CuteMandaPanda

Thanks to everyone that shared their stories with me! Keep them coming!

What do you do at home for your birds when you are not home? What are your thoughts on the subject?

Thanks for the words of wisdom! I appreciate it. I feel that part of my problem is confusion. I know that patience and repetition is the key. I know that respecting him and his needs and space is key. But at the same time, isn't this the time that he'll develop bad habits or continue his habits like biting if he's not shown other wise? I guess I'm confused as to where the happy medium is.

That's so sweet! Thanks for sharing. (I'm new here and that explains why I'm so late.)

I too am enjoying Emma's videos and your soothing voice. Also, all of your cages and accessories are so elaborate. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of money you have spent! Your babies are wonderful, and living like royalty! Love it! Thanks for sharing!

I always wondered if Baby would rescue/save a piece of food that he dropped if he wanted it bad enough. He only did it once so far, and it was to save a grape. We didn't have Baby in time for pumpkin. Maybe next Halloween!

OK. Thanks, Spock!

Rob is going to build Baby a PVC Pipe Playstand. The questions is, to use or not to use PVC glue? If not, what's another option? Thanks in advance. Rob, Amanda, and Baby

Thanks Jill & Harvey. I definitely don't want to give up. I will be consistent and so will his daddy. We will do everything we can to make him feel comfortable, loved, and cared for with nothing to worry about. We want him to know there's nothing out of his cage that will harm him. I hope he comes around. He's very talkative and seems to rebound well from things that seem to make him uncomfortable right at first. Thanks again.

I know it's only been 10 days since Baby (he'll be 2 yrs old in Dec.) has been living with us, however I'm still concerned about some of his habits. He prefers contact with inanimate objects. Approach him with your hand, no matter how slow, with gentle coaxing, gently talking, etc...and all he wants to do is bite. His bite comes with a quick noise too which to me makes him sound aggressive. He'll lunge for you as well. Occasionally he lets me pet his beak. Most times he tries to snap and I put my finger up with a firm "No," and try again. But it's an over and over again routine. He loves to be pet!...BUT! Only with a toilet paper roll? I can sometimes swap it out and use my own hand, but he definitely prefers to have the paper roll be what touches him. He won't step up onto anything other than "the stick." (His "before-mommy" has him accustomed to that??) Sometimes he'll step up onto our hand from the stick, but not from any other places. However, from the floor he will step up and obviously it's because a Grey doesn't want to be on the ground. Does it sound like a time thing, that he should grow out of as long as we keep trying? Or is this just his temperament? And he will be a no-hands-on kind of bird? I'm not afraid to take the bites, but he just keep doing it over and over again, sometimes a few at the same time? Any advice? I've been reading stuff, it's informative. The vet says that we just have to show the bird who is boss and that his bad attitude isn't going to get him anywhere. But she did say he's a good bird, he was good for her. But he did go to bite a few times. But he stepped up out of his carrier for her without a problem. To me, that made sense as I'm sure he wasn't thrilled about being in there in the first place.

Does she ever get the nut out of the bag? How long does it take her? She knows there's a nut in there?

I could have written this post myself! Glad I'm not alone.

That's a great video. Thanks for sharing! You two have come a long way with the bath time saga.I hope Baby will let me shower him one day. I'm attempting the spray bottle technique right now. I haven't decided how he feels about it. I do know, he wasn't thrilled with our first bathtub experience. Here's my recent post describing the experience.http://www.greyforums.net/component/option,com_joomlaboard/Itemid,27/func,view/catid,5/id,169915/

Thank you so much for the response. I really appreciate it. I haven't been getting many responses to questions I've posted since Friday? Maybe they are just too long. Haha. But thanks again. I have used the spray bottle on him. He doesn't scream. I ducks down, puts his wings out, puffs out his feathers and opens his beak. It seems as if he is trying to catch the water. He makes a noise each time the water touches him, and I can't decide if he likes it. He doesn't run from the spray bottle, or even the water? Once, he sat on the edge of his water dish and had the same reaction to the spray, but I still can't decide if he actually likes it, or is at least tolerating it? Or if he hates it? I wish I knew. I'd really like to coax him into the bathtub. "Before-mommy" says she used to fill the tub up with some water which he really liked with a little bit of "rain" from the shower while he's in it? I don't think he appreciated our visit to the bathtub. I could have introduced it to him too quickly. It was his first time in our bathroom after all?

Hello, I'm a new CAG mama and I'd like to hear some inspiring progress and success stories. Something to help me feel hopeful. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance. Amanda and Baby Boy Grey

The previous owner said that Baby wouldn't bathe in his cage. Supposedly, he enjoyed being in the bathtub with a little water. Baby has been with us a full week, and took a bath on his own in his water dish one day while we ate breakfast. I haven't seen it since. Considering "before-mommy" said he enjoys the bathtub, I had him in the bathroom today for his first time. I showed him the tub filled with a little water. I tried to place him in the water, and he ran/flapped up my arm, each time I tried. I decided to put his perch stand in the water and splashed my hands in the water saying encouraging words and phrases. He didn't want any part of it. And since he won't step up off of his perch stand, I couldn't really interact with him from there. If you could describe it, what would you say is the body language of a Grey that enjoys water? Weather it's in the tub, shower, or a water bottle. What's the typical reaction? As of right now, he will only step up onto the stick to be removed from his cage, and today is the first day he did it willingly. He allowed the stick after receiving a neck scratch/rub. (That's the other part of my story) Is it normal for the bird to be more willing to leave his cage after the positive interaction like a neck rub? Once he's on the perch stand, you cannot get him to step up. He bites and bites and bites =( He steps up willingly onto the stick though. I wish his "before-mommy" didn't get him accustomed to the stick method, but there's nothing I can do about it except to keep working with him and praising him. Once he's on the stick, he'll step up on our hand or down to the floor. He'll step up from the floor to hand. But he won't step up from any of his perches. He bites, big time. He's only biting when you approach him specifically to try to pick him up. We can have our hands in the cage, touching stuff, adjusting stuff, changing stuff, hand feeding food, etc. Is that common? In other news, yesterday Rob and I gave Baby an empty toilet paper roll. We were using it as a pocket to stuff a peanut in it. Shook it like a rattle. I tried to show him to rip the cardboard and that there was a peanut inside it. He doesn't seem interested in it as a toy. However, every time I showed it to him, he put his head down and fluffed his neck feathers out. Finally, I asked if he wanted a scratch and I used the cardboard roll to approach him. He got his first scratch by me, and let me keep coming back to try again. He was loving it, even though it was the cardboard. Eventually, I got courageous and began using my own hand to give him the scratch. He still enjoyed it. I'm so glad to be able to touch him. I hope to hear back. And thank you in advance!<br><br>Post edited by: CuteMandaPanda, at: 2009/11/16 04:49

I loved reading this, even though I'm a little late. Thanks for sharing.

Hi friends! Today was Baby's visit to the vet. He was stubborn about coming out of his cage. We tried many ways to entice and bribe him out. He weaseled part of the way out and they he'd scurry right back into his cage. Eventually, I resorted to trying to retrieve him by the stick. He also wanted no part of that. Finally, we attempted the towel idea. It was the first and only thing that got him screaming the same way he screamed the first day we brought him home. He fluttered around his cage. It wasn't a success. I guess after he was freaked out by the towel idea the stick seemed more appealing to him, as he finally stepped up. We interacted with him a little before placing him in the cat carrier. He goes in the cat carrier without a problem. The vet visit also went well. They said he's in good health, and all checked out. Good bill of health =) He did get the towel in the vets office and he sure did scream, but he succumbed and stopped screaming. The Dr. was really good with him and answered every one of our questions. She also said he's very well socialized, thank goodness. She said he's definitely a well tempered boy and his displays of behavior at the vet was to be expected. Our second stop on the way home was to the groomer. He got his wings clipped, nails trimmed, and his beak filed. He's good to go... But definitely not happy with us, and hasn't been for the past few hours. When we first got him back home, my husband and I were attempting to practice step ups with him. Over all he did well, but we did take a few hits. He almost drew blood on Rob, and I've got a nice puffy bite on my arm. When he had the first free chance, he walked back over to his cage and headed in. Who knows when he'll come out again, but I'm not expecting it to be today. He's sleepy from the trauma and stress. He keeps trying to fall asleep, and he's not even on his sleepy perch. He hasn't made much of an effort to eat yet today. I did see him munch on a grape and some oranges. I'm hopefully that he'll come around again. I'm glad I got to hold him for the first time today. We both plan to handle him more now that the vet suggested that it's not horrible to "force" ourselves on him at this time. She said he's just testing us, since he is in his "Terrible Twos." She said his biting right now is just his way of saying, "I don't want to." But she showed us the difference between I really am uncomfortable with that, scared, and "I simply just don't want to." Wish us luck!

I meant to add. Tomorrow is his vet visit at 9 am. Any suggestions for getting him out of his cage and to his cat carrier, as he doesn't come out of his cage on command. I think we'll get lucky if we wake up early and he comes out of his cage on his own, then we have more of a chance of getting him on the stick. But if not? Then what?

Hi friends. I hope my link to Baby Boy's photo album works. Today is his first full week in his new home. Daddy and Mommy work different shifts, so Baby spends the morning with me and the evening with Daddy. He has breakfast with me, and dinner with daddy. The weekends he will get a good dose of both of us! I have a few minutes to spare while he eats his breakfast and before I leave for work. He's enjoying a small amount of grapes, apples, carrots, oranges, pureed pumpkin, a drizzle of strawberry yogurt, and a few shreds of cheese. He tasted a pickle today not sure how he felt about that. He'll have that to munch on, pellets, fresh water, and right before I leave I place his seed in his cage. Currently, he only gets seed mix when we are not home. He has access to pellets, water, and fresh food all day long. When his daddy comes home he gets dinner! He is always wiping off his beak against his dishes or perches. His pellets are a mix of Harrison's and a non-organic pellet. He's not interested in Harrison's, but he loves the colorful pellets! I guess that's better than nothing. He has no hesitation taking food from our hands or a spoon. He's still talking a lot, but I am not noticing any new words or phrases. He makes lots of sounds and whistles. He prefers to eat while someone is in the room. If someone leaves the room, he stops eating to watch what's going on. I love when I wake up in the morning and I hear him downstairs talking to himself. He preens a lot! I hope he's not overpreening? He's not plucking, as I do not find feathers. How would I know if he's chewing? Although, I don't think he is? His "before-mommy" used to bathe him in the bathtub. I think he would like that but not until he's ready to come out of his cage and leave the cage. I guess until then, we need to buy a spray bottle. He has taken one bath in his fresh water dish, that was over the weekend. It was the cutest thing. If he has taken more baths, he didn't do it in front of us. "Before-mommy" said that he's a pre-madonna and won't bathe in his cage so we're wondering if his "in-cage" bath was just a fluke or out of desperation? Daddy says he comes right out of his cage when it's unlocked. He's only come out of the cage once for me. Daddy says when he lets him take him off his cage by the stick he places him on the floor right away and practices step up onto his hand from the floor. That's the only time he lets you get your hand near him without nipping/biting. I haven't gotten to do any step up exercises with him yet. My husband will start remodeling the dining room and turning it into our new kitchen tonight. It's the next room past the living room, and the living room is where Baby lives. Do you have any opinion on precautions we should take with him? Is he going to be ok? Or should we try putting him in a travel cage and relocating him to the upstairs during construction? My husband is primarily concerned about possible dust as he will be cutting wood, etc? I guess that's enough for now! Have a great day to everyone and their fids! Talk again soon.

Sorry, try it now. I didn't realize I still had the photo album marked as private! Have fun!

Thank you for the links! I have a few handbooks and other informational lists too. I don't have much time to chat right now, but I did want to get his pics up. Enjoy the link =) Baby Boy, Our African Grey Parrot

Thanks for the warm welcome friends!! Baby and I appreciate it. He seems comfortable, more so than I expected. He eats up a storm. I'm pretty sure his "before-mommy" didn't really feed him many people foods, so he's living like a King trying new things. He LOVES apples, grapes, and peanuts. We are limiting peanuts to being used just as treats. Is it alright for him to have apples and grapes regularly. He seems to enjoy salads. Not sure about how he feels about carrots. Didn't seem to be a fan of spinach. I think he's beginning to enjoy having scrambled eggs/shells. He talks to me a lot when I leave the room. He's not talking to my husband at all. He does whistle for him. Baby will give me kisses when I ask (if he's feeling talkative) I love that! Actually, he just started talking to me and blowing kisses now. When I leave the room, he can still see me in the kitchen and he gets on his sleepy perch because it's the highest point that allows him to have his eye on me. He puts his wings out, which I read is an indication that he wants to be included with what I'm doing. However, if I open the cage he doesn't come out and chooses to sit on his sleepy perch and continue watching. He's very intrigued by both of us. He's centrally located and can see us even when we leave the room. Pics soon to come! Talk to you again soon.

Hello. Last Friday, we brought home Baby (CAG) He'll be 2 on Dec 14. His previous owner was not able to take Baby out of the cage with out using a stick (an old perch from his old cage) for him to step up on first. She couldn't use her hand. He is trained to step up. Will it ever be possible to be able to have Baby step up from cage to hand, without using the stick? Being that it's early in our relationship, he's not thrilled about us even approaching him with the stick (even though it's the one he's been familiar with.) He doesn't seem aggressive, but he bites at the stick and nudges it with his beak. He will try to snap/nip if we approach him with our hands. He does come out of his cage on his own terms (without any assistance) but we he is still stubborn about being removed from his cage whether he's inside or outside. He's also going for his well visit and going to the groomer for his upkeep. We're brining him to new places as his original vet/groomer is too far away. What should I expect in terms of Baby's reaction? Also, will he be mad at me for taking him to the vet/groomer? If yes, for how long?