Clumsy Greys?

[jessdecutie18]

So I will be getting a baby TAG next week, just weaned... his newly bought cage is pretty big, plenty of room for toys and wing flapping and fun, but just how clumsy are these guys? I've heard they are more clumsy than other parrot species...

 

Question is, should I put a towl or two on the bottom of the cage for the first week or two in case he falls from his new home's perches and toys, or is that being silly and he will be just fine. I used to have a Quaker and he did just fine in a new cage... but I've never had a grey before...

 

Just want him to be safe!

[JillyBeanz]

How exciting!! I was told by my breeder in that low, concerned voice, how I should keep Harvey's perches low, his food bowls on the floor etc - if it made me feel better put a towel in the bottom of the cage. I followed his advice to the tee - three minutes after putting Harvey in the cage he was hanging upside down - there was no stopping him!!!

 

I don't know if Harvey is clumsy, he's just got no fear! In hindsight - the towel would have been covered in poop!! :laugh:

[danmcq]

Yep, low and slow for the first week or two. They will climb all over their cage. It's just incase they fall, that the towels are needed to cushion the landing.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/08/13 20:51

[Lyric]

You should start off with some perches down low, and you can put a towel on the bottom of the cage if it makes you feel better. I think some babies are clumsier than others. Watch him the first couple of days and see how he does. He should be just starting to fly or getting close to it...they are pretty resilient though so try not to worry too much. You may want to cover the towel with a layer of newspaper that you can change so it doesn't get too messy in the cage. Shouldn't take too long for him to get the hang of things. Most of all enjoy your bird while it is a baby.

[Luvparrots]

I guess it just depends on the weaned baby. My little Timneh came home at 3½ months and she was all over her cage no problem. Ask the breeder how your baby has been doing with perching. Ask your breeder all your baby's habits and likes and dislikes so you will know for sure and be better prepared.

[Azzie]

I got Cleo at 3 months, and she was pretty clumsy for the first few weeks. She was fully flighted, but her landings weren't so hot.

 

I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping her in a much smaller cage for a day, to let her get used to things. Once I put her into her massive cage she was much less clumsy, and I noticed she was using her wings to steady and balance herself. She wasn't able to spread her wings in the small cage, so I think that might have had a lot to do with it.

 

Cleo still does occasionally fall off her perch, when she's playing rough with her toys, but she seems to prevents heavy falls by flapping her wings.

 

Still, scares the hell out of me, all that yelling and screaming and flapping.

[Char]

Whisper came home at 16 weeks. She was never particularly clumsy. She had high perches from the beginning because I did not know anything about putting a towel on the floor and didn't think about lower perches. She did fine. Every Grey is different.

[Sallas]

Our female is somewhat "disabled" she had splay leg as a chick and had little braces on her legs (kinda like Forrest Gump!! ), when the vet was either putting a brace on or off, he broke one of her toes and it heal badly where her nail would grow directly into her toe. The vet removed that nail (and the first bit of her toe), I was so worried before having that done to her, about if I was making the right choice. But after seeing how well she does now and how much pain she must have been in, I know we made the right choice.

 

Well anyway, she is a LOT clumsier than our male, she does not wrap her feet around your finger or anything when she perches on you, where as he holds on so hard sometimes it hurts. Now she can grab on cause we do see her hanging or maybe dangling from her toys.

 

She falls a lot more often then he does, We took every precaution with her, but he does not have issues...

 

So I guess I am saying that it depends on the bird....But for a few weeks I definately would keep perches lower and maybe use a towel until you feel comfortable in their skills.