Greys and change

[Jane08]

Greys and change is something that I have been looking at for awhile. Many people say that greys hate change so things should be the same, routines etc.

 

For the last 3 years I have played around a bit with this and our 2 greys. Every 6 months we totally change the inside of their cage, all new sticks, eating bowls in different places. At first they are apprehensive, but they are so curious that it doesn't take long for them to go in and have a play around. They seem so stimulated by the change. We have changed where they eat their food many times, from the kitchen to the living room, to the cage.

 

We take them out in the car nearly every month, to a relatives place, for a bird play date etc and as soon as they get in the car they are saying "shall we ride in the car, toot toot". They seem to love the different environment at other places. Their eyes are wide and that curiosity mixed with a bit scared look is there, but soon they can't help themselves and have to explore. We take them outside in summer and the stimulation they have there is amazing.I watch them as they clap eyes on different things and are so interested.

 

It all came to a head last week when we bought a house and started to pack and renovate our place to sell. We moved the whole cage into the bedroom, they took this in their stride and it didn't take them long to adjust. Yesterday we showed them the renovations. We had done a feature wall and when Rangi saw that he was so shocked he fell off my boyfriends hand. The next reaction he had was to be lifted up and he wanted to go and have a look.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that I think change can be a good thing. Greys are very curious intelligent birds and need stimulation. I really think it has to do with how you introduce the change, your reaction to them and the change and how you help them through the change.

 

Do you all change things for your grey, are you too scared to do it, or do you have set routines for your greys?<br><br>Post edited by: Jane08, at: 2009/09/29 09:17

[hill]

well my buster has been in a mood for the past few days so went out and got him a new toy swing yesterdaay and he as not been near it yet but he keeps looking and going over to it but seems abit no no to it so we will see. plus i moved some of his old toys around to

[Myfidzmomi]

I feel that how an animal reacts to things is all in what they are introduced to. I have also heard that Greys don't like change but thought that if change happens all the time, they will accept it as the norm. Knowing how my family is and how things change for us all the time I thought I would introduce Rose to change right away. I don't want every little thing to stress her out so I change the layout of her cage every week when I do a big clean. I rearrange things on the outside of her cage often too. Each day we do different things, sometimes she hangs out on her cage, others she is on her play stand in the family room, or the kitchen, or the dining room. Most of the time I am home and she is out of her cage, sometimes I am not and she has to stay in her cage. I've even been taking her for rides in the car when I pick the kids up from school. I am trying to keep her accustomed to change especially since I never know when my hubby's job will need us to move again. She does not start the day with any expectations. Which with my lifestyle is best since I never know where the day will take me.

 

Last night I decided right before bed time to put a baby blanket in the corner for her to sleep on. Thought about it after that it might have made her uncomfortable to have something new in her sleeping corner and felt bad thinking that she would not sleep well. I lifted her cover a little to take a look and make sure she was Okay and found her curled up on it fast asleep. It seems that change does not bother her one bit.

[lovethatgrey]

My parrots have a very healthy attitude towards change. Change is not foreign or frightful to them.<br><br>Post edited by: lovethatgrey, at: 2009/09/29 15:39

[danmcq]

This is a very good topic Jane.

 

I agree with you and the others, that they should be introduced to new things, places, people and all sorts of critters starting from the time they are just 6 weeks onward.

 

Our Grey and all the the greys and other species of Parrots were having this from the time they were just weeks old. They all seemed to handle it just fine and even the Greys were not real stand offish at new items like toys and the like.

 

Our Grey was introduced to being placed in a travel cage at 14 weeks old and a car ride to our house to spend 4 or 5 hours with us in our home and see his cage and new home. He did not seem at all fearful and in fact was game to explore. We did this every weekend from 14 weeks until we brought him home for the last time.

 

One thing I have noticed in ours though. Is it is not so much going and and not knowing what your going to see that scares him. It's more of something brought into his home that he knows every inch of and all of a sudden I come walking through with a ladder, leaf blower, blow up pool toy etc. He immediately will cheap and stare at it and me as if to say "one step closure and your Toast". But, as long as I tell him "It's ok Dayo" as I walk through, he is ok and just watches cautiously.

 

They live with change everyday in the wild as they fly over new areas, land in new areas and see all types of critters, strange trees, bushes, flowers etc. So change is something natural to them. Just not in there "Tree Hole" home or it's close proximity area of it. Then the red flags go up because it normally indicates danger.

[Janfromboone]

Jane 08 - that is so funny "Lets go for a ride Toot- Toot". I'll have to see if Tobie will say that the next car ride. Dans right from what I've seen. What throws them for a loop is something in their own environment. A new toy in their cage is more upsetting to them than passing a huge noisy truck when we are out for a car ride. Tobie loves to go for walks and car rides and seems to love it when I take him places. I've tried to do that since he was a baby.

[Luvparrots]

Very nice thread Jane. Before I got Ana Grey I became a member of this forum and read all the information, okay a lot of the information here. The things I didn't want my grey to fear I put in the back of my mind to make sure that my grey wouldn't fall prey to that fear. The fear of new things and change: from the get go I have just put new toys or perches in Ana Grey's cage or around the house and she is not afraid of new things. I clean her cage every day and am in it all the time so that it is not her "territory." I throw a towel over Ana Grey's head and played peek a boo with her so she is not afraid to be toweled. I was so proud when I took Ana Grey to be micro-chipped and when they wanted to sedate her and I refused to let them they later told me that she was the sweetest grey that they had seen in a long time. That she made not a peep while they handled her and that she was as good as gold. All greys are different. To assume that all are afraid of this or that is unfair to the ones who are willing to explore and are adventurous. Karma to you Jane for this thread.

[JillyBeanz]

Great thread Jane - I have the rambo of the grey species - Harvey is scared or anxious about nothing new! Like Janet I researched heavily before choosing to get a grey and read about changing their cages round and toys etc and think this really does Harvey good.

 

He accepts ANYTHING near him - he never shies away from anything and enjoys anything new he is given. I change his toys all of the time in his cage and on his playstand and I think because of this he readily accepts change.

 

They'll definitely not get bored will they - and this is my ultimate aim

[she]

Is Charlie the only wimp hear?he is very scared of new toys,taking about 2 weeks to accept them in his cage.He does not mind going out in his carrier,he loves being outside in the aviary. He has surprised me how easy he accepted a new cage last year.I agree that it change in his own little environment that upsets him the most.He is wary of strangers. I have a cargo net that I cant use for him because he just goes crazy if he even sets eyes on it.I have tried all the usual methods,leaving it in the room away from him ect but after 6 months I think it is a no go.

[danmcq]

No Sheila, Charlie is not the only one.

 

For the Grey owners with 6 month or less year old Greys. They are babies and pretty much accept what you put in front of them. This changes as they age, in most cases.

 

If Dayo does not associate a new toy with something similar he has had before. It will be a good week or two before he will play with it.

 

It took three weeks for him to get on his new tree stand. he wouldn't even fly over the Evil looking thing. He would fly way around it. Sometimes even screaming like a pterodactyl.

 

Now 6 months and not touching the cargo net is odd, but it took Dayo a year to try out a boing I had hanging in the family room. The ice breaker was him chasing Jake, the Conure. It drove Dayo insane that Jake could fly there and Dayo would not follow.

 

Finally one day, Dayo was so focused on chasing Jake, that I believe he landed on it, before he realized he was on the Evil Cork Screw from Hell. From that day forward he has spent time enjoying just climbing up and down it. :-)

[judygram]

Josey is kind of a wimp too, she is scared of new toys and it takes her a while to play with them, she is not too keen on strangers either, she only goes to me and sometimes my hubby.

 

I do take her out in her carrier from time to time, she goes along when we go visit my son and his family, that is a four hour drive one way, she plays and talks along the way and is good while we are there.

 

There is a step stool that I keep in the kitchen that I occasionally have to use to get something off the top shelves and every time I bring that thing out she growls, something about it scares her but I tell her its ok and she stops.

[she]

I have given up on the cargo net. I cant even put it up,even rolled up well away from him is too much.Its a shame as It would be fantastic in the aviary.

[Jane08]

Janfromboone, yeah our 2 make all the add on noises like toot toot, they even do the tune from the film close encounters, so they say "what do we say when the spaceship comes" and then they whistle the tune. My boyfriend teaches them crazy stuff.

 

I also think like others say if you make things into a big game for them they seem to accept it better. It's like that saying curiosity got the cat, sometimes Kea will pace up and down torn between her fear and the fun she is missing out on. It's like an internal war going on in her head, but finally she can't control herself and has to see what the fuss is about.

 

I have found that our 2 are totally different. Rangi doesn't really worry about new things coming into his environment, he will have an initial reaction but he is so curious he can't help himself but look. The thing he is scared of is things outside his environment, like the neighbour having a blanket hanging from their balcony and Rangi can see it. He becomes a quivering mess.

 

Kea is the opposite she freaks at anything new in her environment, but if it's something outside she just looks at Rangi like why are you shaking I don't notice anything.

 

One thing I do make sure that I have at home is a safe place, so a place both our birds know they can fly to if they ever feel insecure. This place is the top of the kitchen cuprboards and I never put anything up there. It gives me peace of mind and less stress to know that if something scares them they won't fly willy nilly crashing into things and looking for somewhere to land, they go directly to their safe place.

[Charlotte]

Charlotte does really well with new things. It doesn't matter if it's inside, on her cage, or outside. If she sees me going somewhere, she "has" to be there too, as well as if she sees me touching anything, she'll come, take it, and then run away with it and play with it (pens go missing all the time... :<). This has been wonderful for toys. The only problems she has with change is if I would put something in her cage that she has not seen me touch for more than 20 seconds- even then it's very few things (she gets scared of pinatas easily- when she sees me playing with it, she realizes it's ok and it's her favorite toy then). She's also nervous around strangers holding her, but is fine with them holding her if they come off of me, but if they try to get her off of a desk perch, it's a big no-no! I didn't allow her to dictate how my life would be ran (yes, my life does revolve around her for the most part)- I viewed the situation as if it was my child, would I allow my child to fear going in a car, seeing a new person, or seeing a toy: no- I would do the best I could to make sure that they knew everything would be ok and "mommy" wouldn't let anything bad happen to them, but I would not allow them to be so fearful and dictate what happens for multiple weeks, and so I tried that philosophy with Charlotte, and she knows if I give her something or put something in our area, she knows nothing bad is going to happen to her with only sometimes a little reassurance needed (baby girl- it's ok). This does sound a bit cruel, but now she is one investigative birdie- and if it was a child, there would be no way if I got a new lamp, that I would slowly let them see it to learn it's not something they need to be fearful of for more than a day. For new things I add to my place, I have Charlotte see it, see me touch it, then put her on me while I touch it, and by then she is on her way over and has to touch it as well. Then again, she has never been extremely fearful of anything though, so it may just have always been her personality!