judygram

I just bet that when your grey gets a little older he will start being more cautious of new things for Josey was the same way when she was a baby grey, I could put a new toy in her cage and she would check it out right off but not anymore, she is 4 years old now and it takes her a while to warm up to something new or different.

Better he have it than the kid it came from but that is cute but here in the USA we call them pacifiers.

In my opinion NO, he needs to be inside his cage with the door shut and latched as he might go exploring and get into something, too many things like electrical cords and such that he could hurt himself with. Why not try enticing him back into his cage by offering him his favorite treat, put it inside the cage and make sure he sees you put it there and when he goes in to get it then close him up.

It helps when you log into the site to click the box "remember me" and you will not get logged out for inactivity until you log out intentionally.

Well at least we know what Dan has been doing during the day while he is supposedly "working from home" Now thats what I call a BAD DAY!!

Hello Strauss and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and your new baby grey. As you have only had this bird for a week that is not nearly long enough for him to settle into his new home and feel comfortable, you may have to take things slowly and by that I mean move slower around him, he is very skittish right now and easily frightened. I am thinking you have never had a grey before or may have no experience with any kind of birds but greys are notorious for being easily spooked and take a long time to feel comfortable in new surroundings. Take it slower and allow him time to settle in, when you go to pull the bottom tray out tell him what you are doing and say for instance, "loud noise" so he knows to expect something, if you use the same phrase then he will know when you say that there will be some kind of loud noise and he won't be as frightened by it. If he growls when you approach the cage then step back to where he doesn't and talk to him, read him the newspaper or a magazine, your being closeby give him time to get to know you better so he will come to trust you but you have to earn that trust and if you push him more than he is willing then it will just take longer to accomplish. Remember a week in the life of a grey is nothing, think of progress in short steps but it could be weeks or months before he trusts you enough to allow you to handle him so be patient. Open his cage door and see if he will come out and if he does then don't approach him right off, let him decide if he will allow you to come closer.

Stephen, even if you have to resort to the box to put Issac in for the move you need to get him used to the travel cage, do leave it where he can see it and bring it closer and closer, maybe put a treat inside to entice him and then when he gets to where he will go inside take him out from time to time in it so he will get used to being inside. Take him on outings and to visit other people so he will associate good times with the cage and then maybe he won't protest so much when you have to take him to the vet the next time.

These bad words are part of her baggage but please ignore them when she says them and for heavens sake never laugh when she blurts them out for that will only reinforce her to keep repeating them for the response she gets, she will say them less and less as time goes by and she doesn't hear them spoken to her anymore. That is a small step, take it for what its worth as she is showing she is starting to warm up to you some but in time it could be two seconds then three seconds and so on so accept what she gives and don't push for more, you are trying to build trust right now.

That is an interesting looking playstand, I haven't seen anything like it before but it looks like it would be fun for a grey to play on, thanks for sharing it with us.

Spooky is still too young for a big cage but maybe you can find something with taller sides to put him in until he is big enough to go into a full size cage. He shouldn't be scared of you handling him as you are handfeeding him aren't you? I am a little confused as you posted a thread yesterday about this 7 week old baby grey, http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190752-My-first-baby-african-grey!-I-have-no-experience-just-faith I am really concerned for this baby as you say you have had no experience but are going on faith, you never answered the questions that were asked of you in that thread. I would like to shoot all the breeders who sell unweaned birds and especially when they know they are going to someone who has never handfed a baby bird before as so many things can go wrong.

Well they say where there is a will there is a way and it looks like you have found it, congrats on finding a way to sneak the harness on while getting some cuddles and maybe by the time he gets to where he doesn't want so much cuddling he will be used to the harness being put on that it will no longer be a problem, thats using the old noggin.

I really do love how you can handle her with such ease, she really is a good sport and a well socialized grey, you should be so proud of her, thanks for sharing.

Yes it may be a while for 5 days is nothing in the life of a grey, just remember small steps, take what he gives or allows and when he is ready for more you will know. Sometimes it is like that, maybe he hasn't had anything to do with birds before but your grey sensed something about him that made him take to him, I am betting that he comes to love him as much as you do.

She is looking good there on her playstand but may I suggest you cover the pvc with some vet wrap so it won't be too slippery for her, she will then be able to grip it better, thanks for sharing some new pics of Aoodi.

Hello Hettie and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and your two greys, btw what are their names? Jay is right, the first grey needs to remain the first in everything so he knows his place and things will be a lot smoother for you. Do keep the two separated enough that they aren't able to hurt one another but as time passes I think it will get better. Your primary grey sees this new baby as an intrusion on his territory but if you follow the rules of him always being first then he will gradually learn to at least tolerate the other grey but who knows they may get along later. At least you see two individual greys from opposite ends of the sprectrum as far as personality goes and therefore you will be exposed to different things with each, my grey is high strung and easily spooked so I know where you are coming from. Please take a little time to read thru some of the threads for lots of useful information and do not hesitate to ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. We love pictures here so if you have some you would share with us we would love to see the two of them.

Ah the further adventures of Cocoa the flying wonder of Malaysia continues, I am so pleased she decided the colors are ok now.

It sounds like you have it all worked out Stephen and I hope the move goes well for you both. Please let us know how it all goes together for you and Issac.

Well then that is great that this grey is going to stay with you but it doesn't change the fact that he/she will decide who the favorites are and even if you aren't that person you will still have a good relationship with him maybe not like the one with Cormac but a good one, just keep doing what you are doing and things will work out. He has to come to trust you to bond with you and a grey's trust has to be earned but with lots of time and attention he will come to love you in his own way.

You are so right.

Yes greys choose their favorite people and sometimes it is not the one who buys it for themselves but that doesn't mean that you can't have a good relationship with him but if you are fostering him and it is possible that you may not keep him then what does it really matter.

Please take all fresh food from her cage after several hours but do leave some food like pellets and/or seeds for her to snack on during the night if she wants it, most of us here do that for greys are foragers and we like for them to have something to eat if they get hungry.

You have two beautiful birds and I am bias of course for I have two just like them, Flame looks to me like he is a little older than 9 months as he has quite a lot of yellow and orange. Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

Hello TeresaAnn and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Diva and thank you so much for taking in this grey and giving her a good forever home. It does take a while for them to unpack their baggage but you are doing great so far, continue to sit by her and talk to her giving treats from time to time and she will warm up to you soon. Greys are very cautious by nature and it takes time for them to learn to trust and to bond with you so patience is your best virtue. The others have given you some great advice and please do read thru as many of the threads for lots of useful information and ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. We love pictures here so if you have any of Diva you would share with us we would love to see them.

I love all these videos Dan, thanks for putting them all into one post so the new members can see what a ham and delight Dayo is, he rocks!

Everyone should have a plan of action in case of an emergency and especially those of us with pets and fids, I have their travel cages nearby that I can get to easily with some food nearby that can be grabbed up quickly. We don't usually have any earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and such in our area but there is always the threat of a fire and some freak of nature so being prepared for whatever happens could save a life. Thanks for sharing that story with us for it may just prompt some of our members to prepare for what they hope never happens for it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.