neoow

Hello Barry and Oscar. Welcome to the forums! There's a thing on these forums that we like to call "grey time". As I'm sure you're no doubt aware already, African Greys are intelligent and sensitive birds. They like to do things in their own time, when they are ready. This will differ from bird to bird and from activity to activity. 4 weeks in a grey's life is not a long time at all. Oscar has had a LOT of upheaval to deal with in the last few weeks. His whole world has been turned upside down. He has been removed from his previous flock and added to a new one, in new surroundings. It's scary! You'll probably see many changes in behaviour over the coming weeks and months as he learns about his new home, his new surroundings and his new flock members. His attitude to different flock members may change during this time too, as you've already experienced. The important thing to remember here is that he needs to do this in his own time. His grey time. Take a step back and don't expect him to be fully settled in to your household just yet. If he is moving away from you and growling/grunting at you, then you may need to back off for a while. Let other members of the family take over the various duties that involve going near him. You may need to just get him used to you being in the room and then slowly get him used to you being closer and closer to the cage withing him growling/grunting or moving away. Just remember to move at his pace and try not to force him into anything (as that is likely to result in a bite).

Alfie is 13 years old and doesn't like being on the floor. Never has. He may have a quick look round but he'll fly to higher ground within minutes. He prefers higher up.

I picked Alfie up when he was 11 weeks old and I was still feeding him from a spoon as well as giving him other (solid) foods. Sunflower seeds and peanuts aren't great on their own and should be fed in a limited amount, not as the main offering. You're doing the right thing by introducing her to other foods whilst she's still young. Some of it will get flung all over the walls in disdain, but she's probably more willing to try things at this age than she will be later on.

Aw what a cutie! What's he sitting on in the first photo? Looks very interesting (for the birds)

I love Sully and his videos! Alfie is super camera shy and doesn't make a peep if he spots the camera!

Beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing

Hello Jester bean! You're a fine looking fellow!

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing!

Little cuties! Thank you for sharing photos!

Oh my goodness she's so cute! I missed out on all these photos of Alfie as a baby. I didn't meet him until he was around 11 weeks old! She's so cute!

You need time to grieve and come to terms with the loss of Spy. Pets, no matter the species, become another family member and an integral part of your life. So give yourself the time you need to heal. Please do stick around if you feel like it, we will always welcome any posts you make, regardless of whether or not you decide to welcome to a new bird into your home and heart. Only you can make that decision and only you can decide whether the time is right or not if you do choose to get another pet/bird. Spy will never be replaced and will always have a place in your memories.

Great stuff! So glad you managed to work things out. You've made fantastic progress with Alex. It may seem like you're only making very small steps forward... but you're still going forward. It took a lot for Alex to learn to trust you and the stepping up is a BIG hurdle to have got over. Please do keep us updated with how you're both getting on!

Oh my goodness she is adorable! I'm getting parrot broody!!!

This is so exciting!!! Can't wait to see more progress!

I'm afraid I haven't had to deal with this situation either but I do feel for you. It may take some time to build trust and any kind of relationship with Oliver. It may always be the case that Oliver is "Andy's bird". Without knowing where Oliver has come from or the reasons for his rehome, it's impossible to guess what the problem might be caused by. It may be worth taking a step back (to avoid any more nasty bites) temporarily and letting Andy be the main caregiver. Maybe Oliver needs to get used to you slowly- perhaps start with keeping your distance (but still being in the room with him) and just get him used to your presence and your voice. Talk to him, read to him, tell him about your day... all from a distance. Don't try to approach him until he seems to accept you in the room. It might be that it takes a while for him to tolerate you. It may be easier to do this whilst he's in his cage as opposed to having the ability to fly at you as well. Prepared to be patient!!

I just read and responded to your other thread. I'm so sorry for your loss. Spy was clearly well loved and cared for and you did absolutely everything you could for her. I'm so very sorry that this has happened and I appreciate how hard this must be for you and your family.

Oh no. I'm so so sorry to hear this. I honestly don't know what to say right now other than please know you did everything you could for Spy.

hope things are still going well?

So glad to hear Ollie is doing so well!

I think the target/treat training may come in useful here. As nonsense is quite treat motivated, you should be able to continue with what you are currently doing- getting her to come closer to you to get a treat. Slowly, you may be able to morph this into stepping on your arm for the treat. If you put your arm at the edge of the cage top and get her to come across the cage to you for a treat, you may be able to continue this into her actually stepping on to your arm to get at the treat by holding the treat out of reach of the cage top- so that her only option to get the treat is to step on your arm to get it. Remember, patience is key. You may need to wait before moving on to this step until she is comfortable approaching you/your arm. I am envious that nonsense is doing well with the target/treat training. I can offer Alfie his favourite foods as a reward as much as I like, if he doesn't want to do what I'm asking, he's not interested! And target training? No chance- he tries to kill whatever I used as a target!! Haha. The hardest part is absorbing a bite. If she does happen to bite, you're best off trying your hardest not to react (easier said than done, I know!). If you can absorb the bite without reacting (other than to end the session and give her some space) then it isn't so much of a game to her anymore. Alfie still nips me from time to time. When this happens he is either moved to his cage/a perch away from me- or if he's already on his cage/a perch then I just move away and give him a little time and space to get over whatever he's grumpy about.

I couldn't see it either. Might need to tweak the access on it to make it public? Or post it to youtube as an unlisted video perhaps?

Alfie knows when my housemate or I are coming home. He sees the car pull up and hears us getting to the front door. That's when he starts saying "hello!" as a cheerful greeting. He'll do the same when he hears my housemate coming down the stairs into the lounge. Or when we go to open the door to someone. Whenever I show him new things, I try and sound excited about them. I show them to him, tell him about them and go "ooo!" So now whenever he's not sure about an object, he says "ooo!" in exactly the same way. I'm therefore a bit more mindful if I'm taking it near him (like the washing basket- he's very unsure about the washing basket!) I can't think of any others at the moment. The only other thing he does is wait 'til my housemate is passing the cage and make the biggest loudest squeak he can. He occasionally does it to me too. And as he's at ear level it goes right through you and is hard to ignore.

So so happy for you! Great video!

I love this!! Made me grin from ear to ear!

Hello and welcome to the forums!