The Granola Board

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Handling a Blind Bird

This is the area where we've made the most accomodations for Luna's blindness. Unlike our two sighted birds, Luna can't see when someone's coming to pick her up. Since she can also be a really nasty biter, it's important that we communicate with her so that she knows what to expect.

Step Up

Luna can be very affectionate when she's in the mood, so asking her to step up usually isn't a problem. When we want her to step, we stand near her gym or cage and greet her with a "Hi Luna," or perhaps a "Hey Moons!" At that point, she knows we are waiting for her, and she'll start heading over to say hello. If she's a little confused where I'm standing, I'll keep talking, or I'll tap my fingernail and she'll head my way. When she reaches me, I'll put my finger out for her beak to find, and then she'll gently grab my finger in her beak and the step up with both her feet. Unlike my sighted birds, Luna doesn't step directly onto my hand. She uses her beak first, and then her feet follow.

Touches

Although Luna likes to be petted, scratched and cuddled, understandably she sometimes gets defensive about random touches that seemingly come from nowhere. If she's on a perch or on a shoulder and isn't being actively petted, I always warn her that she's about to be touched. I always call her name and then tell her where I'm planning to touch. "Hey Luna, touch your beak!" or "Hey Luna, touch your tummy!" Doing this lets her know what's happening next, and substantially reduces the chance of being bitten because she's surprised. If she's not in the mood to be touched, then she'll let use know by either backing away, making a little open-beaked wave or a small growl to warn us to back off. As long as we respect her space (and she's in a reasonable mood) we can usually avoid nips.

Shoulder Surfing

Although there's a lot of controversy about birds riding on one's shoulder, we pretty consistently let our birds sit there. Shoulder surfing in our home is a privilege, not a right, and birds that aren't behaving nicely don't get to sit there. Luna seems to feel most secure and comfortable there, so as long as she's in a good mood, she's allowed to stay.

The most important accomodation we've had to make for this activity is that we let her know when we are gonna get up, move around, bend over, or whatever. She's very skilled at holding on, provided she's warned ahead of time. She's very good about holding on with her beak and her feet without damaging clothing. If she's on me and I'm going to get up, I just warn her, "Luna, hold on," and then I give her a moment to grab hold. Then I can pick socks off the floor or do whatever I'm doing without any danger of her falling off, or me being nipped becaus she slipped.