neoow

I think you're going to have your hands full with this little guy! Rojo is a lovely name. I hope he approves of a name soon.

Thank you for the photos, your grey is adorable. I'm hoping someone else will come along soon who can offer more advice. Please do keep checking in as I'm sure others will have something to add. It's been a long time since I've handled a baby grey as my bird Alfie is now 15 years old. As you probably already know, grey's can use their beak almost like a third hand/foot. If the surface/perch they are standing on is unstable then they may reach out and grab with their beak to steady themselves and try not to fall off. This can be a little surprising at times because they can react quite quickly. As your grey is so young he's probably still finding his way around and probably doesn't know his own strength yet! Is your hand/arm/shoulder wobbles then you may find your bird will bite to hang on and steady themselves. The trick here is to try not to pull away, as this may result in them hanging on harder. Some birds are "no shoulder birds". My bird, Alfie is a "no shoulder bird" because I cannot trust him to remain on my shoulder without trying to find something to play with/nibble on ... which is usually my ear. Therefore i discourage him from sitting on my shoulder. He sits on my knee or on my forearm. If he starts creeping up my arm then I put my other arm in the way and usher him back down to my forearm. Some people have had to put something on their shoulder (like a stuffed toy) to discourage their birds from climbing up to their shoulders. If he bites every time he is on your shoulder then I would discourage this until he can be trusted not to bite. It is very difficult once bird does start to bite as it can be discouraging and scary. It may be worth looking up some parrot behaviour books or videos to see if you can get some useful information from those about training your bird and understanding their behaviour a bit more. Does your bird have any favourite treats or toys? You may be able to start training your bird about acceptable behaviours with these.

It's possible that the previous owners had his wings clipped to try and prevent him from flying. So long as they didn't totally butcher his wings in the process then hopefully his missing feathers will grow back over time. the ones which are broken may drop out (moult) naturally and regrow. Depending on what happened to him they may not grow back though. Wing clipping is always up for debate and I believe every bird/flock/home is different and should come to their own conclusions. Personally I have a fully flighted bird because that's what works best for Alfie and his home environment. I second the recommendation of putting blankets/pillows around his cage/perches if he is trying to fly. At least that will soften the blow if he does crash land.

If you decide to get another bird then I second what others have said above- bear in mind that there is a chance the two birds might not get along. They might tolerate each other enough to spend time out of the cage in the same room - but they may also need to come out separately. I always think introducing two animals is a 'plan for the worst and hope for the best' situation. You never know how they are going to get on and you must have a plan in place if they cannot tolerate each other at all. Otherwise you run the risk of creating a very unhappy environment for all concerned (including yourself). Do you have the time needed to look after two birds if they do not get on? I have often thought about getting another bird in my home but I have two indoor cats as well as Alfie, my African Grey. My cats are quite often my second shadow and do demand quite a lot of attention compared to other cats I have known. I do not think I could offer all of my animals enough quality time if there were any issues with them not getting on. Some days it's already a bit of a juggling act making sure everyone gets the attention they need. So in my personal situation, I do not feel adding another bird would be sensible at this time. It's all about your individual environment and time constraints really. Each home/flock is different. I do not think another bird is a bad idea at all - but I always advise making sure you have that backup plan in the back of your mind if things don't work out as smoothly as you'd hope for.

He is still trying to pick out all his favourite bits from the bowl. I haven't tried him on chop only yet as I suspect he will reject it if he can't see any tasty looking morsels in there.

I'm not sure I can offer much help or advice with this one - but hopefully someone with more insight will be along soon to help. Was this a sudden change in behaviour or a gradual one? Have there been any changes in your birds environment recently that may have upset him? Think hard about this one, as African Grey's can be quite change adverse at times. I've heard about birds who took exception to their owners wearing hats or glasses or changing their hair colour. When does you bird bite? Is it just because you're trying to move him off your shoulder or get him to step up? Or is there a certain behaviour that happens before a bite? Is he getting over excited or displaying mating behaviours before he starts showing signs of aggression? I read a good article about this type of agression: http://www.northernparrots.com/parrot-excitement-that-turns-to-aggression-blog606/ Are you the main caregiver or do your family get involved too? Is there any person that is able to handle your bird without being bitten?

Alfie is currently picking through his bowl trying to pick out the nuts from the chop. 😂 I think he is accidentally eating some chop in the process though.

I say some.... I made quite a lot...! But I'm freezing it and taking it out when it's needed so it should last a while. I went shopping and bought an assortment of fruit/veg to throw into it. I basically grabbed anything that was available from the shelves. I got: sweet red pepper peas (I shelled these) sweetcorn (removed from the cob) sugar snap peas (left whole) kale butternut squash (only half used) apples mango beetroot carrots brocoli sweet potato blueberries The nuts are to sprinkle on top of his food or to use as a treat. These weren't mixed into the chop. It took roughly 2 hours... or thereabouts... but that was with various distractions. It's the hottest day of the year so far today and the kitchen is the hottest room in the house, so I did have to keep stepping away to have a drink and cool down from time to time. I got 19 bags (plus whatever I chucked in his bowl already) out of it! Alfie hasn't tried it yet so I'm not sure if I have the beak of approval yet. I've dabbled with chop on and off before but this is the first time I've made a biiig batch of it like this. Most of it normally ends up on the walls and floors. I'm hoping that Alfie takes to it I can sneak more veggies into his diet. (he's very picky!)

Thank you for taking in and rescuing this poor bird from such an awful environment. Sit back, relax and get ready for many wonderful years of learning about your new addition and enjoying his company. I'm going to steal something I wrote on another introductory post as I think it may be helpful here: "One thing you will learn quite quickly is a little thing called "grey time". This is the time it takes for a grey to adjust and accept changes. This can be changes in routine, toys, location, people etc etc. Your bird has just undertaken a very big change and everything is still very new. Your bird is trying to adjust to a new home, new humans, a new routine, new sounds, new toys... everything. This can be a bit overwhelming for a grey as they can be a little change adverse at times. It can take days, weeks or sometimes months for a grey to adapt to these kind of changes and come out of their shell. This is what we call 'grey time'. Some changes may be more readily accepted by the bird than others... so there's no telling how much 'grey time' is needed for different changes. The important thing to remember is that the grey will show you when they are ready to accept a change or a new offering. They will also show you when they are not ready. A lot of this is shown via their body language- so pay attention to what your grey is doing... especially if you receive a nip or a bite...e.g what were the eyes doing, how were the feathers being held? There may be some subtle signs that your bird gives you before he resorts to a bite. Given enough time, you will start to be able to read your birds body language and will be able to know when the bird has had enough or is happy to progress." Allow your bird time to settle in and get used to the comings and goings of his new home. Talk to him often, tell him what you're doing, tell him why you're doing it. Maybe read some books to him or ask your children to read to him. This helps him get used to you being around him and gets him used to all of your voices. He probably doesn't like the dowel rod because he's never seen it before and it's coming straight at him. He will probably bite it in protest of it coming near him. Again, it's going to take 'grey time' for him to get used to it. There is a massive amount of information on these forums available to you so please feel free to look around and use the search tool. If you don't find an answer to your questions then ask - someone will be able to help out. In regards to vets- ALWAYS take your bird to an avian vet. Never take them to a 'regular' vet who isn't qualified or trained in avian care. They won't necessarily know how to handle your bird or treat him and this can lead to unnecessary stress for the bird or incorrect advice being given. I recommend looking into what foods are/aren't safe for your bird. Start giving him some different choices of foods. It may take a little while to wean him off a purely seed based diet but do persevere. He'll find something he likes eventually! Lastly, we like photos. As and when you're able to, we would love to see some photos of your new feathered friend.

Hello! Welcome! Congratulations on your new addition!

Glad to hear things seem to be moving in the right direction! Fingers crossed that they get along or at the very least, that they can tolerate sharing the same space! I know you'll give them both the time, love and attention they both need.

Oh look at that adorable little baby face!! Congratulations on bringing Casper home. I've never tried introducing another bird so I don't have much advice for you. I'm only here to coo over baby bird photos. (And Isaac photos as well, of course!!!) Hopefully as Casper learns more about his environment he can start to stick up for himself a bit and they'll both settle in together.

Oh the poor little guy. Probably doesn't know whether he's coming or going. Does he have a name? I hope he settles in quickly. Are you keeping him or just trying to give him a break whilst finding a forever home for him?

Haha or Alfina?! He gets called Alfred as well... So maybe Alfreda?!

This is really useful information as I have some carpets I need to clean and I was debating about hiring in a steam cleaner for it and wondered if it would be safe.

Hello! Welcome to the forums! There is one 'rule' you need to follow here... We need to see photos!! 😁 Haha How old is your grey? Have you got a name for him/her? How exciting!! Bet you can't wait!

Too true! When I joined these forums I had gone through the thought process of whether I was the best caregiver for Alfie and whether he would be better off in a different home. I was living alone and working crazy hours plus studying and not giving him the attention he needed or deserved. I spoke with family and friends at great length but every time I thought about giving him.uo it reduced me to tears. Instead, I knew I had to make some big changes in order to improve things for Alfie. It wasn't his fault that I chose to study whilst working full time. It wasn't his fault that I was taking more on at work and therefore working longer hours. It wasn't his fault that his cage wasn't in the best place in the house. It's been a journey and I am still trying to do my best for Alfie. He's been with me since he was 11 weeks old and he's now 15 years old. We have many more years together and I am always trying to improve the time we have together and his environment. I am by no means perfect but I am trying. I know I would have instantly regretted giving him up and I'm pleased that I made the decision to stay. I am also glad that I found these forums around that time as it has been a massive help along the way. 😊

Thank you. That's what I wondered, especially as he had been shredding cardboard before hand. I did wonder if he got a little confused and thought it was an egg! I will hide it away for now as I don't want him to get confused or frustrated. He 'played' with it for about ten minutes or so, holding it in his foot and beaking it/biting it. Then he dropped it off the shelf. His wings were still drooping for another minute or so then he went back to exploring and pushing everything off the shelf. Of course I don't actually know for sure that Alfie is a he at all. I've never had him DNA tested and whilst the place I bought him from told me that he was male, I don't think they ever had him tested either. It was just really unusual behaviour for Alfie and I've not witnessed it before. Like I say, he normally runs around his shelf throwing everything off it and expecting me to fetch it all!! 😂 I'll keep an eye on him and won't leave egg or ball shaped foot toys out for a little while. Hopefully I haven't encouraged any nesting behaviour (or egg laying if it turns out he is a she!).

Alfie is displaying some strange behaviour this evening which I haven't seen before. He was happily shredding some boxes and then noticed a ball with a bell in it on his shelf. Normally he would just fling toys off the shelf but instead he picked it up with his foot and is almost smothering it with his body and wings whilst beaking it and biting it. Anyone else seen this kind of behaviour with your birds? What could it mean?

Look delicious! 😂

Sounds sensible!

pandemonium sounds about right. Can that also be applied to a singular grey? Alfie can create enough pandemonium all on his own! 😂

too true!!

I have an outdoor aviary now and the biggest problem that I have is that the spiders love it and keep building webs everywhere! 🙄 I also have birds landing on it and pooping everywhere as I haven't got the top covered. So before Alfie goes out I spray it down with the hose and then scrub it down with some f10 bird safe disinfectant, diluted at the highest level to kill as much bacteria as possible, then rinse it off with the hose. I'm mostly worried about possible diseases carried by the local birds/wildlife being passed on to Alfie. The hose clears most of the cobwebs... the scrubbing brush gets the rest! It might be over the top but I'd rather make sure I've done everything I can to prevent it.

He's doing so well. Thank you for the photo updates. Maybe he knows he has hit the jackpot so is making the most of it!