Newly adopted Grey keeps jumping off hand or shoulder!

[Girltron]

I'm really worried that my new Grey, Francis, is becoming nervous that I won't hold her safely. She's at least 10 years old and comes to me from a home of people she didn't care for. She's been social and happy in her new place, and more than willing to come out of the cage and walk around the house in my arm or on my shoulder, take a bath, or sit and talk. But yesterday and today she started something new: suddenly standing up and flapping and sometimes leaping off a hand or shoulder when she used to cling to me all the time. Nothing new is happening at those times, and she doesn't seem scared because she comes back to me and acts happy right afterward.

 

In an effort to teach her to stay on my hand (I feared she was slipping off my shoulder) I had her out on the tabletop practicing step-up from hand to perch and from hand to hand, when she decided to do it again. She jumped right off my hand and did a nose dive past the table onto the floor and when I came to pick her up she waited until I stood almost all the way up and did it again!

 

This is bad because she plucked so many wing feathers while she lived with my friend that she can't fly and her wings are uneven so she falls fairly heavily to the floor. She actually broke a blood feather in half this afternoon but it stopped bleeding after only a minute. I put her right into her cage and haven't touched her since because I'm afraid I'll make her scared that I can't hold her safely.

 

Even though her feather broke she doesn't seem too upset, when I come to the side of her cage to ask her how she's doing she just stares at me as if wondering why I'm being so buggy. Only she isn't whistling or talking, so I know she's a little stressed.

 

I'm really upset about this and I know it's just because I don't understand her body language and habits well enough. None of the books we bought seem to have anything to say about this.

[judygram]

How long have you had this grey?

[Jayd]

How long have you had this baby? Only a suggestion, When perching this sweetheart, talk softly, she might be trying to get to the safety of her cage! Make sure theres always something padded so she doesn't split her keel bone of break her beak or leg....Ok "Members" your advice is needed!!!!! Keep calm around her, she can sense your concern! Jayd and Maggie and Spock

[Girltron]

Oh! Yes, that's important. Francis has been with us 6 days and except for this, has acted in every way as if she absolutely thinks our house is an amusement park. It is, really, compared to the previous home. I keep saying she but at this stage we still don't know her gender, and my husband says "he" so who knows.

 

I think I'd better not handle her for awhile, because it really upset me when she fell and broke that feather. She's preening and stretching on her perch now, and played a little "peek a boo' with me but still isn't whistling at me like normal.

[Girltron]

Here's the first photos we took of Francis. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_powell2112/sets/72157623919546611/ Notice the red feathers around her throat? I was hoping they would go away if we can get her to stop plucking and chewing on her feathers.

[judygram]

Its hard to tell without knowing more about her but she may just want to be back to the safety of her cage especially if you have not had her for long. But do not be hesitant to get her out for fear of her hurting herself as she will sense that make it worse. My grey would jump off from her cage a few times when she is startled and she does not fly either, she has chewed some of her flight feathers on one side and has not regrown all of them enough for flight.

Jay is right about keeping her from going to high perches so she has less room to fall and pad the area around her cage so she does not damage her keel bone.

She needs time to settle in if you haven't had her that long and since she is a mature bird she may take longer before she comes to trust you. Learning her body language will come with time and observance of her postures and reactions for they can differ from one bird to another.

Just remember not to take it personally if she should nip you, its just one of the way she has to tell you what she doesn't like but continue to allow her to come out of her cage and interact with her, you cannot damage the relationship but only reinforce it.

[Jayd]

Oh! Yes, that's important. Francis has been with us 6 days and except for this, has acted in every way as if she absolutely thinks our house is an amusement park. It is, really, compared to the previous home. I keep saying she but at this stage we still don't know her gender, and my husband says "he" so who knows.

I think I'd better not handle her for awhile, because it really upset me when she fell and broke that feather. She's preening and stretching on her perch now, and played a little "peek a boo' with me but still isn't whistling at me like normal.

Thanks for the quick responses. She/he, hasn't even unpacked her bag's yet, you have a lot to come. I personally feel you should continue to do as your doing, to stop holding her now could cause problems in the future...Try and find out what she wants, ask her!

Jayd

[judygram]

Just saw your post after I posted mine, those are red factor feathers and nothing to do with plucking, some greys have them on any part of their body and some people really like them, but there is nothing wrong with your grey because she has them, they are right cute.

[Girltron]

Thanks. I'm going to only work with her at ground level for awhile. I'm definitely not going to handle her any more until she starts singing again though! She seems to trust both me and my husband...we've only had her a week but we've known her a year, and to date we're the only people she seems to love in her life. She used to bite her previous owners. I've tried to be respectful at times when she didn't seem to want to be handled-sometimes she'll nibble a little hard-but I'm aware parrots are sort of bound to bite at some point or another if they aren't getting their point across any other way. So I'm trying to be really sensitive. I've never owned a bird before.

 

What should I do about the fact that she really wants to be on a shoulder? It's so high and I don't want her to fall again. She also loves to tuck her head down so I can ruffle her neck feathers in that position. She doesn't seem to know how to be cuddly without climbing up onto my shoulder and she might have jumped the last time because she didn't understand why I was asking her to go back to my hand instead.

[Jayd]

After seeing your Photo's, has a vet checked her for plucking? Some Grey's have Red feathers on other parts of their body, a natural mutation. What was the Vet's diagnoses? You could have a rare baby...Jayd

[judygram]

Oh! Yes, that's important. Francis has been with us 6 days and except for this, has acted in every way as if she absolutely thinks our house is an amusement park. It is, really, compared to the previous home. I keep saying she but at this stage we still don't know her gender, and my husband says "he" so who knows.

 

I think I'd better not handle her for awhile, because it really upset me when she fell and broke that feather. She's preening and stretching on her perch now, and played a little "peek a boo' with me but still isn't whistling at me like normal.

 

Please don't give up on handling her as it could be a real setback in her learning to trust you, you need to do hands on and not be afraid of hurting her or the relationship, it has just started.

About the shoulder thing, just use your other arm to prevent her from going to the shoulder and do it over and over again until she gets the message, it might take a long time but it will be worth it.

Its only been a week now and that is nothing in terms of winning over her love and trust.

[Jayd]

Thanks. I'm going to only work with her at ground level for awhile. I'm definitely not going to handle her any more until she starts singing again though! She seems to trust both me and my husband...we've only had her a week but we've known her a year, and to date we're the only people she seems to love in her life. She used to bite her previous owners. I've tried to be respectful at times when she didn't seem to want to be handled-sometimes she'll nibble a little hard-but I'm aware parrots are sort of bound to bite at some point or another if they aren't getting their point across any other way. So I'm trying to be really sensitive. I've never owned a bird before.

 

What should I do about the fact that she really wants to be on a shoulder? It's so high and I don't want her to fall again. She also loves to tuck her head down so I can ruffle her neck feathers in that position. She doesn't seem to know how to be cuddly without climbing up onto my shoulder and she might have jumped the last time because she didn't understand why I was asking her to go back to my hand instead.

My sentiments again, don't stop holding her! Most Grey's "Don't like to cuddle", You must be firm and loving to gain her respect...Jayd

[Girltron]

Wow, that's interesting. No, my friends hadn't taken her to the vet in the 10 years they had her. I thought I'd wait a little before taking another trip/introducing her to a kennel and a stranger, etc. I made the vet appointment for a month from now. Francis came home with us just cradled in my arms, because my friend didn't have a kennel and swore Francis wouldn't jump or fly. She didn't either, the whole ride: just talked to us the whole ride home. It did take us about six months to start handling her so we're still very unfamiliar. Plus, in a friend's house we only felt comfortable taking her out and just holding her near her cage so we could talk to her. We didn't think she was allowed very far away from her cage. At OUR house, we have play time and bath time in the morning, and training time at night after work. But I'm going to be a lot less forward about trying new things if she keeps taking these kamikaze leaps.

 

My friend says Francis had plucked herself almost bald at her owners' before them. Now, the most obvious thing is the flight feathers, especially where she's chewed them bare. And the red feathers, which I assumed showed that she'd been plucking around her chest but maybe she always had them! I'm sure my vet will be able to tell me when we go.

 

Actually some of Francis's short feathers around her lower tummy/butt are also red, apart from the actual tail feathers but I was figuring that was normal, it being so close to her tail. Maybe I'll try to take a "butt shot" photo at some stage but she really would like to taste an expensive Canon lens so we're not doing much of that!

 

Thank you so much for your responses, I hope I learn fast so Francis won't give up on me!

[judygram]

She won't give up on you if you don't give up on her.

[Jayd]

She won't give up on you if you don't give up on her.

Amen..... Rear scattered red feathers are norm...

Read all the posts and threads on Aloe Vera Juice...Thanks Jayd, Maggie and Spock.

[Girltron]

Sigh. I'm so discouraged. When my husband got home today he took Francis out for a little hello time. Francis got her toe caught in the towel my husband was using as a pad, and I had to come to her rescue but she thought I was trying to hurt her. She gave me a warning nip so I had to disguise my hands in the towel to get her free (which I did very slowly while talking softly) and once free, she retreated around my husband's head and didn't want me near. After awhile I gave her an almond as a peace offering, which she took, then gave me a nice kind of a nibble and bowed her head to me-but when I moved my finger closer I got the warning nip again. I just backed away and let my husband ask her to step up which she did--but then jumped off, landing hard on the floor again. She came walking pretty calmly back to my husband, who picked her up and carried her oh so slowly back to the cage, but there was another near fall on the way there. I don't understand why she's doing that! It must hurt every time. We didn't have this problem once all week until this weekend. It's like she's decided to spook at every little movement we make that she's unfamiliar with. She was quiet again for some hours and took until dinner time to get talkative with us. We've been exchanging whistles but not touching her since then. I was in tears, I'm so worried she'll never trust me again. We're going to skip bath time tomorrow and wait until night to try taking her out again. When we do, we're just going to sit right down beside the cage and stay on the FLOOR. I might even just open the cage door and let her come to us. Luckily we can clean the cage without handling her.

[Jayd]

This is all normal, she hasn't lost her trust in you, it just might be she has chosen you husband, most Grey's favor one person over another. If this is the case, spend time with her when he isn't around... You mustn't let her see your upset. Sit by her cage and read her a book, sing soft songs to her, laugh when she makes a sound you like, she's a three year old, in a new home... You must touch, is she beaking you or biting you? Some Grey's play rough, when to Grey's play and beak each other, they get feathers, not skin! LoL Your doing Grey't, when you move her around, put a blanket on the floor! Remember, this is her home now, shes letting you just stay there....Jayd..........Here's some good reading...http://www.africangreys.com/

[judygram]

Don't be discouraged, this is just a minor setback and she will get over it but do not banish her to her cage just because you think she doesn't like you anymore. I am guessing that your husband is probably going to be her favorite person but that doesn't mean she won't like you but if you refuse to handle her then your situation will never improve. You are showing apprehension about handling her and she knows that, they are very perceptive of our emotions so if you want to have any kind of relationship with her then you must not be turned off by her behavior, yes don't push her but interact and handle her as much as she will allow, you won't regret it in the end.

She may be jumping off because she is anxious to get back to her cage but please do allow her out and that is a good idea about getting down on the floor and let her come to you then play with her.

Don't worry so much about her not trusting you, she does not trust you yet, it takes lots of time for that to happen and you have to earn that trust it doesn't just happen but keep at it and you will be rewarded.

[Luvparrots]

Has Francis always been clipped?? I know when I first got my grey at 4 months old the breeder had clipped her. From day one Ana Grey tried to fly and she would jump off of her cage daily. Thank goodness she can fly now. Please don't get discouraged, if you show discomfort or unhappiness your grey will sense it and react accordingly. She is new in your home so don't take her nervousness personally. Just be calm and reassuring and Francis will become more comfortable. Let her come out of the cage on her own. Sit on the floor in front of her cage and let her come to you. Bribe her with a treat if need be. She will come around. If you don't want to sit on the floor move a chair close to her cage so she can come out and you can be comfortable. That way if she falls she won't have far to go. If you lock her in her cage she will just wonder what she did wrong. And she has done nothing wrong but be a little leery of a new home and new family. Talk to her and relax. You are a good parront, so relax and don't worry so much. Just enjoy your new companion.

[Girltron]

Well to my knowledge she's never been clipped. She's just always been a self mutilator from what I'm told. We've given her a lot more freedom than she had for the past 10 years and maybe she's starting to feel more independent. She's not familiar enough with us yet so she tries to take care of herself when she's nervous instead of letting us.

 

I think it's a warning nip, not a beaky thing: when she gives a loving nip, she moves slowly and does it very gently. This is more of a quick head movement and a heavier bite that doesn't break the skin, and she hunkers down afterward so I can't put my hand under her body for a step-up. Sometimes her neck feathers fluff up at the same time. No growling, though.

 

She might be choosing my husband but that's just odd because until yesterday I'd have told you she liked me much better than him. Her favorite thing to do all week was crawl up onto my shoulder and tuck her head against my neck so I could ruffle her feathers while I was on the computer. I had the hiccups on Tuesday and ever since, she's made that noise in association with me and she does it to get my attention. She still does that in her cage, but I can't interpret whether she wants me to handle her or not.

 

When all her feathers ruffle up, is that a sign of irritation, or relaxation? A lot of times she'll do that when we come over to talk to her. I've seen her ruffle up her head and neck when she wants a pat, but I'm not sure about it when it's a full body thing.

[judygram]

I think that first week she was still in the honeymoon phase which means she was on her best behavior since she was in new surroundings, this is normal and then you start to see her true personality.

Sometimes they ruffle all their feathers up to help get them back into place but if they stay that way then it is a sign that she is irritated but just back off a bit and talk to her sweetly, it may take some time for her to take to you again so do not be disappointed if she does this, you will gain her trust again.

[Girltron]

Okay, that's good to know. She doesn't stay ruffled, it's more like a reaction when I first come near the cage. She does it when I'm not around too, though. The first time she saw the cats she did keep her feathers puffed up for a little while, but now she doesn't even really look at them.

 

She asked for a head scratch this morning and I gave it to her through the cage bars, she was very nice. She's making kissy noises at me from the other room right now.

 

She does a thing I don't know how to interpret. She gets up as high as possible in her cage-we have a rope strung across-and then stretches one foot above her head as high as it'll go like she's straining to find something that's not there. She'll do it several times until it almost looks like her muscles start seizing up because she'll bring the foot back down and give it a stretch and then try again. I actually thought doing that was getting her kind of irritated once or twice because she'd start banging her beak or bouncing her head afterward. The only thing I can figure is that she had this tiny ROUND cage at her old house and I know she could grab the dome above her head when climbing. Our cage is one of these: http://www.americas-pet-store.com/marvelous-bungalow-bird-cage.html and has corners and no dome for her to hold onto. But she can clearly see that...as a matter of fact, she's climbed everywhere except the roof so far.

[Greywings]

My CAG Pookie is also a Red Factor it is sometime called Mosiac pattern your Grey is almost a ring neck how cool. Like the others have said your bird needs to feel at home and secure. Your first feww days she/he was in the honeymoon time with you now this little one needs to feel setteled in before you do too much away from the cage she feels the security of her place. Step her up when she is ready and do not push her to do it if she is not willing. Let her step right back onto or into her cage so she knows you won't always remove her from it. Give her little treats and talk to her/ him often to help build this relationship into something really solid. Give her the time to feel she is part of the family-your flock. From all the birds I have fostered and worked with the Grey seem to take the longest to belong to the new digs.

[Girltron]

Thank you. I was thinking today that maybe she's finally decided to "adopt" her new cage, and in that case there might be a perceptible security difference between being there and being anywhere else in the house. Whereas a few days ago it was all the same to her, in the cage or out, all new; so maybe that's why she was so willing to cling to us.

[Jayd]

Sit back, relax, enjoy, don't worry, be happy.......Jayd