flutterby

good morning! i have quite the opposite scenario... i can't keep George ON his cage (recall George is an old birdie and i'm his new owner). i'd been working with him diligently, thinking he was actually learning, then, had to leave for 2 separate, work-related stints (my live-in man took care of George). his behavior has been somewhat unruly since i've returned. he *refuses* to stay on his cage. i tell him to go back up, point to the top of his cage, praise him and give him peanuts when he does get back up there, but i think i'm teaching him that when he starts to cruise down, i give him attention vs. good boys STAY on top of their cages and get peanuts for doing so. i want him to learn to stay up top unless he's taken down. any ideas? suggestions? thoughts?? an aside - i wouldn't necessarily mind George coming down and wandering around, but he gets all outta sorts and bangs his head/beak on my kitchen appliances and cabinets. He will sometimes become aggressive towards me, which makes it scary and difficult to get him to step up on my hand OR his perch....he's a pistol ( : thanks Everyone

hmmm......do you guys feed your greys roasted or unroasted peanuts? i had a hard time choosing when i bought mine! George eats the unroasted ones...i figured they'd have more nutritional content, much like fresh veggies vs. steamed or frozen. thanks!

hahaha..... leave it to an American to be so presumptuous!

sometimes, i want to go back and re-read things i've read before or use a thread to link to another thread. how do people keep track of where they've read things! there are a million forums...threads...links here and i'm having a hard time keeping up! thanks!

thank you so much... i cannot express how thankful and appreciative i am for the people on this forum! everyone is so responsive and eager to help me solve my problems. hmm...perhaps a grey owner from this forum should run for President ( : good day Everyone.

thanks, Trust! your idea sounds like a good one, especially considering the magic grey words seem to be "positive reinforcement." Troy is now the official George feeder, and George will take treats from him willingly (he also fluffs and barks when Troy walks by the cage, but hey...baby steps, right?). i bought George some dried papaya...still haven't figured out if he's eating it or not ~ he's one finicky eater. perhaps i'll try fresh! yesterday, i started working on keeping George on his cage unless removed. he came down on 3 separate occasions and i promptly scooped him up and placed him back where he "belongs," and told him that good boys stay on their cage; gave him a peanut. after the 3rd time, i decided to sit by his cage while i read about how to curb his bad behavior. he stayed up there and chattered, whistled and meowed at me til i asked him to step up for lots of head scratchin. i think we did well.

one more thing.... George will come down off his cage and strut thru my kitchen. he will get close to the appliances, cabinets and walls and repeatedly bang his beak against all of them. aggression? confusion? i sometimes thinks he can see his reflection, but he generally loves his mirror... thanks again!

what does it mean when my bird looks at me, bows and flaps his wings gently (wings aren't extended)? he kinds makes his body paralell to the perch, eyes me up and flaps... also, i've read that when they fluff their entire body, it's a sign of aggression...they're making themselves as big as possible to ward off predators. have you found this to be accurate? thanks for the info {Feel-good-000200A2}

Jane08... you mentioned using different training techniques, etc. i'm a new owner and looking for the most efficient methods to teach George new and exciting things. do you have suggestions for books or anything else that might help me?? thanks!

George will let Troy feed him....he has never tried to bite while his hands were in the cage (that i know of). in the same vein, George used to have free range in his old home and his previous owner felt "flattered" that he'd protect her...i think she got an ego stroke out of it. regardless, i'm thinking he needs to learn to stay on his cage top unless i, or someone else, takes him down. any ideas how to begin such training?? i don't want to go over to his cage to coax him back up top w/ a peanut every time he starts to come down b/c i am afraid he'll learn that crawling down causes me to come visit him. man...i think i need to go back to school for a BS in psychology!! haha....:woohoo: thanks for your suggestions thus far; greatly appreciated!

George talks a little bit....i fully intend to expand his vocabulary! as of yet, he says: George, meow, sweet, hello, bless you, good morning and barks. he of course looooves to whistle and is highly interactive. i talk incessantly to my cats, who DO talk back. i'm so excited that i may one day get a response in English. regarding his interesting life, i unfortunately only know a little about the past 5 years...apparently, he's had 5 previous owners and i shall be his last. he's got a great disposition toward me, but does NOT like my man, which is part of the reason i've joined the forum. i'm hoping you "old hat" grey owners can give me some valuable insight! thanks for the warm welcome!

i have an older grey named George who just came into my home about 2 weeks ago. he and i get along wonderfully, but he wants to attack my live-in boyfriend. George will cruise down off of his cage, make a bee-line for my boyfriend and then bite him on the arm. he exhibited very similar behavior in his old home, and i believe has was never taught to act differently toward significant others. does anyone have any advice...what should i be doing when i see George headed for my poor (scared) man? should i ward him off on his way?? he generally doesn't want anything to do w/ me at that point, either....he'll bite my hand when i ask him to step up. i've been using his perch and then placing him back in his cage when he's being aggressive.... he also fluffs A LOT when my man is around...will climb off of his cage, fluff and bark or whistle to get Troy to leave the room. what do i need to do to get George to appreciate my HUMAN mate???? or at least be civil... help! thanks

i adopted 37 year old George nearly 2 weeks ago. we live in Atlanta, GA and he is older than i am...odd, but amusing. looking forward to learning more about George and how to help him become the best buddy he can be! thanks for any future assistance and nice to meet all of you.