african grey phobias

[brianlinkles]

I remember reading on here awhile ago a kind of "saying" or "poster" of the thoughts of an african grey and their phobias. I have looked everywhere for it and can not find it.
The reason I am asking is because yesterday we had a funny incident with my grey Dorothy. My husband and daughter came in after taking our dogs for a walk. This was the first time this season where the dogs were wearing a sweater. Well, suddenly Dorothy went bezerk! She was screaming, growling, pacing in her cage. Everyone was wondering what was going on and I noticed it only happened when one of the dogs would walk by her cage. Well, sure enough she was freaking out everytime they did this! I took their sweaters off and she went back to normal! So funny, she is such a sweetie and I have never seen her react like this. I wanted to take a look at the poster/saying that I have seen earlier.
Would love to hear about other strange little phobias your grey might have!

 

[Birdman666]

Mine isn't terribly phobic...

But he has idiosyncrasies...

For example, he knows I am right handed, and WILL NOT step up to my left hand. [NO DUDE, GIVE ME THE COORDINATED HAND, OR I'M NOT COMING!]

They study everything, and notice and take note of everything.

I can't help thinking of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man when I think of CAGs sometime...

One thing I did learn working with the pluckers. The more isolated the bird, the more phobic they tend to be...

The pluckers studied everything, and the slightest deviation through them for a loop. That's why I personally think with these guys it's important to expose them to a wide variety of things... Mine was raised with zons and macaws,, and has taken on a great deal of their hardy characteristics. He also goes out and about.

In the wild, these birds don't pluck. And they live in a harsh and unforgiving land where they could be eaten or killed in any number of ways, and they don't sit there and fret over it.

Of course, wild flocks of CAGS can number in the 50s to 100s birds. That's a lot of company...

And the non-plucker, i.e. NORMAL CAGS are instigators... they are curious and in to everything, messing with people, and playing with things. The exact opposite of a perch potato, timid, scared of its own shadow plucker...

So I wonder what happens to make them that way?!

Another little tidbit about plucking CAGS... then I'll shut up cuz I'm probably way the hell off point now, and that is they seem to not do as well when it is really quiet. In the jungle, the only time it gets quiet is when there are predators around. It's quiet, I don't see anything, but I'm all alone here. There must be something I'm missing.... oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, [tears out a clump of feathers.]

 

[brianlinkles]

I think that's why I was so surprised, Dorothy seems like a pretty stable lady! She takes right away to new toys, situations etc. It was so strange to see her react this way! She just saw the dogs again in their sweaters. She just growled at them twice and then seemed to get over it. I guess she is warming up to their new wardrobe!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Kenji is also pretty stable, but he has a big phobia of boxes, and other large box like objects. If I bring in a small cardboard box he starts making this ear piercing peeping and sometimes even dives to the bottom of his cage! I get around that phobia by wrapping the boxes up in a blanket before bringing them into my room lol.

His phobia isn't random though, when his "daddy" got divorced with his first wife she was so angry, she came back into the home and started throwing boxes all over the place. kenji has never forgotten. Other than the boxes he isn't afraid of much else.

 

[Birdman666]

See, now my cag would dive into the friggin' box and start shredding it from the inside out... With the little amazon that follows him around like a puppy not too far behind!

You couldn't keep his butt outta there...

But i make foraging toys out of cardboard boxes...

 

[brianlinkles]

Well, I spoke too soon! She still hates her four legged sisters sweaters! I have never heard such noises coming out of her! It could be a long winter, one of my dogs is a chinese crested and wears sweaters most of the season! I don't understand why this didn't bother her last year????

 

[lotosha]

Here you go:http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/33034-your-greys-side-story.html

They are indeed quite something those CAGs.