I'm hoping you can give me advice on this somewhat controversial topic. I am very interested in getting a 1-year-old Hahn's macaw from a local pet store. He is very outgoing and a little sweetheart. The only problem is that he absolutely loves to sit on shoulders. I've done a lot of reading about parrots, as this will be my first bird, and it is always strongly discouraged to allow your bird to sit on your shoulder. Apparently, it makes them feel a little higher on the totem pole and also puts you at risk for being bitten on the face if the bird were so inclined. I understand that, but this particular bird, Pitri, seems to greatly enjoy hanging out on the shoulder. Should I consider getting another bird that isn't already so determined to be a shoulder traveler?

-- Tamara M. Sager, Huntington Beach, Calif.

Do you have any suggestions on how to make a 5-month-old conure stay off my shoulder? I have heard that a shoulder parrot causes behavior problems.

-- Nelson Roque, nelsonroque@rogers.com

"HEIGHT DOMINANCE" is a term that has been around for ages. The idea is that a parrot on your shoulder is now at or above your eyes and therefore will try to dominate you. Well, it simply isn't true.

First of all, parrots don't live in dominance-related hierarchies. They live in pairs or family groups, which may or may not congregate in a larger social group in a roost tree or at a feeding site. While a nervous bird will be inclined to climb to the highest point it can, it isn't because it wants to dominate a situation - it simply is seeking safety. For a bird, up is the way to safety and therefore a good place to go to find comfort as well.

Many bird owners interpret aggression in their parrot as a desire to dominate. Again, this isn't the case. When aggression occurs (I’m thinking of biting here) it is because other, subtler signals were ignored. A common scenario is a parrot sitting atop his cage. His owner wants him to go inside his cage so he walks over and offers his finger for the bird to step up. Now, history tells this bird that whenever it steps up from the top of the cage it goes inside so it decides not to step up. Now the owner is in a hurry, so he pushes his finger into the bird's belly and says, "Step up!" The bird still doesn't want to go in, so it moves away from the finger and climbs up the play gym on top of its cage.

Now that the bird is higher, it has gained the ability to stay out even longer because our owner has to go get a chair to stand on in order to reach the bird. The owner offers his finger again, repeats the step-up command, and is promptly bitten.

Was this parrot being dominant in its new, even higher position? Or was it simply reacting to this person who has repeatedly ignored what the bird was saying? After all, birds communicate largely through body language and not stepping up is a pretty clear way of saying, "I don't want to go back in my cage." This scenario can also be played out with a bird that was sitting on the lap and moved up to the shoulder.

So, what can you do about a bird that refuses to budge from a shoulder or the top of its cage? Easy - retrain it using positive reinforcement. Start by trying to figure out why the bird isn't stepping up in certain situations. Do you always end your snuggle sessions by removing your bird from your shoulder and sticking him back in his cage? Or does being picked up from the top of his cage usually mean going back in? If so, why should he want to step up?

Look for ways to make stepping up on the hand always a good thing for your bird. Maybe the hand is the only place he gets his favorite goodies, or the only place he ever gets his head scratched. Show him that he isn't going to be put away every time he steps up - and when he does get put away, maybe it will only be for a few minutes this time. Just long enough to eat the wonderful almond you just dropped in the bowl or shred that cool new toy you just added today.

There are many ways to make going home almost as great as snuggling on your shoulder. Just remember: always ask yourself why your bird is doing what he is doing. Once you know what his motivation is, you can work to change it to suit your needs.

In sum, your bird isn't thinking he is large and in charge just because he is on your shoulder. Whether you allow him on the shoulder is more of a personal call. As you've already noticed, pet parrots frequently are happy on shoulders. They are close to your face (and therefore feel closer to you), there is fun hair nearby to preen, and they have a great view with a very steady perch. (Hands are never as steady as a shoulder because they're always moving, especially if you talk with your hands like I do!)

On the other hand, shoulder perching can pose other kinds of problems. Your bird could swallow an earring or his feet could become entangled in your hair. I have a friend with very long hair, which her eclectus used to love to preen - until he became caught in it. When she tried to untangle him he panicked and, unfortunately, she had to restrain him. It took months for him to overcome his fear of her hands.

And, as you mention, shoulder sitting gives your bird access to delicate ears and the face. I'll use my own cockatoo again as an example. As far as he seems to be concerned, I am his mate. As a result, he can be aggressive toward other people. One day after work, he sat on my shoulder as I stood talking to my roommate. As she approached, he lunged in her direction, an action I didn't see, unfortunately, because I don't have the best view of him when he's on my shoulder. When she took another step closer, he removed a small chunk of my ear.

Displaced aggression - the bird can't reach the object it wants to hurt so it attacks something nearby - usually isn't this severe. Usually, it is as simple as a caged parrot attacking a toy because it can’t get to that person standing just inches away. Unfortunately, if your parrot wants to attack someone while sitting on you, your face could replace that toy. Because of this incident, I no longer let my birds hang out on my shoulder. But I know many people that do - it's their choice.

For more on height dominance, you might want to check out an article by Natural Behaviors Inc. founder and president Steve Martin at http://www.naturalencounters.com/hghtdmnc.html.

ParrotChronicles.com

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