fiona Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 im a new owner of a cag (bonkers) he already is a big part of mine and my families life, he is perfect in every way but i need advice on why is he going to the bottom of his cage to the corner and scratches i try to ignore it for as long as i can cos i dont want him to learn if he does that then he can come out to play as he already has approx 6 hrs out of his cage a day . he only started doing it for the past 5 days ( i have had him for 3 weeks) so any advice on why he does it and how to stop it wld be much apriciated thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi Fiona - Welcome to our family. You do not say how old Bonkers is? Harvey (my baby) scratches around his food bowl for attention when he is in his cage - perhaps Bonkers has adopted the corner of his cage to use as an attention seeking tool? You are right in not reacting to this situation. Does he have enough to keep him busy in his cage (toys etc) as he might also be bored? Why don't you go into the Welcome Room and introduce yourself - we'd love to know more about you and your family - and perhaps some photos of Bonkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cf737 Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi there Fiona, I've had lots of people ask me this question and truth be told I'm not 100% sure why they do it, but lots of Greys do. I have a young Timneh, Darwin, and she has done this since I brought her home. She has a gajillion toys in her cage and is perfectly behaved, so I'm not sure it's out of boredom. I know of quite a few Grey owners who have mentioned that they do this, it's almost as if they're digging. I would try not to worry too much about it as I think it is more of an instinctual thing than a behaviour issue. However continue to do what you are doing by not going to Bonkers and giving him attention when this happens, as that could reinforce it. Hope this helps, and I'm sure many others will have more knowledgeable responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 hi thanks for the replies bonkers does have enough toys to play with in and out of his cage lol thought i had lived my time with toys strewn around the house as my to children are 17 and 13 but then along came bonkers lol but we love him even tho i have also put up with childrens cartoons all day as he loves to sit and watch them he also likes rugby and the x factor ... sorry for got to say he is 15 weeks old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Oh, he's only a little baby baby!!! So, his television tastes are pretty crap - but you can still love him!! There's plenty more weird and wonderful actions to follow - keep your eyes peeled!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hi Fiona. Welcome to you and Bonkers. What Bonkers is doing is quite normal. Greys often like to scratch around on the ground and forage particularly to get minerals. It just may be that he has a mineral imbalance. What do you feed him on? He may benefit from mineral supplements. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 thanks mistyparrot he has his normal every day seed mix and fresh water then on different days he has fruit both fresh and dried veg once a day usually fruit in the morning veg in the evening he has boiles egg once a week i also sprinkle calcium powder once a week into his seed he aslo has a cuttlebone and calcium perch but any more advice wld be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecodweeb Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 My thinking has been along these lines: they're birds. Bird scratch the ground to kick up dropped seeds covered in foiliage/dirty to eat. The bottom of their cage is no difference to them. I have seen Phoenix down on his grate scratching away and all I can do is giggle and call him little grey chicken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JungleDreamz Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 HI and welcome! I know how you feel about the excitement of having a new baby! I just got my baby girl and 8 weeks old and she is now about 8 months...I wondered the SAME THING about the digging, I think I came to the forum and asked the same question, lol...Everyone has totally nailed it as to why he is digging, they do this in the wild in the dirt to forage and like everyone said, get certain minerals, They also do it because in the wild they might eat things that arnt so good for them, or that might make it hard for them to absorb the minerals they need, and these minerals from the ground help them digest whatever it is so they can absorb the good minerals and calcium. I will say this too though, My baby girl, her name is Calypso, She has grown out of this, She only does it now if I close her in her cage too early in the evening, and she isnt ready to go "night night" yet, she will get down in the bottom of the cage by the door and dig like a little bull, like she is going to dig out of her cage or something, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My grey does this when she wants out of her cage. Perfectly normal. I usually let her out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 fiona wrote: he has his normal every day seed mix and fresh water then on different days he has fruit both fresh and dried veg once a day usually fruit in the morning veg in the evening he has boiles egg once a week i also sprinkle calcium powder once a week into his seed he aslo has a cuttlebone and calcium perch but any more advice wld be great The only advice I could suggest is to add pellet food to his diet and convert him from seed. Most seed mixes are not sufficient enough to sustain a grey and while he is young is the best time to convert him to pellets. Along with that most seed mixes include sunflower seeds which are like candy to a grey. There are many types of pellets available, and just as many opinions as to which are the best. I personally use Harrison's for my greys, however my sun conure won't touch them and neither will my Umbrella Cockatoo (they eat Zupreem). If there is an imbalance the pellets may help to correct that. The rest of the behavior is very normal. In the wild greys do forage on the ground. You can use this behavior to introduce foraging to Bonkers. Hide some treats or a piece of his favorite food in some paper that's wadded up and let him find it. This will also help to teach him to entertain himself in his cage when it's time to be in his cage and not out with the rest of the family. Welcome to the Grey Forum family. -- Robin<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/11/30 20:25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiona Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 hi thanks for the advice think i will start looking around now for pellets for bonkers.. Also i been to afraid to give bonkers paper to play with but reading thro the forums it sounds like it a normal thing to do so im going to be busy today making origami pieces with monkey nuts hiden in them xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbpittman Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 By "monkey nuts" I'm assuming you mean peanuts. Why not try another type of nut instead. Most peanuts that are sold for birds are subject to a mold that can cause harm. Almonds, pine nuts, pecans are good options instead of the peanuts. My greys love to open the almonds and it's great exercise for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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