I am New and concerned

[CatSnack]

Hello I am new to greys. I bought a 3 yr old yesterday from a nice family. She belonged to a pet shop owner for a year and this family for 2 years. When I went to meet her she let me pick her up and pet her but I noticed she did have some biting behaviors and didn't have to much training in that area. My concern is that she plays games and doesn't always step up when i go to pick her up. some times she will bite me lightly and sometimes a little harder but I ignore it and have here step up. And she will not go to many other people. Is that normal? Can I train her not to bite and go to other people? Also Today I took her to a parrot shop not just a pet shop and the lady trimmed her nails, wings and groomed her beak a little. The lady was very rough with her. After she let my bird up from grooming she had her perched on her hand. kept making her switch hands rapidly. I don't think my bird likes being held on the right hand. My bird started biting at her and the lady held her feet and shook her up and down to make her try and fly every time she did it. My bird only tried to bite harder. Now she is biting me really hard too. The lady got her so worked up that she looked like she was panting. Since this afternoon her feet have been really warm, she has been sneezing and shaking, I can't tell if it's from fear or maybe a fever? I do not like that lady there must be a better way to train birds.<br><br>Post edited by: judygram, at: 2009/08/07 14:27

[judygram]

Hello CatSnack and welcome to our family, we are so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and your new to you grey. BTW, what is her name?

 

Most greys do and will bite but they can be taught that those are unacceptable behaviors. With you she is probably testing her boundaries, she wants to know what you will allow her to get away with and that is normal being as she is in a new home. You need to tell her no bite and turn your back on her for a few minutes, they don't like to be ignored but sometimes they just don't want to be messed with and you have to respect that also.

 

That woman you took your bird to that trimmed her doesn't sound like someone I would want dealing with my grey in the future, she did not have to handle her so roughly, no wonder she was biting her, I would find someone else to do the trimming if she needs it. If you haven't already it might be a good idea to take her in to see an avian vet to check her out just to make sure she is healthy.

 

If she was stressed out by that woman then yes she was breathing heavily or panting as you said but their feet do feel warm to the touch all the time as their body temperature is higher than ours. There is some trembling of the chest area when stressed or in fear but that is to be expected of her going to a new home. It will take time for her to settle in and feel comfortable even with you as you are new to her too.

 

Greys are very cautious creatures and it takes them a while to feel comfortable in a new home and to come to trust you, you have to earn their trust but with lots of time and much patience you will.

 

Have you had any birds before? You really do need to read thru the many threads for lots of useful information and do ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

 

We really love pictures here so if you have some of this grey you would share with us we would appreciate it very much.<br><br>Post edited by: judygram, at: 2009/08/07 14:36

[danmcq]

Welcome CatSnack!!

 

It's GreYt having you here.

 

Judy gave some very good advice and comments.

 

Greys do not learn from treatment like yours received from that lady trimming her nails. That is not training, it verges on abuse and was scary for your Grey. I am surprised that lady did not receive a severe bite from her actions.

 

Any Grey that becomes upset like that takes a while to calm down, as you observed from her actions.

 

You can not train a Grey NOT to bite. The beak is their only defense and they use it to varying degrees of pressure to let you know they like something, are uncomfortable and leave me the heck a lone. You Grey is at an age that it knows what it likes and how to communicate to humans if it likes or dislikes something or just wants to be left alone.

 

You will learn to read her body language like feathers fluffed, eyes pinning etc. so you know she is warning you that she is going to bite if you continue. Just recognize the body language and avoid the bite.

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance to post them. :-)

[Luvparrots]

Oh your poor sweet grey, what a traumatizing experience for her with the parrot shop lady. Your grey is probably a little leery now so just talk to her calmly and be gentle until she is over her fright. It might take a little time so be patient. It's true you can't teach them not to bite but you can tell them "no bites" and they do understand, some times they listen and stop biting. It depends of how much they want to listen to you or have what they want. You and your grey got off to a good start so be patient and all will be fine and you will get back to that place with her. What is your grey's name? And welcome to the grey family!

[CatSnack]

Thank you for every ones help. Her name is Abby but I want to change it if I'm going to have her the rest of my life I just don't know if that is a good idea. How do you know if you bird has a real biting problem aside from the normal? She has started talking to me a little today but still shakes like a leaf when I hold her (which started after bird lady traumatized her) but is biting me less today. Could she be sneezing because of molting and needs a shower?

[judygram]

Its ok if you want to change her name, others here have done exactly that even if she says her name she will learn her new one.

 

She is still settling in to her new home, you have only had her for a day or two and that is nothing to a grey plus the fact that she was traumatized by a woman at the pet shop, the poor bird needs some time to become comfortable. I am talking weeks and months for her to feel like she is safe and to become trusting of you, you have to earn her trust and that takes time.

 

She is probably sneezing because of dander if she is molting but they have a natural dander that you will see on things around her, you can give her a shower either by taking her into the shower or use some kind of spray or mister on her to get her wet.

[MsGardeness]

Welcome CatSnack and Abby! I'm new here too and everyone has made me feel very welcome. I have one new Grey and have had 3 other parrots for 2-1/2 years now. I agree with the others - lots of patience will definitely work wonders with Abby and as Judygram said, yes you can definitely change her name to something more suitable for you. Again, welcome! Love to see pics!

[Acappella]

Welcome to the family. There is so much information here, and alot of members that have taken on older, rehomed, birds. Your poor baby is only 3 years old and already on her third home. Take things very slowly. Her instinct will be to defend her cage because it's her safe place in a life that has been very chaotic. Is her cage in a spot where she can see the activity in a home, but still feel safe, like in a corner or against at least one wall so she feels less exposed?

 

The fact that she's talked a little bit is a great sign, but take things slowly. Sit by her cage and talk softly to her, let her get used to your presence and your voice. If there are other people in your household, encourage them to do the same. Greys often choose one person as their favourite, but you can socialize her to accepts other flock members. For example, let the less-favoured people be the ones to give her a treat (just put it in a bowl at first if there's the danger of a bite). Tell new people who approach her cage to talk in a soothing voice, not to make sudden movements, and don't invade her space. Expecially not with their hands, unless they like bleeding:P

 

You can avoid most, if not all, bites, if you learn to read her body language. Just do a forum search at the top of the page. I'd also advise doing some reading aside from this site. 'The Second-hand Parrot' put out by Barron's is a good one to start with. Look around the forum for other book recommendations.

 

Trust your instincts about the person you had trim your birds talons. It sounds to me like she was trying to modify your birds behaviour with dominance behaviour, and this isn't the best way to train a grey. It works with dogs because they're wired to obey the dominant member of a pack. Birds are part of a flock and want the attention and approval of their flock members. Ignoring bad behaviour, and rewarding good behavoiur, works best. Check out Barbara Heidenreich at Good Bird Inc. for a good explanation of positive reinforcement training, (plus, of course, do a search here for lots of info)

 

When you are working with a grey you have to think in terms of weeks and months, and sometimes, years, because you are dealing with a companion animal that is long-lived. That's whey I'd bet that one of the most-used words on this forum is . . . Patience;) Good luck with your new family member. We're alway here to help.