Motomazzo

Yes, she does but she does not handle him nearly as ofter in general. I have always been his preferred human. In fact, even though he is not running/flying from her, he is still not letting her be as affectionate as I could be if I could get anywhere near him. That's about normal for him and her. Also, I am the one who always gives him a bath. That's been okay for a very long time. He hates it, but he never seemed to associate me with the evil bath-time. I was able to get him perched this morning and I gave him a bath. He had his talons pinned the whole time and there was no problem...other than he hates baths. When it was over, he started the biting. I suffered a couple hard bites. I kept him distracted with a fisted hand, but I knew I was in dangerous territory and was able to get him back to his cage without losing a finger. You have to remember, this is all new territory for me. For two years, I have not even had the slightest hint of biting behavior from him. I just got back from the store and went over to where he was perched. He let me walk up to him, but when I went to pick him up (just to see what he would do) he started a mad dash to get away from me. I'll bet at some point today, if today is anything like the last week and a half, he will fly over to my shoulder. His behavior is totally random. It's like I have no domination over him all of the sudden....and he knows it. It's like he knows I have no game. His behavior is totally random....vasillating between submission and dominance. Do you suggest not pinning talons, then?

Hey All, It's been a while since I have posted. Things have been going really well. My CAG (Bug) has been a real joy. He started a plucking issue about a year ago that we resolved with stimulating him more. He is flying now and that has seemed to build his confidence. He's very playful and we had gotten to where he would hang upside down from my hands and swing like a monkey. We were having a blast. Before I start on my question, let me say that upon recommendation from my vet, we've been holding his feet with our thumbs when he is perched on our hands. That has worked flawless since we began it over a year and a half ago. Well, something has changed. He hates me now. I was his favorite (over my wife), but now he just flies away from me. It's been over a week of this. Sometimes he lets me get close and even touch him (I scratched his head yesterday), and the rest of the time he just flies away. I was able to get him to step up this morning, but he starts to bite my thumb (the one that's over his feet) like he's trying to get away. If I raise my other hand to change hands, he bites at that one. He will be 2 on 21-September-09. I was just wondering if there is a maturity phase he's going through. Nothing has happened that my wife and I can think of that would have caused him to lose confidence in me. He likes my wife much better now. Any ideas? Thank you!!

Update, Update!! I just gave Buggles his second bath in three days. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! He still hates water, but the entire ordeal was like night and day. He didn't even squawk. He jumped around a little....went from one end of the tub to the other and then just found a corner and submitted to the torture...LOL (not really torture). I soaked him to the bone. He's more playful and doesn't even seem angry at me this time. He is sitting on my shoulder as I type this...just as content as can be. I think he feels a little "uncomfortable" being wet, but I don't think he's mad. I think he could have bit through nails after his last bath. I have one small question though. How warm do they need to be while they are drying off? I put him in my office, turned off the ceiling fan, closed the A/C vent to the room, opened the widow to the outside (I live in Texas...it's about 99 degrees F today).....and he is still quivering a little. Do they all shake until they are dry. If I had to guess, I would say this room is easily 85 degrees F or hotter. I figure he's just a little "nervous" being wet?? What are your experiences with this? Thank you!! And I think I've learned consistency is the key!! <br><br>Post edited by: Motomazzo, at: 2008/07/05 23:08

See, that's weird. Bug won't preen, whistle or anything. He just sits there like he's covered in some weird goo or something. And he acts like his world is destroyed. Maybe it's becuase I haven't been "regular" with his baths thus far. I guess I really need to make it a routine for him. After a couple weeks and several baths, maybe it will be more "normal" to him. I hope anyway!! I have decided I'm going to do it every 3 days.....so tomorrow we will try another one.

Amber....yeah..Turki up is cute!! How does she act towards you after the shower? Mine would not have anything to do with me until finally last night we cuddled. I was really scared he wasn't going to come around. He acted really mad. When I came into the room, he started his "nervous" clucking like he's done anytime he's done something new. Anyway, just curious if any of you go through this period after the baths.

Well....Bug just got a bath. It was the longest I ever stayed at it and the wettest he's ever been. I laid a towel in the bottom of my bathtub....put him in there and misted him with the pump-up sprayer. He ran back and forth...trying to get away. He squawked louder than I've ever heard him squak....then he got pressed against the side of the tub and just sat...defeated. When I moved a little closer (I was trying to get in some areas like under his wings, etc) he just bit at the nozzle like crazy. I thought that might be good because it was like I didn't even exist at that point. When it was all over, I put away the sprayer and leaned down to pick him up. He stepped right up and I took him to his favorite chair in my office. He's just sitting there now....mad at the world. I don't think he has moved an inch for an hour. When I come in the room and walk close to him....he walks away from me on the chair. He's mad a me. I hate it.

O.k. Danmcq, One more question and I will let you off the hook! You wrote: I block his way out in the shower, he runs around in circles for about 30 seconds, tries to climb up the bottle, bites the bottle and then just finally sits in submission, knowing this is the way it ALWAYS goes and lets me drench him. This is obviously behavior after multiple bathings....even knowing what's coming. Were there even more "difficult times" at first? Squawking, etc? Did you just keep on keeping on? How did he act towards you after the first or second time? Again, did you just "go for the gusto" the first time and get him soaked...and repeat a few days later...or did you stop....try a little more the next time, etc? Thank you!!

Hey Danmcq, I love your suggestion about the outside misting. Great idea. You wrote: In the winter, I take him and place him in the bottom of the shower. I make sure I have the exit blocked and Mist him from a spray bottle with Aloe juice until he is soaked. So during this misting session, is he running away from you (to the extent he can)..trying to get out of getting wet?...and the shower keeps him pinned in? I'm just checking to see if others are going through the same process. Like I said...I can get him soaked! That's not the problem. I just want to make sure I'm not the only one having to pin up my Grey to get it done, if you know what I mean. Also, when they are in their cages outside getting misted..do they show visible signs of "not wanted to get wet"....maybe even flopping around in their cages running from the water. Just asking so that if I try this method I have someting to compare Bug's reaction to. Another idea my wife had (which was an awesome idea) is a ***NEW***, hear me out here.... a new pump-up insecticide sprayer. You know the ones you can buy that you can fill with whatever and pump up to generate a nice quiet mist. Anyway, if I decide to take my Grey outside in his cage, this might be the perfect amount of spray for him. Thanks for the reply. We are also going to continue with the shower thing. I want to get a suction cup perch and move him down slowly as TM suggested. I want to be careful though and take it slow. If he decides to freak out, the last thing I want to be is naked, trying to wrestle a bird.

Well, I don't know if it's the same thing but... We have one of those corner showers...with a tall glass door. He goes in there with us each night at shower time. He sits on top of the door and whistles his head off and watches us while we take our showers. Try to get him wet either at that time or any other time and he freaks out.

Hey All, This is going to sound like a really immature, not-well-thought-out question, but I assure you it isn't: Is it o.k. to make your bird upset at you repeatedly, by doing something that's really good/necessary for them even though they may HATE it??? The reason I ask: And let me preface by saying that my wife and I are ANIMAL people. We have no kids and love animals to death. I'll put it this way. I will capture a spider and throw it outside before I will smash it....and spiders give me the weebie-jeebies. That's just how we are. It was no different when we took on Bug. We knew how much work owning a parrot is and accepted the responsiblity full-on, sparing no sacrifice in time, money, etc. Having said that....Bug as far as I can tell is a model-Grey so far. He is calm. Very affectionate. Fairly equally adapted to both Alicia and me (although he prefers me a little more ) He took to Harrison's pelleted diet right away and hasn't looked back. No plucking. No sickness. We just couldn't be any more pleased with him. But this bird HATES water more than any animal known to God under heaven, in any form other than drinking his own water I just can't win. And I know he needs a bath regularly. He's powdery. Itchy...dry skin. I have done my homework on the site...searching this issue before bringing it up and a lot of reading. Tried many techniques to coax him into it peacefully. He just won't have it. The only successful attempts that have acually yielded a wet bird were spraying him with store-bought, parrot-approved bird spray while he is perched on my hand...but he tries to fly off...hates every minute of it...and I just have to stay after it until he is wet. I really like the spray too because it has aloe-vera in it and seems to really moisturize his skin. Now, I can keep doing this and actually give him a bath he really needs. But I just hate it. I would hate to think that I am ruining our relationship and/or a really good bird. I remember the first time I took him to the avian vet. I asked him if the experience would shock him or make him dislike the vet and/or me. He told me they don't hold grudges long. And so far, that has been my experience with Bug. I have really soaked him several times...and once he dries off, he comes around like nothing happened...but he seemes very angry or like he got his feelings hurt for most of the day....especially while he is wet. Should I just do what he doesn't like, or does that have nasty consequences?

That's good to hear. We have a quiet household as well. It's just the wife and me here...no kids. We have two keets and they "talk it up" most of the day, but outside of that, it's really quiet. I keep the radio on low if I leave the house or if I put them in their cages, but I work from home so pretty much all day every day the keets are out flying around and Bug is on his chair next to me. It's so funny. He will sit for an hour dead quiet with a foot pulled up...I will quit typing or whatever and just turn and make eye contact....and he will just make a little cluck...or small whistle and that's it. If I feel like he's "being neglected" and I try to pick him up, he just bows his head for some "scratchy"....won't put his foot down or anything. So I have to feel the little guy is happy as can be. Sure seems content. Just very quiet. Now if I could just get him to like WATER!! Arrrrgggg!!

Hey Lovemygreys, Thank you for the link!! I'm such an idiot. I was looking around at the little "thumbs up and thumbs down" icons under your name and I accidently clicked the "thumbs down". I am so sorry. I don't even know what they mean much less did I mean to reduce your Karma!!! Arrggg. Sorry. :unsure:

Hello everyone, I haven't posted in a LONG time. Things have been going great with Bug...Bugless...Bugless Douglas...Cuddle Bug....whichever one you want to call him. He seems very healthy. He's very sweet natured. Eats his Harrison's Pelleted diet like there's no tomorrow. We give him fresh fruits and veggies everyday (10% as Harrison's suggests). I just started thinking here the last few days (actually my wife and I have been watching videos on Youtube) that Bug seems a little...I don't know...too calm? Not very playful. Pretty quiet really. He never really plays with his toys in his cage. He plays with stuff we give him when he's out for a while...then he sits. I work from home and he sits on a chair next to me in my office. It's his favorite place in the whole world. I take him out of the cage and put him on the floor and he will walk all the way to my office and climb his chair and just sit. He could and will sit there for hours. And lot's of times, he doesn't want to "step up" from there. He just wants to sit. He acts very "baby" and scared kind of....if you do anything "crazy". Like last night I was just trying to move my hand around a little more than ususal...just trying to be playful with him. I can't tell if he likes it or not. He'd definately rather snuggle than play. He sat in my lap last night and let me pet his head/neck for 30 minutes. He's a snuggle-bug for sure. Anyway, he's only 10 months old and I wondered will he "come out of his shell" more as he gets older? To be honest, we don't mind his subdued behavior. He's our boy and we love him. He's quiet which is nice. But I want to make sure there's not a problem too. Sorry so long.

Hey All, I've been away from the site for a while due to work. I had told several of you that we have been waiting on DNA testing for my CAG....well, we got it last week and he is a boy! Still undecided on a name, but when he gets one, I'll let you know!! He sure has been sweet lately. I should just name him spoiled brat, I guess!!

Hello Lyric!! Nothing like passing time at work! Thank goodness for internet! I just called my vet and they still haven't received my bird's certificate of sex. Maybe next week they said....