Hello, New to forum and new Grey owner

[kihei]

Hello,

 

My name is Logan and I am going to pick up Kihei, the newest member of our family tomorrow. I am so excited. We have never owned a bird before, so we are new to this big world. We are getting a 16 year old grey, who is being rehomed (to no fault of her own) becauase of family changes . I feel really bad for her, being shuffled around and moved into a new family after so many years with her current owners, but also am excited for the opportunity.

 

I have been reading and researching for weeks and really thought this through and am hoping to make the best possible home for her and am ready to comit to the next chapter of her life, for the rest of her life.

 

I am nervous but am also confident that I have a lot of resources available to make it the best transition possible for everyone.

 

Thanks for having us, I will post photos as soon as possible.

 

Logan

[Jayd]

Welcome and hello Logan, please ask some questions today you might be unsure of, adopting a older Grey is a challenge for even a experienced person. There's a lot of help to be found here.....Things that aren't always in a book, and things that are sometimes wrong in books.[or net]

 

 

Jayd

[esknomoe]

Welcome Logan. I can fully understand your concerns; however, seven weeks ago I adopted a 12 year old Grey myself, from a previous owner whose life circumstances also had changed; and it has been a wonderfully rewarding experience, so far. Three days after bringing Brutus home, he asked to climb onto my shoulder and lower his head, asking for a head rub. We are inseperable ever since. When I'm home, he is out of his cage, and usually on my shoulder, my chair back, or his play stand. I am still learning his body language and likes and dislikes; but every day has been progress.

I'm no expert, by any means, but just like with any animal (we also have 5 dogs and 2 other birds), I believe it's important to go about your routines around home as usual, and allow the bird to observe and participate in the daily events that you allow him to, rather than allow the Grey to entirely dictate HIS routine to you. Being a mature bird, there's no question that he has one. A pecking order needs to be established, and YOU are the flock leader. It's the same with dogs, or anything else. YOU are the pack leader. Animals need direction from a strong leader. They require it, and crave it.

Good luck to you, and don't be afraid to ask questions. There is a wealth of information on here.

[judygram]

Hello Logan and welcome to our family, we are delighted you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Kihei.

[Luvparrots]

Hi Logan and Kihei, you have come to the right place to learn about African greys. I look forward to hearing more about Kihei and seeing some pictures of your sweet grey in her new forever home. Welcome to the Grey family!

[judygram]

Logan you have come to the right place to learn all you need to take care of your grey, we have thousands of threads that are full of useful and helpful information and we have many members who have a vast knowledge of greys and have many years of experience who are willing to share what they know with the rest of us.

 

You have jumped in whole hog with a grey and having no bird experience but you seem to have the right attitude about getting into this and we are here for you if you need any help, someone is online at all times of the day and night but I think you will do fine.

 

I am so glad you could find it in your heart to take in this grey, not everyone can handle a bird that has had previous homes and 16 years old, she will come with baggage but if you are patient with her then things should go well for the transition to her new home.

 

I look forward to seeing some pictures when you get the chance.

[Jayd]

Logan, please don't be upset with me asking these questions, but these things are sometimes missed in researching our Greys. Are you familiar with what you can't feed Grey's? Are you aware of the dangers of "Teflon"? Ptfe, Microwave popcorn? Candles? Household cleaners? Perfumes,aftershaves,powders etc. There's a post explaining all these potentially dangerous situations on this greyt forum. Please ask. Don't be afraid to ask for advice, opinions, etc. Everyone here has been in your situation (sometimes more than once) and there is a wealth of information for the asking. What a GREAT OPPORTUNITY you have!!!

Again, I know I speak for everyone here...WELCOME!!!

Jayd, Maggie, Spock and the rest of the flock

[JillyBeanz]

Well done to you for taking on an older bird! There's so many need good homes. Welcome to our family. I hope you will enjoy it here and gain experience from our knowledgeable members. Any questions you have, please do not hesitate to ask them. I'm learning things all of the time in order to offer Harvey a healthy and happy life - I hope you do too

[Greywings]

Do enjoy and go slowly they do not like to be rushed. You sound as if you have some bird interaction experience can you tell us about the rest of your flock please? It may help guide you down the right path with your new Grey bird. Looking forward to pictures and stories of Kihei.

[Dusty]

HI Logan! that is really great that you are taking in an older bird! I am also new to the forum and have found it very helpful to ask questions here.

[danmcq]

Hi Logan.

 

I just saw this second entry of your introduction.

 

Jay asked and gave some great comments regarding the safe keeping of a Parrot.

 

If you have not already done so, please look at the food s room stickies for safe foods for your Grey and also all the poisons contained in foods, cookware, aerosols, candles, air fresheners etc.

 

This is a huge responsibility and a ton of quick learning you are going to need to do to ensure Ki is well taken care of and happy. A Parrot is a very intelligent and complex creature that is very sensitive to it's environment and flock.

 

Birds are different than dogs. They flock together and their is no pack leader. They are all viewed as individuals and work together as equals. You piss one off and your will get chased off or bitten if you don't pay attention. :-)

 

Ask all the question you wish and please review all the topics, especially the stickies in the food, rescue, health etc. rooms. There is tons of important information you must become very familiar with and use.

 

Looking forward to your questions and comments.

 

I assume you have Ki at home today? If so, how is it going?

[Dave007]

Everyone will help you out here even though you are gonna rehome an adult grey. Many people here have done that. Loads of people here deal with adult birds. We have a person here that's taken in other species too and you'll also find him to be a great help. His name is Jayd in the Amazon room. We know you'll have fun even though it's your first bird. Just remember that in order for this to happen, you'll have to ask questions, any questions you wanna talk about. Welcome aboard, find a perch and enjoy yourself.