aggression

[1 Gray I]

I've had my gray for about 3 months now. he's only 6 months old, he's been a great bird open till now. He's been very nippy the past week. I was wondering if molting would causes behavior? Or is it that I'm not reading him right? This is my first big parrot so I did do a lot of reading before we got him. Any help would be appreciated.

[marie83]

Moulting will certainly make them grumpier but the grey should still display some sort of warning prior to the aggression unless it has been trained out of him. I dont think many humans are very perseptive of body language within our own species never mind another, so learning to read it can take time and concentration on detail. Sometimes the signs are realy really subtle.

[Michael]

At a mere 6 months old he's just a baby. I doubt he's molting or showing aggression. Most likely you're just misinterpreting.

[Andromeda]

Moulting will certainly make them grumpier but the grey should still display some sort of warning prior to the aggression unless it has been trained out of him. I dont think many humans are very perseptive of body language within our own species never mind another, so learning to read it can take time and concentration on detail. Sometimes the signs are realy really subtle.

+1

I don't have a Grey but have been around them enough to recognize some of their body language. Look for pre-bite indicators (the bird will give off not just one, but several, before resorting to a bite):

1. Pinning eyes (can signal excitement or aggression). With excitement the feathers are usually smooth. With aggression the feathers are usually puffy and the eyes may be narrowed a bit.

2. Growling

3. Fanning the tail

4. Crouching and/or lowering the head, especially with ruffled feathers

There are probably more but that's all I know for that species.

For example, this bird? STAY AWAY!

[marie83]

Ops I didn't pay attention to the age detail at 6 months Michael is right about the moulting.
I do think it is possible for a 6 month old to be aggressive though if you have inadvertanty taught him to be. The most likely scenario is he is playing with a little more force than us humans like, a bit like a boisterous child.

[Michael]

For example, this bird? STAY AWAY!

I dunno... to me it says "Look how cute and fluffy I am! Pet me!"

[Andromeda]

I dunno... to me it says "Look how cute and fluffy I am! Pet me!"

Hmm, could be... I don't know, if it was just the head that was fluffy I might give petting a shot but the fluffy body, especially the fluffy feathers on the nape... Personally I would stay away! LOL

[cml]

I dunno... to me it says "Look how cute and fluffy I am! Pet me!"

Hmm, could be... I don't know, if it was just the head that was fluffy I might give petting a shot but the fluffy body, especially the fluffy feathers on the nape... Personally I would stay away! LOL

The difference with Leroy is, fluffy head and body means he wants a scratch.
If his wings are fluffy as well, and a little to the side, then he is angry.

[friend2parrots]

For example, this bird? STAY AWAY!

Andromeda is right - this is a photo of an aggressive posture. The way you can tell the difference between "i'm fluffy and relaxed (and hence the "look how cute i am, come and pet me" that Michael suggested) and aggression is by looking at the ratio between the height of the nape feathers and the height of the feathers on the rest of the body. In this photo above the taller height of the nape feathers is the key indicator, despite the fact that other feathers may be fluffy.

1. Pinning eyes (can signal excitement or aggression). With excitement the feathers are usually smooth. With aggression the feathers are usually puffy and the eyes may be narrowed a bit.

2. Growling

3. Fanning the tail

4. Crouching and/or lowering the head, especially with ruffled feathers

the nape feathers rising can occur alone, or in conjunction with any or all of the other signs of aggression Andromeda listed above. but if you see the nape feathers as high as they are in that photo - BACK OFF!!!

[Andromeda]

the nape feathers rising can occur alone, or in conjunction with any or all of the other signs of aggression Andromeda listed above. but if you see the nape feathers as high as they are in that photo - BACK OFF!!!

Yeah, that's kind of the big red flag for me. My GCC and brown-headed parrot don't do that but growing up I had a lovebird, a Quaker, and a parrotlet and for all of them super raised nape feathers meant "I AM REALLY TO'D RIGHT NOW!"

I know different birds have different body language and I have never owned a Grey but personally I would not approach a one with nape feathers that looked like that.