aw64

Welcome deke, great we have another on board who knows loads feel free to check my posts out which will prove I'm one of those that needs all the advice I can get, well done with Gracie!!

yes danmcq he sure is the problem is I'm running out of moves!!

Over last week or so I have been putting treats in different places in his cage which has helped with getting him back in..........until today! I watched Alfie fly over to cage after watching me place nice little welcome home treats in there and he perched on the top which is open and turned his neck into a giraffe neck reached each treat all but one and proudly sat on top of cage to eat them! Im sure he can read as my PC is by his cage I'm sure he sees what problems I write about on here then spends the night plotting his next trick, its like showering its never been wonderful but could spray him and was sure in time it would improve as he got used to the routine not today he flew at the spray bottol me and the bottol got the sharp end of his beak, but last night my son took some photos of Alfie who was in his cage but had come down to where I sit for his good night tickle tickle and I was able to go over and under his wing will add pics when I have more time, least will always end the day on a good note, bless him, by the time his 2 I can see him on the sofa with TV control and me in the cage!

Great thread and is it possible to bird proof your home I find having eyes in the back of your head is still not enough, today I left my work jacket on the chair Alfie very kindly chewed the plastic off the pull cord from round the bottom this was done in record time!

Alfie does this on the bottom of his cage always has, but the funnyest sight is when he stands on perch and uses one leg to dig in thin air, almost like his trying to dig out of the cage.

Alfie is 10 months old I have had him since he was 10 wks, we dont have a typical day as if you read some of my other posts we have had some problems but thanks to advice on here we now aim at being uncovered in a morning sadly cant come out then as his a little tinker to get back in but he is given breakfast which is cereal (cherrios) I sit by cage while I have my drink and we chat for a while, when i come home mid morning (i work odd hours) he normaly comes out and flys to where ever I am and has free time for as long as he wants within reason, always back to cage at tea time before family come home then evening back out just me and him with just a lamp on which really does work and we have special time head tickles ect, when im not working he does come to bathroom while i shower but not got him under shower yet but just this week he has sat on shower screen, Alfie was out alot more until he got to about 9 months we then hit problems with biting and returning him to cage so I have had to go back a few steps with the help of people on here we are getting better again, its a long road and somtimes hard but they are so cleaver at working us.

Alfie has 4 perches, a swing with toy on it, 2 ropes, 2 hanging toys, roll of paper to shread, latest is a small plastic flower pot at side of cage attached with cable tie and I put foot toys and treats in it, like everyone else has said they get changed to stop him getting fed up with them, and always try to position things so he can flap his wings, he also has play stand for out of cage one up stairs and one down stairs with loads on them, not that he stays on them that much but it is getting better.

Great news again guys! Had a bit of a rough day yesterday but last night was great loads of tickle tickle ect sat on my leg with just a lamp on then bed time no problem step up and straight in. Today took Alfie with me to each room I was in but each time he landed on shoulder shrugged him off and he did give up, when i shower he stands on top of bathroom door but today came onto shower screen and stayed a while, thats getting better, and just the best bit......, put some treats in cage which I have been doing for few days now he flew to top of cage watched me do it so i said do you want to go in offered my hand said step up and in he went yippy!!!! sooooo happy couldn't wait to put computer on and share my news with you guys, all your advice tips ect are working so well for us, a big thank you again.

arrrh you have a great flock they must keep you very busy, you are soooo lucky, dont think I will ever be in a position to have more but never throught I would own an African Gray, I dont know how you cope, to think I spend so much time worrying about one, but alfie is my first bird apart from a budgie who sadly passed away, hence why I went in this direction, the last 8 months have been a real exciting time but clearly not with out problems, it was a real eye opener when alfie suddenly began to find his way from being a 10 week old to fully flighted and learning his beak has so much influence on his flock (me), strange thing is we have two dogs which are great with alfie but alfie will dive at the one, the other he never bothers with I have never worked this one out, guess i never will, been nice meeting you, so to say, keep in touch and keep the advice coming I need as much as I can get, take care.

feel better as its never took an hour, prob just tempted fate now! the night thing with lights out does work its night here now and we have just had a great hour or so with the the lamp on and TV, Alfie sat on my leg having tickle tickle ect then when I said bed time it was easy step up and straight in cage with a treat but day time is sooooo different and even if I close the blinds its not dark enough! could do with a month where there was nothing else to do no work, no house work, no cooking ect, ummmmm nice throught, love the way you think chezron, how old is your baby, is he your only bird? Thanks for help and advice.

Good advice chezron but how do you get him back in the cage, example today had a couple of hours break from work so let Alfie out, cleaned cage ect but when it came time to return to his cage it was hell, tried hand held perch would get on it but then flew off, even drawed blood today on my hand try tight fist he just manages to get side of fingure or hand.

I look forward to this me and Alfie have our problems and you guys on here have been a real big help so reading the bigger picture will be good

Hi guys, I'm pleased to report things are going well thanks to all the support and advice on here. Have found getting Alfie back into cage is so much easyer if its dark, much less stress for both of us. During the day is getting better I now hide treats in his cage so he is slowly starting to think maybe its not so bad going home after all. We have spent alot of time in my bedroom so its just us and he will sit on my legs lapping up tickle tickle (head rubs), this has cut down head and shoulder perching as I'm sat on my bed with my back against the wall which makes it harder for him to land. Lots of steps ups with treats, bed covered in pumpkin seeds! Also doing step up onto a hand held perch, thats going well to. Tea towel now lay across top of TV and so far has not landed on it so thats solved that problem with out stress (for now), telephone has become the latest toy!! Even during the day when out and he lands on my head its getting better at getting him to step up onto my hand, have used lots of the tips you guys gave me and things are much improved, thank you all so much we are doing pretty good at the moment, I'v always had dogs and understand its the owner that needs training, and this is the same but different rules and you guys are training me to be a much better compainion to Alfie, I love him so much!

sadly it was a one off!! but the battle continues

Thanks danmcq, you are all helping me sooooo much, just had another hour in the bedroom (glad you all know what I mean!) it went well only went on my head once, we were both on the bed and called alfie to my lower arm few times he came and had treat, took spare perch up with me which I left on the bed and low and behold he was fine with it and brought him back down stairs and into cage on it, without any problems, it is getting dusk here and I left lights off to do this but it was a positive moment, starting to think now I was more focused on him being out of the cage and was sure after having him at such a young age (10wks) and hand feeding him formula we had a bond, when in the cage i can do anything with him, head tickles through the bars which he always comes for , touching his feet, and he always steps up to come out without any problems, so maybe now we will do less free time and more one to one in the bedroom by that I dont mean he will be caged for days on end, you guys have been so kind with your replys please keep them coming, just as a matter of intrest how old are your birds as i now wonder if I was going to fast or rather expecting to much to soon.

Thanks for that murfchck, will be giving that ago asap

I really dont want alfie on my shoulder and have always tried removing him by step up or when that fails moving in a way he has to fly off but it never seems to stop him, this morning we have spent time alone in the bed room and he sits on top of door while I shower this all went ok until we came back down put him on play stand for a while then it was time to go home (cage) that was a battle and got bitten even with a tight fist he manages to bit my wrist or bent his head down to get edge of fingures, I always use treats which he will take and has even mastered flying to the arm i have out then in double quick time flys to the hand with the treat takes it and is on his way, this bird seems to out wit me in every possible way, I would normaly still have him out now but to avoid the battles he has been caged so i can get some house hold tasks done

Thanks guys, just read your thread Ray, inbetween these bad times I can do head rubs (tickle tickle), alfies cage is right next to where I sit so we chat alot, and I use treats alot, after reading what you have all put I think we need some alone time as suggested in the bedroom as thinking about it most of the problems are during the day and normaly when I am trying to do other things, so how does this sound for a new plan, some free time during the morning, then an hour of just us time in the bedroom away from everything and the same during the evening. Putting alfie back in his cage after bites would not be so easy as by the time I manage to get him in he would not realize it was because he had bitten me, i have got a room he can go into upstairs with a large play gym but tend not to use it too much as throught he needed to be with me hence why I try to have him out as much as possible. I wish you guys lived closer would be so nice to see how you all do it, I worry if this is what we're like now what will it be like when we get to 2 years old the age every one seems to have problems with, please keep all support coming it does give me strength to brush myself down and start again x

Why am I having so many problems, just to re cap Iv had alfie since he was 10 wks he is now nearly 10 months, i feel like I am getting know where, Alfie still flys to my shoulder/head even after advice to shake him off (gently), I am getting bitten alot not enough to draw blood yet but very painful, I have him out of cage alot and he is flighted, this afternoon i was getting tea ready with alfie present i was doing veg so throught it would be fun to let him join in, first he was on my shoulder when trying to get him to stop up he kept bitting once I did manage to get him on to kitchen work top he had no intrest in veg just the knife and bit me when I prevented him from having this! If he lands on TV I always get him to step up as dont want him on TV again I get bitten, getting back in cage is another battle, he has play stand and freedom, lots of free time, lots of toys and company from me, where am I going wrong, i'm starting to think I'm no good at this and must be missing somthing.

Iv put a couple of threads on lately as I was having big problems getting Alfie back into his cage, we have been working very hard with this problem and its still a problem but today for the 1st time since Iv had him he went into cage on his own I was holding a treat through the bars from the other side, really hope this is the start of progress and not just a one off!

Im beginning to wish I'd never started this thread, its a very touchy subject that much i have learnt but on a good note its so nice to no so many people are really into there birds and therir welbeing, Alfie is staying flighted and we are working real hard together to get through this difficult time, after wrighting this he will be coming out hopefully for the evening bit worried about it as he has a rough day I was stuck working longer than normal but I'm putting all house hold tasks on hold until tomorrow to try and make it up to him wish me and my fingures luck

Im on day 3 of spending as much time as possible with Alfie out of cage, getting him to fly to me and step up for rewards, still having problems but facing it head on now with the hope it will one day be a distant memory, will keep you all posted, did try the darkened room but the little devil still flew to playstand!

Dont want this to get out of hand guys, I really was intrested in everyones views as we all have different ways would be a sad world if we were all the same, But Jayd as Im new to the african gray world why is laddering not a good idear, due to my problems with Alfie I have gone back to basics with step ups and have been trying one hand to the next with rewards my idear behind this is to try to make him see it does not always mean back to cage when I want him to step up, must add its not working yet and have sore fingures to show for it! lol but guess this is my welcome to the grey world.

Thank you all for your replys, some very good points and the one that has hit home is from danmaq and jayd, Alfie is in no danger being flighted or at least no more than any other housed bird its made me question myself what right have i got to prevent him doing whats normal to him just to make my life easyer, so think I need to back track a bit and keep up with Alfies changes as he grows from a sweet baby to an independent adult with a teenager attitude, so again thank you all but Alfie is being kept flighted this does not mean I dis agree with clipping we all have different birds and situations which I respect, now guys help me get back to grips with Alfie pleeeeese

Thanks for replys guys, cage is in the same place as it always has been, only gets fed in cage apart from rewards which I use pumkin seeds, has a cover over when we go to bed, have tried nuts but he is more than happy to let me keep hold of the nut and fly off rather than go in cage, spent alot of time today getting him to come to me then giving him a treat and letting him do his own thing, used to be able to put my hand over his back but his grown wise to that and bites me, seems happy enough in the cage which is right next to where I sit he will come and have tickle tickle ( head rub) while in the cage ( do this through the bars) so far the only thing I haven't tried is dim lights which I guess during the day I can draw curtains, will try that tomorrow, His 9 months had him since he was 10 weeks and never known him go back into cage on his own, sadly his never out all day due to work but i dont work regular hours I'm in and out and always had him out when I was here but have had to stop doing that so much due to problems getting him back in and being late for next call, today been home most of the day so he was out for about 2 hours this afternoon had a struggle to get him back in but had to do it as I was trying to get some household tasks done and he was landing on my head each time I tryed to get him off he was biting, then he was out again at early tea time for about three and half hours, home all day tomorrow so will try curtains, anything you can find wrong with what I'v said please say its my first cag so open to advice and can take being told if I'm doing somthing wrong, many thanks.