house has a security grill and every window that eve gets opened in summer has a fly screen. The screens in the birds room are made out of Crimsafe wire which is designed to keep burglars out (and birds in), they can't chew it up. Both these pics have Crimsafe, you can't see it when you look straight on, but in the pic with two cinnamon tiels, you can see how the one screen has a black tinge-that's Crimsafe. The pic with Maui also has Crimsafe.

[Willow]

I believe the reason many people have problems handling their birds when the birds get above them is the very simple reason that they never trained/acustomed their birds to interact with them from that angle. A hand coming up at you looks much different than a regular step up situation, the bird may be frightened or concerned about this new picture. If the owner reacts the wrong way, they only reinfoce this problem.

All 5 of my Amazons are frequently higher than me but I have worked with each of them since they came to step up on my hand or a perch (depending on the bird) no matter what funny angle it is coming at them from, and they all do terrificly.

I personally do not believe in "dominance" and feel that it is always an issue of training/learning whether in birds, dogs, or what have you. "Dominance" is simply an excuse not to train/teach your pet - "oh, it's not me, he's dominant, you see." I don't mean you all are using it in this way, but in dog training I hear this all the time and it frustrates me to no end. Those "dominant" dogs are perfectly capable of learning appropriate behaviors through positive reinforcement training. OK - sorry to rant on.
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Adi - I'm so glad all you had was a close call and thanks for the great reminder to always be aware . . . !