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I think you're going to have your hands full with this little guy! Rojo is a lovely name. I hope he approves of a name soon.

I would not advise doing this just for a nail trim. Is the vet experienced with birds or an avian specialist? If not, that may be why they are making that recommendation. Alfie was gassed by a vet once so they could help with his beak (it was growing longer on one side and causing the beak to grow out wonky). They gassed him and sorted the beak but Alfie was sick after the procedure and very dazed/out of it from the gas for a good few hours. I found another vet who is further away but obviously has a lot more experience with birds, as he is able to handle Alfie a lot better, with a lot less stress and most importantly- no gas. I have never been back to that first vet and always travel the extra distance to see the vet that I trust. I would personally seek a second opinion from another vet who is used to handling/treating birds. The risk and stress isn't worth it for a nail trim. It should be achievable with an experience hand and a towel. If you have any doubts about the care being provided by a vet then you are better to walk away and find another vet. It's always important to be able to trust the person giving care to your beloved pets.

Is this an avian vet? If not, is this a vet with bird experience? Timber was very aggressive and upset when I first got him and started taking him to have his nails trimmed. I was amazed at how calmly the vet and tech toweled him up and trimmed his nails without getting a bite, because he was giving it his best shot. I don't know your situation, or your bird, so can't give advice, but anesthesia is tricky with birds and I'm not sure a nail trim would be worth the risk?

Can you post a pic of his nails? Putting a parrot to sleep is risky business.

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Good sound advice just think it over and see what your heart and mind suggest.

The new guy is working on getting a name and he let himself out off cage and went walk about into the kitchen. He was gathering attention of our cats and dog when hubby walked up on him. Tried to step him up and got bitten a few times with meaning. Had to towel his pretty pink self to return him to safety and then develop a new cage security system. Must be over the fear to leaqve the cage now to work on step up and trust issues. He loves head rubs so that may be a starting place.🌺 Rojo is a name under his consideration.

What food did they recommend? The pulling feathers off the left foot could be due to many different factors changing homes, diet issue, pain in the leg (perhaps an injury Greys are not graceful) even exposure to a heavy metal. I see your cage is wrapped in a smaller wire which may be galvanized with zinc, a heavy metal.

Excellent responses for you to consider. Thought I'd just throw this in... when I first joined the forum someone told me they will always go for the highest point for safety, which is why they head for your shoulder. They feel safer there. They also usually sleep on their highest perch in the cage etc. I don't let Timber on my shoulder either for safety's sake. As Neoow pointed out, they will grab on with their beak if they feel like they are unstable. While this is not technically biting behavior, I don't want that grab to be my ear or my face! My Avian vet calls their beak their "hand."

I agree with Neoow regarding no shoulder time if he's a biter. It's all about learning to read their cues. My new rescue bites whenever he's on or near his cage. He was cage bound for 8 years, so he's extremely cage protective. Once he's away from his cage, he's very anxious, so I must make all movements slowly so as not to frighten him. I will not pet him yet. For now it's all about getting him used to perching on my hand. Once he's completely comfortable with that, I will watch his eyes and feathers for signs that it might be the right moment to introduce stroking and petting. Again, it's all about Grey time. If you can't respect their time, you and your family will get bit. Simple as that.

Thanks for reply again I find your reply helped me to understand a little bit more. I think the reason why he is trying to go on my shoulder always is because he was all the time there and only when its time to go to sleep i put him on hand before cage, so he started avoiding to be on my hand for example. I think he feels safe there because he can go behind me and i cant put him off. I honestly dont feel safe so i will try to avoid him being there in total. Again thanks for reply, i will listen to try to find final solution by some books or vids that are about this tipe of behavior.

Thank you for the photos, your grey is adorable. I'm hoping someone else will come along soon who can offer more advice. Please do keep checking in as I'm sure others will have something to add. It's been a long time since I've handled a baby grey as my bird Alfie is now 15 years old. As you probably already know, grey's can use their beak almost like a third hand/foot. If the surface/perch they are standing on is unstable then they may reach out and grab with their beak to steady themselves and try not to fall off. This can be a little surprising at times because they can react quite quickly. As your grey is so young he's probably still finding his way around and probably doesn't know his own strength yet! Is your hand/arm/shoulder wobbles then you may find your bird will bite to hang on and steady themselves. The trick here is to try not to pull away, as this may result in them hanging on harder. Some birds are "no shoulder birds". My bird, Alfie is a "no shoulder bird" because I cannot trust him to remain on my shoulder without trying to find something to play with/nibble on ... which is usually my ear. Therefore i discourage him from sitting on my shoulder. He sits on my knee or on my forearm. If he starts creeping up my arm then I put my other arm in the way and usher him back down to my forearm. Some people have had to put something on their shoulder (like a stuffed toy) to discourage their birds from climbing up to their shoulders. If he bites every time he is on your shoulder then I would discourage this until he can be trusted not to bite. It is very difficult once bird does start to bite as it can be discouraging and scary. It may be worth looking up some parrot behaviour books or videos to see if you can get some useful information from those about training your bird and understanding their behaviour a bit more. Does your bird have any favourite treats or toys? You may be able to start training your bird about acceptable behaviours with these.

It's possible that the previous owners had his wings clipped to try and prevent him from flying. So long as they didn't totally butcher his wings in the process then hopefully his missing feathers will grow back over time. the ones which are broken may drop out (moult) naturally and regrow. Depending on what happened to him they may not grow back though. Wing clipping is always up for debate and I believe every bird/flock/home is different and should come to their own conclusions. Personally I have a fully flighted bird because that's what works best for Alfie and his home environment. I second the recommendation of putting blankets/pillows around his cage/perches if he is trying to fly. At least that will soften the blow if he does crash land.

If you decide to get another bird then I second what others have said above- bear in mind that there is a chance the two birds might not get along. They might tolerate each other enough to spend time out of the cage in the same room - but they may also need to come out separately. I always think introducing two animals is a 'plan for the worst and hope for the best' situation. You never know how they are going to get on and you must have a plan in place if they cannot tolerate each other at all. Otherwise you run the risk of creating a very unhappy environment for all concerned (including yourself). Do you have the time needed to look after two birds if they do not get on? I have often thought about getting another bird in my home but I have two indoor cats as well as Alfie, my African Grey. My cats are quite often my second shadow and do demand quite a lot of attention compared to other cats I have known. I do not think I could offer all of my animals enough quality time if there were any issues with them not getting on. Some days it's already a bit of a juggling act making sure everyone gets the attention they need. So in my personal situation, I do not feel adding another bird would be sensible at this time. It's all about your individual environment and time constraints really. Each home/flock is different. I do not think another bird is a bad idea at all - but I always advise making sure you have that backup plan in the back of your mind if things don't work out as smoothly as you'd hope for.

Thank you very much

Judy offers good advice! I second it.

Hello, thanks for reply He didn't change environment he bite at random time ussly . But when he tries to go off me he is not stable and he start.to fall and bites all around, if i try to hold or make him step up to go down he bite me also. I though that cage is maybe a problsm because is to small so i am planning to give him whole small room or bigger cage. When he came, all members of family were able to handle him, when he start to bite whey whete afraid so i was the only one who cam play with him without getting bitten. But now he is much strogner and the bites are more painful, i can even take that pain on my hands but when he bitesl my ear its really painful. Here are some pics how that looks when he is on my shoulder.

When he spreads his wings all the middle feather arw gone.some broke.

He is still trying to pick out all his favourite bits from the bowl. I haven't tried him on chop only yet as I suspect he will reject it if he can't see any tasty looking morsels in there.

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.

The odds that another grey would get along with Rudy are slim so don't get another grey just to be a companion but because you really want another one. I would suggest you get another species of bird, probably whatever you choose will not get along with Rudy either but just having another bird in the house to interact with will be company enough. My two birds, one is a grey and the other is a sun conure, do not get along but they are out at the same time, the conure stays on me and the grey loves her daddy so they do not get close to one another. What you choose depends on whether you want a smaller bird or a larger bird but just think of what you would like to have as a companion for yourself and not as a buddy for Rudy. Of course if it turns out they do get along then you hit the jackpot.

Is it just the flight feathers that are messed up or are the wings mangled?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Good evening everyone , okay my bird Murphy started taking his feathers off his left foot ,Why also won't eat this new food the bird store recommend