Adopting an older bird - first steps

[CRYROLFE]

Hi guys,

 

We are thinking of adopting an older bird from a friend (3-4yrs old). He is used to being on a Play stand on the top of his cage all day. He gets along with their daughter (who is going away to college) and lets her hold him, but no one else.

 

They say if he ends up on the floor that he will step up onto an offered perch.

 

I've read that the first couple of weeks in the new home are very important to setting up your rules and can help to correct previous problem behaviors. I am planning to bring him home on the weekend so that I'll have 2 full days to spend with him.

 

What are the main things that I should be doing first? I figured the "step-up" command, but when should I start? I don't want to freak him out anymore that he will be already.

[judygram]

Just let him settle in at the beginning, don't force him to do anything he isn't comfortable with, let him come out of his cage when he is ready and soon he will be wanting to join in with the family as he sees you all doing things, you might get some toys and play with them on the floor and see if it entices him to want to join in.

Being 3 to 4 years old he will have some baggage so be prepared for him to unpack that as time goes on, sometimes when going to a new home they are on somewhat of better behavior like the honeymoon phase and when comfortable he will show more of his true personality but if you are patient with him it should go fairly smoothly.

There are others here who will chime in with more suggestions and congrats on bringing him home this weekend, just relax and enjoy him.

[danmcq]

The first things you should do, is just let him settle in and get used to the new digs and flock. At 7 years old he is going to have many things already set in his ways and "Rules" were established long ago by him and his previous owners learning to interact with one another. The first thing you need to do is assure him he is safe, his cage IS HIS place of safety and you will not encroach upon that saftey zone unless you see he is offering entrance by a hand. Just go slow with tons patience as he gets used to his whole world be rocked and previous flock vanished. I guarantee you it is going to hurt him emotionally for a while as he sorts it all out.

 

I cannot emphasize enough that you must let him come out in his own timing. The biggest mistake people make with a parrot is flooding them with requests they are not ready for nor welcome. It causes severe damage to a relationship you will be trying to establish and lengthens the process. IF you husband is the one HE interacts with at your friends house, then let him do the interacting for the most part when it comes down to seeing IF he wishes to come out of the cage and whom he chooses to stay with in that new environment.

 

I have no doubt he will be loved and give toms of it in return to you all. It's just a time thing.

[birdhouse]

Sounds like he's been pretty happy ruling the roost, to date. No one has known how to handle him except the daughter. Hopefully that changes at your house & he will be an actual member of a whole new flock.

 

Remember that birds are hyper-aware of emotion. Being excited by the presence of a new flock member is natural when kept to a reasonable level. But only for a little while. Ideally, you'd like him to think this happens all the time... "Welcome to our world, now it's time to get back to whatever we do at 2 pm on Saturday."

 

Definitely respect his space, physically & give him time to absorb his new world. But interact with him so he knows that he is a welcome part of it. Occasionally call or talk to him &/or make eye contact from across the room as you're doing other things. Read his body language & see how he reacts. Randomly do quiet things like watch TV sitting near the cage so he can be with you for short periods without any demands being put on him. See how he reacts to a couple of quick visits to the cage with some good food & a little sweet talk. Each fid is his own bird & will react in his own time & way.

 

See what activities might draw his attention. Most of us have seen that our fids watch the vids from the forums. My guys think the laptop is kind of fascinating. If you do crafts, you're almost guaranteed to get his interest. Once he's feeling up to it, he will probably want to investigate & join in.

 

Then it's time to start socializing. You can find so much greyt information on the forums about handling, feeding, playing, etc. You can post your questions every step of the way. You're also welcome to post anytime you want to brag about your new baby

 

Congratulations on becoming a Grey parront!!

Edited September 20, 2010 by birdhouse

[Spinner]

Congrats and honors to you for adopting your grey! And, welcome to the forum.

 

Is bringing him home this weekend that imperative? If you have the option, I would recommend going to his present house and spending many hours just sitting next to the cage and letting him get acquainted. Sitting, not trying to interact or necessarily intruding in his space. Let him come to you if he chooses.

 

The purpose is to let him get used to you in his environment. This "may" help him in the move, as he will have a familiarity with you already. Do this for a couple of weeks and see how it progresses. If you have a laptop, take it with you and browse the forum (especially the stickies) to get much-needed info that will save you and your bird a lot of pain.

[CRYROLFE]

Well, of course she'd like for me to get him today. She is a bit OCD and when something gets into her brain she has to do it now.

The plan is to leave him alone for awhile and keep him on his same schedule....same cage, same food etc....

I will update as I go....picking him up tonight.

I know this is all not the most ideal way of getting a Grey....but nothing in my life really goes according to plan.

[CRYROLFE]

Here is a video of Pepper (haven't thought of a new name yet) our new CAG. He is 7yrs old.

 

[video=youtube;0JJ8Z9-0tBg]

[Luvparrots]

Welcome to you Pepper! Can't wait to hear how Pepper settles into his new home. Congratulations on your new fid!!!

[judygram]

Pepper is adorable and looks like he might be a bit of a dancer if the right music is playing, he looks good and be sure to let us know how it goes in the first few days in his new forever home, thanks for sharing that vid with us.

[pearllyn]

What a handsome fellow Pepper is.

As the others have said, let him come to you in his own time and don't rush him - this is the best advice. He is going to be sad for a while as he misses his family, just try to keep his mind occupied with lots of nice toys - it sounds like he has plenty.

Another thing that might be worth mentioning, if you must change his name, try to do it gradually and overlap the new one with the old one - he has enough new things to deal with at once without adding a new label to the list!

Good luck with him, he looks gorgeous and I'm sure with plenty of patience and tlc, he will prove to be an adorable member of the family.