Gismosmomma09 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 hello everyone, My name is kymberley, and as my sn says i am gismos momma. He is a CAG only 7 weeks old. hes the most adorable thing i have ever seen. I finally brought him home on sunday and hes been either in my lap or my husbands lap since hes been home. The breeder i got him from said that hes ready to start weaning in about a week. that seems a little soon to me but like the topic says i am such a novice when it comes to birds. he is my first baby to hand feed and let me tell you i was so scared the very first time i did it. i have heard horror stories about ppl who dont know what they are doing and end up accidentally killing the babies.. but all is going well here at gismos palace.. if anyone has any sugestions about how to help him bond to me. or handfeeding, potty training, or anything please im all ears. and thank you so much to whoever opened this site. thanks again Kymberley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckobird Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hello Kymberley and welcome to the forum! I am glad you made a post. Congrats on your baby grey Gismo. He is such a cutie as I see in your avatar picture. There are many threads in the Nursery room that can give you good information on handfeeding. I included the links to some of them, make sure to read the very first post of each link, there are very important things to know about handfeeding. Do you know about weaning a grey? How many times are you feeding Gismo a day? How much at each feeding? Gismo has to refuse the formula himself before you can take away a feeding. When you see him start picking at things on the ground then thats a sign to start putting solids foods like pellets in there for him to munch on. You can also give him some cooked veggies chopped up small so he can try it and start to like solid foods. Ecko, my CAG, was about 9 weeks old when he first started really eating the pellets, seeds, veggies etc. He wouldn't eat much of it at first but as the days went he would eat more and more. He was starting to refuse formula because he was getting full from the solid foods, so one by one I slowly dropped the formula feedings. He was weaned at 17 weeks old. Every grey is different and there isn't a set schedule when your grey is weaned. Anyways, if you have any questions feel free to ask. This is a great forum with a lot of very nice members. I hope to hear more from you and Gismo. Good luck Kymberly. Handfeeding a baby grey. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/limitstart/20/the-nursery/73409-handfeeding-a-baby-grey.html The risks of handfeeding. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/the-nursery/73842-associated-risks-of-hand-feeding.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Hello Kymberly and welcome to our family, we are so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Gismo. You are right to be concerned, if the handfeeding is not done properly you can end up killing your baby, to be honest I wish breeders wouldn't sell unweaned babies but they do. You will find some good threads in the nursery room on handfeeding so be sure to read thru them. You will find loads of useful information here in our many threads so browse thru them at your leisure and do ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. You are doing exactly what is necessary to bond with your baby, you are f eeding, cleaning up after him and being with him, that is what bonding is and he wants to be a part of your flock, you and your husband are his family now and he will look to you for security and safety. I assume that is him in the pic in your avatar but if you have some others you would share with us we would love to see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Welcome kymberley and gismo!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you geta chance. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Hi Kymberley, from your Avatar I can see what a real cutie Gismo is. As others have already said there are oodles of threads within the forum to help you with your baby. Look around and ask any questions you might have. Welcome to the grey family!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gismosmomma09 Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 thank you all very much for all your advice. i have no clue about trying to wean or when it should be done. i know he likes sweet potatoes though.. lol i was having one for dinner lastnight and he climed over to me and started eating it. it was the cutest thing i have ever seen. i will deffinatly go and check things out over at the handfeeding forum. handfeeding is going well i think gismo has figured out when i get home from work hes getting fed. lol he seems better today he wants to be on my sholder tonight. but heard somewhere that thats a no no.. why?? he seems quite content up there and even more so when i stand and do dishes with him up there. except for the fact he likes to nibble on the top of my ear and doesnt like my hair up in a pony tail. any thoughts??? thanks again guys hope to talk to you all very soon. Kym Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 I personally made the no shoulder rule because greys are easily startled and will grab the first thing they see to steady themselves. Not out of meanness, it's just their instinct. That beak can do serious damage to an earlobe or a cheek. Also, what if you need your bird to step-off your shoulder and he doesn't want to. Awkward position to force a step-up, with too much delicate skin too close. I know it's more convenient sometimes to have both hands free, but having a perch in each room where you spend time can free up your hands and keep your skin in tact! It's a personal choice, and you have to take your birds personality into consideration. One thing is for sure, if you allow it now it will be very difficult to change later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babygirl Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Hello, i am Linnea and i am contemplating adopting an African Gray from a bird shelter. I have never owned a parrot before but i used have parakeets and now i feel i am ready for a parrot but i want to here from other parrot owners before going through with an adoption. i dont want to traumatize a bird by getting one and then turn around and return her. just so u know my parakeets died and now i have a bird less home so i sort of want to adopt one fast. i think i might get two if i find two that are all ready together. is it a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 It depends allot on your birds personality and weather of not you trust your bird to be on your shoulder. If he comes down when you ask and doesn't ni at you when he's up there then having him on your shoulder is fine. I let my baby on my shoulder she will step up everytime I ask and so its fine TYco my other Grey is not permitted on my shoulder I cannot trust her not to bite.It really depends on the bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gismosmomma09 Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 He seems to do just fine he will get scared and do these grunts and then lick at my face but he doesnt try to bite.. i was scared when he did it at first cause i didnt know what he was gonna do.. but i just sat there and let him do his thing and he calmed down real quick.. he has only nibbled the top of my ear once and i raised my voice to him and said ouch that hurt and he hasnt done it since... think he understands?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gismosmomma09 Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 He seems to do just fine he will get scared and do these grunts and then lick at my face but he doesnt try to bite.. i was scared when he did it at first cause i didnt know what he was gonna do.. but i just sat there and let him do his thing and he calmed down real quick.. he has only nibbled the top of my ear once and i raised my voice to him and said ouch that hurt and he hasnt done it since... think he understands?? Kym and gismo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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