Madness

Great stories! I guess once they're used to being wet and realise it won't hurt them, they're OK. Some really do hate water though Coco used to fly away even from the sight of a water bottle! LOL

Like many African Grey parrots, Coco used to be very water shy and used to absolutely hate getting wet! Over the years, I've managed to train him to the point where I can take him into the shower with me. We have a walk in shower pod and it has a built in radio, etc and also a seat for humans (where he sits). Many of you may be wondering how I got him to the point where he'll happily sit there without throwing a fit. I firstly started off by showering myself with him just outside the shower pod. This not only shows him that the water will not harm me, but it shows him how much I enjoy it. Once he had seen me in there a good few times, I seated him inside the shower pod (which he really didn't like!). The first few times I turned the water on, he went a bit crazy. I think I remember him growling slightly and looking on edge, but eventually he got used to it! Now I can happily shower myself and then position the shower head ontop of him so water falls directly onto him. Now please if you do attempt to shower your grey in this way, do not put them in direct contact with the shower head. Some of these can be very powerful and may harm them. They also may not like the direct contact and it most certainly will scare them. I always position the water against the pod ontop of him so water falls down onto him. After he's a little wet, he sits there and makes cute noises. It does require trust from your grey, but it's definitely possible. Once Coco is wet, I sit down and touch my nose to his beak as if a partner would in the wet rain forests. Well I hope this helps. It really is a great way to shower your grey and have some company in the shower whilst you're in the process!

Interesting it does seem like perhaps he doesn't need to talk or call me when I'm there... well... cos I'm there! Some really great replies and I think it's cleared things up. Yesterday he was chatting away downstairs and I was hiding listening to him. As soon as I made an entrance he stopped haha. Oh coco!

Haha some great stories. So I guess it's not just Coco who's shy of talking around me! He does sometimes just rarely. I just took him in the shower with me just now and he said "Gimme a kiss".

I definitely am his favorite he loves me to bit. Just this second he was bringing up food for me which is obviously a lovely thing for him (not for me though haha). I really think you're right in that he's mesmerized when I'm around. I do talk to him a lot and he does repeat what I say, just not when I'm around haha. He doesn't even really make a noise when I'm around.

Awww no that's not nice! Coco is situated between two rooms so he's always around people. He does talk when people are around, that's not the problem. It's just as soon as I'm around he stops talking.

I've had Coco now for approx. 9 years and he's a very clever boy! He has an amazing vocabularly and never ceases to amaze us all with his words. The only problem is that he only seems to spill out words when I'm not around! I see a lot of owners on youtube where their greys are happily conversing infront of them, but coco doesn't do that. I personally think it's because he always listening to me for new words and he's usually too desperate to jump on me for a good ol' head scratch! haha!. Why do you guys think he's like this? Is anyone else in the same situation? Thanks

Thank you Judy! Well, I'm no expert believe me!!! I just love animals and understand them. Also, you can never know too much or everything:side: I'm sure I'll learn a lot here:laugh:

Awww Nychsa :ohmy: Bella loves you sooo much! At night, my bird Coco is most cuddly. He will rest his cheek against mine. I can kiss his head or cheek. He just gets really affectionate at night. He's similar through the day, but not so much. It's almost like snuggling with someone at night!

Hello Corrigaan! Hope you enjoy your stay here and as these guys said, do not be shy to ask ANY questions you may have. See you around I hope

Awww, I remember being over whelmed the first time we got our birdy. I guess the best advice I can give is to be patient with him. Give him time, let him settle in, give him treats and eventually he'll love you

I'll tell you all what seems to work for me. As the "flock leader", it's almost your duty to let your bird know that what you are giving it is actually a delicious treat. I will put the food near him, if he doesn't eat it I'll pull it away, bite a bit off myself and sa, "mmm niceeee, here you go Coco try it!". He'll try it usually, obviously if he tries it and doesn't eat it more he just doesn't like it :laugh: Hope this helps <3

Aww thx guys and haha. all of you guys rule

Thanks for a lovely welcome guys. I'll definitely be posting around!

I bought a new play stand to put in my room for my grey (note that there is 6 of us in this house hold and he's only bonded with me). He also has his cage downstairs so I guess it was a bit exciting for him to be in my room. Anyway, my older sister approached him and he was just sitting on my bed (his stand is next to it), she went to kiss him and BAM, he bit her lip very hard, made it bleed. My instinct was to tell him off, so I pointed my finger out and said, "COCO, NO!" he bit me very hard on my finger and made me bleed. I reacted and shouted (wrong thing to do lol). Basically he bit me like 2 - 3 times in a row and he was very scared cos I shouted at him. This was the first time he'd ever bitten me. You CANNOT react, this is what I learnt from this experience. Did you know that Greys are not vicious? Did you know that in the wild Greys avoid fights and just fly away? They don't know why they are being told off... Coco was either protecting me and his new home, or he just wanted to be left alone. He can't exactly say, Oh hey leave me alone :dry: If you tell off your parrot, they can even lose your trust. Lucky for me Coco still loves me very much :side:

Hey Jag, Welcome and good luck with your new parrot. You will LOVE him/her like you would a child

Hey guys, my names Devin, I'm 21 years old and currently living in England. I have a Congo African Grey, his name is Coco and he is approximately 5 - 6 years old. He's an amazing talker and very smart! When we first got him all he could say was "Hello" and he wasn't 100% tame. Over the years I trained him and built an amazing bond with him! Here is a picture of me and him a while back and a few of him by himself: He's tall and handsome as you can see:P Well, looks like a great site to share knowledge and experience. See you guys around <br><br>Post edited by: Madness, at: 2008/03/08 02:38