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Hello all! My husband and I adopted our ~9 y/o TAG, Schooner, about 7 months ago. We got (rescued) him from a family who I honestly think did not treat him well (they used welding gloves to catch him and literally throw him into his travel carrier when we came to pick him up 😳🤭😭) and I don’t know much about his early life other than he spent most of his time in his cage. I’m a marine mammal and dog trainer and am well versed in positive reinforcement, reading body language and building a good relationship with your animal. But let me tell y’all, this bird is something else! I’ve had some major success with him and I have definitely learned some of his tells. But I’m having a lot of problems with his biting. I can only ask him to step up onto my hand when he first wakes up in the morning and he’s doing that whole regurgitation song and dance. Other wise I have to wait for him to climb down his cage onto the floor and then I can pick him with this little organization box (we call it the magic box, pictured below). He’s eating well, bathing, interacting with toys and can be very vocal (mostly whistles, clicks and other vocalizations, no words). I try sooo hard to find ideal times to ask him to step up and reward him for being good and for also making it variable (if he steps up he doesn’t have to be with me forever, he can go back to his cage or he can go sit on his magic box somewhere while I read or something). But homeboy doesn’t just tag you, he grinds his beak into your skin and doesn’t let up. Ideally, I would love to find a bird trainer/grey specialist that either I can go to or can come meet him (so someone in the central Texas area?)and give me more insight on how to help this lil bird be successful. I understand that he might not ever be affectionate with me but I would like to be able to pick him up consistently and be able to move him to clean his home and socialize with him etc. Any and all advice would be appreciated! -Schooner’s Mom

Schooner will soon be training you 🤣. Actually, sounds like it has already started! You might have your work cut out for you. Once a Grey has been mishandled, they never forget it and will carry that baggage forever. That biting down and grinding is most likely the result of being handled with gloves and learning how to bite down into them. Greys usually don't bite like that, they are a bite and release type of bird. The effects of mishandling can lessen over time but they can still be wary of things that trigger them. Our Huey (22 y.o.) was abused by a male two families before we got him and does not like men. His previous owner treated him well for 10+ years and still got the business end of Huey from time to time. We've had him for just over a year and I've made great strides with him, to the point where he will show me he doesn't want to be put down by, of course, biting the hell out of me (hoomans can be dense sometimes). Took about 7-8 months before I had my first real break-through with him so it can take a while but if you are patient it's rewarding. I'm getting better at reading Huey's body language. He does not like me banging on things in his kitchen drawer (he's the proud new homeowner here apparently) nor does he appreciate me putting up new ropes and toys in his aviary. He flew at me and bit the crap out of me just yesterday but I knew it was coming and was ready. It only took a few times before I realized what was triggering him. A nice flying bite attack helps speed up the learning process. I also have to be careful when my wife's around. She's his wife now and I've been given several eviction notices. But as much as he has it out for me, he loves to spend time with me and LOVES to be around me when I'm playing loud music and bouncing him around. Took a long time to get him to that point though. I'm just north of you (Allen). I'm not familiar with anyone down that way other than the guy who runs J.C. Aviary in Austin. You may try to contact him and see if he knows of anyone or maybe he can eval the Schooner and give some insight. Also one thing you might try is making a tight fist and bending your hand so the skin on top is nice and tight. Then offer treats for step-ups onto your fist. They have a hard time getting a nice grip on that tight skin. I had to do this with Huey for a long time till I got him stepping up without blood-letting. Schooner's a cutie pie!

Schooner is a beauty! Sometimes the best we can do is to honor what our birds want. Biting means that you're asking him to do something he doesn't want to do. Avoiding situations that potentially can elicit a bite is one of the best approaches. It sounds as though Schooner has let you know when it's okay to pick him up. It's all about their wants; not what we need. In time it will likely improve for you. Seven months isn't really that long, especially knowing that he was previously abused by 'hand things', if you know what I mean. Your hands, whether covered or not cause him stress; hence the bites.

Hi Peggy and welcome to the fourms! Thank you for taking in a rescue grey! First of all, these birds operated in what we call "grey time". This is the time it takes for an individual bird to accept changes in their environment- be it a new food, new toys, new people, new cage etc etc. Every bird is different and will accept changes at their own pace. Trying to force the issue will cause a fear response and will damage the relationship with your bird. So it is absolutely critical to observe the birds responses and start learning a bit about their body language. Body language in grey's is quite subtle at times and sometimes we don't always notice it. A bird can be trying to tell us a lot through their body language and we totally miss it, so the last resort is a bite to get their message across. Your bird has just had a massive change to their lifestyle. Did you know or interact with your bird at all before bringing her home? If not then absolutely everything in her life has been tipped upside down and she is probably still adjusting to changes. New home, new flock, new environment, new routines... it's a LOT to take in! She will need some time and space to adjust to all these changes. But she will get there and she will accept you as part of her flock. At two years old, she is still a very young bird so I have no doubt that given enough time you will build a wonderful bond with her. Do you know what her favourite treat is? If not, try offering her lots of different foods and treats until you find one or two she REALLY likes. So for example, if she really likes almonds, do not feed them as part of her daily diet- keep them as rewards. You can then use that favourite treat as a reward for good behaviour - this is positive reinforcement. So if she steps up, she gets a piece of almond (not a whole one - save whole ones for REALLY good work). Do not move away from the cage at this point- just get her stepping up regularly. Always let her go back to her cage or a perch if she wants to at this point. You can then start rewarding her for staying on your hand. Again, use a piece of almond not a whole one. If she's still comfortable and content on your hand for a few more moments, she gets another piece. If she's still doing really well and making no attempt to leave, maybe go ahead and give her a whole piece. Again, always give her the option of getting back to her cage. As she is clipped and maybe unable to fly then always give her the option to retreat back to her cage, as she doesn't have a flight option. Keep talking to her whilst she is on your hand - make it sound like a good thing and sound excited about it. Tell her about all the places she will be able to go with you if she stays on your hand rather than going back to the cage. Make it a fun and positive experience for her. Once she has mastered this (and it may take some time) then SLOWLY start moving her a little further away from her cage. Reward her for staying calm. If she bites, do not take it personally (even when it hurts!) and just calmly return her to her cage and back off. Keep using pieces of whatever her favourite treat is. Only reward with a whole treat occasionally. This helps to keep the bird motivated to work towards the big treat. Or if she has a couple of favourite treats, find out which she likes better and use that as the special treat. Keep these training sessions short to begin with. She might not have had much structured training so it might take her a little while to figure out what's going on. Get her to repeat the behaviour successfully a few times then stop. You can slowly extend this if she is willing- but as soon as she shows sign of boredom (or goes for a bite) then back off and let her return to where she is comfortable (a perch or her cage) Do keep us updated with any progress. We would also love to see photos of her if you are able to.