MoonRock

2/9/13 AM: Oscar slept through the night, as evidenced by his sleepy expression when I uncovered his cage this morning, and the giant poop pile he made moments later. In good spirits, Oscar proceeded to meow at me, puff up his feathers and bob, and fake sneeze. I spoke softly to Oscar, but made sure he saw me attending to the parakeets (a little jealousy is helpful to training, I think). Oscar made his various noises as I spoke to him, mostly the cat meow. Occasionally he seemed to feel slightly agitated and would make his "broken smoke detector" sound. Each time he did this, I would say "Too loud!" and leave the room. His softer clicks would get me back into the room. I do not want to teach Oscar that he simply needs to make a loud sound to get his space, so I have the lofty goal of eventually teaching him to say "Space, please." Of course, Oscar may never learn to say more than his current hello, so I am thinking how to teach him to indicate that he wants some time alone. He seems to be understanding that I interpret his softer clicks as a call to me, since I have been going to his cage each time I hear them. I walk into the room and say "Hi Oscar, what do you want?" Though he won't likely ever say, "I want your attention, and a nut, please", I could show him through my actions that I am responsive to him. Just now, as I left the computer to respond to his soft clicks, he seemed to size me up and then made the broken smoke detector sound. I said "Too loud!" and quietly left the room, at which point I SWEAR he said "Ah!" (as in, ah-ha!) I think I am totally anthropomorphizing this bird, but it is very interesting to think he *may* be understanding that soft clicks bring him attention, and loud sounds bring him solitude. Seriously, three times while writing this paragraph he called me into the room with soft clicks (or at least, I am training him that by using soft clicks he is asking me to come to him). He seems to be having fun getting me to come and go. I swear I can sense some relief from him that life is slowly becoming somewhat predictable. Again, I am probably totally anthropomorphizing Oscar, but I swear he has a growing awareness that 1. I won't hurt him, 2. he has a way to get positive attention, and 3. I don't like loud sounds. Fooey on me for choosing 8AM on a Saturday morning to really work on Oscar's training, as I have a sleeping roommate in the other bedroom. But Oscar's new life just couldn't wait!

I thought I would start a training journal for Oscar, the approximately 8 year old CAG I rescued from a bad situation. He seems to be becoming more comfortable with me as the hours pass, which is amazing considering I got him late night on 2/7/13 and it is early morning 2/9/13 as I write. I will attempt to use a simple format for this journal, to provide for easy reading. I am certainly open to training and bonding suggestions as well, so please do not consider this thread a "closed" one. My primary goal is to teach Oscar to trust and accept me, with a secondary goal of helping others with their own training. I am by no means an expert, and this thread may evolve as I acquire new information about how to help my little grey guy. So let's get started, shall we? The basics: Oscar, male Congo African Grey, approximately 8 years old. He appears to be in perfect feather, with no feather plucking behavior. His wings are unclipped and his talons are slightly overgrown. Oscar appears to be sighted in only his left eye. Oscar's supposed first owner was a young adult male, who at some point became tired of Oscar and an Amazon purchased at the same time. Oscar and the Amazon were then placed in the care of the young adult's grandmother, who had Oscar for approximately 6 years. The Amazon passed away "prematurely", and it is unknown whether or not Oscar and the Amazon shared a bond. The grandmother seldom handled Oscar, but spoke to him through his cage bars. Oscar shared some kind of bond with this woman, as evidenced by reports from her son and daughter-in-law that Oscar "misses her". The woman suffered a stroke and could no longer care for Oscar, at which point he was entrusted to the care of her son and daughter-in-law. This seems to have happened very recently, perhaps within the last four months. The man and his wife are not "bird people" and the home is very chaotic. Their 7 year old son frequently harassed Oscar, throwing apple pieces at him, screaming, and running around very close to Oscar's cage. Subsequently the child was scolded, which only appeared to increase his rough behavior with Oscar and created the additional problem of a loud, arguably unsafe household. It should be mentioned that Oscar came to the home with the grandmother's cat, and the cat appeared very stressed out as well. It is unknown whether Oscar shared a bond with the cat, though he frequently "meows". Upon meeting me, Oscar proceeded to make a very loud growl/ scream. Though I spoke in soft tones and attempted "extinguishing behavior" (turning my back when Oscar screamed), generally he continued to make noise with the supposed intention of keeping me away. Oscar was in a cat crate while his cage was drying from being hosed down, and this is where he was when he met me. He refused all treats and only began to interact with me in a positive way after I had been in front of him for approximately an hour. Oscar appeared to be curious about me after some time, and I made a point not to look him in the eye or talk to much as he was "sizing me up". Eventually Oscar calmed considerably in my presence, but as the child ran around and the family made noise, he reverted to screaming. I was told I should come back later to discuss payment for the bird, as the previously agreed-upon payment plan was refused. I was heartbroken for myself and Oscar. I didn't want him to spend another night in his current situation. Shortly after leaving, I received a text message from the woman requesting that I come back for Oscar. I was overjoyed, and went back to the home. Oscar was placed in his crate by the woman's young adult daughter, as he was back in his cage by this point. Upon seeing me, Oscar screamed again. It seemed apparent that he understood I was more than just a visitor. Protesting the whole time, the daughter placed Oscar into the crate after toweling him. The large cage was broken apart and placed in the small car. Oscar remained quiet for the next hour on the drive home. Upon arriving at my home, though I loudly put together the cage, Oscar remained seemingly calm in the crate. It should be noted that Oscar's crate was covered with a sheet, which probably aided in the smooth transition. I put Oscar from the crate to the cage a little roughly, at which point he turned around and screamed at me. By this point it was past midnight, so I quickly covered Oscar's cage with the sheet and left the room (another attempt at "extinguishing behavior"). Oscar quieted down quickly and presumably slept. The next morning I awoke late. When I partially uncovered Oscar's cage for the day (I left three sides of the cage mostly covered, for Oscar's comfort) he did not scream at me. In fact, he was standing on his perch very close to the cage doors, seemingly waiting for me to come to him. Most of Oscar's food was left untouched from the night but he seemed in good spirits. After arriving home from work in the evening, I spent some time with Oscar. He puffed up his feathers with some seemingly strong emotions, but soon seemed to decide to feel OK about me. Oscar bobbed up and down, meowed like a cat, fake sneezed, and whistled. I spent about 10 minutes of "acceptance training" (attempting to get Oscar used to me and my home) about two times an hour until 8PM, when Oscar became somewhat agitated and screamed again. I covered the cage and left the room, and will uncover him again and get right into acceptance training at about 9AM this morning. Today's training plan: If possible, reach hands into cage to affix a better perch or two. I mistakenly assumed Oscar would be very upset if I put new perches in the night I got him home, but I should have used the opportunity of him being crated to do so. Now I have to work around Oscar while he's in his cage, which will be harder. Potentially, though, this could prove to be a good bonding experience. Furthermore, I will continue to speak to Oscar in soft tones, leaving the room if he appears too excitable or screams. If all appears to be going well, I will allow my hands to linger near Oscar, but at this time I feel it would be unwise to ask for a "step up", even if Oscar appears willing. Oscar forgave me for roughly getting him back into his cage the other night, I do not wish to damage his slowly growing trust by doing something silly again.

Thanks for the input and encouragement. Oscar's cage has been partially covered for today, as he seems to feel calmer with only the front and a bit of one side of the cage visible to "outsiders". This, of course, is a temporary situation, and over the next few days Oscar's cage will be less and less covered during the day. I will also be adding additional perches, one at a time, very soon. I am trying to show Oscar with my body language and speech that I am confident but gentle. I am convinced the velociraptor scream is simply a defense mechanism to keep potential "mean humans" away. Oscar really craves attention, though, and when I came home from work (I was gone for less than 5 hours) he puffed up at me in confusion/ excitement/ hope/ frustration and then decided to stick to feeling excited and flapped his wings while bobbing up and down in greeting. It wasn't a perfect reunion, I will admit, as the slow beginning rumble of the velociraptor growl became audible. However, for nearly the entire 10 minutes I was sitting by Oscar's cage, he meowed at me, fake sneezed, bobbed and flapped his wings, and meowed some more. I even felt comfortable enough to offer a piece of fruit through the cage, and it was taken gently enough but quickly discarded. I know to be careful of Oscar's huge beak, as we have a lot of trust to develop. As you can see, Oscar is making amazing progress with me. I will continue to expose him to me and his new life in small doses (which is why I time my "acceptance training" for about 10 minutes at a time). This is intended to keep his AG curiousity in tact, as he seems to wonder what I am doing when I am not in the room with him. But it also allows him the space to do his own thing and analyze his new world. Of course, we could take some backwards steps in our bonding/ training. In fact, we almost certainly will. But I am prepared to spend the time and effort to enrich this handsome, funny bird's life, as he will enrich mine. Warmly, MoonRock and VelOSCARaptor

I met Oscar tonight. He was in a cat crate while his cage was being cleaned. Oscar gave me a rabid velociraptor growl upon seeing me, and if I adjusted myself in my seat too quickly or looked him too long in the eye, he screamed/ growled even louder. I was in love. Oscar, obviously, was not. It was very sad to see this beautiful but stressed out bird getting harassed by a little boy who, let's face it, was a brat. The family's 7 year old boy kept throwing apple bits into the crate, running about and screaming. Supposedly the boy was trying to impress me. I didn't have the desire to tell this demon child that I am impressed most by well-behaved children. All the while, Oscar growled, and it was nearly ear-piercing. However, I continued to speak to him calmly, softly telling him "good bird" for each brief moment he was quiet. I started attempting extinguishing behavior, turning my back on Oscar whenever he growled. Soon he became curious about why I wasn't paying him attention, so he quieted down long enough to do the following: whistle at me, meow like a cat and fake a series of sneezes. This stressed out bird obviously wanted so much to connect, but was confused about how to get what he wanted. I even played peek-a-boo with him for a few seconds, which surprised and delighted him. It took some time, but I finally got a good look at all of Oscar, and what I saw concerns me. Oscar appears to be blind in his right eye, or at least visually impaired. His owners claimed it was nothing, they never saw it before, they would have heard from previous owners if something had happened to the bird. Yeah, right. Oscar also appears to have a misshapen talon, but I am not certain of this. Against my better judgment, I agreed to a $500 adoption fee for a half-blind bird. I had to really convince the owners to honor the payment plan we had already discussed. It felt crazy, haggling for a bird that would only continue to be harassed by a little boy and neglected by his owners. When I mentioned to the forum the one sandy perch in Oscar's cage, I was only describing what I saw in a photo. What I saw in person was worse- the one perch in the cage was hardly long enough for a 'tiel, and his one toy is sized for a macaw. Unfortunately I feel I need to leave Oscar's cage as-is until I can acclimate him to my home. If anyone feels I need to get him good perches ASAP, and to hell with his anxiety over new things, please let me know. I am determined to do what is best for my new little guy. So that is my sad but hopeful story for tonight. I met Oscar, so far he hates me, his former owners are pretty bad, he has a terrible cage set-up, he is likely blind in one eye, but he is a strong, even humorous bird. Please feel free to offer your input, I am looking for even more guidance now that I actually have Oscar home. *HOME* P.S. I hope Oscar never learns my nickname for him: VelOSCARaptor.

i was texting with the soon-to-be previous owner of Oscar, the 6-8 year old male CAG I hope to adopt. The owner decided she wanted $500 for him. I think this is a good price, even for a less than fully tamed bird. However, this is a bit of a curve-ball for me since I do not have the full $500 at this time. I had a lot of bills this month. Luckily the owner has agreed to a payment plan, and she seems eager to have me adopt Oscar. One of her friends was interested in him, but she felt Oscar was not an appropriate bird for a first-time bird owner. I was texted a great photo of Oscar, his glorious red tail very visible, but it also made me sad because he has one toy and one perch at this time. I said it before and I will say it again, I am amazed Oscar has kept all his feathers, learned some neat sounds and even "hello", and developed a sense of humor (according to his current owner) in his current situation. I am so eager to bring him home that I cannot sleep at night! Tomorrow evening I go to meet him, with a small chance of bringing him home immediately (though we agreed to a few meetings before I could have him). I know the following sentiment is just preaching to the choir, but I would like to share my feelings anyway. Animals are special. Birds are special. But there is something so heartbreaking about a profoundly intelligent creature, like the African Grey, spending life locked away with minimal interaction. If you have a Grey, you have GOT to make plenty of time to get to know and cherish your little feathered person. He/ she will be unlike any other bird in your life, and you owe it to him/ her to make life as wonderful and special as it is supposed to be in the wild. I read recently that birds are still not considered "domesticated". I also read of previously owned cockatoos being released out into the wild, and later teaching their new flock human words. Birds don't forget. Birds feel pain, joy, love, jealousy, EVERYTHING that we do to some degree or another. I firmly believe that. So if you have a Grey, as you very well might if you are reading this, please go over and say to him/ her how much you love your special bird. Believe me, you will be understood.

judygram, you remind me of a Grey (which of course is a huge compliment). You were very perceptive and sensed I had already made up my mind to adopt Oscar. Indeed, I have. And thank you for your encouragement- while it is a very big decision to adopt a Grey in need, I am ready. I love Cockatoos, macaws, and of course, American parakeets/ budgerigars/ budgies. But there really is something so deeply special about Greys! I cannot wait to "spoil" Oscar with awesome food, great toys, and plenty of out-of-cage time. One last thing: I highly recommend the book, Of Parrots and People, for each and every person on this forum. If you read it, please let me know what you think!

Thank you for your thoughtful reply danmcq. Yes, I am truly ready and able to accept Oscar as he is, without the expectation he will ever greet me with Calypso-sized kisses and excitement, or become the next Alex and start counting blocks. I actually already admire this bird for his toughness- I do believe he was cage-bound for quite some time, perhaps many years, and still he has a certain spark and adaptability. I think it says quite a lot that he does not feather-pluck. Oscar's age is approximate because of a sad story. The original owner suffered a stroke recently and her son and daughter-in-law are trying to rehome him, as she cannot care for her bird any longer given her condition. It seems she quite loved him, but even before her stroke he did not get a great deal of attention. Her son and daughter-in-law are trying their best to find the bird a good home, as no one in the family feels they could keep a parrot. I doubt the son and daughter-in-law had much contact with the bird before now. And while somewhat invested in finding this bird a good home, they seem pretty eager to have him gone. Let's face it, they have their hands full with a sick parent and caring for the bird is just one more tricky thing to do. But Oscar needs a good home, now. As for Oscar's baggage and current needs, I know I will have a lot to work through with him. I am pleased he is apparently drawn to females, as that *might* make his taming a little easier. His cage is a reasonable size but he has only one toy in it and what looks like one, too-short sandy perch. One toy and one perch! What?! It is amazing Oscar even says hello, as I noted before (and yes, I understand that "hello" may be all he ever says- I am fine with that). The more I think about Oscar, the more my heart aches for him. I would really like to bring him home, and make his next few decades joyful ones. I know to read and talk to him, as well as play music and the television. Oscar really is a "project bird", but strikes me as special already. What a tough cookie!

I am very excited to have found a 6-8 year old male CAG for adoption. I am seeking some honest advice, as I want this adoption to be a good decision. For starters: I am African Grey experienced, having loved and lived with a 30 year old female CAG. Calypso was awesome, even meowing like a cat at the animal hospital, making the veterinary technician think I had a cat in the carrier. She was a sworn feather plucker, costing me $800 for routine diagnostics to make sure she was in good health despite the missing feathers. Calypso gave kisses, even pressing her big beak against my lips while making the kissy sound. She imitated water droplets, silly sounds, whistles... No other bird is like an African Grey, I think you would all agree! Now I have the chance to adopt a male CAG named Oscar. FOR FREE. Now, granted, I fully understand NO bird is really free (remember that $800 "check-up"?). But I admit, not having to plunk down the initial $1000 or so to buy a parrot is very appealing. What's more, I live reasonably close to the veterinarian, specialty bird store (they sell awesome products and board birds as well) and I have lots of time on my hands as a part-time teacher working less than 20 hours a week. I could go on about my circumstances and bird qualifications, but Oscar is not without his issues. I would like your thoughts about whether or not this bird would be the right match for me. Oscar "needs more taming", according to his current owners. I do not yet know if he "steps up" at all, or nips people. I think it is amazing he learned how to say "hello" given his current, "not enough attention" situation. I do have African Grey training/ taming experience, but is it just plain too late to tame a 6-8 year old bird? Interestingly Calypso was 30 when I started working with her, but from what I know about Oscar he needs a good deal of work. I am willing to put in the time to work with Oscar, but am prepared to accept him as he is. I think this is the right attitude, but is there something I am missing? Could I be getting myself into a bad situation? I am waiting to hear back about whether Oscar is a nuisance screamer or has other bad habits I might struggle with. But what else do I need to consider before taking on an animal with many decades (fingers crossed) of life ahead of him? I want to enrich his life as much as I hope he will enrich mine... Sorry for the long-winded, somewhat non-question. What I am looking for is whatever you feel you can offer: reassurances, warnings, or something in-between.

Not to mention, Hyacinths have an amazingly high mortality rate before weaning. "Fertile eggs"... For a bird worth $10,000, you would plunk money down only after it has been weaned. Red flags all around...

Hi rrd0166, I have been searching for a Grey I could love for life. I know it must be very hard to have to rehome your beloved parrot, but I could offer her a great home. I work part-time as a special education teacher, so have lots of time at home for a "fid" (feathered kid). Please PM me so I could tell you more about my qualifications, bird/ Grey experience, and lifestyle. I would love to adopt Bijou. I live near Berkeley, CA.