JeffNOK

Looool--the magic of cheese! At night after Gracie is asleep and behind her cage cover, if I tip toe to the kitchen, open the fridge, and reach for the cheddar cheese, i immediately hear from Gracie's cage, "Gracie want some cheese. Want some cheese. Yum Yum Yum cheese!" The little Judas would probably sell me out to Pontius Pilate for 30 pieces of cheese.

I based my language training with Gracie on the methods used in the book "Conversations with Cosmo" by Betty Jean Craig. Basically this entails using language to describe everything going on as it happens. Every detail of life is narrated using the same key terms, usually with simplified grammar. I am an English teacher for international students, so this is 2nd nature for me. Since the language is meaningful and meant for communication, it tends to stick in Gracie's mind. I have been amazed at how well it has worked. Gracie can logically convey all the key aspects of her day from the morning greeting, if Daddy is staying home or going out, food issues, sleep issues, potty issues, play issues, greetings of known family members by name, likes and dislikes, even moods (fear, happiness, even grumpiness) to a degree. She also has word labels for most things in her surroundings (cage, perch, toys, specific food items, couch, car, water bowl, computer, daddy's hand, daddy's head, Daddys shoulder lol). I think when the parrot realizes that the words refer to real life things, they latch on to them and use them appropriately.

I understand where you are coming from StelingSL, but my CAG Gracie is neither caged, clipped, or alone much. She talks a lot. We talk together. The majority of what she says has meaning and we "converse" in a sense. I think you will find that many of the people on the forum here who have verbal greys spend a lot of time with their birds and don't clip or cage them. I have heard a similar theory outside of this forum before, so others have come to a like conclusion, but it just hasn't been my experience with my grey. I tend to think it is just individual variation. Also, I think my Gracie knows that words get her what she wants. She uses language instrumentally, so it encourages her to continue. I have watched your videos, and your fids seem super happy and full of fun. Maybe they are too busy enjoying the thrill of life to waste time talking about it. In fact I am amazed by how your GracieMae takes to being picked up and tickled and bounced around. So much trust there. My Gracie is much much less open to that. I think if our respective fids were in school, mine would be in the library in a reading discussion circle while yours would be winning the dodge ball tournament. I have shown my Gracie your videos to encourage her to be more adventurous, but it hasn't made a dent in her core personality.

All I can say is WOW! Such high energy feathered friends you have.

I loved watching your video. My CAG Gracie is now 4 years old. She was about 9 months old when she started sounding like she might talk. Lots of "words" that I couldn't quite understand but were definitely not "parrotese". Your Zoe sounds a lot like Gracie did at the same age. Between 10-14 months Gracie built a vocabulary of about 15 words. Then at 14 months it seemed like a switch went on and she started learning words, phrases, sounds, songs, etc very very quickly. She now has a vocabulary of 100s of words. The good news is that although she does have times when she chatters incessantly, she is not loud and has quiet times as well. I don't get irritated with her. It is really like hanging out with a friend and having "conversation". Most of the chatter is meaningful and not just noise, so it serves a purpose. I look forward to seeing and hearing more of Zoe's language development, She is cute. It made me think about maybe adding a TAG to my home, but I suspect Gracie would be against it and she has veto power.

I started transporting Gracie my CAG very early. I got her a week before Christmas 2011, and we did our first bit of travel Christmas Eve to my parents house. Now, my parents only live about 12 miles away, and I drove her there and back in my car. I had purchased a Pak-O-Bird (Backpack/carrier for parrots). Many people swear by them and find them ideal for transporting birds. Gracie wasn't fond of it. It is mostly enclosed in canvas and has a steel mesh "window" at the front where the bird can see out. Gracie did not like being placed inside the dark enclosure, and although we got to my parents house without too much trouble, she did NOT want to step up and go back in that carrier. I spent a frustrating hour trying to get her back in the Pak-O-Bird. Then I decided to transport her in a larger collapsible cage that I had originally purchased as a sleep cage when traveling. She did much better in it because it was more open and she could see what was going on as she entered and exited. I have used that ever since, and it has held up very very well in the four subsequent years. We go to my school, the vet's office, my parents' house, and the park quite frequently. It is fairly large-maybe 18 inches by 22 inches. We travel somewhere together at least once a week, and she has no problems. I definitely think introducing the travel cage right away was key to her being comfortable with it. Now, I have never taken Gracie on any form of public transport like a train. She has only ever traveled in my car. If you do travel by train, I agree that a nice heavy cover is a good idea. She will hear your voice and know you are near, but won't have sensory overload. Also, she will likely be quiet as a mouse. When I take Gracie to school or the park, or when she is around strangers, she utters not a peep. She is also instinctively quiet when her cage is covered. I am in Oklahoma USA, but I have traveled in the UK by train. As I recall, the space is somewhat limited, so you will have to keep that in mind as you decide on a carrier. I remember that some areas on the train had large tables between rows on which you might be able to place the carrier. How far will you be traveling? Is car hire an option? A private car would probably be less stressful. As suggested, if you are going by train, a few short practice trips would be helpful.

Training her to step up and down is important and the video suggested above should be helpful. As far as allowing touch, I would not push the issue. Many greys don't like to be stroked or petted or held and that is fine. My grey steps up fine, and allows me to move her wherever needed into travel cages etc. She sits on my hand just to chill. When she is feeling affectionate she asks to touch my shoulder--and she gently presses her beak against it. That is it, however. She hates scritches and pets. That is her choice and I respect that. She is perfectly happy with the arrangement. Of course I would love to cuddle her, but her happiness and comfort are the goal. It isn't about my needs, so I let her set boundaries in such areas which are personal to her. I only impose my will when safety is involved.

Welcome! We look forward to hearing more of your journey and see pics as well.

I agree with sleepy!

]I don't have any other pets, but I take my CAG Gracie to my parents' house for frequent visits and overnights. They have a cat and a dog. Gracie loves the dog but hates the cat. The dog respects Gracie and doesn't mess with her at all. The cat has to be locked up in another room. Although the dog shows no aggression towards Gracie, sometimes Gracie gets a little too close for comfort to the dog. She wants to engage him and sometimes even tries to fly and land on his head. I have to keep a close eye on them to prevent any unintended problems. The dog and the bird are quite a pair. When the dog barks, Gracie joins in with perfect canine pitch. She calls the dog by all of his nicknames: "Barkleah", "Barkleah James" and "Mr B". She greets him upon entering the house and bids him "Bye bye Mr B See ya later" when she leaves. She also throws all her green beans on the floor for him to eat. The cat....well as far as Gracie is concerned he (Carlos) is "felina non grata", and must be locked away out of her sight, or she will let everyone know about the dangerous invader.

I don't have any other pets, but I take my CAG Gracie to my parents' house for frequent visits and overnights. They have a cat and a dog. Gracie loves the dog but hates the cat. The dog respects Gracie and doesn't mess with her at all. The cat has to be locked up in another room. Although the dog shows no aggression towards Gracie, sometimes Gracie gets a little too close for comfort to the dog. She wants to engage him and sometimes even tries to fly and land on his head. I have to keep a close eye on them to prevent any unintended problems.

Roux seems to have landed in an ideal situation with you. You have really done your home work and are providing a great home for her. Good luck and keep us posted.

I am sure you must be tired of hearing this, but..."just take time and let Alex decide when he is ready." Some advise introducing new objects in stages. Start out with the perch in view on the other side of the room and move it closer a few feet every day. I am fortunate that my Grey takes to new things pretty readily. My friend bought her a new rope boing perch for her cage this weekend (early hatchday gift). I switched out the old one and put the new boing in her cage while she was out eating (she never lets me mess with her stuff while she is in or on her cage). After an hour of eyeing the new perch with suspicion, she entered her cage and tentatively batted it with her beak to make it swing. Then she gingerly stepped up on it, climbed a bit, and announced: "It's good!".

My CAG Gracie is a petite little thing. She only weights 390 grams. She will be 4 years old this week.

I have a little box of Gracie's red tail feathers. I plan to donate them to local Native American groups who have asked for feathers from the local Avian Society.

Ah ok. My grey also pecks at a toy or part of her cage when she wants people to back off. Yes, Alex is communicating with you. When Alex does that, listen to him. When he sees that you respect his wishes, he will be less fearful and more open. It does take time, and you may feel you will never get there. I am sure many people here have talked about "Grey Time". It is a real thing, and it is completely up to them. To be frank, right now I think you should focus mainly only bonding with him and earning trust. I got a baby grey rather than a rescue, and even with her, it took several months to really establish trust.

I have enjoyed watching your videos. I think Alex does trust you and that you are working well with him. I especially liked the one where he gives you a kiss. In my opinion you need to slow down a bit with the step up. I think when he starts walking away from you, you should not pursue him and keep asking. When I have my grey step up, 99% of the time, it is an invitation-not a command. I ask her "Gracie, wanna step up?" If she says no, I just say "Ok maybe next time." Your tone seems slightly dominant--almost like you are asking a dog to sit. Greys tend to respond less well to that. Greys need to feel they have a choice in the matter and are not being told what to do. Dogs are different--they need to be told and respond well to being submissive to their owner. I like what neoow said about breaking it down in steps with treats. For Alex, stepping up needs to be a fun thing he wants to do rather than an obligation. Also, I notice the sound of a slight banging on the cage door. Is that a form of touch training? I haven't done touch training, so I am not sure the correct method, but the noise is a slightly loud and may intimidate Alex. One other thing, when you ask Alex to step up, I would be sure that your hand is right up against his stomach/almost touching. Much of the the time your hand is too far away and in a poor position for him to steo up. He would have to walk toward you, position himself, and then step up. If your hand is right there almost touching his belly, all he has to do is step up.

I agree with Acappella, Alex looks healthy and relatively comfortable. He doesn't seem afraid of you, but he is still cautious about his cage and personal space--which is 100% normal. The best thing you can do is continue to be near him, talk to him (yes even sing!), offer treats and give him space and time to make his own decisions about when and how he will venture into your world. Definitely leave the cage door open and make the outside world seem safe and inviting, but let him make the first moves. Unless offering an invited pet or food treat, keep your fingers and hands away from his cage as much as possible. My nearly 4 yr old, very loving and attached CAG still scolds me when I intrude with a curt "Aah! Aah!!". I am not sure what species of parrot you had before, but keep in mind that African Greys are unique. This will be a completely new adventure. I got a baby grey, but still had to readjust my expectations to "grey time". At 9 days she and I were not any more bonded than you are with Alex, an adult rehome. By 3 months things were much better, and by 6 months we became best buddies. Our bond grows deeper to this day. You and Alex will have a wonderful relationship. Have faith brother. It will happen. The best things in life are worth waiting for.

Don't read anything bad into his being territorial about his cage. I have the sweetest most loving grey girl in the world (almost 4 yrs old), but she still defends her cage. It is no reflection on you. It is very likely instinctual. Let the cage be his sanctuary.

It is such a blessing to have a bird sitter who knows your bird and in whom your bird trusts. My parents serve that purpose now and it is working very well. I have only had to be away a few times, but she enjoys her little vacations with the grandparents. I hope you enjoy your weekend and have a happy reunion with Echo.

Great post. I can assure you that this is just the beginning. My CAG will be 4 in July and I love her more every day. I look forward to hearing more about your grey.

I am pretty lucky when it comes to my CAG Gracie. She is out of her cage all day long except at night to sleep. Her only temptations seem to be lamp shades and mirror and picture frames. I have some plastic above the shades and towels hanging over the mirror and picture frames. it has worked so far (though she chews up the towels). "Ah-Ah", "No", "Stop", "Stay"...all useless except that Gracie sometimes says those words before she gets into trouble as a pre-admonishment (it also alerts me to when she is up to naughtiness).

Beautiful Post! Well written. I agree wholeheartedly.

Very very grey behavior. I live alone with my CAG, but boy can she milk the abandonment guilt. I don't cage her when I leave, so she is out and about all day. As soon as she sees me go for my keys, she starts..."Daddy go bye bye. I'll be back! Daddy stay home! Daddy and Gracie spend time together!" Sometimes, she flies to my head, grabs on with her talons and starts saying "Ah! Ah! Nooo! Daddy stay home!' She even pecks me a bit on the forehead. It is all very dramatic--but as much as it pulls on my heartstrings, it probably isn't as bad as all that...despite the shenanigans, I am sure five minutes after I have gone she is happily preening, chewing a toy, or napping. I am home five hours later and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with her.

They tend to fledge at about 10 weeks, so it is coming soon. The weaning will take longer 12-16 weeks or more. But the end is in sight and a homecoming party will be in order very soon.