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LotusBloom
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- Birthday 04/29/1967
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After 15 months re-homed 16-yo grey finally became my friend
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Rescue Bird Haven
Her name is Loper. I've tolerated her bites before but I never tolerated them for as long as I did the other night. Usually I've tolerated them but after a few minutes when she would be taking a break from her strikes, I would then leave her alone. I never left when she was in the middle of her bites because I did not want to teach her that her biting would make me leave but I never just stayed put until she was actually nuzzling up to me. I really think being on the floor helped a lot too which is strange because birds usually like high places. But then for the past year, she had no problem getting on the floor to challenge my dog to a fight. She would actually strut up to my dog and use body language to instigate a reaction. My poor dog is so scared of her. There had always been a part of me that really thinks she gained entertainment by getting reactions from others. Especially since she loves to lure people in with this loving look, head bowed, leaning towards a person, and even talking in one of her sugary sweet voices so people pet her and then she would lunge and bite. Maybe she got bored because she wasn't getting that reaction and then realized that it was pretty nice to have nice physical interactions. Either way, it's been really amazing. My husband has a cag, Chloe, and Chloe is a total lover (with him). She acts more like a cockatoo than an african grey. Maybe after Loper has spent a year watching my husband with Chloe, she decided to act more like Chloe...hard to tell. She was making the same happy grey noises that Chloe makes and being just as cuddly as Chloe. We got Chloe as a hand-raised baby so we didn't have an adjustment period with her. When we got Chloe, because of everything I read about how difficult african grey could be, when older, we decided to get a grey as a baby. Two of our birds we got as babies and 3 we got as re-homes. My other two birds that I adopted as older birds were a lot easier but then they weren't greys. In fact one of them, when I went to meet her, her owner warned me that because she hadn't been handled in awhile, she was no longer tame. Within 15-20 minutes, while still at the owner's house, I had this girl hopping up on my hand and loving with me. So Loper has been the first challenging bird I've had. My cape parrot can be challenging in her own ways. She is very headstrong and can be very stubborn. She is so sweet that she will climb in my lap at night, roll onto her back and fall asleep as I pet her head and her chest. But then she can be so feisty that she will throw what seems like a temper tantrum that a 2-year old throws and she will aggressively bite me, etc. Even when my cape bites, with as huge as her beak is, it's nothing compared to when Loper has bitten me. This morning, Loper climbed out of my lap to explore the floor for around a 2' foot radius around me. She also climbed on the outside of her cage for a bit and even was at the top of her cage. She maybe only spent about 5 minutes doing that but it's a start. She's also doesn't automatically hop on my hand or arm when I put it up to her so she may have never been taught to step up. For right now, I'm just letting her hop on my arm when she wants to explore and not pushing it. After we have several weeks of her climbing on me on her own, then I'll figure out if there is a way that I can teach her step up. I just don't want to push it. It took me over a year to get here so I don't want to move too fast with Loper. I'm just so excited because I've always watched the wonderful relationship my husband has had with Chloe and I had always wished that I would have even half of that relationship with Loper. Plus it broke my heart to see Loper rejecting people. I figured that as long as she wasn't plucking or screaming, she wasn't that miserable but I still knew that she wasn't as happy as she had the potential to be. So now maybe she is happy. It's pretty interesting too because now when she's done with me petting her, she uses gentle bites to let me know. She nibbles on my hand and is so gentle when she puts her beak on me. Such a difference from the bird who would leave bruises on my fingers and even break skin. I still don't totally trust her yet and I'm sure I will still get nailed by her but it's like she's had a total personality change and isn't even the same bird. Thanks for letting me ramble on. I'm just really happy that she finally has turned things around. I would read posts from people who took a month, a few months, or even 6 months for their re-homed grey to acclimate to them so I was pretty discouraged with this girl. I was contemplating re-homing her but I was afraid that she would not do well. Her previous owner had hand-fed her since she was a baby and had her for around 15 years so I was afraid that moving her to yet another home would make her worse, since she at least hasn't regressed to the point of plucking, etc. I think if one of my local parrot friends, who I trust with birds, would have wanted her, I would have given her to one of them but I could not have passed her along to a stranger. -
After around 15 months, the 16-year old grey (CAG) that I adopted last year finally gave me a chance. I have spent quiet times by her cage. She always seemed to enjoy talking to me. When I would get near her, she would bow her head down as if she wanted me to pet her but then she would lunge and attempt to take a chunk of my skin as soon as I got within reach. I was feeling very bad for her and lately even doubting whether I did the right thing by taking her in. I wondered if she would be happier elsewhere. So after a very rewarding day at work (I work with adults with disabilities who have aggression problems hence my bravery to face an unhappy african grey) in which I had been working for months with a very aggressive, vision-impaired older individual, who finally held my hand and smiled without trying to attack me, I decided that I was going to push the envelope with my unhappy grey. I put my hand in her cage but did not go near her. She kept bowing her head but I wasn't going to fall for her ruse. So then she would inch towards me, close enough to brush up against my hand, and then she would bite like nobody's business. I didn't pull back, I stayed calm, I spoke our shared phrases, and I continued to let her get it out of her system without flinching....and she can really bite hard. After about 15 minutes of this grey coming up to my hand, biting me (and holding on with those bites--not just strike & bites), letting go, backing off, to return again to bite me, she climbed down to the bottom of the cage. I decided to sit on the floor and put my hand on the floor of the cage. This time she came up to my hand and was gentle with me and even nuzzled her face against my hand. She then let me pet her. She was so happy and making happy grey noises. She even regurgitated twice, went up to her bowl to eat just so she could come back down and regurgitate more for me. She let me pet her and she was so sweet. At one point she hopped on my arm so I tried to move my arm out of the cage. She stayed with me until she was about to cross the threshold of the door and hopped off, so I realized that she wasn't ready for that yet. So I just sat on the floor and pet her at the bottom of her cage. She let me pet her for a little over an hour. I will admit that she did the mating dance for me so I don't know if spring hormones are kicking in and that's why she is acting like she adores me now. Any advice would be helpful on that because she has been a terror for the longest time. Last night when I spent time with her, as soon as she saw me coming, she climbed to the bottom of her cage so I sat on the floor again. She let me pet her again and she made happy grey noises. This time when she climbed on my arm, I didn't move my arm. She climbed out of the cage on her own and even sat in my lap for awhile while I pet her. Then she perched on my shoulder and even gave me gentle bird kisses. We spent about an hour and a half together. Tonight was just like last night. I did tease my husband that he must have switched her out with a friendly grey because of the personality change. Does anyone have any idea why after over a year of her biting me and not letting me touch her and then 15 minutes of me still and taking her bites, she became my best friend and only on the floor? I'm almost afraid that by posting this, I will jinx the situation. Is it just because it's coming into spring soon so she's just getting frisky? Do you think she actually has accepted me and trusts me now? Any information or advice would be appreciated. I have other parrots so I'm not new to the parrot world but she is my first grey. I've just never had one be so aggressive for so long and then like a light switch, change into a sweet loving bird. I really hope it's because she finally trusted me, and not just because she thinks it's mating season and I'm the best looking critter around for her. lol So do you think I have reason to celebrate that I won over the love of a re-homed older grey? The last 3 nights, she was cuddlier than the cuddliest of my birds. I'm so excited but I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up one day and she will hate me again. Hopefully I'll get encouragement here but please let me know your thoughts. Thanks everyone!
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Your jardines was beautiful. I love the shades of green. Your new soon-to-be baby looks like he has some personality. What a look on his face! The expression on his face reminds me of my cape. Just full of fun and zest. You will probably have a lot of fun with him. You might be better off with a male. I'm not sure with jardines. I've learned that with capes, the females can be moodier than the males and my girl definitely has her high strung moments. She's like living with a temperamental 2 year old who is very stubborn. She throws temper tantrums and everything when she doesn't get her way with awful honking noises and everything. She's so funny when she does them. I almost got a GCC but someone had beat me to it but after talking to the breeder, who I've known for years, he said that he thought I would enjoy a crimson bellied conure (CBC) more. They are small and quiet like GCC but have the personalities of Sun Conures. If I hadn't taken in a second grey 6 months ago, I would get a CBC in a heart beat but I'm hesitant at the moment. I had wanted one for almost a year and there aren't many breeders out there so they are not easy to come by. There is a breeder in Louisiana whose CBC just laid eggs about a week ago, and I'm just torn inside on whether I should commit.
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Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Thank you Sterling and Dave for the info on the oatmeal. I will definitely add that to my shopping list. If she doesn't go near it, should I try to feed her some so she gets a flavor of it? She is friendly towards me so I could easily get a little in her beak but I also don't want to freak her out by doing it either. She won't go near the food bowls when the stuff in there doesn't look familiar. -
I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your Jardines. I almost got one when I didn't think I would be able to get a cape. I'm glad I held out and finally got one. I did hear about Truman. I'm so glad that Truman is back home again. I thought it was so funny on Truman's reaction when his owner arrived. Truman glanced at his owner and kept playing whatever game he was playing between the awning and a tree. That would be my girl. She loves to play and I'm second on her list...ok probably third because she has such a voracious appetite. Who are you getting your Jardines from? There is a part of me that wants to get a crimson bellied conure because I love their personalities...none of the moodiness of a cape or a grey, but all of the fun and playfulness. But I'm on the fence because I spend so much time with my flock that I'm not sure it would be fair to my others if I got another one. Only so many hours in the day. With that said, I really need to get some work done today. I work from home so it's easy to get distracted sometimes. :-) Good luck with your Jardines. When are you getting him?
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Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Ha...That's funny. Yes I know a lot of it is her grey personality. Even with her previous owners, she chose not to come out of her cage every day but would at least come out a few days every week and had days that she wanted to be left alone. I just feel bad that she hasn't been out in over 2 months. My other grey may get moody but she still enjoys coming out of her cage just about every day...even if she's not thrilled that she has to come through me to get to her play stand perch. -
Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Thanks Ray. I knew that getting an older grey would not be an easy task but I also knew that I have lots of patience and love for birds. I wasn't looking for a another grey at the time but when I heard about her predicament, I stepped forward. The area where I live is filled with animal flippers and I didn't want to see this girl go into a bad situation, especially since she is 15 and very set in her ways. -
I'm new to this community but wanted to post in this section as well because I am primarily owned by a Cape Parrot. My husband is owned by a CAG who merely tolerates me and about 6 months ago I took in a 15 year old CAG who is still learning to adjust. I found this site while looking for information on how to help the 15 yo CAG adjust better. I love my Cape girl. She is such a clown. She has the talking ability of the CAG...in fact they hold on conversations together, but she has the playfulness, spunkiness, and attitude of a caique, amazon, and conure combined, but the cuddliness of a cockatoo. She is fearless and thinks the world is her playground. If it exists, then it must be a toy for her. She's very nosey and active. But when she's worn down and tired from being so rambunctious, then she will curl up in my lap, many times on her back, and fall asleep while I pet her. I definitely love my flock. They each have their own personalities and are all wonderful.
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Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Your statement about capes vs greys is very accurate. My cape gets temperamental but it only lasts 1-3 minutes at most, whereas our CAG can be temperamental for a day at a time. I do provide seeds and nuts but I feed those in various foraging toys so they have to work for them, besides adding some to their bean mash. This girl has bitten me a couple times but it's never been hard. So she's not aggressive or anything. When she's in the mood, she loves when I have my hand in the cage and petting her. She has never shown aggression in the cage which is good but again, I feel so bad for her. It's like she wants the attention and closeness but she's upset so she refuses to leave her cage. Until I figured out her body language, I would put my hand in the cage and see how she would react before I would attempt to pet her, but I've learned that if she wants to be loved on, she will actually come towards me and be as close to me as she can without leaving the cage. I will say something funny about her, which I've figured out her ruse. If she puts her head down to be petted, but sways back and forth while her head is down, that's her way of trying to trick someone into coming close enough so she can bite them. Especially since she looks absolutely adorable when she sways back and forth with her head down. If she puts her head down and ruffles up her neck feathers a little, that's how I know that she wants to be loved on and won't bite. She makes me laugh when she does that. She fooled me in the beginning and I'm sure she will find another way to fool me someday again. -
Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
What do you mean by flavored warm oatmeal? What do you flavor it with? I make my personal oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar. Do you have a recipe to recommend or can you let me know what I should add to the oatmeal for the flavor? -
Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Thanks for the advice to keep doing what I'm doing. I knew that greys can be stuck in their ways and take a long time to adjust to new situations, but I thought we would be fine at the 6 month mark. I just feel so bad for her. Currently, all the cages are in what I call my husband's man cave. We have a large house and when he is home, we spend our time in his man cave so we keep the flock in there. I have several stands so during the day, I can bring them into various rooms with me, but also during the day I'm in the main area of the house. I'll try to move her into the main area to see if that helps her. During the day I'm in the living room but in the evening I'm in the man cave so she will still have several hours with me and no other bird if I bring her cage in the living room. It could be the other birds that make her nervous, because all of her lovingness was going on when she was in a different room because I had her in quarantine. She hadn't lived with any other birds previously. It was just so weird because during the first month, she liked to be with me constantly. She does fine in her cage and will play with the toys in there but she was extremely cuddly at first. She would melt in my lap, and by melt, her body would be totally relaxed, legs tucked under her so not even standing/perched in my lap, but her belly resting on my lap as I would just love on her. She would snuggle there as long as I would let her, sometimes 30-60 minutes at a time. And now, she will only let me pet her through her cage a handful of times a week and she even lunges at me sometimes. Thank you again for the information. I will definitely check out the other forum because my cape is a hoot. She has the personality of a amazon, conure, caique, grey, and cockatoo all rolled into one bird. She definitely has a huge personality and is very entertaining. She also talks in context like greys. In fact, her and the adopted grey have taught each other songs and phrases and will even chat with each other. -
Hello from the Hill Country area of Texas
LotusBloom replied to LotusBloom's topic in Welcome & Introduction Room
Her previous owner told me that she was very picky about foods and did not have any favorites. She eats pellet food. I provide my flock with a fresh bean mash that includes chopped up veggies and fruits and different nuts and seeds (in addition to pellet food). I've tried giving her different foods, both as a mash and also as separate pieces of food. I had hoped that she would try new foods and I keep providing her with new foods but she just ignores them. The only other food that she ate besides pellets was popsicles, but I've not had luck using popsicles with her. She won't even eat the popsicles in her cage for me. I haven't been able to find anything that she will eat besides her pellets. Even with the pellets, she is so picky that she will only eat certain colors of the zupreem pellet fruit blend that she's eaten her entire life. I've tried other pellets with her as well. There are multiple bowls in her cage so I'm able to offer a variety. I've been half tempted to remove her pellet food and hope that she gets hungry enough to try the other stuff. -
I stumbled across this site looking for information on greys. We already have a cape parrot, who is my baby, and my husband has a CAG who adores him and merely tolerates me, but 6 months ago we took in a 15 year old CAG. She had been raised since she was a baby by her previous owner. Her previous owner had a very strong bond with her and had taken her in while she was still hand feeding. Within the first week that we got her, she would let me pet her, she would step up for me, she would cuddle in my lap, and she even regurgitated for me if I pet her too much. I thought things were going well but as time wore on, she started shutting down on me. She will no longer step up nor leave her cage. She will let me pet her in her cage but I can't get her out of the cage. Even if I leave the cage door open, she won't leave it. I feel very bad for her and not sure what to do. I'm not sure why she regressed. The only thing that I can think of is that her previous owner traveled a lot so she would go to a sitter's house, so maybe she was friendly when she thought she was only here temporarily but now that the months have dragged on, she realizes that her owner isn't coming back. I do talk to her every day. I will pet her on the days that her body language says that it's ok. Sometimes she will let me pet her for 15 minutes or longer until my arm is too tired to be reaching in the cage and petting her, and other days I can only pet her for 30 seconds before she attempts to bite me. She is very talkative and has even learned new words here. It just breaks my heart because all the other birds are out of their cages every single day and she won't leave hers. I've tried different scenarios, i.e. when other parrots are locked up or when other parrots are out. I can't use a favorite treat to tempt her because she is an extremely picky eater and will only eat a certain pellet. She is not very food motivated. Does anyone have any advice? At least she is not plucking or screaming but she can't be happy being in a cage 24/7. I will even sit in a chair next to her cage and talk to her. She will come very close to me and will be hanging on the bars in her cage as near to me as she can, but she won't leave the cage. Other times when I am near her cage, she is lunging towards me. With her previous owner, she stepped up on command and spent a lot of time out of her cage. I didn't think that 6 months later, there would be problems like this...especially since in the first month, she would sit in my lap and totally snuggle with me as long as I would let her. Starting in month 2 is when her trips out of the cage became few and further in-between (her choice) and now it's been probably 2 months since she's been out of her cage at all. If I should post this in another category on the forum, please let me know. Any advice to help this 15 year old girl adjust and be happy would be appreciated.