[AngelsMom]

I was just wondering, my tiel Angel just was grooming my hair and then she climbed on my head. I slowly looked UP at her and she looked DOWN at me. Do I need to be worried about her feeling dominant over me? Thanks!

 

[Bea]

Birds in the wild don't have a social heirachy, they're one big equal flock. So a higher bird won't be a dominant bird. But it can be hard to manage them when they're somewhere like your head simply because you can't see them and they feel safe and happy up high and won't want to come down, and after a while you start to realise that you really don't want your hair messed up and pooped in all the time. I suggest you discourage her from using your head as a perch sooner rather than later. It's tricky to un-learn a habit, but it's easy to teach them good habits right from the start.

 

[Laura]

I would worry more about her pooping in your hair then her feeling dominant none of mine are allowed up there and they have pretty much learned that, but they do try from time to time I just take them right off.

 

[sweetrsue]

I have a baby I am hand feeding in my aviary. I come in with his formula and sit down on a little stool. before I get settled he is on my head. It's easy enough to reach up and have him step onto my hand and I figure it's easier to have him come to me. So if he's up there he can stay just 'till I get all ready to feed him but it certainly isn't his regular perch.

 

[Plukie]

Birds in the wild don't have a social heirachy, they're one big equal flock. So a higher bird won't be a dominant bird. But it can be hard to manage them when they're somewhere like your head simply because you can't see them and they feel safe and happy up high and won't want to come down, and after a while you start to realise that you really don't want your hair messed up and pooped in all the time. I suggest you discourage her from using your head as a perch sooner rather than later. It's tricky to un-learn a habit, but it's easy to teach them good habits right from the start.

That's interesting Bea, I thought that it WAS a dominance thing. Look what I went through with Dooby! I don't let Daisy or Dooby sit on my head, or my shoulder actually. That's just because Dooby is inclined to nip my ear and I really didn't want to start it with Daisy.

 

[Bea]

I always used to think it was a dominance thing too. But there's lots of recent research suggesting otherwise. The higher = dominant thing carried over from dogs i think, where there is a social heirachy in their packs. It just took us humans a while to decide it might be different for other species, lol.

 

[Plukie]

Oh well that's interesting. It's good that there is more research going on, who knows one day we might even be able to talk to the animals! LOL.

 

[xxxSpikexxx]

Oh well that's interesting. It's good that there is more research going on, who knows one day we might even be able to talk to the animals! LOL.

I talk to my animals all the time, Spike even talks back sometimes

 

[sweetrsue]

So I wonder where the term "pecking order" came from?