Need some advice,

[jeana]

Hello everyone

I recently bought a 18 year old Grey from this older lady, ( i bought her in december)she (the Grey) is so quiet, she does her whistling thing, and sound effects, but almost never comes out of her cage during the day, she comes out in the evening, when the sun goes down, I am thinking this is because of my U2,(Umbrella Cockatoo)

she plays a tiny bit, she has alot of toys that i have gotten for her, both wooden and plastic) from the petstore) She eats like a little pigglet though, lol so am sure she is healthy, and she is on a pellet diet as well as veggies, and bits of fruit, a few almonds... Could this be because of her age?

 

Second question:

I am getting another Grey, I feel bad for the poor guy!!! His parent died in December, so this guy bought all his birds at an estate sale, course the poor guy got stressed and started to pluck his feathers, Now the guy had him for 3 months and selling him, so i thought since i have some experience with them, I might buy him to save him from going to somewhere where he will be further stressed out, Can i put both birds together? The new bird came from a home with several macaws, a cockatoo, a amazon and one other parrot, so he is used to it, but i am wondering if it may stress him out further, or will it offer comfort for him, I want to make his life as easy as possible. Will he continue to pluck?

Thanks everyone,

[birdhouse]

An 18 yo Grey isn't going to be as active as a baby, isn't going to settle into a new place as easily & isn't going to change habits readily. If she's had a vet check & is healthy, then those may be some issues with your grey (name??).

 

You didn't say how long you've had her, but a grey's adjustment period can take months. She may still be trying to get comfortable with her surroundings incl your too. She may also only come out at nite because that was what she got used to in her old home. She may have had a number of homes in her lifetime & is reacting to being uprooted yet again. It's hard to say, especially without all the facts.

 

Once she is comfortable, she should be playing some pretty much everyday, even if only for short periods of time. My fid is at least 35 yo, scared of EVERY new thing & is still interested in playing if given the right things to play with. If she's not, then you can work on it with her. There are a lot of posts on toys & toy psychology on this site. You might get some insights in the Homemade Toys & Play Stands forum. Personally, I think toys & toy making are a great way to bond with my fids.

 

Introducing another bird at this point could complicate things with the first Grey. You might want to read thru the threads on how others have done it, before hand.

 

Plucking is a very frustrating thing. The causes may seem straight forward but are often complicated & it's not always something that can be stopped. Even if it can, it can have residual problems if the bird did severe enough damage. Here, I would send you to the Health forum, because A LOT of paronts have posted about this problem.

 

I know that you were probably hoping for a list of simple answers to your questions. Sorry I'm basically telling you to go read a bunch of stuff instead of giving them to you. But you've got a number of things going on here. And I really think you'll get a lot better picture from the ongoing threads than I can sum up here.

 

You will also get a much more realistic picture of life with Greys. They're very different from other parrots. They're incredibly complex, emotional & intelligent. Did I mention complex?? And they're kind of hard to decode. But the more you read, the more you learn, the easier it gets... sort of. But they are, unquestionably, well worth the effort.

[BenzMama]

Thank you for opening your heart & home to these Greys. When you ask about putting the 2 of them together, did you mean in the same cage or just the same room? Your current Grey is still making adjustments & getting a 2nd one will also require an adjustment period. They each should have their own cage ~ a place they know is theirs alone for the extra security & stability that provides. You should also maintain a 'pecking order' of having your current Grey first in any interactions should you add the 2nd Grey. She can ~ and likely will ~ feel shunned otherwise.

 

We have 3 Greys + 3 large cages in our living room. Two came to us who were relinquished to a Foundation (both for plucking issues; both fostered prior to adoption) and the 3rd was a private rescue. They are allowed out together & may interact as they so choose ~ with supervision, of course. While in their cages, they enjoy each other's company as they watch cartoons & share flock calls.

[judygram]

The 18 year old grey is set in her ways and may be used to not coming out of her cage until the evening, greys do tend to be one of the quieter birds and this one may be even more so than most but as long as she eats good then thats just the way she is.

If you get another grey it will have to have its own cage for even if the two of them would get along fine they should have a cage that each can call their home, their safety zone where they feel at ease, they can share the same room as one will be company for the other and they can be allowed to interact when they are out together.

You will have to quarantine the new one in case he has anything the other bird could catch especially since he comes from a home with other birds and do take him to your avian vet for a checkup.

It might be that if he settles into your home with a quieter lifestyle he may not continue to pluck especially if the plucking was caused by stress but lots of times when a bird starts plucking it becomes a habit that is almost impossible to break but a vet visit would be in order to rule out anything physical as the cause.

[Luvparrots]

Hi Jeana, you have a great heart to take in these two greys. As others have already said, they will need to each have their own cages. I have re-homed an older eclectus who is totally set in his ways. He has his own schedule and insists that it not be changed. He wants the lights off at 7:00 pm and he will scream if the lights don't go out, no exceptions. He was found 10 years ago and was a plucker, and he is still a plucker, much to my dismay, but we are trying. I look forward to hearing more about your two greys and seeing some pictures.