My new African Grey Parrot is scared !

[Sarasota]

He is really scared bird. He will growl if you put your palm anywhere on his cage. But just for a while and then he would be glued watching your hand and any tiniest of movement of your fingers and he will growl again. Its really a game of patience between me and him. Some days I too get impatient with him and some days it he surprises me just a little. Like I said, as long as he keeps showing some little improvements I am all game. Here's hoping.

 

You are doing great. Just takes a lot of patience from here. Make sure you are the Keeper of the Sunflower Seeds. Move very slowly, allow him to reach out a tiny bit and take a seed. For now, don't do anything except say "good" in a low, calm voice. Sounds like anything else will scare him. And keep moving forward in tiny steps. He sounds just like Burt when I brought him home. Now he eats from my hand, performs a TON of behaviors on cue, rides around the house and aviary on a rope perch. He only growls when he sees new people, or tools (don't know why, but a hammer or screwdriver puts him in a tizzy).

[inc0gnito]

Aww thanks.

 

He did something new today. He climbed down from his cage. Went to the Aloe Vera plant I had growing close by and almost destroyed the whole thing! I dunno if he was after the aloe vera or something. So I guess atleast he's started doing his destruction around the house. So that's a positive sign. Now he is in exploratory mode. Still afraid of me and quickly climbs back up his cage when he sees me.

[inc0gnito]

I am gonna try to post a video to show you guys what I am up against and what all I do wrong. So you guys get an idea of how "angry/scared" my bird really is. Here's a snapshot of him today.

 

[Timbersmom]

Good looking guy! And, I see he is looking petrified

[Sarasota]

He's a beautiful guy. Video can be really helpful!

[inc0gnito]

Well here's a short video of me offering him some sunflower seeds. He loves these. But so far I haven't managed to get him to eat from hand or even through the cage. Btw. That is not his cage, It is an empty one sitting by our balcony that he likes to occupy from time to time. As you can see he's got quite a growl. I usually just offer him once and he growls and I let it go. But for the sake of this video I offered it a few times.

 

[katana600]

Motu is a beautiful boy. One thing with us as we have worked long and hard to get Gilbert to a place where he isn't so scared all the time is to offer him a treat through the bars with the door closed. He has reapched the point that he lets us scratch his head, but only (for me) when he is inside with the door closed. Also Gilbert will not take anything from my outstretched hand, I need to pinch one treat at time and offer it. For some reason that doesn't threaten him as much. It works for me too because there is less surface area available for him to bite if he were so inclined. I like that you said you usually offer and if he growls you back off. The growl is a warning and his only next recourse is a bite and you are wise not to escalate if he is reluctant. Even when he growls though, he is not getting panicked so he seems to know you are not going to push him.

[inc0gnito]

Motu is a beautiful boy. One thing with us as we have worked long and hard to get Gilbert to a place where he isn't so scared all the time is to offer him a treat through the bars with the door closed. He has reapched the point that he lets us scratch his head, but only (for me) when he is inside with the door closed. Also Gilbert will not take anything from my outstretched hand, I need to pinch one treat at time and offer it. For some reason that doesn't threaten him as much. It works for me too because there is less surface area available for him to bite if he were so inclined. I like that you said you usually offer and if he growls you back off. The growl is a warning and his only next recourse is a bite and you are wise not to escalate if he is reluctant. Even when he growls though, he is not getting panicked so he seems to know you are not going to push him.

 

I have tried the pinch one treat at a time, he still growls. I've tried it through the bars and he still growls. Who knows, maybe it just requires more time. Its a lot of patience, I won't say a lot of work - because he likes to mind his own business and doesn't bother anyone at this point. He won't call for you, he won't talk to you, he won't ask for anything. You just have to let him out, re-fill his feeders and that's about it. Easy maintenance. But if you want more interaction - That is the patience part and currently you can forget about it. lol.

 

I never push him. I think he enjoys this part of the house because its the furthest corner from all humans.

 

If you all know of any exercises to ease him up I am all for it? I sometimes try the "Keep your palm on a part of the cage" technique. He growls but he stops. Then he is fixated on your palm. Any slight twitch of your finger and he will growl again. Anyway, this is still improvement over what he used to do. You couldn't even approach his cage within 4 feet!

[katana600]

Good for you to think about all the things you have tried and to be patient and wait for him to decide to look for more. You are going to have much success with him and I think it will be in a shorter time frame from most because you have a great attitude toward watching him and adjusting to help him feel more secure and in control of his environment. Kudos to your outlook and patience with him.

[inc0gnito]

Good for you to think about all the things you have tried and to be patient and wait for him to decide to look for more. You are going to have much success with him and I think it will be in a shorter time frame from most because you have a great attitude toward watching him and adjusting to help him feel more secure and in control of his environment. Kudos to your outlook and patience with him.

 

Thanks for all the compliments! You are too kind.

[Sarasota]

Patience is the key here.

 

Is that his full time cage? It's on the small side. Birds can be very territorial. When you offer treats with the open door, you invade the entire territory. Also, I would move the cage from the area into a more active area of the house. He needs to get used to seeing people in his environment.

 

Another thing I noticed. Is his cage always by the window? Some birds can feel very uncomfortable this way. If they are by a window, they have to constantly scan for predators such as hawks or cats. Try moving the cage so that it has a solid wall behind it.

 

I would try this: put a treat bowl inside the cage. When you pass the cage and he doesn't growl or lunge, drop the seed in the bowl. Continue this until the growling stops. This is the hard part: you are on Grey Time now. This process may take weeks. When the growling stops, move to passing the treats through the bars, then move towards feeding them with the cage door open.

 

Try some of these suggestions and see if they are helpful!!

[inc0gnito]

Patience is the key here.

 

Is that his full time cage? It's on the small side. Birds can be very territorial. When you offer treats with the open door, you invade the entire territory. Also, I would move the cage from the area into a more active area of the house. He needs to get used to seeing people in his environment.

 

Another thing I noticed. Is his cage always by the window? Some birds can feel very uncomfortable this way. If they are by a window, they have to constantly scan for predators such as hawks or cats. Try moving the cage so that it has a solid wall behind it.

 

I would try this: put a treat bowl inside the cage. When you pass the cage and he doesn't growl or lunge, drop the seed in the bowl. Continue this until the growling stops. This is the hard part: you are on Grey Time now. This process may take weeks. When the growling stops, move to passing the treats through the bars, then move towards feeding them with the cage door open.

 

Try some of these suggestions and see if they are helpful!!

 

Naah. That's not his full time cage. But its the one I had for a previous african grey and it's usually sitting close to the balcony. Here's the thing, he loves being there. He will quickly jump on the top of the cage, flap his wings, start making all sorts of bird noises. He really enjoys it. One day I saw him climbing up the Balcony door!

 

Usually he spends the entire morning and afternoon lounging away on top of that cage in the sunlight coming thru. And if he sees another bird outside he gets really excited and makes all sorts of bird calls to it and wants to get out of the Balcony doors!

 

Anyway. What I have begun to suspect is that he still doesn't include us in his flock. And he loves being near windows and does actively try to want to get out. Basically he wants to be as far away from us as possible. I've been working on him for the past month now. Now he growls at me the least in my family. Like yesterday I offered him a green chilli from my hand, holding it out to him like a stick. He immediately bit the other end and tore it off and thru it away, which I presume was a show of contempt to me. I held on to it so he took another bite and again threw it in the other direction. But he didn't growl or anything. THen I left it in front of him. Only then did he start eating it.

 

But had it been anyone else he wouldn't even let them come near him. So he has begun to tolerate me a lot more. But to me its more like he is dictating me that He is the Alpha here and I am tolerable to be his peon. Oh well. I do agree that I need to keep him in a place where there are more people. The thing is when I do that he just goes back in the cage and refuses to come out even if the door is left open. Once again if its me around then he usually comes out, since I am his slave...

[inc0gnito]

Alright. Things have been progressing relatively well. He usually does not growl at me that often anymore. Tolerates me around and inside his cage a lot. But only me. The rest get his infamous growl.

 

My next task now is trying to get him to leave his cage. Currently he comes out of his cage and sits on a perch which is attached to his cage. If the perch isn't there he will just sit on top of the cage for hours on end. I need him to let go of his cage and explore his surroundings. I guess its still too early for that to happen. But still. Need to get his curiosity going. I've tried putting some sunflower seeds on a table close to his cage, but to no avail so far.

[Timbersmom]

Just keep trying! Greys seem notorious for their cautious and slow acceptance of change. He will surprise you one of these days

[CLB]

I am wondering if I missed something.....why does he need to wander around and explore things? I understand that you want him to be more social and accepting of change, but...if he is happy to be on a perch or on top of his cage, that is progress. Grey time can move very slowly. My Shadow is generally perfectly happy hanging out on her tree, her playstand or just on top of her cage. She is especially if she is in the screened porch/ aviary. She can spend hours just sitting in her tree talking to the wild birds.

In all honesty, she is much safer and I actually prefer for her to be sitting in her tree than wandering around chewing up my cabinets or looking for trouble! LOL Enjoy this time getting to know each other.

[Luvparrots]

Don't push too hard to get your grey to do what you want. You have to earn trust first and let him move at his own pace, not yours. Time and patience are the way to go.

Edited October 3, 2012 by luvparrots

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

You must always be patient. Listen to your bird. Don't be afraid of your bird, they are more scared of you.Sophie loves when I put her in the laundry basket... take her into the basement, play " peekaboo!", throw a towel on her head. I find her! She laughs hysterically! She is soooo easily amused. Nancy

[inc0gnito]

This grey that I have is really scared. He growls at anyone who even looks at him. He tolerates me after weeks of talking to him softly, bringing him food/water and basically just giving him some time and not forcing myself on him. The other members of my family seem to lack patience. Or they've been spoiled by the previous Grey I used to have. That one was more.. social. Never growled in its life at anyone. Liked to roam around the entire house. Wake people up who were sleeping. Basically that one was incredibly social and playful. But this one's different. He growls at everyone and pretty much only I work with him the most and as everyone can tell around my house, he tolerates me the most. The rest get his growl.

 

My ultimate goal is to get him to trust me to atleast let me touch him, give him a scratch, or if nothing at all; teach him to eat from hand. Basically I am training Him to be more receptive of humans. Because If something happens and I am not around and someone else has to take care of it, I don't think many humans will be as accommodating as I am to him. I want him to be friendly to people for his own good. Because I know also how harsh humans can also be.

 

At this time He refuses to let go of the cage. I would give him more time and more toys to tempt him to explore just a little. I understand the cage is his safe haven. But the previous Grey I had, hated going IN the cage. That one was content riding around everyone's shoulders and climbing up everyone's legs. As a result when I was going out of the country I had volunteers lined up to take care of him. For this one, nobody wanted him. So its for his own good. I personally don't mind him being the way he is. My relationship is developing slowly and he is showing progress. But the goal is for him to be as friendly as possible. And he will be, eventually.

 

 

 

I am wondering if I missed something.....why does he need to wander around and explore things? I understand that you want him to be more social and accepting of change, but...if he is happy to be on a perch or on top of his cage, that is progress. Grey time can move very slowly. My Shadow is generally perfectly happy hanging out on her tree, her playstand or just on top of her cage. She is especially if she is in the screened porch/ aviary. She can spend hours just sitting in her tree talking to the wild birds.

In all honesty, she is much safer and I actually prefer for her to be sitting in her tree than wandering around chewing up my cabinets or looking for trouble! LOL Enjoy this time getting to know each other.

[Timbersmom]

I think you are doing a great job. One thing I've learned from reading the forums is that greys are really individual. Some birds are social, some aren't, some are shy, some are aggressive, some cling to their cage, others strive to get out etc. etc.

 

I totally understand what you are saying and appreciate all the efforts you are making to socialize your bird. Your post also indicates that you know that may never happen. Then again, reading here has also shown me that greys can make some pretty remarkable progress after a long time, just when you least expect it!

[Sarasota]

He growls at everyone and pretty much only I work with him the most and as everyone can tell around my house, he tolerates me the most. The rest get his growl.

 

My ultimate goal is to get him to trust me to atleast let me touch him, give him a scratch, or if nothing at all; teach him to eat from hand.

 

Make sure everyone in the house is on the same page as far as training/dealing with the bird goes. You need consistency and stability right now.

 

I hate to say it...but let go of that goal for now. I've had my TAG going on two years. He still growls at strangers, doesn't step up on my hand (will on a rope perch) and I've never touched him....ever. That may sound perfectly awful and unacceptable to some parrot owners - but I'm working on Burt's schedule. He's got almost 30 years of behavioral baggage under all those feathers. There's no way I could undo that in just 2 years.

 

Plus, you have LOTS of years ahead of you with your bird. Just keep doing what you're doing and one day you'll realize what a strong bond you have. It takes a lot of time and patience, but the ends results are so worth it!!!

[inc0gnito]

Make sure everyone in the house is on the same page as far as training/dealing with the bird goes. You need consistency and stability right now.

 

I hate to say it...but let go of that goal for now. I've had my TAG going on two years. He still growls at strangers, doesn't step up on my hand (will on a rope perch) and I've never touched him....ever. That may sound perfectly awful and unacceptable to some parrot owners - but I'm working on Burt's schedule. He's got almost 30 years of behavioral baggage under all those feathers. There's no way I could undo that in just 2 years.

 

Plus, you have LOTS of years ahead of you with your bird. Just keep doing what you're doing and one day you'll realize what a strong bond you have. It takes a lot of time and patience, but the ends results are so worth it!!!

 

Yeah. I let go of most of my goals now and then. However sometimes I do steal a touch here and there. Like when I am moving things around inside his cage he is sitting perfectly on a perch and while moving his toys around I "accidently" sometimes touch his feet. lol. He doesn't growl at all now, but he does make a face like he is going to growl if I don't stop this this instant. Which I do. I never let it come to the growl part. I may push it but just enough to the point where I feel he is going to growl at me so I slowly pull away.

 

Aah family. Its tough to control family. I probably have a better chance at Training Motu than my family. hahaha. But they all seem to understand that He is OK with just me. And I didn't do anything special other than just show a lot of patience and still do. I make a lot of effort to make him comfortable and in return he gives me special treatment. Never growls or rarely growls at me and my dad says his response to me is usually a soft whistle, while everyone else gets a harsh squawk!

[inc0gnito]

Just wanted to give an update. They grey now never growls at me. Shakes his head side to side for me and bobs it up and down when I goto him. Doesn't let me touch him though. Once in a while he climbs down his cage now and walks just a little bit about when I am around. He gets really excited with me around. He opens his wings little and almost looks like he will fly upto me. Everyone else in the house still gets his growl, although its gone down considerably.

 

In the process I tend to get bitten now and then, but its no big deal. He doesn't bite hard and the few times he did, its ok. I am used to bites now. So, I am trying to gain some more trust so he will climb on my arm or hand. I have done a few step up exercises whenever he comes down on the floor and wants to get back up. He resists at first, but if I keep at it patiently he climbs up on the stick.

 

So there has been definite progress with my Wild Grey. Will try to post a video of him.

[Timbersmom]

Good to hear from you and what great news! Progress indeed. I am used to the biting too. Now I'm trying to master not reacting to the bite. That's a tough one when you have a blood drawer like me. The floor is usually the first place they will do a voluntary step up for you from. You might try waiting until he REALLY wants back up then offer a hand or forearm? Timber won't step up on my hand (fingers), but will on my forearm.

[danmcq]

Thats GreYt news! You are patience and understanding is really starting to pay off. You set a good example for all rehoming a grey that is frightened and reclusive due to previous experience.

[inc0gnito]

Guys, I got an update.

 

The parrot now likes to come out of the cage and onto my hand and shoulders! He doesn't bite me. But nibbles. Sometimes he does sort of bite, but no blood letting. He likes to climb onto the hand and then make his way towards my shoulder. From that point on he likes to be walked around. Sometimes he climbs down his cage and follows me around the house. He also now likes to be scratched and I can pretty much handle him any way I like. Took a long time but I got to this level in a year.

 

He still however growls at most of my family. The other's can't really touch him because he is scared of them and growls at them. He is still phobic and likes the cage covered up if there are other family members around. If it's just me in my room he doesn't care at all and usually comes out and climbs upto my Computer chair. So with me he's really cool. With anyone else he's not so cool.