Squeekmouse
Well-known member
Hello my friends,
I'm really hoping my ParrotForums family can help us out on a problem we've been having with our CAG Trigger. I don't know if his behavioral issues are specific to the fact that he is an African Grey, so I figured this would be the better place to post. Anyhoo, here's the issue...
Trigger was born August 20, 2018, so he is just over a year old now. In the last year he has gone through phases of difficult behavior and then come out of them. So maybe this latest thing is another phase, or maybe it's something we need to take action on.
Most evenings after dinner, we watch a movie or TV show with the boys hanging out on us or on their perches. Yoda usually snuggles into my hair, Trigger plays with his toys on our laps or on his perch. The boys are wonderfully behaved and happy during this time before bedtime.
Often, when we're both home in the afternoon (weekends and occasional work day), we will try to watch a movie together like we do in the evenings. Yoda usually snuggles with my hubby, while Trigger typically hangs out on his perches and does his best to drive us completely insane. He'll either practice all of his vocalizations as loud as he possibly can, with plenty of loud screeches. To spice things up, he'll fly over and land on our heads, attempting to steel our glasses while he's at it. He KNOWS landing on the head is forbidden and he KNOWS messing with the glasses is forbidden. Outside of the afternoon movies, he doesn't do these things very often. During after dinner movies he is an angel, but in the afternoon... it's a totally different story.
Is this some kind of a phase he is going through? We thought he might be responding to the volume of the movie, but it doesn't matter if we turn it up or turn it down, he is the same either way. If we put him in his cage, he can't jump on our heads of course, but he tries to make up for it with even more volume. He doesn't sound distressed, he doesn't seem like he is attacking, he just seems like a two year old who has been drinking coffee and energy drinks. I've tried playing with him and offering him toys on my lap, but he either plays rough and bites, or flies to my head, or flies back to his perch to scream some more. If I stand up and go stand next to his tree perch, he will USUALLY quiet down and just preen. But I'd really rather not have to spend the whole movie standing by his tree perch, paying more attention to him than the movie.
It's not like we don't ever pay attention to him, for background here is what life is typically like for us. During the week, my husband goes into the office to work and I work from home. He spends at least a half hour every morning with the boys before he goes, teaching them tricks and playing with them, and I also spend about a half hour with them giving them attention and skritches and love. Then the boys go into their cages for a few hours as Wolfy (my hubby) is at work and I'm out /working/busy. From around 11am onward, they will come out of their cages in shifts (because they don't get along and I can't watch them close enough while I work). Sadly, Yoda gets more out of cage time because he is easier to keep entertained while I work. Some weekdays Wolfy works from home also and both boys get a lot more out of cage time then. Also, on the weekends they are out of the cage with us most of the day.
Anyone else have this kinda thing happen? Any suggestions? We're going crazy here...
I'm really hoping my ParrotForums family can help us out on a problem we've been having with our CAG Trigger. I don't know if his behavioral issues are specific to the fact that he is an African Grey, so I figured this would be the better place to post. Anyhoo, here's the issue...
Trigger was born August 20, 2018, so he is just over a year old now. In the last year he has gone through phases of difficult behavior and then come out of them. So maybe this latest thing is another phase, or maybe it's something we need to take action on.
Most evenings after dinner, we watch a movie or TV show with the boys hanging out on us or on their perches. Yoda usually snuggles into my hair, Trigger plays with his toys on our laps or on his perch. The boys are wonderfully behaved and happy during this time before bedtime.
Often, when we're both home in the afternoon (weekends and occasional work day), we will try to watch a movie together like we do in the evenings. Yoda usually snuggles with my hubby, while Trigger typically hangs out on his perches and does his best to drive us completely insane. He'll either practice all of his vocalizations as loud as he possibly can, with plenty of loud screeches. To spice things up, he'll fly over and land on our heads, attempting to steel our glasses while he's at it. He KNOWS landing on the head is forbidden and he KNOWS messing with the glasses is forbidden. Outside of the afternoon movies, he doesn't do these things very often. During after dinner movies he is an angel, but in the afternoon... it's a totally different story.
Is this some kind of a phase he is going through? We thought he might be responding to the volume of the movie, but it doesn't matter if we turn it up or turn it down, he is the same either way. If we put him in his cage, he can't jump on our heads of course, but he tries to make up for it with even more volume. He doesn't sound distressed, he doesn't seem like he is attacking, he just seems like a two year old who has been drinking coffee and energy drinks. I've tried playing with him and offering him toys on my lap, but he either plays rough and bites, or flies to my head, or flies back to his perch to scream some more. If I stand up and go stand next to his tree perch, he will USUALLY quiet down and just preen. But I'd really rather not have to spend the whole movie standing by his tree perch, paying more attention to him than the movie.
It's not like we don't ever pay attention to him, for background here is what life is typically like for us. During the week, my husband goes into the office to work and I work from home. He spends at least a half hour every morning with the boys before he goes, teaching them tricks and playing with them, and I also spend about a half hour with them giving them attention and skritches and love. Then the boys go into their cages for a few hours as Wolfy (my hubby) is at work and I'm out /working/busy. From around 11am onward, they will come out of their cages in shifts (because they don't get along and I can't watch them close enough while I work). Sadly, Yoda gets more out of cage time because he is easier to keep entertained while I work. Some weekdays Wolfy works from home also and both boys get a lot more out of cage time then. Also, on the weekends they are out of the cage with us most of the day.
Anyone else have this kinda thing happen? Any suggestions? We're going crazy here...
