Is this normal?

[greystar]

Hello everyone, i have a few questions which came from observing my 6 month grey, Star.

i would really need help if anyone has experienced the same thing...

 

1 ) I have had him over a week now, and when he first came he was screaming like crazy, when my family and i enter the room or leave, even while he was eating...i posted that question and i was told that it was normal for babies to do so in a new place.

But now the screams ahd loud calls have stopped and instead, there is a a low pitched call, when i talk to him or play with him in his cage.

 

Is this normal , if so why did he stop those screams and replaced them with low ones?

 

2 ) today i noticed while my sister was wiping the tv near his cage, he started to open his beak and moves away from that side of the cage. I have seen him do this with all my family, however when i come near him he starts the same way, then he comes close and lowers his head and gets a scratch( the cutest thing in the world to me ). i guess coz maybe this is because i am the only one who plays and interacts with him all the time, i dont know if i am wrong about this.

 

3 ) Today, as well, star started making these short low squeaky calls or noise whenever i come to his cage, play or feed him, i thought he might me entering his mimicing stage, ( i hope he is )but when i ask a friend of mine, she said that he is too young!! Although i did a lot of search on the net which all narrow down that greys differ depending on the environmentthat they are in .

can someone tell me why is Star making those squeaky calls.

 

4) during the evening Star was getting violent in his cage, he was on the floor of his cage and going at the paper below his cage, he was moving in every direction... you might say this is normal but it's the first time he does this...

i tried hand feed him his favourite seeds , he was calm and then started again... i felt helpless..i know he is trying to tell me something but i thought maybe coz i did not let hom out of his cage for two days, since we are still working on the step up command..... he has toys in his cage but he was going at the paper, it was if as he was angrey or mad....

 

please if anyone has experienced any of this things can you tell me if they are noormal and what did you do ?

[Azzie]

The screaming initially may have been Star expressing his fear or dislike at being in a new,strange environment. At a guess, his low pitched sounds when you interact with him, is just Star communicating back to you. My grey Cleo is 7 months, and she makes little squeaks and squeals when I play with her, and it's just her expressing her content at being played with. The initial screaming probably stopped because Star is slowly getting used to you and his new environment.

 

Star moving away from one side of the cage and opening his beak might be a fear reaction. Again, when I first got Cleo she would also back away from me in fear, then change her mind and come closer for some attention. A big (in comparison) strange person flapping arms and rags about can be pretty scary for a baby grey! Maybe if there is such activity going on around Star's cage, get the person to talk to him first in a low soothing voice, and be a little less vigorous in cleaning. I always tell Cleo "it's ok, it's ok", and it seems to work in that she calms down very quickly in a fearful situation.

 

The squeaky calls Star makes when you come near him, it sounds like he is asking for attention. He is acknowledging you, and it might be his way of greeting. Later on you will find Star making a "contact call". Star is learning that you are part of his "flock", his family. Greys in the wild will call to each other to see where the rest of the flock is, and he will start to do that with you.

 

And as for attacking the newspaper, I wonder if he might just have been playing. Greys LOVE to chew and shred, and they can get pretty noisy and violent when they are playing. Cleo at times attacks her hanging toys, and it is accompanied by some pretty vicious looking biting and swinging from the toys. She will also scream and screech VERY loudly when she is playing like this, and the first few times she had me running to her cage as I thought something was wrong. Nothing wrong, just a baby having oodles of fun!

 

From the sounds of it, all the things you are seeing and hearing from your baby are perfectly normal. I do understand your concerns though, I'm a first time AG owner, and it took me a few months before I was confident reading Cleo's body language, understanding her different whistles and calls and behaviour.

[greystar]

Thanks Azzie for the information. Does Cleo come close to the cage when you are near? if so does this mean she wants to play? does she whistle coz star doesn't do anything except the squeaky calls?

thanks

[she]

Azzie has been very thorough in her advise. I think she is spot on.Star is just a baby and will learn different calls and whistles as he gets older.He comes to the side of the cage for attention from you.

[Azzie]

Greystar, Cleo does come to the side of the cage when I'm near. She does this also when I'm not paying attention to her, but for example when I am cleaning or cooking. She just likes to see what is going on. Greys are very social creatures and love being involved in daily household routines. Cleo will also go to a certain side of the cage if the dog is sniffing around there, or my lorikeets are nearby.

 

Coming to the side of the cage can mean different things. Curiosity, as mentioned above is one. She also has a little solid platform attached in a corner of the cage, and she likes to sit there and chill. When she really wants out badly, she will hang from the cage door and holler at me.

 

Cleo does whistle, chirp, cheep, quack and cluck. Although Cleo and Star are similar in age, you've only had your baby for just over a week, so he might not be totally comfortable yet whistling and making other noises. The fact he does acknowledge you with sound is a great start.

 

As far as Cleo playing with me (as opposed to toys), that only happened about 2 months ago. All that time I spent with her beforehand was all just building trust. Admittedly during that time I did wonder if Cleo and I would ever be friends, as she appeared rather aloof and standoffish. As it turned out, she was just being cautious. Greys are naturally cautious birds, and it can take months before you completely win their trust, but once you do, you have a friend for life.

 

For now, I'd suggest just taking it easy with Star. Go at his pace, he will let you know when he is ready for more hands on stuff or different types of interactions. Hand feeding him little treats is good, it shows him that hands aren't something to be afraid of, plus it lays the ground work for teaching him to step up and step down. Feel free to whistle to him, you will know when he is listening to you - he will cock his head sideways and look at you. Eventually, I have no doubt he will imitate whatever you whistle.

 

Cleo is learning the Colonel Bogey march at the moment. She can get the first few bars right, then just makes up her own ended, which is usually a very exaggerated wolf whistle.