eternalnewb

I love reading all these stories. It's only been about 2 months since I got Yuki so I remember it all very well. I was on waitlist with a breeder while she was waiting to find out the sex of her baby greys when I found an ad for a 2yr old female online. I was pretty sure I wanted to get a baby, but I decided since it was only a few minutes from my house that I would go see her. She was kept in the garage with many other birds and after leaving I couldn't stop thinking about her. It was really hard for me to decide because I had been pretty sure I wanted a baby, but in the end I knew it had to be Yuki. Now, two months later I am so glad that I chose her. She has adjusted so well and I can tell that she is really happy which makes me happy:)

Unfortunately bribing her with treats hasn't worked yet. It might be that I havn't found the right treat as I am still getting to know what she likes. But so far her favorites are Walnuts, a grape, or a little piece of cracker, when I've tried as you said and held it on the other side of my hand so she would have to step up to get it. She will look at it and maybe lean towards it but then she looks at my hand and takes a nice little bite. On a side note about biting, from what I have read previously in posts it said don't flinch away or cry out when she bites. When Yuki bites the first one is not so bad, but when I keep my hand there and repeat the command they get harder. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing keeping my hand there, it's almost like the first bite is a warning. Sorry for all the questions, I'm still learning and I really want to do whats best for her.

Hi, Thanks Spinner, I agree that she definately knows what step up means but I think I might have been unclear in my post. I am not looking to get Yuki to step up from her perch in order to put her back in her cage. She's never stepped up from her perch and then gone back in her cage, and when she has stepped up from the floor I put her back on her rope perch that's on the outside of her cage, not in her cage. I wrote that one downside to her not stepping up is that it's hard to get her back in her cage, but that's not why I would like her to step up from her perch. Right now the only time I can hold her is if she flys across the room and then she will step up from the floor. It makes it hard to think about introducing her to the shower, or other areas of the house when I can't get her to step up. Sorry, I guess I should have tried to be a bit more clear, but right not I'm not looking at how to get her back into her cage as she does go in eventually. I'm just curious as to why she wont step up from her rope perch. I'm pretty sure it's not because she thinks she's going back in her cage as that has never happened. Sorry again for any confusion:)

Hello Everyone, Well I've had Yuki, who is 2yrs old for about 6 weeks and overall she's doing great. she loves to be out of her cage, she is talking a lot more and she is eating great. My question is about stepping up. I currently have rope perches curving around the outside of her cage that she loves to hang out on. However when I ask her to step up from the rope perches she bites, if I stand my ground and repeat it she bites even harder. She will often fly across the room and when she lands if I go to her she will say "Step up" and then I say step up and she will step up onto my hand. She will Step up from the floor, the TV, the bookcase, anything but the rope perchers or her cage. Is it a territorial thing? Will she ever step up from the perches? It's not really a problem, but when I need to get her back into her cage it's really hard. I was able to lure her in with a treat but that only lasted for a day or two, she's so smart she caught on and wont go in. I usually have to end up waiting her out, and she would stay out all night if I let her. I'm glad that she loves to be out with me, and that she is ajusting so well, Is it just a matter of giving her more time to get to trust me? Thanks for any advice you can offer:)

I've only had Yuki for 1 week, but one thing I did not expect was that she would beg for food. I have a French Bulldog and her life revolves around food and begging for whatever we are eating, I guess I didn't expect it from a bird. If I'm eating near Yuki she will fly over to me if I don't offer her some. When it's something that she shouldn't have I try to give her some of her food, but she just gives me a dirty look and drops it on the floor.

Thanks Katana600 and Jillybeanz, it's good to know I'm not alone in being a nervous parent:) Thanks to Danmcq, she, jessdecutie18 and judygram too. After waiting for the battery to charge, I tried to take a pic but my camera has a red light that comes on and it really scared Yuki. I tried turning the flash off but it still happens. So, I took a few pictures on my phone which she was still a little nervous about. She seems to be quite happy right now pigging out in her food dish. The pictures are not the best quality, but I hope you all enjoy. eternalnewb

Thanks so much luvparrots! I feel like I can breath easy now. Wouldn't you know my camera battery is dead:( so I'm not so patiently waiting for it to charge. Meanwhile I tried giving her a grape(her previous owner said they were her favorite) and she took it from my hand. It was through the bars as I havn't wanted to go into the cage yet, but I am so happy. She had a couple more and then some Apple which she liked to chew on and then throw to the bottom of the cage. I am so glad that she is eating and seems to be settling in well. Many thanks to everyone here for all the great advice and info.

Hi Everyone, I posted previously in the Welcome room about the 2yr old African grey that I was adopting. Well, today I picked Yuki up and so far she seems to be doing well. She is a little scared and nervous I can tell but she does't back away when I come near and she seems content to have me sit with her. I have a couple questions, She has been preening her feathers, and after all that I have read about feather plucking I was really nervous when she started. When she went from her travel cage to her cage she sorta flew in so I noticed some of her feathers got a little ruffled. When she's preening she's going down her tail feathers, rubbing her head at the base of her tail(I think I read there is an oil glan there?) and her chest and back, and there's maybe one or two down feathers on the floor. She is my first bird so is this normal preening? she shows no signs of plucking, am I overreacting? My second question is sometimes when I'm talking to her she's standing on one foot. I don't remember reading anything about this and I don't think that her foot is sore because it's not always the same foot. I wasn't sure if it was just something greys did? or if she's telling me to back off? I'm going to try and get a couple pics of her tonight, I would be greatful for any advice:) eternalnewb

Thanks luvparrots, this is an awesome forum. Her name is Yuki and I can't wait to bring her home. Meanwhile I'm filling my head with as much knowledge as I can, I really want her to be happy with me:) Happy New Year! Eternalnewb

Thanks danmcq and Jillybeanz! I sure am glad to be here. I will follow your advice reagrding introducing the new cage and toys. I really look forward to learning from all of you and I will keep you updated.

Hi Everyone, I've been lurking around the forums for a while and thought I should introduce myself. Next week I will be getting my first Congo African Grey. She is two years old and very sweet. Her current owner, while I believe had the best intentions has kept her in the garage, in a cage that is far to small with no toys. She is in good health and a beautiful bird and she was very well behaved when he took her out. She comes with her cage, and I assume to make the transition easier she should keep living in her current cage in the beginning, but I have bought a much bigger cage, how would I go about introducing it? I have read the posts about introducing new toys by playing with them myself and having them in the room so she can get used to them, but I'm not sure how to introduce her to the new cage, or how soon I should do it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.