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Hi my husband and I just purchased a baby afican gray we were told that it was 6 weeks old I truly believe she is 4 to 5 weeks old we are hand feeding her and she eats very well but I'm concerned about my 4 year old gray who was 6 months old when we got him and introducing them . does anyone have any information that could be passed along please we absolutely adore our birds thanks for any help

Most greys do not accept new things easily. What I do with Timber is place the new toy near his cage, not in it. Over the next few days, I move it closer and closer. Eventually we get to putting it in the cage. Then there is a good chance he won't be interested in it anyway, but he isn't scared of it, ha. This kind of behavior is very normal from what I've read on the forum. Do you have any plain stainless steel bells? Most greys love bells, but you have to go through the same process of getting them used to it. At any rate, I just wanted to reassure you that his reaction to the new toy is in no way unusual and nothing to worry about, To sum it up, they DO NOT like change!

Hi, weaning a baby parrot is one of the hardest things to do. Whenever I get the chance, I try to talk a person out of it. The possible heartbreak alone is hard enough...if your baby is truly 4-6 weeks old, you need an experienced breeder. Please don't be mad at me, I am only speaking the truth. Do you have a feeding schedule? How many times a day and how much are you feeding? What type of formula and what temperature? Do you have a scale that will weigh in grams or ounces? Are you using a syringe or spoon? Did you hand-feed your other baby? You don't have to worry about your other Grey...just keep them apart until your baby gets older. We're here to help you. After all our years of hand-raising and caring for parrots, we learned it's not the hand-feeding that creates the bond, but the presence of the human, the holding and communication that creates this bonding process. This also allows the parents the proper amount of time to raise the chicks to be on their own. Please see the post "FEEDING MY PARROT". If you like, go to the INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME LOUNGE and tell us all about you and yours. Thank you! Jayd

Your English is better than some of our natives.

you are doing great...your English is fine...and everyone at the Forum is here for you!

This is fun...How would you like to experience hand-feeding with your Grey without having to actually getting a new bird? What you need is Cream of Wheat, a thermometer, and a spoon. Mix up some Cream of Wheat with water cook it but not a paste, slightly runny (not too thick). Heat until it is no less than 105 and no more than 109 degrees Fahrenheit. On a table, put your Grey in front of you and hold a spoonful to the beak. It won't take long before the Grey realizes and starts gulping it down, reverting to its childhood...If you are lucky the Grey may even hold its wings out and bob..at the worst case, they'll just eat it or walk away...Three or four teaspoons are plenty, It also helps in bonding.

Hello everyone 👋 I’ve just moved his cage and now he is in living room ( he was in my room ) , can you guys tell me whether his new place is good or not ? P.S : Since I couldn’t upload the image here I think there’s a problem with forum so I uploaded it somewhere else here is the link : https://ibb.co/jUQM07

Hello guys. Today I attempted to install toy in his cage, after i did it , Omg 😮 he was frightened , as if the toy was a predator , I thought it’s because of me , so i stayed way and ignored him for 5 minuets , and I realized it was because of the toy , and when i saw him frightened and squeezed himself at one side the cage actually i could fell tears in my eyes and wanted to cry . although I’m not a girl but ... . I just love birds and I want them to have a perfect life i have 3 budgies and 1 canary , and i gave them a room to live together freely with cages that are always open , but I’m really worried about my parrot :((( any suggestion guys ? And the toy isn’t colorful it’s plain and consists of : wood , rope and a small bell.

Hello is it normal that he screams while whistling ? If it isn’t what causes this ? the film is attached to the post A2408BFD-7751-4E8E-9AEE-9591D2F721FF.MP4

I dont know when I bought it from pet-store there were many parrots in the store including grey african parrots and other kinds And tnx i will do this 🙏🙏🙏

Hi, it sounds to me like he is just calling for someone or some attention...Put a small cardboard box in his cage to give him something to chew on. He needs attention...sit down by the cage and read a book out loud to him. I doesn't matter what...get a chunk of carrot and put it between the cage bars. Leave a couple of small food dishes in there for him. Did he have a mate or another bird with him when you got him?

Thank you I really appreciate your help 🙏🙏🙏 Since he is sleeping 💤 now ( here is 2:31 AM right now ) i will surely do it tomorrow, and thanks guys for your your helps you are my savior ( I'm in middle of learning English so sorry about mistakes🙏😊

Heed the advice you have been given...Judy and everyone else is right on...get toys in there as soon as possible...Try to place kale or other green leafy or stemmed veggies (like a carrot) in between the bars of the cage. Get a small custard bowls or small dishes and keep them full of foods in the bottom of the cage at all times...(do not place under perches lol ) What you are trying to do is acclimate him to you, not you to him..remember this will take some time, maybe a lot of time...Don't give up. You might try a flat bowl if water on the bottom of his cage with room temperature water and he might take hi own bath...you could even place some parsley or small chopped lettuce in the water to entice him. it might be too soon for a spray bottle as it might spook him...Right now. he is bored. There is nothing in his cage to keep him occupied, it's like he's sitting on a bare limb in the middle of the jungle exposed to all the predators. Let him scream, toys will help and give him shelter. What you are trying to do is ignore him right now to show and make him feel you are no threat to him...as time goes on, you will get closer and closer to him and start bonding.

I couldn't agree with you more wholeheartedly...bonding is complex Thank you Luvparrots!

I was told to put a wild parrot somewhere that two side of the cage is wall so that he feels safe and also has a good vision to the house and surrounding. But when we are close to him he starts screaming:(

It’s a evaporative cooler , but we don’t use it until 3 months later and we sold our house and we will move in 2 months later so we won’t use it and in new house I will definitely put him somewhere far away from any cooler and air conditioner.

Hi i had your opinion exactly but when I bought , the salesman told me that this cage is exactly for grey african grey , in feature I will deposit money 💰 and buy a big one . and i have toys for him , but unfortunately I haven’t used them yet because hi growls whenever I approach him I afraid if i open his cage he will hurt himself;( should i put his toys in his cage in this situation is it ok ? P.S: should i shower him now ? I know about temperature of the water and water pressure , but it’s been 26 days i guess ,, do you think it’s time ?

I don't mean to be critical but I see several things wrong here in this picture. First of all the cage he is in is much too small for a grey and I see no toys for him to play with. That cage is about budgie size and he needs one that is big enough for him to spread his wings and not touch the sides. He needs toys to occupy his time and to vent his frustrations on or he might find some other way such as plucking his own feathers. Second if that is some kind of heating or cooling unit above his cage then the cage needs to be relocated, it does need to be against a wall but it doesn't have to be a corner.

When I first got Sterling Gris he was a young one and I finished his handfeeding. Ana Grey watched and finished off the food. They bonded because of it. I think Sterling thinks Ana Grey is his Mama. She is the leader and Sterling Gris who is twice her size believes she is his boss and follows her around.

I would place him by the window. Somewhere that he is part of the family.

What is the unit above his cage? It sort of resembles a ductless mini-split but that may not be what it is. Whatever it is, if it creates a draft on the bird, it's not a good spot.

This is from a post I did way back when but it's still relevant.... Posted May 24, 2010 Abundant feeding Abundant feeding, is exactly what the name apply, To have enough food available for your growing baby that they'll never have to search or worry about food. The change from "Rapid weaning" to "Abundant Feeding came about in the early "90's". A study of wild and hand raised Hyacinth Macaws showed that hand raised H macaw's of the time were stunted, smaller, and out of proportion. At the time, rapid weaning was in favor, hand feeding would be cut to force the birds to wean and eat solid food sooner. Through these studies, Abundant feeding came about. What is Abundant feeding? At all times you have more food available then is needed for the babies, yes some food is wasted, but you have a healthy bird...Have plenty of pellets and seed's available at all times, fresh veggies through-out the day, and most important, hand-feeding as long as the baby wants it, no exceptions. Posted May 24, 2010 Go ahead with the food, at this stage they do more playing with it than eating but they will start eating...remember to remove your soaked pellets after 2 hours. I don't suggest adding anything to the formula other than a 1/4 teaspoon of peanut butter if the baby is underweight. The formula actually stimulates the desire for solid foods. ...every baby is different. Does your baby have big feet and large bones? Spock has extremely large feet...he always has... How many times are you feeding your baby a day? My personal feelings are no...I worry too much about stretched crops. I've seen it too many times. The crop should be spongy when you touch it with your finger...not tight. Another concern of mine regarding feeding formula is I've seen incidents where too much formula has been given and it cools too fast and impacts which sometimes can be resolved and other times not. In the early ninety's with the impending law to stop all importation of new birds to the US, the bird pet industry went into overdrive to captive-breed existing parrots. During this time, we were paid $20 a day to feed 80-100 babies a day. This was with a Gavage needle inserted into the crop. This is definitely NOT my way of feeding unless I have a sick or injured bird. Jayd

Sure thing. Thanks alot! I ll keep questioning if i face anymore difficulties

Thank you. Next week work hm up to 50cc, stay on 3 times a day for 3 more weeks then reduce hm to twice a day. Get yourself a low cage an put 2 perches as low as you can. line the bottom of the cage with soft towels.Acclimate him out of the brooder, NO DRAFTS!!!You can put a light for extra heat if needed. He'll let you know if he's hungry...You need a postal scale and weigh him each morning after his big poop,Record it. Only formula now...Please keep us informed..

I am spoon feeding him and almsot about 30-45cc every feed depending upon how much he eats. I feed him regularly after every 7/8 hours. And no i wont ever clip his wings. I just wanted to know when do i start feeding him seeds? Because i have a few people telling me that i should have started feeding him seeds already and all that. Oh and i still have my tango inside a brooder.

Always remember, you have the final say so on what you do. We can only offer advice.Jayd

Thank you , i hope he deals with changing his plcae .

Don't laugh, Wash your hands before approaching him, change the color of your clothes, don't wear any perfume, cologne, or lotion around him, change how you wear your hair, up or down, no hairspray, don't use fabric softener on your clothes.

Posted on your original post...

Tell every one to keep back from him for a while, he senes your stress.

Greetings, your baby shouldn't be weaned till at least 3 month old.. How many cc's are you feeding now, and whats your feeding schedule? What formula are you feeding? Please don't clip the wings now, he won't wean until he's ready to fly, clip him later if you must...

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. Better yet: To err is human to forgive divine. My goodness think of it this way, if our fids never forgave us everytime we pissed them off, we'd all be in a world of pain. Move on. Let's all enjoy sharing our fids because this is what Greyforums is really all about.

Hi Jay: I would like to take this time to welcome you back on the forum as you do have a lot of good information to share with our members. I do hope and believe that things will work out. I know that I am a moderator today because of your input and I thank you for that. I have always respected your opinion and you respected mine even though we did not always see eye to eye. Welcome back.

Thank you! That's all I asked for. That's in the past, and we as members need to rise above it, and move forward for the real reasons we are all here...out fids!

I don't know what happened, I seem to be blissfully ignorant in this matter. I just hope that we can all get along from this point forward, please?

Birdhouse,.....I am fully aware of what went down...remember...I was there.... As for YOUR opinion, as it being a "slap in the face", this a a forum for goodness sakes, not the empire of the world. People make mistakes, say things and do things in life that they regret, many are punished for it. As forum administrator, I feel that a 3 year ban was enough punishment, I can count on one hand the members that I have given a life sentence to...It is obvious that you don't agree. I don't care about that, I'm not worried about a popularity contest. I do what I feel is the right thing to do regardless of what you or others think. If people don't like the way I do things here, well...there are thousands of other bird forums and they can let the door hit them in the ass on the way out. If negative posts continue, then I will delete them P.S. Don't you worry yourself about what permissions I allow members here to have....but thanks for the reminder..

I am happy to see you back here all of you and looking forward to the stories. The flock has grown at our house and the Sanctuary is working on Harvey recovery.

Hey, hey Jayd and Maggie nice to hear from you. Looking forward to you sharing your knowledge and fids with us. Ana Grey and Sterling Gris are as ornery as ever. Looking forward to some pictures of your flock. Welcome home.

If you get any spare time...updates on the pics would be fun to see!

Birdhouse, I have deleted your post as in my opinion, it was inappropriate. To bring up what behind us...is no way to move forward. Jayd, Thanks you for rising above & not adding fuel to the spark Birdhouse dropped. I for one, have learned much from Jayd & Maggie. I am all about forgive & forget, (which Birdhouse, personally is something you should know about me). Welcome Back, Jayd & Maggie! I look forward to all you can bring to us here at greyforums!