Pinky

Pinky is almost 3 years old and I have had him for about 1,1/5 years. He was going to be used for breeding and therefor there has not been made the best attempt by his previous owner to make him tame. Also he has been bullied by his siblings and the other parrots he has been with. So he is shy and the only way for him to socialize is to nibble/bite and that is no fun for me :-) Because of the shyness, we have not yet found a way to play together that do not hurt me. I have started again to gain trust and confidence from him today but he holds a grudge (usual last 2-3 days). As for the toweling, he is not going to be toweled anymore unless there is a very very good reason for it.

Thank you very much for your reply. First of all, I want you all to understand that I tried this method with the very best intentions. There is a lot of contradicting, some confusing, and a lot of incomplete information about how to best go about this process. I have tried for the last year to get him used to me and my hand with goodies but progress is slow. I think I'll go back to the slower method and at the same time try to get him used to the towel a little bit by little bit.

Hey there. Pinky is almost turning 3 years and even though he is starting to behave better he is still not "tame" and I have not been able to train him to step up. So tonight we decided to try to "towel" him. I'm not sure we were all successful but we learned some things. Towels need to be really thick, he can bite quite hard through a normal towel. He got his wing in a jam inside the cage so next time we will get him out and the put him in the towel. I also have some questions. Can it be too hot in the towel for him (I guess it can, but when should I get worried) Can anyone share their experience with this kind of "bonding". At the moment he is sitting in the cage and won't talk to me. What do you do when you have your parrot in the towel? Do you just sit with him? Feed him, stroke him ? Is this a method that you would even recommend ? Thanks Roland / Pinky

Hello Everybody I have now had Pinky for a couple of months and I just want to let you know who it's going and maybe get some tip and helpers to nip any problems right at the start. I have him on a Zupreen diet and have taught him to eat grapes and raisin (not too many at a time but maybe 1 or 2 every other day) Bananas was not a hit. He is imitating sounds and start making noises as soon as I leave the room, even just for a second or two. He got a nice, new, big cage, some nature branches and some toys. He is not very good at playing with his toys, only a couple of rope rings is played with. He has been out of the cage a couple of times but he fly like a brick. The worst part is that he won't allow me to touch him and try to bite when I get near him. I have tried to say no in a stern voice when he bites and he seen to understand (for a moment) Often he will sit in the corner of the cage near me and look like he want to participate but as soon as I go near the cage he retreats away. When I give him grapes, he does understand what is finger and what is treat and just grab the grape. He is 2 years old and have been mistreated by his siblings as a young bird. I have read that the 2 year period can be a difficult one. Should I expect him to be more docile as he get a bit older? Feel free to give any pointers to help me on the way. Thanks

I have today switched Pinky over on ZuPreen. He seems to like it but the problem is that he tries to crack them like seeds and don't know when he is supposed to eat them.

Pinky and I are progressing in getting accustomed to each other and to his new enviroment. The tiny, old crap cage I got him in will be thrown out this weekend and the new, but very inadequate cage will be returned to the petstore (petstore used instead of a better word. The craftmanship of the cage was BAD as was the fitting. Bars was too thin and spaced too close together. The gates was placed in such a way that I would never be able to train him in getting up on my hand. I got a 3.rd cage that is spot on. Nice big bars and a nice big gate in the front where I have access to the whole cage and Pinky. Got him a rope to climb on and getting some new toys today as well as some proper parrot food. Also this weekend, I will go to the woods and get him some nice, natural branches. We have a old, royal hunting forrest far from traffic and where they won't spray the trees with anything dangerous. Pinky have been getting aquatinted with his new cage and have started making some happy noises. From friday I have 3 week vacation so we will spend a lot of time together bonding :-) So far everything is going ok. /Roland & Pinky<br><br>Post edited by: Pinky, at: 2009/07/09 13:49

He is my first "big" parrot but I have had several parakeets and other birds. The new cage is much bigger but we are in the middle of a battle of minds about where he want to be. Btw, the cage is from germany or Iltaly, Villa Torretta by Gallizzi (instructions are in german but the comapany name sound italian), and I would recomend everybody to stay away from it. The instructions are awful and the fit is ever worse. We'll see how long we can live with it, but it will get replaced as sson as I have the money and found a better cage.<br><br>Post edited by: Pinky, at: 2009/07/07 21:16

Hello My name is Roland and I live in Denmark, nearly 40 years old. I just got my first Grey tonight. His name is Pinky, male about 2 years old. He got picked on by his siblings and have had a great deal of trouble fitting in with other birds. I have enclosed a picture of him. We are having some disagreement about where he should be. Old, crappy cage or the new one. Tomorrow I will get him some better branches and some toys. /Roland and Pinky <br><br>Post edited by: Pinky, at: 2009/07/07 21:02

Hello This is my first post here and in 30 min. I'm going to, hopefully, buy my first Gray. I was wondering if anyone have had any experience with coconut shells as toys / shreadables ? Anything dangerous about them for the bird? Thanks /Pinky