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So just a quick run down i adopted a Male Congo African grey from an adoption agency. He is 20 years old and he spent a short time at the adoption agency. His original owner passed away and i believe was an older women. I am a 34 year old male I have a good amount of experience with other birds but i am trying to get some advice from someone that has more expertise with African greys. I have had him for 2 weeks. He came with his own cage which is very spacious and has his original toys and perches. I have a large variety of zupreme food and fresh fruits and veggies i give him daily. So he is absolutely terrified of me. He shakes in fear when i put food in his bowls. Occasionally he will take a treat from me through the bars but if I move too close he falls to the bottom of the cage and does a human scream like ahh ahhh ahh ahh. I leave the door open on his cage so he can go to the top and have free range but he always stays in his cage and never comes out even when i'm not home. I have tried to very slowly and gently place my hand under him to pick him up from the bottom of the cage a couple times but he screams and has bitten me hard enough to draw blood on 2 occasions. I have him in a medium travel location near my kitchen so when i prepare food and watch tv he is near me. What I want to know is, should I just go very very slow and just feed him and give him his space or should i press the issue and hold him. I am not really afraid of the bites i just want to know the best way to help him get over his fear.

I'm going to try to quit smoking again. I wonder if we have any ex-smokers out there who would have any support/tips (perhaps a gadget which I could hook up to myself which would shock me if I try to light up?). Of course I can't smoke much now. With a young son at home (and a darling, gorgeous parrot) and a non-smoking workplace, there's hardly an "appropriate" time to do it, but I have been managing to do it, and have decided to quit. I'm going to have hypnotism on Sunday, Feb 3rd. Has anyone ever done the hypnotism? Not to try & turn this place into a quit-smoking-support-group forum (I already belong to QuitNet) - but you guys are always so helpful with everything I thought I'd throw it out there. (Even an atta-girl would help! Thanks!)

I'm going to add something here. This is controversial with some because they feel that too much whistling leads to no talking. However, my first interactions with Timber when I brought him home were whistles. I quickly learned when he responded to nothing else, that he would whistle back when I whistle. I think it helped us build rapport. Timber talks, whistles, and makes a variety of sounds, but he will always whistle. Sometimes I would have to whistle 3 or 4 times, but he would finally respond. Just a thought!

Two weeks is not long for a grey. It took 3 months for my rehomed TAG to decide it might be OK to interact with me (a little). Hang in there though, it's worth it. It has been 7 years now and he is bonded to me and we have a good relationship.

I would add one more thing: Even if his previous home was not a good home, and even if your home would be better; the grey logic is going to be "better the devil you know than the one you don't." A mistreated grey could still grieve for what was familiar. Change is stressful to them -- even good change, in some cases. Sad but true. Also, with rehomed parrots (even ones from bad homes)... Remember that most people, when first adopting a parrot are very kind and understanding, lavishing toys, praise, excellent diets, etc., upon the new novelty parrot. And then after the novelty wears off, neglect may follow. Homes may turn into an all seed diet, water dishes not refilled regularly (dirty water), scaring or yelling at parrot for being too loud, etc.. The parrot would then learn that in a new home, even if the new care is good and the people are kind... it's not guaranteed that won't change to neglect again. Sad fact, and may NOT be the case with yours. But greys are sensitive, and esp with a rehomed grey -- they remember the past. So, trust may take longer to build. To prove you're ALWAYS going to be kind, offer fresh foods and clean water, and not hurt or scare him. This is a major reason why so many parrots are re-homed: an owner's lack of patience and parrot knowledge -- good care can eventually turn into neglect. And parrots remember and need to recover. NOT saying this is the case with yours -- but greys are sensitive and nervous even about good changes. Best of luck!

Great thank you both for the info. I will take it very slow and give him space. I will just hand feed him treats and let him adjust at his own rate.

So much to think about. I also have a rehomed Grey (22 years now) who had some previous homes -- one of which was bad. Firstly, a new home takes a long time to adjust to -- many Greys are particularly sensitive and nervous about any changes in their life. Secondly, the parrot is still grieving for his/her previous owner. Greys are like humans this way -- they don't just get over a loss in a couple months -- it takes a long time to heal. Thirdly, you don't know parrot's history -- your grey may have a fear of men in general, or you may just resemble someone who wasn't kind or liked by the Grey in his previous home. We can't know if this is just a normal grey's reaction to all the changes going on in his life right now or if his fear is directed towards you personally. Time will tell. A good trick for getting a parrot used to you is indirect time spent around parrot. Letting the Grey watch you do things while NOT bothering him, letting him just observe you going about your life ... he might realize you don't present any danger to him -- but it going to take much more than 2 weeks, I'm afraid. Like SRSeedBurners said: patience. Best of luck -- would love to see a post later sharing a bond has developed between you and that you're both happy and adjusted to this new relationship!!!

For now just let him adjust to you and the goings on around your house. They can take months before they make any kind of headway towards you. Keep offering treats as this really can get to a bird. There is a technique used to tame wild/feral pigeons called finger feeding. Birds for whatever reason can dissociate a humans hands from the human they're attached to and remain afraid of the hand but not the face hence along came the finger feeding technique to solve this. I used it on my lil wild conure and it worked just like it works on pigeons, but I'm not so sure about if it will help speed things up with an adult african grey (they're a little smarter than the rest of the herd 😂 ) Time and patience are ultimately whats going to win him over. You have no idea what kind of baggage he's carrying either. It sounds to me like he was rough handled, with a broom or something. Lots of birds come from these situations.

What's yours is theirs. What's theirs is theirs (and not yours). Basically, everything belongs to the birds. 😂

Yep, If you have it they want it. It`s the law.

We used to have lovebirds... Many years ago. I couldn't really remember much because I was really young back then but one of the pair died, and my brother just told me the other will die soon as well because the partner died. I was horrified, lol. It's nice looking at these photos (even if these are old), kind of makes me nostalgic.

6 years since the last post on this thread... I hope everyone who wanted to quit and posted here found success! A dear friend of mine has been wanting to quit as well, and it's been a constant struggle for her. Perhaps I could share with her some of your stories and tips. I hope you're all doing well!

I didn't realize the last reply was way back in 2014, wow. Well, right now I'm on a break at work! Drinking coffee and munching on a cereal bar.

judygram wrote: {Feel-good-0002006E}

I need to quit...but I love it! I would like to quit soon because I see what it does to you when you get older (my step-mom got COPD at like, 45) and I really don't want to look like a catchers mit ether. I keep telling myself "it's not a good time now, maybe next month". Geesh...what the mind will tell you when it's hooked on something.

Heck I know that crabby feeling too and I don't smoke, does that mean I am really a you know what!!!!!! OMG

I know that crabby feeling all too well Bailey

I lack will power.. Also I have tried to quit in the past only for Bill to decide that I am pretty unbearable to live with and he has gone out and bought them so I wont be so crabby:blink: Kudos to you girl I am proud of you and here to support you all the way!!

Laurie good luck, i am a smoker ( never near the birds !) but i have no will power at all, i would be intrested in how the hypnotism goes

Atta-girl, you quit smoking, this will go good with the weight loss you are doing now too. I have never smoked but I do harp on people who do smoke about quitting for their health and for the health of their birds and other pets. So you have my support but I don't have any tips for you since I am a nonsmoker. I would be interested in knowing how the hypnotism works for you, hmmm.