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Here is Diego, I'll post more pictures soon. He is doing well. He he gets off his cage and follows us around still. Today he acted like he wanted to step up onto my hand while he was on the floor. But he didn't quite go all the way. He hasn't really talked anymore, just lots of noises and laughs. I'm not sure if he really talks or not. Which I don't care either way. He seems like a very sweet guy so praying he is. He is a little clown. If we don't pay attention he will knock on his cage, pick up and drop his bowl and swing around all silly.

Congratulations for adopting. Sounds like nothing but good things are awaiting him in his new home. I recently adopted a 25 year old CAG and although he was great on my visits to the adoption center and his first day home, he chomped me hard in the second day. This obviously broke the trust for both of us and we are still building it back up. It has been a month and we are making progress. Like you, I began using a dowel rod to pick him up. He would attack that rod with a vengeance. After weeks of this, last night we had a breakthrough. When he comes out of his cage, he likes to go straight to the floor. This is when I usually pick him up to put him on his playgym. BUT, for some reason, yesterday he stepped up on the dowel with no problem at all. No attack, no bites or chomps. I was shocked and thrilled. As many have said, baby steps. It could take a very long time for you to be able to pick him up but keep trying. Look into target training as this has helped me with Morgan.

Hi I have Grey like 8 months now (he is about 1 year old). First he was very good and kind with me and my family and friends. He was out most of the time not bitting at all! I don't know why but he was on my shoulder all the time, at first i liked that, but sometime its was really hard to take him off without getting bitten. As he was growing he started to bite more and more to the point of blood every single day. I wasn't able to get his nails done( i was afraid of getting him hurt, and i couldn't find the guy to do it) so it was painful when he was on my shoulder. At some point he was in the cage for 3 days ( not that big ). When i got him out he bites me harder than ever and i didn't know what to do so from that point he didn't go much from cage like before because i was afraid, and when i get him out i just leave him in the room or play with him without getting him on me. I think he will start hurting him self it this go on so i was wondering if any of you know what is happening and how can i get him back to normal thanks .

Hopefully he will take to it. I used to make large batches of chop, mash, breads, etc...and found out that most of it was wasted. Now when trying something new, I make a very small amount to see if my CAG will eat it. Most of the time, he doesn't. I could have fed a small third world country with the food waste I have had.

I'm not sure I can offer much help or advice with this one - but hopefully someone with more insight will be along soon to help. Was this a sudden change in behaviour or a gradual one? Have there been any changes in your birds environment recently that may have upset him? Think hard about this one, as African Grey's can be quite change adverse at times. I've heard about birds who took exception to their owners wearing hats or glasses or changing their hair colour. When does you bird bite? Is it just because you're trying to move him off your shoulder or get him to step up? Or is there a certain behaviour that happens before a bite? Is he getting over excited or displaying mating behaviours before he starts showing signs of aggression? I read a good article about this type of agression: http://www.northernparrots.com/parrot-excitement-that-turns-to-aggression-blog606/ Are you the main caregiver or do your family get involved too? Is there any person that is able to handle your bird without being bitten?

Alfie is currently picking through his bowl trying to pick out the nuts from the chop. 😂 I think he is accidentally eating some chop in the process though.

Thank you for rescuing Diego from his less than ideal situation! I also have to drive 2 hours to see Dr. Kirsting in St. Louis. I was fortunate enough to find a vet who "sees birds" who is only about 20 minutes away. They do a good job on nail trims between trips to St. Louis.

Thank you for taking in and rescuing this poor bird from such an awful environment. Sit back, relax and get ready for many wonderful years of learning about your new addition and enjoying his company. I'm going to steal something I wrote on another introductory post as I think it may be helpful here: "One thing you will learn quite quickly is a little thing called "grey time". This is the time it takes for a grey to adjust and accept changes. This can be changes in routine, toys, location, people etc etc. Your bird has just undertaken a very big change and everything is still very new. Your bird is trying to adjust to a new home, new humans, a new routine, new sounds, new toys... everything. This can be a bit overwhelming for a grey as they can be a little change adverse at times. It can take days, weeks or sometimes months for a grey to adapt to these kind of changes and come out of their shell. This is what we call 'grey time'. Some changes may be more readily accepted by the bird than others... so there's no telling how much 'grey time' is needed for different changes. The important thing to remember is that the grey will show you when they are ready to accept a change or a new offering. They will also show you when they are not ready. A lot of this is shown via their body language- so pay attention to what your grey is doing... especially if you receive a nip or a bite...e.g what were the eyes doing, how were the feathers being held? There may be some subtle signs that your bird gives you before he resorts to a bite. Given enough time, you will start to be able to read your birds body language and will be able to know when the bird has had enough or is happy to progress." Allow your bird time to settle in and get used to the comings and goings of his new home. Talk to him often, tell him what you're doing, tell him why you're doing it. Maybe read some books to him or ask your children to read to him. This helps him get used to you being around him and gets him used to all of your voices. He probably doesn't like the dowel rod because he's never seen it before and it's coming straight at him. He will probably bite it in protest of it coming near him. Again, it's going to take 'grey time' for him to get used to it. There is a massive amount of information on these forums available to you so please feel free to look around and use the search tool. If you don't find an answer to your questions then ask - someone will be able to help out. In regards to vets- ALWAYS take your bird to an avian vet. Never take them to a 'regular' vet who isn't qualified or trained in avian care. They won't necessarily know how to handle your bird or treat him and this can lead to unnecessary stress for the bird or incorrect advice being given. I recommend looking into what foods are/aren't safe for your bird. Start giving him some different choices of foods. It may take a little while to wean him off a purely seed based diet but do persevere. He'll find something he likes eventually! Lastly, we like photos. As and when you're able to, we would love to see some photos of your new feathered friend.