A two year old Grey, rehomed.

[danmcq]

Most Greys will will scratch when you are giving scratches. When you are doing that, your are hitting pins feather or spots that they then feel the need to scratch it a little better.

 

Are Grey will lean away and scratch, unlike your Grey.

 

He seems like a really relaxed grey, to be truthful. Just a little cage aggressive. So let him come out on his own or slowly keep working at getting him to feel comfortable with your hand in his cage.

 

Note: Some greys will never like you messing with their cage. :-)

[Luvparrots]

Sounds like Baby and you are getting to know each other!! What a wonderful update on your progress! Congratulations!

[CuteMandaPanda]

Danmcq, Baby isn't having cage aggression. He's 100% comfortable with us being in his cage, messing with things.

 

His aggression shows when you give him the step-up command and approach with your own hand. He will display this behavior both in and out of the cage. That is why the stick is our closest interaction for holding him at this time. He's willingly stepping up to the stick and allowing to be removed from his cage. The only time we can ask for the step up command with our own hand successfully is when he's on the floor. He's more than happy to be picked up off of the floor.

 

He's well understanding the command, just for whatever reason he's conditioned to the stick method.

 

Thanks for all of your input. I really do appreciate it.

[CuteMandaPanda]

Luvparrots, thanks for all of your encouragement!!

[CuteMandaPanda]

Hello. I feel it's time for a post as there has been some progress today.

 

I think Baby boy and I have gone further with bonding. The past two days he was stubborn and had no interest in stepping up on anything, not even his stick to come out of his cage? Strange?

 

Today, he's been interested again. He came out for Rob and enjoyed T-perch time while we did dishes and prepared breakfast and dinner for later in the day.

 

While he was out, we added some new toys that we think he will really enjoy. We even bought a BOING =) I'm excited. We also rearranged some of his other toys, to accommodate the new toys. He handles it really well and goes right to everything to inspect it and get to playing right away.

 

Rob left to do some errands. I sat on the floor by Baby's cage, with his cage door opened. I like to leave it open so he knows he can come out, however it's rare that he does come out on his own? While I was hanging out with him, I ruffled some of his toys around so he could hear the bells jingle and the different noises they make and see what he can and should be doing with them.

 

He seemed VERY calm. I was talking to him. He was hanging out on his perch. I was testing the waters and asking for step-ups with my hand. He wasn't running, and he even put his foot out and did some toe touches on my finger. I guess he still isn't sure about actually stepping up because he didn't actually do it. Maybe he was testing the waters too. Then, unexpectedly he regurgitated on my finger. It wasn't lovely, but I loved it none the less. Then he ate it? Is that normal? He also open beaked me, he had no desire to I proceeded to ask for step-ups and he continued with what seemed to be the thoughts "I'm thinking about it, I want to...but I'm not ready yet." I walked away and let him play. He stayed on his perch chatting. When I sit on the couch, generally he comes to the closest side of the cage, and usually eats, or this time throw Harrison's pellets. He was saying "Wanna come out, come'on, come on out." So I went back over and he greeted me on his perch and I asked for step-up. He repeated the same process, and also made the regurgitation motions only this time, he didn't actually bring anything up. He received some scratchies. More toe/foot to finger touches.

 

I think that this is a good sign. He didn't seem to have any desire to bite? I'm thrilled by this, but I hope it wasn't just a fluke.

 

Looking forward to hearing everyone's comments =)

 

Amanda, Rob, and Baby boy.

[Luvparrots]

Way to go Amanda, one step at a time. Nice and slow. Great job!

[CuteMandaPanda]

Hey friends. I have been making great progress with Baby! He's stepping up from cage, perches, playtops, etc to my hand. Sometimes it takes some coaxing. He likes to see for sure that I'm leaving the room and simply want him to come with me. So, sometimes I have to turn the light off in that room for him to get the point that I'm leaving to another room. Then his little leg flails. Sometimes, he will bite as we ask him to step down but that seems to be less and less. Rob is even able to get him to step up to his hand too, but not all of the time.

 

He seems less interested it receiving a scratchie, his vulnerable time for that is bedtime recently. But when he does want a scratchie he allows me to stroke his back and I've been trying to get him used to me touching his wings.

 

We haven't played the towel game recently, he's not very receptive to it.

 

He loves to play with his toys and eat dry pasta no matter how it is presented to him.

 

I attempted to introduce him to the kitchen sink and show him to bathe in the sink, but he wasn't having that. He didn't scream or screech but he shivered and felt like if he could say it, "Mommy, get me out!" He loves to take a bath in his water dish though!

 

He's talking a bit more. He's saying "How are you?" and "Really?" (as in "Oh really?") Nothing is being said in context though. He's also part monkey as we taught him to say, "OOoo ooo ooo ooo ahh ahh ahh" when we ask him to show us the monkey. He's gotten really good at it! It sounds like he's practicing more and more because I can't understand a lot of what he's saying.

 

Thanks for following us on our journey.

 

Amanda, Rob, and Baby<br><br>Post edited by: CuteMandaPanda, at: 2009/12/22 04:17

[Luvparrots]

What a wonderful update on Baby. Sounds like she is training you well. :laugh:

[katana600]

You are doing a great job with Baby. I read once that a bite is a communication method, that greys don't like to bite, they are more subtle. Once subtlety is not enough, a bite is necessary. Just like some of us, after many many times of trying to be subtle and not getting results, the bite is prefered because it gets a result every time. So, you are patiently and successfully getting Baby to realize you can understand his first language of subtlety and soon he will not need the bite reflex. I am so happy to hear about his progress and how much fun you are all having.