ThaJuicyJuice

I wanted to start off and say thank you for helping me with the biting issue. Since then she has stopped biting as often and enjoys attention; however, now I have a new issue. I am afraid it might sound trite, but my new African Grey is driving my wife crazy. For those of you who are married know that this means it also drives me crazy. The beautiful grey started off with cute little sounds and mimicking, which has turned into a lot of squawking. I thought it was an attention thing, but even when she is perched on my hand she just sits there squawking. The only thing that quiets her down are seeds, and I don't want to reinforce bad behavior. I have been trying the covering the cage technique, but hate to, because it's a new member of the family. Please help!!!!

Thanks folks for the comments. It has been a life long dream to get a grey, and it's been disappointing how much a struggle the beginning days have been; however, I believe patience is the key. I have taken a step back and things are progressing quite well. Can anyone share how long it took for their Grey to warm up to them? Any stories, or wisdom for a new enthusiast?

Hello all! I just brought home my new Baby African Grey(18weeks) and was so excited to go and pick it up. At the breeders it started to bite me, the day I picked it up, which was different than the other visits. This was shocking, so I was nervous to touch at first. This, of course, didn't cause better reactions from the bird. Once I brought it home and allowed the baby to adjust for a couple hours, I began handling. The biting persisted. Over the course of the night, it became more comfortable and allowed me to pet the back of the neck. This seemed like quite an accomplishment. It has been 5 days since I brought it home, but the bird continues to bite. I have resulted in not showing any reaction to the bite, which worked at first. The bites have become harder and drawing blood. I haven't punished the bird in anyway, and am still able to perch and pet the neck. Nonetheless, it will just reach out and bite. I and pretty convinced it is a trust issue and I need to build a bonding relationship; however, my trainer told me that the first couple weeks are precious, and that it will learn the behaviors that work in its new environment during this time. The articles on this site say that it takes a few weeks to build a trusting relationship. So I am stuck in a rut. Should I just accept the biting and deal with it in a non-confrontational way, or should I be more reactive and put the bird back in its cage when it bites. Please help with any advice you may have and we will be very thankful.