Food etiquette

[cstone01]

We have recently developed a new problem with our bird. Our alexandrine is about 3 years old and we have had him for around 5 years. He is flighted and moves around the house but usually stays around us. We have always let him light on us while eating and I give him salad and vegetables from my plate while I am eating. I guess this was a mistake as 1.5 weeks ago he started trying to take food out of my mouth if I was eating. Other than this he is extremely well behaved. He can be super fast and if he knows I have food he tries to shove his beak into my closed mouth. He never bites but he is pretty tenacious about it. Anytime we are eating he will fly over. If you are eating with a fork he will hang off your hand and try to snatch food as well. In the past I have made the mistake of putting steamed vegetables on my fork and offering them to him that way.

I am worried about him getting food he shouldn’t have as everything we eat isn’t bird suitable. He never steals food directly from a plate (yet). Also possibly of note he is extremely food motivated in general compared to other birds I have been around. If there is any food in the vicinity he is completely absorbed in that above anything g else in the room. He always has chop and fresh food on his stand but even if I put part of a fruit I have on his bowl he is more interested in the piece I am eating. He will do this to anyone in the house maybe even more to guests who are less comfortable with him and less likely to successfully fend him off.

He is similarly obsessed with glasses and cups and tries to get into that as well, this has been the case the entire time he has lived with us. I know the previous owner hey him sit on mugs and teacups when he was younger. Is there a solution to this that anyone knows of?

[Pajarita]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Yes, there is a very easy solution to this problem. Put him in his cage whenever you have guests and you are eating. Mind you, I am not suggesting this because I worry about your guests or you being inconvenienced but because it's what is best for him. People food is never good enough for parrots because unless you are completely vegan but do not consume any soy products or anything that is not organic and eat all your food raw and without any seasoning on it, he should not be eating any of your food. As to guests... well, I do not allow anybody to even touch my parrots and, if anybody is coming over, I put them all back in their cage. I do not take risks with my birds and having them flying around when they are strangers in the house is dangerous.

[liz]

Give him his own place setting and let him watch you take food from your plate and put on his. Do this before you butter or salt your food.