Help help help

[holdron]

Dusty my Gray

he wont do any thing I ask he wont take any food fruit or treats from my hand

he will go in his cage by him self, rather than have me put him in it

he flies on my shoulder only to bite me

I cant find a treats to temp him with

I think if I found a treat that he could not resist i would be able to train him

he likes apples and grapes but he wont take them from me but if I put them in the cage he will go in and get them, if I leave the room

Dusty was OK till we went on a holiday

How do I get on right side of him if he wont take a treats

[Dave007]

How old is your bird and how long have you had him and was he owned by someone else and how long ago did you go away on vacation and was he alone during that time and was he totally different before you went on vacation and how long ago did you come back from vacation?

You need to give more specific info concerning your situation.

Edited September 11, 2010 by Dave007

[holdron]

dusty is 3 years old we had him from 6 weeks old

we went on holiday for 2 weeks in may this year

he went to a pets centre with two other parrots and he been there before with no trouble

Thanks Dave for your quick reply

Ron

[Dave007]

6 weeks, not enough time to develop a somewhat permanent relationship with your bird especially a bird that's not a baby. It may not have been a good idea to put him in a pet center with other birds unless he had a strong relationship with you and the family. That's like him having a temporary area to live in and then being taken away again and putting in another area. That's much too quick to do that. A solid trusting bond has to develop first in your home and whether you realize it or not, that type of relationship is gonna take much more than 6 weeks because of his age and also living in another place for quite a while and I'm not referring to that bird sitting area that you put him in. He had to live somewhere else before you got him.

For now, your bird needs to readjust to your family life, habits, environment, surroundings. It has to be done in his own time. Some birds readjust quickly, others take more time. Either one is perfectly normal..

You'll have to pay attention to his flying to the shoulder right. He flies there, you quickly remove him. If you see that he's about to fly there, move away. You need to watch him more carefully for a while until he settles down.

Treats-----a bird that agew usually has reached the age where nuts are very appealing. favorites are almonds and wallnuts or other nuts..Don't feed peanutsbecause they sometimes have bacterior. Take the shell off and put them in the cage if he bites you when offering things. Feeding like that ( in the cage) allows a bird to see that you're giving great things. After a period of time, when you see very little problems giving nuts, partially break the shell( don't totally take the whole shell off. He may take that and work on removing the broken shell and eating it. Parrots like doing that.

Basically, you have to start over with him. Regain his trust, let him learn to be calmer with you, let him check out things from the safety of his cage--remember that the cage is a place where a parrot feels safe while he's in it. Don't try to hand feed him until he relaxes. Just slip it in his food bowl for a while.

As far as fruits----first off, fruits really give little nutrition. They should be given only once in a while. An older bird gets tired of fruits. Harder items are very appealing to them.

On other thing---avoid going away for such a long time until he totally trusts you and you can get a friend/relative to come to the house once a day to feed and water. A parrot can stay alone for short periods of time but they feel much better when they're staying alone in their own familar envionment.

 

Mistake here--you've had him since he was 6 wks old. I thought you only owned him for 6 weeks.Well, things like you describe can happen for a number of reasons but you'll still have to gain his trust. You don'y know what happened with the bird sitter. It could have been something unnoticable but it was a big deal to your bird.

 

But, you'll still have to gain his trust anyway.

Edited September 11, 2010 by Dave007

[holdron]

how do I gain his trust if he wont take treats

I don't no what to do now

do you know of an iristable treat

Thanks Ron

[Dave007]

I just mentioned a couple of them. And I just told you how to do it.

[Jayd]

The advice Dave has given you comes from many years of working with many different Greys etc, it will work, it just takestime and effort on your part. Treat your baby like a new person you've just meant, put on your best shirt, comb your hair, put on your big smile and say "Hi", and get to know your baby all over again, be sugar and spice.....Thanks Jayd

[holdron]

hi sorry did not read your reply Dave

i will try all that thanks

does that meet dusty must not go on my shoulder

and do you think he should stay in his

cage for now till her settles down

thanks again Ron

[Dave007]

""""does that meet dusty must not go on my shoulder""""

 

There's things you should find out about

1---in the past, was he a biter when he went on your shoulder?. If so, the normal thing that people do if they have a bird that has always bitten while on the shouder is that they keep the bird off the shoulder permanently. If he's doing this temporarily, then most likely, he can return to your shoulder after he shows you no interest in biting you. Many people buy a baby bird and soon after, they find that their bird is a biter when on a shoulder. They usually stop letting the bird on the shoulder permanently. Other people buy a baby bird and find that the bird shows absolutely no interest in biting. Both are normal. It depends upon the bird. Some birds go on shoulders and pick at jewelry, earlobes, clothing collars, skin on the neck or face or cheeks, hair etc.. Those birds aren't allowed on shoulders. Hundreds of people here own birds that do that.

For others, it's temporary but only the owner can find out which catagory the bird is in. Some birds who aren't biters when on the shoulders can start doing that as they age. That too is normal. It depends upon the bird.

"""do you think he should stay in his cage for now till her settles down"""""

You can let him out but not as often until he settles down and most importantly, you need to watch what he's doing. That'll tip you off as to what he intends to do. If he's doing this to other members of your family, you need to tell them the same thing I'm telling you because you wouldn't want them to get hurt.

You see, some birds who are on shoulders and bite are very hard to get off because they scoot around your back to the other shoulder and as you try harder to get the bird off, the more angry the bird gets at you for trying and biting can occur.

AND--don't forget those nuts. Even try others except peanuts.

[holdron]

Thanks for your advice Dave

I will start tomorow

thanks again Ron

[jshendrix]

Great advice! Patience is a virtue....for both grey and parront...

 

Thanks Dave for the friendly advice for all of us.

[judygram]

I like the approach.. Take jayd's advice and go with it. HE actually knows what he's talking about.

 

The advice Jay gave is fine and good but do not dismiss Dave's advice for HE does know what he speaks about because it is from many years of experience both as a breeder and owner of pet greys. I and other members on this forum have relied on his advice for over 3 years and he has not steered me wrong yet.

 

It is apparent that Dave and Jay may have different approaches to solutions to problems and Dave tends to tell it like it is which means he can be a little blunt at times but that doesn't mean he doesn't care or doesn't know the answer, he just doesn't sugar coat it.

[danmcq]

Dave asked great and critical questions, as well as giving excellent responses. Jay's suggestion of kind of starting from the approach of treating your grey as a new re-home is good advice as well.

 

Like Dave stated, you just do not know what your grey may have encountered this time at the location you left him at for 2 weeks. Any incident that frightens a grey severely will have days or weeks affect and they will act differently until they feel safe and secure in resuming normal up-close and personal interactions.

 

As the others said, just be patient, let him know your not going to force any up-close and personal tries at getting him to interact with you until he is ready and you'll know because HE will will come and request it. Also, at 3 years old, I can guarantee you, he is going to slowly increase the personal/alone time he likes and decrease the cuddle muffin interactions. It will all become more and more based on what HE wants and when, not when and what YOU want. It is just the natural aging process kicking in of a young child becoming independent, respect and welcome it as it comes.

[Jayd]

Dave, I apologize, Sorry I didn't make myself clearer, I was supporting you a 110%, I just added a couple of things as a addition to what Dave said, not as something different to what he said. Judy, I'm sorry if I ever lead you wrong or made you feel this way. Dave is our mentor, always has and always will be, and no one has any more respect for him then I do. After this last week, I'm kind of afraid to post anything...

Edited September 19, 2010 by Jayd

[holdron]

Hi all

just to tell you how I am getting on with Dusty

the only thing he will take from me

are small bits of cheese.

I have tried Pistachio, Cashew and Almonds nuts so far but he just throws them to the floor

I am will carry on tying him on different tip bit as I don't think cheese will be very Good for him

and not had much time for him as I spent a week in hospital

 

Ron

Edited September 19, 2010 by holdron

[Jayd]

Please be okay,hope your alright!!!! Your doing good with Dusty...Jayd and Maggie [spock]

[Azzie]

The occasional piece of cheese is ok, as it will add some calcium and protein to your bird's diet. However because it is a dairy product and therefore contains lactose, too much can be very harmful to a bird, as they lack the necessary enzymes to digest this, much like a human who is lactose intolerant.

 

As the others suggested, patience and persistence is the key. Forming a bond with a grey can take a long time, and can be frustrating, especially when you have nothing but good intentions, and this darned bird just doesn't get it. Try to bear in mind that a grey cannot move into our world, so it is up to us to move into HIS world and adapt.

 

One thing you might try is sitting in front of his cage, at a distance he seems comfortable with, and eating those little tid bits yourself. Perhaps small pieces of carrot, a grape, a capsicum (bell pepper), and quietly telling your bird how very yummmm and tasty this is, making sure he can see what you are doing. When I first got my grey, she was not interested in vegetables and fruit, and I spent many hours making a fool of myself sitting with her, eating in a most exaggerated fashion making nom nom noises and cooing over vegez. In the end her curiosity won out, and she came to the edge of the cage to see what the fuss was all about.

 

Also try various textures and temperatures for your bird. Some birds go gaga over warm mushy foods, whereas others prefer crunchy and hard. Corn does seem to be a hit for a lot of birds. Cleo is mad for anything meat, whether it be chicken, ground beef or a small piece of ham. Another thing you might try is sunflower seeds, but not too many as these seeds are the McDonald's equivalent for birds - tasty, high in fat with very little nutrition.

 

Keep at it though. A grey's trust has to be earnt, he doesn't just give it away to anyone, but once you have it, you will have a friend for life, and both you and your grey buddy will flourish. Good luck, and please keep us all posted!

[Jayd]

Thanks Azzie, Very good suggestions......