socialising a handreared grey??

[cass]

In terms of a handreared bird who is trusting how far can one go with regard to socialising them with people and places? How much is too much and apart from telling humans how to behave what should and should not be done and how long should it take to introduce a parrot to different things. for example being outside in a harness,being in a car, visiting other houses that may have dogs(obviously caged/harnessed)...should each individual thing be worked on over time before moving to another or for a handreared baby is it better to get them used to many things at the beginning(as long as they seem undistressed and once they do go back and start again later...or will they be distressed if it is all positively reinforced?)...

 

am i crazy in wanting my bird to travel with me if i visit close relatives???(once a fortnight?) i know greys need stability and routine and to feel safe so what i'm really asking is how adaptable they are to change if it is part of their initial training???

[judygram]

In my opinion the sooner the better and there is nothing wrong with wanting to take your grey with you when you go places, I usually take my grey on weekend trips to visit my son who lives about 4 hours away and she does just fine. She stays in a travel cage and plays and talks on the trip.

Greys usually don't like change but if going places with you is what you want to do then it will become routine to your grey and it will help to socialize him/her with other people and being in different situations.

Actually they need for things to be shaken up now and then so they don't get into a rut or a rigid routine, a routine is good but not so rigid that any change upsets the cart.

[Streetwise]

Yes Judy Rambo as no choice but to go places with me, nearly everyday. If he didnt he would always be on his own. He's dont seem to mind either. He just loves attention.

[danmcq]

Judy is spot on. The sooner the better.

 

Our Grey was taken for car rides in a carrier from 14 weeks onward. Socialization and new people, dogs, other parrots began at the breeders from 6 weeks old onward.

[cass]

thanks for the advice this gives me a lot of peace of mind as i was hoping to introduce lots of new things and places but was afraid it may be too much too soon...i have the info and confidence now thanks to reading alot about body language and behaviour and of course in getting to know my grey i will keep hims afe and happy while we enjoy the outdoors and new places : o)

 

perhaps a silly question but if i bring him to the park in his harness how do i go about putting the harness on in a safe secure space?eg. the car??? also in your experiences how safe are harnesses inside a home?he isn't likely to get tangled or hurt flying to a different room or something is he???as a totally new user of a harness a link would be great to when and where i shouldnt use it...

[Dave007]

Any harness should be put on only in the house before leaving, never outside or in a car or bird carrier. Some brds put up with it in a house, some don't. Some will try to bite it off and by doing that, some feathers may also be injured and that includes skin. The use of a harness should only be associated with going out of the house.

Personally, I don't believe that harnesses should be kept on in a house. It may affect flying, the bird getting stuck or possible injury and that includes skin.

 

It's hard to hard to tell what'll happen even if the bird is used to having a harness on. Other people's successes with leaving a harness on doesn't mean that you'll have the same success.

Better safe than sorry.

Edited August 21, 2010 by Dave007

[dhorje]

My Grey has traveled with me to out of state trip thrice, overnite at my mom in law's house. The only problem was she wouldn't want to eat if caged. She wanted to be out of cage and liked to play on the window grille. Being at a new place, she was quiet and would not fly. If going to a place where I need to put up a nite and the house was not convenient to have all the windows and doors shut, I would not go. My wife would go without me and the fids. When I went to my parents' house, I would have my Grey harnessed in the house. My Grey would stay with me all the time.

 

My grey travels a lot in the car. I won't cage her on short distance trip (1 or 2km). She likes to perch on the head rest. She has no problem wearing the harness in the car. Usually I put her on the steering wheel to put the harness on. She won't fly out of the car when the door is open.

[Spinner]

As said by others, sooner the better. I train all of our aviary babies to readily accept flight harnesses so they are ready to go. In fact, one of our family birds starts hopping around when the harness comes out - she knows a trip is afoot!

 

Let your bird be your guide as to how much to introduce, and how quickly. Just be ready to regularly entertain your baby with new things, because once introduced a bunch of new stuff, they seem to thrive on it.