hnemnem Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 i bought an 8 year old african grey .. its been a month i have it now .. its much less nervous and scared as when i got it .. though still when i go put food, he gets nervous a little ..but much less than before.. my question is .. is it too late for it to learn ? .. of course doesnt say one word, only whistles sometimes .. can it be learn to speak and for me to touch it ? .. or its too old for that... plz help thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 It will take a lot of patience on your part and time as well and you can possibly get this grey to trust you. I would start with continuing to bring it's food and water on a regular basis and talking to the bird. The more you talk to him/her the better the possibility it may speak. Imitate the whistles it makes and that will encourage it. Sit beside your bird's cage and interact with the bird by just being there and after time and much patience, you may find your friend willing to trust you. Start very slow though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Karma to you hnamnem for adopting an older grey. Be patient with your grey and gain his trust. What is your grey's name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hnemnem Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 thanks for the fast reply , i did try couple of times to open the cage.. but it flies right away to the window and keeps on staring outside and trying to escape .. even when its in the cage .. it keep just on looking outside from the window .. is that a good thing to open the cage, though its really difficult for to put it back in as it screams alot when i bring it back in.. n do i close the curtains so it concentrate only inside the house ? or just leave it staring all day at the outside world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hnemnem Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 Chicco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Dixie has a swing that faces out a window and she loves to sit there and watch the world going by. If it traumatic for the grey to be put back into it's cage I would wait until it gains your trust more to handle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 An 8 year old Grey is still a very young bird and yes it will probubly talk. Allot of Greys are closet talkers listen to see if he will talk when your not in the room with him. Patients is the key right now. He just got taken from his home and put into a new place with out knowing anything or anybody thats there. It will take him quite a while to settle in. give him treats talk sweet to him ask him before you do anything like invade his cage when you want to put your hand in to give him food tell him Im going to give you breakfast now of supper or what ever. don't look at him straight on look at him with one eye or lower your head this will lethim know your friendly and you mean him no harm. they are very intelegent so treat him that way and most of all go at his pace not yours he will let you know when he wants more from you I will help you but right now I have something on the stove I'll post more later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hnemnem Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 thanks all for the great tips .. i will try my best and there is no way am giving up on it , i would give it all the time in the world .. i guess am just too excited for it to get used to me and letting me pet him .. i would be grateful for more tips on how to deal with it .. and what kind of fruit should i get him ? .. and when u guys say treats ? .. what exactly were talking about ? .. thanks again n again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykittykitty Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I know it takes a lot of time and patience, gentleness, slow moving, quiet talking. But even my four yr old gt,grand-daughter has gained the trust of Precious by doing this. I believe you can succeed with your new friend. I think a bird desirves to be able to see out the window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 What does your grey like eating most,It may be pine nuts,almonds,cheese,these are treats that you can use to gain his trust.I think it can be done but may take time.If you can,let him out of the cage and tempt him back in with a favourite treat.I see nothing wrong with him looking out the window.Place a stand there for him to perch on. Will he step up on to a stick,this may prove better for him at the moment and then gradually you can move your hand closer to him.For now be content with talking to him and giving him the treats untill he is happy with you doing that and then you can take things a step forward. It is not going to happen over night and may take weeks but it will be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Welcome hnemnem well done for taking on a mature Grey. Do you know anything of your parrots history? you never refer to him by name. Few of us here refer to our Greys as "it" as we regard them as persons. Some of us see them as like children and in a way they are. We know they are not human but they are very intelligent beings and deserve respect. As others have said it will take a while for your Grey to accept his new home and bond with you. Treat him as an intelligent child and he will respond well. Be prepared to receive bites but never punish him. Greys thrive on company so if he bites just ignore him for a short while and he will get the message. Does he have toys and things to chew? From what you say he appears to be fully flighted. If so please do not clip his wings but obviously you will need to be careful when he is out of his cage. It is important that you give him a varied diet. but never give him chocolate or avocado as both are toxic to parrots, Also avoid parrot food that contains a lot of sun flower seed. Greys are social eaters and prefer to eat in company. My Grey Misty likes to share my meals and I find it a good way to both bond with him and introduce him to new foods. It also improves my own diet:laugh: You are in for a wonderful and interesting time. Please come back and keep us all posted with your progress. If you are able we would love to see pics of you both. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShonaRayJoe Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 My dear baby ShonaJoe was 12 years old when I got him. He had been in a cage much of his life so didn't want to come out. I used a thick glove so the bites wouldn't hurt...and repeatedly got him to sit on my glove numerous times per day and come out. At first he would howl really loud and I would put him back in but eventually he stopped the crying and grew to adore coming out of the cage but it took time. He was very nervous and it took many months for him to be comfortable enough to climb down his ladders and come running looking for me saying "here, here" and "mine mine" when someone would touch his poopie blanket. haha. Such wonderful memories. I'm glad the issue of you referring to your grey as an it was brought up. Your baby needs a name and it will help you to bond with him/her more perhaps. I didn't care if my Joey talked or not ...but the more I didn't care, the more words began to flow. Every word/phrase was in a different voice and at times he scared me when he talked in a young girl's voice. hahaha I miss him very much...I wish he had of lived to tell me more but I have to accept that. Please learn all you can about your precious one and don't ever give in to frustration. There is nothing like the experience of having a friend of an African Grey Parrot. Peace TaMarah May Post edited by: ShonaRayJoe, at: 2009/10/12 06:04 Post edited by: ShonaRayJoe, at: 2009/10/12 06:08<br><br>Post edited by: ShonaRayJoe, at: 2009/10/12 12:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Chicco is great name for you sweet grey, hnemnem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 B) Joey here, [formerly known as Jim] You couldn't ask for better advice then you've been given.If you'd like you could check out some of our post's.[Jim, Spock, Fred]. When your precious starts to speak, watch out for negatives,, we don't repeat negatives we try the start-fresh approach...Karma... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hnemnem Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 ive been feeding it with alot of sun flower seed ? .. is that bad ? .. so what to feed it on daily basis ? anyways thanks all for the great advices, i couldnt really ask for more .. i learned alot since i posted my question .. tamarah u really given me alot of hope .. i will certainly not give up my hope . i will keep chicco progress up to date thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 The others have all given good comments. Do you mean you are feeding him seed mix like kaytee fiesta or other brand? Hopefully not just straight sunflower seeds. Start with a good seed mix that also has nuts and pellets in it as mentioned above. You can also get some Harrison's pellets Coarse or Zupreem Fruity blend and add them to the mix. See if you can find what he prefers. He should be getting cooked or raw veggies like broccoli, carrots, legumes, peppers, squash etc. Daily. Do you know more background on how he was handled, how many homes, was he cage bound for years etc? It would really help. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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