Deke

I also posted this message in the training room... My wife and I received a rescued TAG that came from a very abusive home. Gracie had no problems with my wife or any other female but became almost violent when around a male. This is how I turned Gracie around. I put Gracie's cage in the kitchen right behind where I sit. The kitchen is where I spend most of my time as I love to cook and have a nice TV to watch my sports. I first ignored Gracie and just let her rant and rage while getting use to me walking around and being almost next to her when I sit. Once she got use to me being around I would talk softly to her at a distance. Then would sit down, look right at her while again talking softly. When I felt confident she was relaxed with me I then opened the cage door and allowed her to come out where she would go to the top and play in her playground. This happened while I was sitting and ignored her as she played. I then took a homemade floor perch and stood it right in front of her cage which she came out to perch on. At this point she was only a foot away. After some time and trust, I would move her perch, with her on it, well away from her cage. (You must get your Grey well away from her territory!) That is when the real training started. I taught her to step up and lay on her back in my hand while rubbing her tummy. Gracie and I are now the best of buddy's and at the same time no longer fears males. Even though I am the only male she will interact with she will not get mean with my friends. This whole process did not happen overnight! It takes a lot of time, patients, compassion, and love. If you decide to use this method then remember this, no matter how loud your Greys whistles and screams, never, and I mean NEVER sound off to him/her! Never punish by tapping their beak or spraying with water. If they get too loud then simply walk away. Good luck to all who is in the situation that we were at one time. Best wishes

My wife and I received a rescued TAG that came from a very abusive home. Gracie had no problems with my wife or any other female but became almost violent when around a male. This is how I turned Gracie around. I put Gracie's cage in the kitchen right behind where I sit. The kitchen is where I spend most of my time as I love to cook and have a nice TV to watch my sports. I first ignored Gracie and just let her rant and rage while getting use to me walking around and being almost next to her when I sit. Once she got use to me being around I would talk softly to her at a distance. Then would sit down, look right at her while again talking softly. When I felt confident she was relaxed with me I then opened the cage door and allowed her to come out where she would go to the top and play in her playground. This happened while I was sitting and ignored her as she played. I then took a homemade floor perch and stood it right in front of her cage which she came out to perch on. At this point she was only a foot away. After some time and trust, I would move her perch, with her on it, well away from her cage. (You must get your grey well away from her territory!) That is when the real training started. I taught her to step up and lay on her back in my hand while rubbing her tummy. Gracie and I are now the best of buddy's and at the same time no longer fears males. Even though I am the only male she will interact with she will not get mean with my friends. This whole process did not happen overnight! It takes a lot of time, patients, compassion, and love. If you decide to use this method then remember this, no matter how loud your Greys whistles and screams are, never, and I mean NEVER sound off to him/her! Never punish by tapping their beak or spraying with water. If they get too loud then simply walk away. Good luck to all who is in the situation that we were at one time. Best wishes

Awwwwww, your baby TAG is beautiful! And welcome to the world of Greys! You will never regret your investment.

Hey Jayd, Gracie is 5 yrs old. Do have a question. The pic I posted in my album suddenly disappeared. I am very new to this site and still working on all the features. Was there something I was to do to keep the photo listed? I went over the FAQ and did everything it said. I work from an iPad. Wife took over computer, go figure! lol

As a few others have said, keep hands out of cage except to change food and water. My grey came in as a rescued and had some very deep emotional problems due to the horrific abuse she went thru. I discovered that its location, location, location! Look around the cage, what is the environment? Is there another animal in close proximity? Do you keep a vacuum cleaner stored near by that she is already fearing? It can be anything. Move the cage if needed. Also, just open the door and keep an outside perch very close to cage. But the trick is to get her far away from her cage and make her feel comfortable at the same time. Also, keep cage so that she is near you most of the time. My cage is in the kitchen right behind where I sit at the table. Once she sees you all the time she will warm up to you. When training her to step up wear something colorful! Greys are attracted to color. And above all, talk softly to her. It does take time but don't give up, she will come around. Good luck!

Hi Judy, Gracie is our only parrot for now. We also took in 7 parakeets that were near death and all had to be hand nurtured back to health and now they thrive in a large flight cage. As for Gracie, she came from a very abusive home in which the husband would swat her around and caused her deep emotional problems. She no longer displays any problems what so ever. Because we have a small dog Gracie will from time to time growl and bark like a dog just to get Tobie on the move! It's very comical to say the least. She has a very large vocabulary and because vulgar language is not allowed in our home she has picked up no bad habits. She is a peaceful loving bird that thrives on our love and attention. Oh, and she is 5 yrs old.

Dave, given the size of your cage, 1 perch stretching from side to side, 1 half perch that is bolted to side of cage, and 1 Flex rope perch. The flex rope should be longer than the cage is wide. Attach one end to the back of cage and other end to side of cage near the front in any configuration. Also hang a rope loop perch from the top. Keep water dishes and bath dish at least half way up and keep food dish right on the bottom of cage as Greys are bottom feeders. Just make sure food dish is not under a perch or water dish. Give them treats, fruit (NO AVACADOS!!!! VERY DEADLY!!), and veggies. Many articles as to what is good and not good. My grey loves mashed potatoes but make sure no salt or other seasons are added. Enjoy your new grey and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.

Gracie is now such an intricate part of our family. She came to us pretty much a battered bird but thru a lot of nurturing she is just a part of our household. How on earth can anyone abuse a bird is beyond comprehension!

Hello to all, new to this forum but I do have a broad knowledge of Greys. Pet shop manager for 11 yrs. and specialized in exotic pets that included many Greys. My wife and I have a rescued Timneh Grey that came from a very abusive home. The bird did not like males what so ever but with a lot of positive reinforcement, patients, and love the Grey, her name is Gracie, goes nuts when she sees me and wants to interact with me all the time. We are now buddy's and she no longer fears males. I have the knowledge to answer most questions and situations as I am sure many members do as well. This is why I love forums!!

Because I am new to this forum I guess I don't know how to get to the welcome room. I use an IPad, wife took over computer! lol

Are you by chance teaching her to step up while she is in her cage? Parrots are territorial and many don't like intrusions into their cage other than changing food, water, and replacing toys. If your bird is in the cage then get the bird out and away from her cage. Our grey is a rescued bird that came from a very abusive home where the husband (jerk) would swat her. So our grey warmed up to my wife but wanted nothing to do with me at first. I first built the trust but found out that I needed to get her away from her cage after reading many articles. She was stepping up on command within a few weeks. To date she still will not step up while in the cage so we just let her come out when she wants and only then will she step up.