I have a young African Grey parrot who constantly shakes her head. The vet put her on antibiotics, but she doesn’t have an ear infection. She’s always lying on her side and scratching her head and inside her ears with her claws and loves it. But the constant head-shaking - could this be a habit or dry skin or what? I feel sorry for her as she’s such a lovable bird and is starting to talk now.

Hi Dee
Has she been checked for ear mites? If not, it’s worth a shot. Also, there are some vets who specialize in birds – perhaps you should get a second opinion because your poor little African Grey has at least another 60 years to go on this planet!
And yes, this could be a behavioural problem known as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) which explains more or less what it is.

Do try EE (Environmental Enrichment) which means exactly that – improving her environment by giving her fun things to do, food to forage for, toys to play with, a wide selection of different foods to eat and a new lookout where she can see the action.

Remember she is a highly intelligent and sentient being and must have mental stimulus, company, exercise, the correct temperature, fresh food, absolute cleanliness, a place to stretch her wings, a safe environment and something to look forward to in order to remain well adjusted.
Be creative in making her life more interesting – the web is a good place to get tips to keep her happy.

Have fun.
Glynne

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    7 Responses to “Q&A - My African Grey Constantly Shakes Her Head”


  1. Petro Labuschagne Says:
    December 6th, 2007 at 2:47 pm

    I have a baby Indian Ringneck, how can I train him. I want him to learn how to talk and trust me enough to let me sit on my shoulder. The few times that I did handle him he bit me, how can I stop him from biting?

    Hi Petro
    Wear oven gloves!
    Your little bird needs constant expert handling, together with the right food and environmental enrichment if he is to be a happy-chirpy-chappy, trust you and learn to talk.
    Firstly, you must empower yourself with knowledge which you can do by talking to experts, purchasing a good book and Googling for specialized tips and help.
    Have fun, good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
    Glynne

  2. Deon Snyman Says:
    April 17th, 2008 at 11:52 am

    My daughter’s African grey hates to be in his cage. It is the normal Afr.grey size one bought at a pet shop. We do put play stuff in the cage which he don’t really are intrested in. He must be kept in the cage in the mornings while my daughter is in school. After school he can move around freely in her room and even to other parts of the house. When he was younger he sat and scratch in one corner of the cage for hours when closed now he is almost one year old and is pulling out all his feathers when closed. This is a big problem especially when he must stay with bother people when we want to go away for weekends or on vacation.Is there any way we can learn him to except his cage more. He do get his food and water in his cage and sleep during the nights in his cage.

    Hi Deon
    Play things aren’t enough. You must totally make over the environment!
    Change the location of his cage to a safe, quiet, warm, sunny spot where the temperature is mild and where he can see out into the garden or where the action is.
    Make sure his cage is spotless and hygienic 24/7 and there is always clean water.
    Fill his cage with different textures to walk on, look at, go though and hang onto. His toys must be interesting and mirrors are good. He also needs a wide variety of food both fresh and seeds, as well as puzzles containing yummy treats which he will have to work at to win.
    If you were in his cage what would you want? Be creative and give the poor fellow as much mental stimulation as you can dream up.
    Good luck to you both
    Glynne

  3. gem Says:
    April 24th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    how can i get my 3 yr old african grey to stop been so aggressive he dives at any1 who goes near him out of his cage ? thanx

    Hi Gem
    Behavior problems, especially aggression, usually stem from something missing in the bird’s environment. Boredom, lack of trust, lack of interaction with other birds or people, can lead to problems like biting, feather plucking, and screaming. Try to develop a bond of trust and spend time with your bird to help avoid more problems and correct the existing ones.
    Enrich his environment with food he loves, supply puzzles, walkways, hide-aways different textures, mirrors and fun thing for him to do…in other words mental stimulation. Do change the location of his cage; give him a room with a view which is warm, light and interesting.
    Begin training him in his cage so he cannot bite or attack you and then slowly, slowly win him over with treats, sweet talk, touch and lots of TLC. Remember more ants are caught with honey than with vinegar!
    Do visit this website for more info: http://www.birdtricks.com/training_parrots.htm

    Good luck and be patient.
    Glynne

  4. hanri Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    My African grey shakes its head when talked to? Its still young. Is that normal or is something wrong?

    Hi Hanri
    Be on the safe side and have him checked out he may have ear mites. However if it only happens when you talk to him, he’s probably just concentrating very hard. Clever chap hey!
    Glynne

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