Body Language of Your Gray

There are several signs your gray will display to show its moods. They will react if their relaxed, angry, showing fear and even showing affection. There are also signs that will show it’s nervous.

When your gray is completely content he will start what is called beak grinding. It will use its lower beak and tongue and rub them gently with the upper beak to create a soft grinding sound. Most parrots will do this just before going to sleep.

When your gray is fully relaxed he will fluff up its feathers around its neck and head. If however it does this for a long period of time and becomes less talkative or noisy you should bring it to a veterinarian as soon as possible because this may be a sign for a sickness.

When your gray has its head underneath its wing it is sleeping. Most times the gray will do this while the owners are out or at work for the day.

There are over two thousand feathers on your grays body. With this in mind you will see your gray preening or cleaning itself. They will take each feather between its beaks and using the tongue licking the feather to clean it. They will also use their head to rub a preen gland found at the base of its tail. It will use the oils that are secreted to clean its feathers with. Preening is a distinctive behavior but it also one that is learned. If you notice that your gray is over preening or under preening let it watch an older gray preen and it will learn from it. Your gray will from time to time ask for your help in preening its head. If he lowers its head and fluffs out the feathers on top he may want you to preen it for him. These feathers are called pin feathers. Pin feathers are new feathers that are produced in a hard shell like quill. When preening the pin feathers be sure not to preen too early. The tip of the feather with be whitish in color and the feather will move freely and not be stiff. When preening just grab the whitish part between your nails and pinch lightly, all you want to do is to get the whitish part to start to come off. This will eventually come off by itself overtime. Then just move on to the next one and so on.

If your grays chest starts to quiver and shake do not be alarmed it is only showing you feelings of emotion. When it is just the chest feathers shaking it is showing you that it is happy. When your gray is standing on one foot with the other foot under its breast it is a completely relaxed gray.

There are several signs of fear that it will show you. The gray will appear to be frozen. If this happens he is noticing something wrong or a sudden movement or noise scared it. It will flatten it feathers when it is afraid just the opposite as when it fluffs it when relaxed. In addition to the chest quivering the grays entire body will shake when it is afraid. Its breathing will become heavy and it pupils will be wide and fixed staring at what is alarming it.

Two common signs to look out for when your gray is angry are its feathers standing up. It will do this when it want to protect it territory or when it feels the need to attack. Eyes will become just dots or pinned when the gray fluffs up it feathers. If this happens be careful it is a signal that it will bite, however if the feathers are normal and its pinning it eyes it could be concentrating on something nearby.

Regurgitation is a sign of love or courtship. If you’re gray bobs its head up and down and regurgitates food for you just put out your hand and take it. Your gray is actually trying to feed you. If however it does this for an extended amount of time bring it to the veterinarian it could be a sign for a sickness. If your gray starts groaning, lowers its wings and start to quiver towards you don’t be alarmed; it is showing it loves you. It is good to respond verbally but do not touch the gray until it calms down.

Nail biting, wing flapping and extended periods of hyperactivity are all common signs of nervousness. This can also mean the gray is tired or hungry also. So check the food and water make sure there is enough and you could also cover the cage and keep the noise in its room to a minimum so that it can rest.

One more interesting fact is that your gray might cough. Do not get upset it is only imitating a human cough. That sound is one of the most common sounds the gray likes to mimic.