inc0gnito

Wow! You really are good at this! Are those sunflower seeds you are giving him as treats? Without the shells? He likes those? hmm... I might have to try that. How long did it take you to train him to turn around and how'd you go about doing it? I am just curious.

Here he is. In all his glory and grouchy self.

Omg! That's exactly with this guy. He doesn't like the wooden stick to step on. He likes the colorful ropes though. Mine doesn't say any words though. He just squawks like a crow. I would take the squawk as a form of communication but the Growl is a Growl. Good thing he is showing really good improvements. Today I was able to put my hand in the cage and adjust his toys around the cage. He seemed a little nervous but didn't growl at all. Although it seemed he was really close to growling but he just looked on in curiosity. Thats Improvement! And I got him back in the cage by simply the laying the towel on the cage next to him. He just slowly makes his way all by himself back in the cage. Didn't make a peep. Also I changed his diet today, just a little. Reduced the sunflower seeds drastically and added some of those Harvey's bird food pellets. My previous CAG absolutely hated the pellets but it got used to it eventually... before it died sadly.

Oh no I tried touching him through the bars. He backs up and growls immediately. This guy is one scared CAG. So I take it real slow with him. As long as he keeps showing positive signs like less growling I am happy. I do sit next to his cage and talk to him. Sometimes he just listens, other times he will growl at every word. So I have to shutup or step a few steps back and then talk softly. But like I said he is improving. The day he lets me touch him without growling is the day I will declare the entire process a success. lol. Hopefully at his rate it wont be long. The stick nibble technique seems to be the one that gives really positive results right away!

Alright. So I used a towel to save my own skin and sort of nudge him over the side of the cage. He didn't fall or anything but sort of climbed down and into it by himself. Ever since then he climbs out and after a little bit of wing flapping and chirping he walks around the top of the cage and then just goes back inside the cage by himself. This is good. He has sort of become subdued a little bit. Doesn't growl as often as he normally did. I got him a toy ball which he broke in just 10 mins. I fixed it up and gave it back to him. So he seems entertained a little in his cage. But the cage is rarely ever closed, he still sits in the furthest corner of it. Only comes up to the front to eat his food and water. He is still scared if anyone so much as stares at him from across the room. But atleast he isn't growling as much. So I feel he is improving pretty fast. Lets see where this goes. I was gonna try to spray some water on him, just to see if he likes it or not. I think he really needs a bath.

So since yesterday I have initiated a new technique. I have a long metal rod (its about 14 inches). What I do is I bring it slowly upto his face. Initially he growled just a little and then he went forward and gave it a little bite. I immediately clicked and pulled the stick away. I have done this routine atleast 10 times everyday. And now he doesn't growl that much at all. Its only been 2 days since I've been doing this. As soon as he nimbles it or bites it I pull it away from him and do a click in favor, like he's done a good thing. So far he's responding much better. The idea is that the stick is perceived as an extension of me. So hopefully in the future I won't need the stick and he would be comfortable with me approaching him. I don't have any treats to give him. All i got are sunflower seeds and his pellet food. Neither of which he accepts from me unless its in his feeder and he is left alone. Another new issue I've been facing is that once he gets out of his cage, he enjoys sitting on top of it and doesn't want to go back in. Well maybe for food he will but this usually happens when no one is around to quickly shut the door once he is in. So its really hard to get him back in the cage. I read online and lots of people said that if you have to get him in the cage and there simply is no time you can try to use a towel to lift him, but given that he is afraid I don't want to add to his misery. Is there any technique or recommendation of how to get him to go back on his own; since I can't really get close to him without him raising a storm!

Still working on him or her. I can't really tell. Though it seems like a Male. He has a heavier voice than my previous grey. Today made a little progress again. Today he didn't growl at me while I refilled his feeder. Well I think that had more to do with the fact that I was quick and he was maybe half asleep. Lets see if it can be duplicated tomorrow. Gotta get him to stop growling at anyone who even looks at him. lol.

I am on my 3rd day with my Grey. Its a ReHomed African Grey. About 1 year or 2 years old, But its pretty big and seems healthy. Can't even get near his cage. He growls and growls loud if you get closer. I usually step away when he starts his first growl. He wouldn't come out of the cage, even when the door was left open. Keep in mind that its just his 3rd or 4th day. I too have to keep that in mind. So then I play this clip on my PC http://www.arkive.org/african-grey-parrot/psittacus-erithacus/video-00.html All of a sudden he "wakes up". Gets all excited. Starts making some excited sounds. Jumps up and down and flies out of the cage! Lands on the bookshelf. Takes a poop on my expensive books! The clip ends and he loses interest again and then it becomes a tough thing to get him back in the cage unless you can move the cage right infront of him. Then he goes in all by himself. Its tough going for all of us, but we are working on him.

I got a hand me down African grey from a family in Dubai who were leaving the UAE. They used to keep him in a far away corner of their villa. He is in pretty bad shape with absolutely no or very little human interaction. He is just like this one described in this thread. He is incredibly scared. I cannot even come close to his cage without him screaming wildy or growling more like. This one is almost 2 years or 1 year old. He is considerably larger than my previous Grey who died. When its time to clean the cage or refill the feeder and water he raises a huge storm. Its only been 3 days since I got him. I played a Youtube clip of some other greys and he got so excited and "happy". So now I play such clips for him whenever I need him to calm down or just be in a happy mood. But its tough going. I was hoping for a Grey who would just start playing with me like my previous one. But this one will require a LOT of time. Oh well. I was considering returning him but he has shown some very little improvements and he seemed so... needy of attention and loving I just couldn't justify returning him to his previous owners who anyway will give him up to somebody else then. The funny thing is when you put a bedsheet on yourself and approach him, like a Ghost.. lol. He is not afraid at all. Its the Human aspect that scares him a lot. I wonder what they've been doing with him.

Twix, show me some love. Send me the contact number of the breeder. I was at the Sharjah Bird Market just yesterday - don't worry I didn't buy anything. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. So I decided I've got to get in touch with you again and ask you that breeder info again. Btw, what are your thoughts on Indian Ringneck parrots?

How would feed it? Syringe and some baby food? I am just curious how people raise these magnificent birds.

hi amit, I am residing in UAE too! Did you manage to buy your CAG? If so, from where? I bought one from your favorite sharjah bird market, but i learned the hard way that it was a big mistake. let me know how your search went.

Yeah, never again from Sharjah bird market. I was in the process of buying a newer bigger Cage for the fellow, because I felt it was too small for him. I have left the cage outside in the sun for a few days. I will clean it up with vinegar just to disinfect it. Also need to clean up around the house for a few days to make sure there is no remnant germs around the place. I am interested in this breeder you are speaking about. Is there any contact number or info I can reach out to them at? But I still need to know a good avian vet in Dubai or sharjah. Thanks so much for all the help. Its such a relief to find a person who is more or less in the same area as I am and who is a Grey lover.

I am also sorry if I sounded harsh. It was not my intent. You have been a tremendous help and I completely agree with you that next time I will scope out a proper vet before hand and get the bird checked out. The problem is most of these Greys are sold in bird markets "as is" in Sharjah, UAE. I don't know much about Dubai. Most sellers also say that once the parrot is sold it is yours. They have a rudimentary Pet Doctor in the market, who does not run any tests at all and simply just takes a look at the bird and points out some things he thinks is wrong or simply asks you to choose another bird. I just saw that TWIX is from Dubai and owns a few birds, maybe he can help me out here. Btw. I used to live in Alexandria, Virginia not too long ago. A few months ago.

Yeah. I get it. I tried calling around most of the Avian clinics that I found in Dubai and Sharjah, most of them even though they say they take emergencies, simply never had the Doctor available to take a look at my parrot. I will first try to find a reputable shop that actually knows how to take care of Parrots, before even attempting to purchase another grey. Although I wouldn't lie, I really wanna fill that hole in my heart asap. The poor thing died in my hands. And when I looked into its eyes, just before it died - it seemed to me they had all the protests in the world in them, begging me to save it.

I am sorry, but 1 hour after this video he passed away.. He started puking out Phlegm and died while on the way to the vet. Thank you all for all the help and support you all provided.

Today he is exhibiting a new symptom. He has labored breathing. I made a video. I have an appointment with another vet today. Twix, I just moved to this place called Sharjah in UAE. Its close to Dubai. I am relatively new here and don't know much about anything here. I also do not have a driver's license yet, so Its sort of hard for me to take the parrot around, but I ask some friends to help me out whenever they can.

Here it is.. Poor guy's so sick.

I used lots of Boric Acid powder and those Roach traps for a month and have completely eliminated the roach infestation in my apartment. You have to remove any cardboard boxes, clean the counter tops and basically remove as much clutter as possible.

I have figured out whats wrong with it. I noticed this morning that one of its ears was swollen shut. Looks like a ear infection. After a shower that seems to be the most likely cause. Will take him to another vet tomorrow. So far I've been force feeding it some cerelac. I put a hot water bottle in his cage at the bottom to keep the temperature up. Removed all his toys so he can conserve his energy into fighting this infection.

Unfortunately I live in a part of the world that has little to no access to Parrot vets. So I am really worried about my African Grey. If it does not improve by morning time, I am taking it to another vet.

I have a 10 month old African Grey. It was on a diet of few Sunflower seeds, some fresh Carrots, Cucumbers, Green Chillis, Harrison's Pellet formula etc, Plums, Pumpkins etc. However yesterday we gave it a shower. After the shower it was kept in its cage in a warm room, with its cage covered by a bedsheet so as to keep the air drafts if there were any out. However I started noticing last night itself that it was acting lethargic and has not touched its food every since late last night. It has not made a single noise since yesterday. I took it so some vet this afternoon. It got a shot of Antibiotics and some vitamins. But its still lethargic and would not eat anything at all. I've been force feeding it some Cerelac now and then. Any help?