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Thank you for the advice! He did step up last night. Even climbed up my husbands pants legs to get onto his shoulder. Don't worry, I used the bleach outside then sprayed off the cage really well. The cage was that dirty! I didn't even want it in the house. He is still trying to only eat peanuts and sunflower seeds. Adding in veggies but he is scared of them, even when they are in small peices.

Ha, yes. I've often thought I could feed 10 other birds at least with what Timber leaves in his breakfast bowl.

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.

Newbie here! I just adopted a new grey last night.

I say some.... I made quite a lot...! But I'm freezing it and taking it out when it's needed so it should last a while. I went shopping and bought an assortment of fruit/veg to throw into it. I basically grabbed anything that was available from the shelves. I got: sweet red pepper peas (I shelled these) sweetcorn (removed from the cob) sugar snap peas (left whole) kale butternut squash (only half used) apples mango beetroot carrots brocoli sweet potato blueberries The nuts are to sprinkle on top of his food or to use as a treat. These weren't mixed into the chop. It took roughly 2 hours... or thereabouts... but that was with various distractions. It's the hottest day of the year so far today and the kitchen is the hottest room in the house, so I did have to keep stepping away to have a drink and cool down from time to time. I got 19 bags (plus whatever I chucked in his bowl already) out of it! Alfie hasn't tried it yet so I'm not sure if I have the beak of approval yet. I've dabbled with chop on and off before but this is the first time I've made a biiig batch of it like this. Most of it normally ends up on the walls and floors. I'm hoping that Alfie takes to it I can sneak more veggies into his diet. (he's very picky!)

You need to slow things down a bit, give Diego a chance to settle into his new home, remember we talk in "grey time" here which means go slow and be very patient with him, don't rush him to do something he is uncomfortable with and allow him to make choices, greys do not like being forced to do something, they want things on their terms. He will let you know when he is ready for more interaction. I sympathize with the sharp nails as my greys are like needles and I get scratches from her on my hands, some people have luck with pumice type perches but either my grey is not using hers in such a way to wear her nail points down or I have them improperly placed but I usually have to take her and have hers trimmed as she is not willing to let me file them down but some have greys that will allow them to file them, lucky them. He was probably clipped so that's why he doesn't fly but his wings will grow back though it takes time for a full set to grow in. In the meantime if he has a habit of trying to fly off his cage put some pillows, towels or blankets around so he will have soft landings for a hard one could break his keel bone. He looks a darling from the picture you shared, don't hesitate to share more of him as we love photos.

So the woman told me she had to re-home him because her dog was being aggressive to him. Last night Diego tried to fly and he couldn't. His wings were very messed up.

Congrats on rescuing this beautiful grey. He is very lucky. I would do away with the dowel, those are scary if they are not used to it. If you put you hand facing down and make a fist, when you ask him to step up, there really is nothing for him to latch onto. This will help gain trust. Does he know how to step up? Please be careful of the bleach, that’s toxic and very bad for them. They have delicate respiring sytems and can die very quickly from toxic fumes. No candles, air fresheners, self cleaning ovens or chemicals.

He's beautiful! They are attention hounds. My Timber rarely talks when I'm in the room. If I go to another room and listen closely, that's when he talks. I always suspect it's the last trick in his bag to get me to come back to the room he is in.

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.

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.

Our Huey does the microwave beep too when he wants one of us (mostly my wife). I would get used to using your hand to get him to step up. Use a treat to distract him onto your hand so he's not contemplating a bite. He may not be a biter. It's sounds like both of you scored a great deal! I would love to see pics of Diego.

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.

Hello! Welcome! Congratulations on your new addition!