New owner of a Timneh Grey--Merlin

[PaminFLA]

My husband semi-rescued Merlin about 2 months ago from a family who had acquired the bird for their 6 yr old daughter. We had recently returned to its owner a Congo Grey that was found by a neighbor in his yard, and since my husband fell in love with that bird during the week we had him, he began perusing Craig's List for Greys in need. He called one number and heard kids screaming so loud in the background that he could barely converse with the man who'd listed the bird, but it seems that the 6 yr old was afraid of her bird as it kept biting her. My husband drove to the next town to see the bird and found it living on a curtain rod next to a parakeet. In the two weeks that the family had it, they had not given it a cage. One wing's feathers had been lopped off and so it could not even flutter to the ground. My husband decided right then he was getting that bird out of there so he paid the 6 year old $250 and left with it. We were not told anything about the bird, not even a name, and only got a vague story about the owner dying and the bird changing hands a few times. We tried to find out where the man had gotten the bird in order to trace its owner history and find someone who could shed some light on the poor thing--at the very least, a name. But the man was not forthcoming. So we have a sweet grey mystery in our lives now. We are not new to parrots, however, as I have had Sprout since he was 9 wks old, a very bright, talking Quaker, for 8 years, and my then-fiance acquired Fred and Ginger as babies (pair of 8 and 7 yr old Solomon Island Eclectus who hate each other), and we got Peaches (tiny dragon disguised as a Lovebird) at a bird fair 2 yrs ago. I am the current Asst. to the Chair of the Quaker Rescue and Adoption Program.

Despite all that parrot experience, each species is different and we have a lot to learn about Greys. We bought Merlin a beautiful new cage at a recent bird fair in Tampa (a new design with all round edges that is really the best we have ever had), gave him a name and took him to the vet for a check up. He was friendly at first and then seemed withdrawn and not willing to step up. He would occasionally make the sound of a cell phone ringing so that is all we know about his life before. Perhaps he was grateful we'd gotten him out of that chaos, but then realized that all was new and he was scared. I was not sure how bitey or trained he was so I did not try to touch him or even pick him up for the first 2 weeks and left it up to my husband. I did not want to seem threatening. I could hand him grapes, apple and banana slices and he gently would take them from my fingers with his beak, but no touching. He whistled a lot and learned the wolf whistle quickly. He spins in circles when standing on the back of the couch and can get up such speed I am afraid he will get dizzy and fall, so we clap and cheer and then he stops and nods his head. So now it has been 2 months and Merlin is really coming out of his shell. He frequently stands on the open roof of his cage and flaps his 1-1/2 wings furiously. All our birds do that, but not nearly as often or with the vigor that he does. Is that a Grey thing? He is the only bird we have who plays with foot toys. The others have never been interested and we always worried we were not giving them the right things. :confused: He whistles all day long and occasionally seems to say something in a croaky voice, but it's indistinguishable. We waited to name him hoping he might say his name, but he hasn't. He now recognizes his new name. As soon as I put my hand up to him, he puts out a little foot and steps right up. Two nights ago, he let me rub and ruffle his head feathers and last night, he let me pet him on the back for a few moments and then pushed my hand with his beak. He seems to be interested in exploring outside his cage now and is not aggressive toward the other birds, but we keep them at a distance from him as they cannot always be trusted. Do other Greys tend to pick up their toys and hit themselves in the head with them? At first we were considering giving him a safe, calm environment and rehoming him with a vetted person, but now we are captivated by this sweet, funny guy/girl and he is part of the flock. (I didn't want more than 4 birds and thought that we had 3 too many already due to how loud the Eclectus can be at times, but it is hard sometimes to say no and Merlin is a delight.) I misted him with the garden hose while he was in our outside cage as I do with Eclectus, but he didn't seem to like it and managed to stay dry as a bone. Yesterday, my husband put ice cubes in his water dish and aftr he picked one up with his foot a few times, he commenced to trying to bathe in the ice water. He even stood in the bowl. So I quickly got my roasting pan, put water and a few ise cubes into it since that seemed to be the enticement, and put the pan in the bottom of his cage. After a few testing dips of the toes, he plunged in, spread his wings and had a great time. He would hop out, climb up his cage, then down and back into the bath, repaeting the ritual at least 6 more times. You'd think he was a penguin. Do Greys tend to like cold baths? What a mess! Pam

[Jayd]

Thank you so much for your rescues, you've done a wonderful thing. Our Grey's love the ice water to. If you didn't know, a Grey needs a higher Fat/Protein diet then a Ekie, Grey also absorbs very little D3 from food, Sunlight/indoor full spectrum UVB/UVA is a must for them. Greys have a oil gland near their tail and when they preen the oil is spread which in turn helps the body absorb D3 and calcium.....Also there diet is mainly veggie's and very little fruit, a bite every couple of days....Thank you, Please some pictures of all your flock.....Jayd

12-15% PROTEIN....

Edited September 17, 2010 by Jayd

[Dave007]

It's wonderful that you saved that grey and it's great that you decided not to send him on to another place. I'm sure you'll enjoy him because he's already coming around quickly. As for your questions......

"""Do Greys tend to like cold baths?

Yes, most do. They'll even bathe in cold water right after you bathe and clean them up with room temp water. They'll also try to get into their bowls no matter what the size is if the bowl is filled with very cold water.

"""Do other Greys tend to pick up their toys and hit themselves in the head with them?"""

Yes they do. Many will have mock fights with their toys. They get aggressive with the toys but it's all fun. That's one way they play. If you want, get a cowbell and hang it in the cage and you'll see some very aggressive playing with the item. The bird will knock it around and the bell will swing back and hit the bird which only makes them get more aggressive with the bell. When the nighttime comes, it won't be unusual to see the bird snuggling up to the toy. That's also not uncommon.

Edited September 17, 2010 by Dave007

[lisamarie973]

Grey also absorbs very little D3 from food, Sunlight/indoor full spectrum UVB/UVA is a must for them. Greys have a oil gland near their tail and when they preen the oil is spread which in turn helps the body absorb D3 and calcium.....

 

@ Jayd,

 

How much sunlight does the bird neeed? Is it OK to bring my baby outside on the pool patio in the direct sunlight for a few minutes at a time, a couple times per day? Or is it best to find an area of the house that receives good sunlight during the day?

 

@Pam,

 

Congrats on your new Grey rescue, I'm so sure Merlin is MUCH happier with a calmer and quieter home, it's unfortunate that he/she had to be tossed around a bit before finding the perfect forever home, but, it's wonderful that he/she's found such a great human Mama and Daddy to take good loving care of him/her. I'm sure Merlin will bring you lots of Joy and you and your husband will bring him much happiness and security. Kudo's for rescuing such a beautiful animal.

[Jayd]

Hi, Glass filters out 90% of UVB rays, even 15 minutes of sunlight a day will help, for indoor Full Spectrum UVB/UVA lighting, much more is needed, Any-ware from 4 to eight hours daily. Besides a good diet, lighting is one of the most important factors in a Greys health... Don't you just love Timnehs.....Here's a link to useful info, including "Lighting" Thanks Jayd http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190489-Welcome-PROSPECTIVE-and-NEW-GREY-Owner-s..

[Jayd]

If I may suggest, as much as I hate to, maybe you should consider clipping both wings to the same length, no shorter then necessary. But First, how long since the clip? is it almost grown out? Does he hurt or crash into things when he flies? Please take these questions into consideration before clipping...Jayd

[Azzie]

When you take your bird out, please make sure he is suitably restrained, either in a cage or a harness. Even with a botched clip, there's always a chance he will catch a wind current and float off into the distance.

[judygram]

Hello Pam and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Merlin and thanks for giving him a new forever home.

Thanks for the great intro and hope to see some pics of Merlin soon.

[texascowboy1979]

and we got Peaches (tiny dragon disguised as a Lovebird)

I was not sure how bitey or trained he was so I did not try to touch him or even pick him up for the first 2 weeks and left it up to my husband. I did not want to seem threatening.

He seems to be interested in exploring outside his cage now and is not aggressive toward the other birds,

Yesterday, my husband put ice cubes in his water dish and aftr he picked one up with his foot a few times, he commenced to trying to bathe in the ice water. He even stood in the bowl. So I quickly got my roasting pan, put water and a few ise cubes into it since that seemed to be the enticement, and put the pan in the bottom of his cage. After a few testing dips of the toes, he plunged in, spread his wings and had a great time. He would hop out, climb up his cage, then down and back into the bath, repaeting the ritual at least 6 more times. You'd think he was a penguin. Do Greys tend to like cold baths? What a mess! Pam

I love the Dragon Comment, Hunter, my African grey, has the voice of a Dragon. He is bearly learning to speak. Sometimes I think he's gonna breath fire!, LOL.

I got a 2 year old female African Grey named Quince a few weeks ago. I brought her home, I put her in her cage and let her be for about 2 weeks, then I started to let her out, she began to explore the house. then one day she walked over to me and lifted her foot, as if to say "pick me up please, i trust you". I was like... OOOOOOKKKKKKK.

Now Hunter and Quincy live together... After lots of play time together, I felt comfortable to let them live together. They play a lot and are doing well.

Bath time - I have not had any luck with bath time. What do you recommend. I've tried the spray bottle... and they just look at me. is that normal?

[Azzie]

Regarding bath time, there is no such thing as "normal" with a grey. Some love showers, some detest it and will do anything to avoid getting wet. Others will dive into the sink filled with water, and others look forward to a regular hosing with the spray bottle. There are some posts on the forum (somewhere!) about bathing which might have some information for you. Good luck!

[Jayd]

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189753-Bathing-possible-method-1

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189752-Bathing-possible-method-2

[Azzie]

Haha thanks Jayd! Trust you to come to the rescue once again = )

[Birdnut]

Hi, and welcome.

 

I also laughed at your dragon lovebird comment. We also have one of those. She is cute as a button, but all the birds are terrified of her. The only one with the guts to stand up to her is the parrotlet