Ask Lafeber

African Grey Behavior

I have a 25 year old male African Grey who often tries to …”mate” with my foot. Is this ever going to stop? Do they outgrow these hormones at a certain age?

Hi Lydia,

I’m sorry we didn’t get to your question during the May 8 Webinar, but Dr. Lamb did answer live during the May 15 webinar – please view using the link below.

The short answer is that birds can remain hormonal even into their senior years. The foot attraction is common – birds often will court their owner’s foot or try to feed the toes! Keeping him off of the floor and away from feet would be one thing that can help.

Webinar: “Pet Birds & Hormonal Behavior: Part 2!”

I would also suggest reading this recent article about birds on the floor:

Why You Should Rethink Allowing Your Parrot On The Floor

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda