Greytness

Alfie is so handsome!

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any atm.

I would keep an eye on their activity levels, behaviors and eating for now. With 2 greys of indeterminant sex in your household it likely is a case of rampant hormones.

One of my 3 greys, Sydney, was extremely neglected, living in a cage inside an outside shack for 8 years. Rats had chewed holes through the screen and would enter the shack every night to eat the seed. He was rescued on a day when the outside temperatures hit 116 degrees. All he had was a tiny fan on the top of his cage, and his water bowl was completely dry. It's a miracle he even survived! (see pics below) When we got him, he would puff himself up like a porcupine whenever we'd approach his cage. With a heap of tenderness and patience and doing things in 'Grey time', I was able to get him to step up on the 6th week with us. To this day he loathes men, much the same way Huey seems to. He's my little bubba bird. To this day he has never bit me. (Now I'm knocking on wood!) Even severely abused or neglected birds can become incredibly loving and bonded birds. But they ALWAYS choose who they prefer to bond with regardless of your efforts and desires.

Very well said, @SRSeedBurners.

Hi AK, Welcome! I recognize you from another forum. As Neoow has said, everything you need is at your fingertips in the archives. Tremendous info that you won't find anywhere else!

These are so funny! Sydney (CAG) loves to mimic power drills and other noisy tools. One day I thought my son was working on a project, went outside to see, but no one was there. The power saw is his favorite one to emulate. Maalik (CAG) loves to say 'Mom', in my son's voice to which I say 'What?' followed by Maalik letting go with a prolonged burping sound exactly as my son does. Fynn (CAG) copies everything Maalik says, to the point where I'm unable to discern who said what, unless I see one of their beaks moving. Shaylor (macaw) will always say, 'Are you okay?' in context. If something hits the floor, or if someone, say, stubs their toe, Shaylor is the first to ask this question. He also says 'good morning' and 'good night' in context. Shaylor will also extend his gorgeous wings whenever I say, 'Pretty wings'. If I say, 'Good stretch', he'll stretch his foot and wing on the same side in response.

I completely forgot that you have a Hawkhead! Sounds like her personality is spot on for hawk heads. Such stinkers! I bet your wife is getting in daily ducking exercises! How does she do with your flock?

OMG, welcome back!!! So sorry to hear that you've been very ill, but I'm so very happy to hear you're now on the mend. Thank you for catching us up on your Inara!

Not necessarily. What I will recommend is having each family member spend time near her speaking softly to her, even singing sweet nothing tunes and hand feeding treats. If she pins or ruffles her feathers, that's her queue she's uncomfortable with their proximity. Taking a step or two back will oftentimes resolve the discomfort. It's all about patience and learning to read their queues as to what makes them uncomfortable and then respecting it. If we push our agenda onto a grey, be prepared to have it declined.

Greys more often than not will pick their favorite person. She's old enough now to have that happen. If she bites whenever your kids or husband try picking her up, then they must respect her wishes and keep to a 'hands off' approach when interacting with her for now. There's a training method where you target train them to step up onto a stick using treats as rewards. Until she's ready to step up for others, you could have her target trained.

As long as you allow her to control her comfort zone and not rush things, you will win her over much, much sooner!

Merry Christmas everyone!

My greys and other birds LOVE receiving their popcorn treat!

Fluffed, raised feathers means she's feeling uncomfortable, and is not a good time to reach for her. One of my rescues would look like a porcupine whenever I'd enter the room. Each day I was 'allowed' to come closer to his cage. With him it took 6 weeks for him to be completely relaxed and willing to step up. Again, a boatload of patience means everything when winning over a Grey.

Hi Dreamy, Congrats on your new bird! She is very new to your world, so the key is to take things slowly. Watch for queues: pinning, fluffed up feathers as you approach her, etc. She needs to feel comfortable first before anything. She's been displaced, so naturally anything new will elicit fear responses. Take things very slow with a boatload of patience. Observe her queues for signs of readiness. Many try to rush a Grey, which absolutely DOES NOT work. What is her background?

Fantastic news! Thank you for checking in to let us know your progress with Vim. She's earned those buttons from your shirt!

Happy hatch day, Corky! May you enjoy many tasty treats on your special day!

Happy hatch day, Dorian!!!

So cute! I'm not sure about the potty training part. I always have paper below my birds so that when they give that 'ready to poop' look I hold them over the paper to go. Greys definitely do have their favorite people. She's still pretty young, so my advice is to have your daughter not try to hold her for now, but to spend time near her cage talking softly and singing to her, and giving her treats through the bar. And welcome!

There's a saying amongst grey owners that everything must be done in 'grey time'. Tons and tons of patience is needed until she relaxes. If she growls, then that is her queue she's not yet comfortable with whatever took place. You've only had her a few days, so what she's doing is completely normal! She'll get there! You just can't rush the 'grey time'. She's beautiful, btw!

You might suggest to Murfchck that she join AA and let members know about her rescue. Several people on AA have recently expressed their desire to adopt an african grey. Just a thought. If I had cash to throw your way, I would love to see you build that grey haven!

Redirecting is what I usually do with him. Or, if he's really acting up I put him back. He still has all his feathers in spite of his raging hormones. There's an avian tea from Greywood Manor called hormone havoc, I believe that's supposed to help. I haven't bought any to date, but it might be worth a try.

Gorgeous! Congrats! How is Murfchk? You're right! It's been ages since we've heard from her here. Please tell her we miss her!