Some tips?

[shellxoxo]

Hello everyone.. I came here looking for some tips. Here's my situation: My boyfriend's mother raised an african grey in florida and we were there visiting them and my boyfriend instantly bonded to the bird. We lived with them for a year and him and Buddy( his bird) became extremely close. We moved back to Michigan and we just now got Buddy back... he just flew in yesterday. So here's where I need help- I am deathly afraid of birds and getting bit. Now that he lives with us I am trying to build a relationship to him by giving him food through the bars and talking with him. I would really love to be able to play with him some day outside his cage and hold him but I don't know how to get to that point. I know he can sense my nervousness but I'm just so terrified he's going to attack my face to rip a hole in my hand. I know that's dramatic but that's how scared I am! I would love some advice on how to change because I would love to get close to him. Is it even possible since he is about 3 years old? He's known me over the years but is that enough to make him able to trust me? Thanks for any help I can get!!!

[Dave007]

Actually, you have a lot going for you. Not to be cruel but the biggest problem here is the way you feel. You have heavy anxiety.You have the upper hand because the bird has known you quite a while. He hasn't hurt you, hasn't attacked you. The bird is extremely young. He favors your b/f. Greys are knopwn to favor a certain person. That doesn't mean tha the other person has something to fear.

If a person like you has such fears, it's simply a matter of dealing with the bird by talking, doing things around the house with him nearby. Go about your daily habits and life. One thing you should remember is that a bird who's constantly caged all day will eventually wanna stay in that cage won'twanna deal with the outside beyond that cage. You would be surprised how much a bird feels when he's out of a cage. An in-cage bird is totally different than an out-cage bird. Yopur bird should have a playstand near by to sit on. Some toys should be on it. A huge major personality trait of greys is their inqisitive nature. They alays wanna be involved or at least wanna show heavy interest in what you're doing.

 

You never said anythoing about this bird being a special problem bird. Feeding the most popular treats is to a bird much more important than biting the hand that feeds it. Feed the treats with your b/f having the bird perch on him.

You never said how long it's been since you and b/f and the bird moved back. A bird going into a new place needs time to adjust.

Maybe all of this is just words to you and I have no idea how you'll take them but I can tell you that a person who has the fears that you do is very lucky to have a well adjusted bird plus b/f who's dealing with the bird.

One tip----it's better to feed treats when the bird is out of the cage.

I hope things get better but I must say that I'm not a professioal as far as dealing with your personal situation because I've seen people like you going through different stages of this problem. Some stages are more complex than others.

[shellxoxo]

Thank you for responding! All of that info is very helpful! He has only been back a week so it is a very new environment for him but hes doing great. He's been talking to me all day and is acting normal. Hopefully I can just get over the fear of being bitten. It's funny because I've never been bitten by a bird in my life so I just have to give him a chance!

[Dave007]

Thank you for responding! All of that info is very helpful! He has only been back a week so it is a very new environment for him but hes doing great. He's been talking to me all day and is acting normal. Hopefully I can just get over the fear of being bitten. It's funny because I've never been bitten by a bird in my life so I just have to give him a chance!

 

Well, what you're just saying here isn't surprising at all. There's really no reason to fear an animal that you've never been cruel to. Yes, periodically a parrot will bite but a well adjusted parrot will rarely do that but if it does do that, more than likely it won't be a serious thing. I think you feel like the parrot is gonna jump out at you ad try to do heavy damage and chew you all up and you should know that that's just not gonna happen. He's already showing signs of relaxation with you. It's what you're saying right now that tells me that your fears have to slowly go away and your b/f should be there with you to help in every way he can. All parrots in a house should be in general, family birds and because of his age that can happen easily but it takes time

 

Slow and Easy-------Patience---Patience----Patience

 

Nothing happens over night

[GT_Jacket]

And it only hurts until the hurting stops. It's also amazing what plastic surgeons can do these days -

 

Just kidding - You will be fine. Just remember the bonds you make now can last for another 50years...

[JeffNOK]

Good luck. Glad you are here. I look forward to hearing how things progress.

[Morana]

Hi and welcome!:-)

If it is any consolation, my bird bit me like you wouldn't believe for a long time and the most important thing I discovered that they don't bite without a reason! To them, there is always a reason so you need to tune up and look at their body language and with it you'll acomplish wonders:-) My parrot bit me because I was unaware of his body language and his needs so now when I am aware much more we get along really good and he is 3 times older than your grey. So, I'm saying, be patient, interact with the birdie as much as you can with help from your BF and everithing will be fine;-) There is a thread about parrot body language so try to look it up-I don't know where it is anymore...

Good luck and keep us posted!:-)