Acappella

It took two months for me to get Dorian to go near his boing. Started out across the room, I'd sit on the floor and kind of roll it around, never too close to the cage. Gradually got it lying on the floor next to his cage. Then I started attaching it to the outside of his cage, gradually moving it higher and higher, and I mean gradually! At minimum I had to leave it in the same position for 3 or 4 days before moving it up a few inches. I finally got it up high enough that it cleared the floor. Once he had beaked it from inside, he got brave enough to explore it outside. The day I saw him sitting on it I knew it was time to hang it from the ceiling. What also helped was Dorian is bell crazy, so I took the bell that came with it off and replaced it with a loud, clear, cow bell. He couldn't resist! Now he loves it, the silly creature:silly: He's def. in the timid category, but when I think back to how he was when I brought him home 20 months ago, he's come leaps and bounds!

Welcome. So much info here. Check out the nursery, the Welcome Room, use the search forum function at the top of the page. We can keep you busy for the next few weeks, no problem:)

Karma to you for getting Rover out of a terrible environment. There is so much information here that I encourage you to search around and benefit from the experience of others who have been through similiar situations. Most times it's best when you move a bird to keep the same cage and same set-up he had before, but with Rover being so badly treated in his cage the fresh start you've provided is great! Now you have to get to know his body language, what he does, what sounds he makes when he's scared . . . (lots here on reading a greys body language too!) He sounds like he's cage bound, and cage defensive. Poor little guy. His cage is supposed to be his safe place, but it's also been his prison in his last home, so right now he doesn't know where he's at. Two weeks is, in the life of a grey, the blink of an eye, although it feels like forever to us impatient humans;) Don't be surprised if it takes weeks, maybe even months, before you can handle him. I brought home a 4 year old cage bound bird about a year and a half ago, and it's still a struggle to get him to step up, and his cage is still his favourite place. Just keep reminding yourself that the work you do now is laying the foundation for a relationship that can last decades, and mark every small step of progress you make. At the end of a year you'll look back and be amazed how far Rover has come with you. With information, support (which you'll get in truck loads here), love, and patience, you have years of companionship and laughter to look forward to.

Emma is such a sweetie. Thanks for my morning smile.

Lucky it wasn't in the middle of the night. Can you imagine explaining that the parrot set off the alarm to an angry neighbour!

{Feel-good-0002006E}

So, reading some current posts about first words (congrats Adaya and Cleo), and regretable new favourite phrases (yes, Char, that's for you:P ) got me thinking today about things I would not want Dorian to start saying. I was playing piano this afternoon and I kept messing up the same section over and over again. I have the bad habit of talking to myself when I screw up, and I caught myself saying "that sucked" or "I suck" every time I made the same mistake. Then I thought of Char and how that would sound coming out of Dorian's beak and made a quick decision to try to take that phrase out of my repertoire. I'll have to confine myself to the less colourful "yikes" or "uuugh". So, anything you guys have stopped saying around your bird, (other than the obvious swearing, which I'm sure no one here ever does anyway, right?:unsure: )

Oh, and congrats to Dave and Char for their newly talkative greys!

Phoebegirl, she's shown she can talk, but she's still very new to your home and her new flock. Talking to her will encourage her to try to communicate with you by talking. Be gentle, patient and loving and teach by example. She'll continue to progress under your care.

For a while Dorian was doing an ear-drum shattering scream/whistle which was driving me crazy, especially after he figured out he could amplify it by facing the concrete block wall behind his cage when he did it. My first piece of advice is get some of those roll-up foam ear-plugs. You can still hear everything, but it takes the edge of their most obnoxious sounds. It helps if you can figure out what he is getting out of making the sound. for example, when he does it do you go up to the cage and talk to him? If so, his payoff is to get your attention. Just like a kid, even negative attention (you telling him to be quiet) is a payoff for him. Or is he doing it, like Dorian, just for the sheer joy of seeing how loud he can be? Then you have to find something to distract him that is more interesting than the sound of his own voice. Do you supply him with foraging opportunities, new toys? What is his favourite thing to do? Dorian loves shredding paper, so I always have something in his cage that offers that. I found, through trial and error, that if I put the tv that faces his cage on cartoons, he is so intrigued that he clams right up. Then I started sitting by his cage and talking calmly while he was quiet. If I turned off the tv and he started with the noise again, I gave him a very strong "no noise" with a sad, stern, facial expression, and left the room. (Just turning the tv back on would have been rewarding him for screaming) If you can't leave the room, turn your back on him and completely ignore him until he stops. (This was the hardest thing for me to do. Put your hand over your mouth if you have to, but don't respond!) If he's doing it for a contact call, DO NOT respond to it, EVER!! Then, when he makes a more pleasing sound, call back with the contact call you choose. If he makes that sound, go to him with lots of praise and maybe a small treat. This takes time, work, and consistancy, from everyone in the house. Also, it may get worse for a short time before it gets better. It will not work if even one member of your family goes to him when he's being loud. It does work, though. Remember, your bird wants attention and affection from his flock. He will figure out that certain behaviour means being alone or ignored. I'm pleased to report that Dorian only ever makes that noise now when he's running through his whole repetoire of sounds, and it's at a much reduced volume when he does. Good luck. You can do this:)

I think it must have something to do with how they were raised. Dorian didn't get a lot of positive interaction with people when he was young, and he's just now finally learning that toys are for playing with, not just for banging against cage walls. So he's 5 and just starting to play. Since Tobie has had a good playful and affectionate childhood, my instinct is that should carry through, although the playing may slow down as he gets older, just like a human child.

He has a very focused and determined look on his little grey face when he's taking off with his loot. He must keep you very busy. So cute!

Your pictures are so cute. How does Kalan feel about being a breathing jungle gym?

I agree you have to teach him his behaviour is not acceptable. Can you get him to step-up when he is in this mood? If you can't you may have to cage him before company comes in. If you can, the next time he dives at company, make him step up, give him a firm no with a stern facial exprssion, and cage him for a time out. Give him some time in the cage being ignored, then give him another chance. If he repeats his behaviour, repeat your response. I'd also be careful not to let him out the moment company leaves, or he might think he was successful in making them leave. It sounds like he's testing you, and you have to win! Good luck!

Thanks for the update on your two cuties. Sounds like you're going to have a very busy life keeping up with your flock!

Many greys don't like being misted or showered, but some grow to like it, others just become resigned to it. I've found it helps with Dorian to act like it's a game. Use an excited tone of voice and facial expression, laugh if he tries to attack the water bottle, clap, tell him he's a good boy, and then make a big deal of putting a treat in his dish when it's done (I put the treat in a dish instead of giving it to him because if he's really ticked off my fingers can look tastier than a peanut!) I look and sound like a fool doing it but who's going to tell, the cat?

Thanks for sharing this update. You're right, everyone here understands how exciting it is when our birds do something new and we can see them learning and growing. Good job:)

Yep, he doesn't just love you, he Luuuuuuuuuuves you:P

Very cute girl you have there. I have to listen to videos with headphones. Dorian gets quite upset. I think he thinks I'm in the office with another grey!

Sorry to hear you and Willow have to go through this, but I'm glad the problem is correctable and that Willow is taking it in stride. At the next visit you might want to try either not being in the room when the drilling is happening, or being in the room where you can talk to her, but where she can't see you. That way she'll be less likely to associate you with the frightening treatment, and you get to be the rescuer, like Pat said. If she's really taking it well this might not be necesary, but I'd hate for the trust you have with her to be damaged by something she can't understand is for her own good, y'know?<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/05/26 03:11

Hello and welcome. Zico is obviously very smart. He decided to cut out the middle man and go shopping for himself. Keep him away from the computer: He might try logging onto ebay:lol:

Oh Oh Oh Oh! New contest idea! Pat, Dan and Caroline post videos of their goofy-hat-wearing, my-head-is-not-a-landing-strip dance, and we vote on the best performance:laugh:

I had the question about shots and, like the others, I think she made the decision to 'give' them to you really fast. It also seems there is some awkwardness in the language which could be a grieving woman typing quickly, but could also be someone whose first language is not english, and we all know the places in the world where African Grey scams often originate. It just hit me as I'm typing this why it sounds fishy. The text in her second e-mail that starts with the sentence "African Grey birds have the reputation . . ." sounds really familiar. I think it is cut and pasted from a previous thread that came through here quite a while ago that turned out to be a scam. Anyone else remember that?

Those wobbly antennas on springs would work too. Same caveat about companyB)

How do you mean he gets stuck on his toys? Are his talons getting caught in frayed rope or in chains that don't have closed links? Inspect the toys to see exactly where he's getting caught. If you can't fix the toy to eliminate the danger, it's a toy that should only be played with when you're supervising, not in his cage. As far as him falling to the bottom, if you know he's about to launch into a temper tantrum, put a folded up blanket in the bottom of the cage. (Introduce the blanket slowly if he's scared of new things or you may have a whole new fit on your hands:P ) Or pad the bottom with several layers of paper. Basically, you're making a padded cell for your little grey lunatic:P You'll have to throw the blanket into the laundry alot, but at least you're reducing the chance of him hurting himself. Ignore the tantrum and then, when he's quiet reward him with a favourite treat and some attention, but with him still in the cage. If he starts up again the next time you walk away, ignore him again until he calms down. Repeat ad nauseam until he figures out that throwing a fit is not getting him out of the cage! Remember, you can be more stubborn than your bird:silly: