Mariesa Goji Narelle Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Hi everyone. So grateful for this site. Today my fiance and I adopted an African Grey (Our dream brid!!). He is in very rough shape. The previous owners had him in a cage with no toys or anything in a separate room and never got any attention. He is 7 years old and has never been let out of the cage once, so he is very scared of people. He is about 65-70% plucked, only his wings and tail remain. I can tell the type of people who owned him, he only says negative things and swear words, and often says "Shut up harvey" (thats what they named him) When we opened his cage door and he came out for the first time he ran all over it and seems really happy. Ive already been bitten 3 times but its no big deal i understand his fear. I would love some tips on how to help him come around, how to get him to stop plucking, and how to get him to forget swear words if possible. We say only nice things to him and play nice music for him. He already seems so much happier! We were also wondering if we should get his wings clipped, we were scared because we have a cat so maybe its good he can fly? But i do have a fear of the windows. Thanks for all the help!!! -Mariesa and Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Mariesa this poor baby has had a huge change in his life, thanks to you both for the better. Greys can be slow to feel comfortable with changes in their surroundings & lifestyle. Keep up the positive approach and avoid the bite by not rushing him into interacting. Bites can become an entertainment so it is best to not repeat the actions leading up to that result. Go slowly, make small positive when you see he is comfortable with what you are doing or offering. For the plucking there may be an underlying health problem that a good Avain Veterinarian could diagnose and treat, plucking can has many causes. Some examples are heavy metal poisoning (toys and cages can be a source) Yeast or bacteria on the skin, poor nutrition, lack of real Sunshine or bathing, pain from a fall that bruises the bone and these are just a few examples. A good diet with fresh foods, a variety of dark leafy greens, sprouted seeds & grains essential fatty acids and spray misting with plain water or pure Aloe Vera juice can all help as will keeping him busy. You have given this guy a chance and we all appreciate you willingness to take on this threadbare Grey. He may never recover all his feahers if the follicles are too damaged but I can tell you care for him already. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariesa Goji Narelle Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 Thanks for all the advice!! We definitely want to take him to the vet, any suggestions on how to get him there? I was thinking a travel cage and just luring him in with a treat somehow. Hes pretty skiddish right now, but sometimes he seems ok. Any advise on the wing clipping? He was just out of the cage walking around the ground and he attempted to fly (you can tell hes never used his wings, it was sad) and he hit the door. Im nervous of him getting injured. I bought a store bought food with added omega 3's and have been feeding him my meals minus the avocado-- im a raw foodie... its nice having another one in the house! We are going to be great friends =) hopefully he warms up. Hes been kicking out the leafy greens but seems to like mango and beets the best. I hope he learns to trust us eventually, i would love to be able to hold him and walk around with him so he is not just bound to perching on his cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Hi Mariesa congratulations on your new friend, he is lucky to have found you and Dave. I think you are already doing all the right things with your new grey. What are you going to name him, by the way? I would hold off on the wing clipping for now as your grey can't fly anyway because of the underdeveloped muscles but of course that is something you and Dave will need to decide. I am an advocate for flying as I truly enjoy hearing my parrots flying after me from room to room. To me a beautiful sound and my birdies are happy independent little beasties. I have a re-homed Blue Front amazon who was rather untame and he will not let me touch him (he is a biter) but he follows me around my home and goes in and out of his cage at my request. We have an understanding, I guess you would say. He is fully flighted and has finally begun to fly onto my shoulder and is happy as long as I do not try to touch him. He will then fly off. Go figure, Louie is is own man and I love him for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 congrats on taking this grey and changing his life for the better! there are lots of great folks here with tons of knowledge, ask questions, read as much as you can, you're not the 1st to do this so everyone here is more than willing to help, listen, offer advice, etc. patience is key now. read to him, sit by his cage and talk to him, offer a special treat when you approach the cage, sing to him, etc. sharing meals is great as long as it's bird safe. let him decide when it's the right time for more. healthy foods are important and so is a vet check. you might try bribing him into a travel cage with a special treat, or if absolutely necessary, you could quickly put a towel over him when he's on the floor and put him in the travel cage. if you can't get him in a travel cage, explain the situation to the vet and maybe the vet could come to your home. don't try too much too fast, it's baby steps right now. you're in a "honeymoon" phase right now, so don't be surprised if he "changes" to his "normal" self for a while. positive reenforcement, calmness, patience, consistency, etc will pay off big time, but the hardest part is being patient. others here can tell you about how long it's taken them to get where they're at with their birds and what a joy it is to have break throughs. he's only 7, and you have many years to develop your relationship, trust and confidence with this bird. as far as clipping his wings, i'm not sure. i'd say at the moment he's been through a tremendous amount and that might add more stress, but i'm not all that qualified to really speak on the issue one way or another. i'm sure someone else will have better advise. as far as food, keep offering even though he's throwing it out. you could try to "hide" veggies in birdie bread or other dishes. i believe there are recipes in the forums that have been very successful for lots of birds and owners! once health issues have been ruled out as far as plucking, hopefully this new life will be what he needs to stop plucking. but if he continues, you have to keep the stress this causes you away from the bird. we've had plucking issues with our girls at one time or another. i just keep telling myself they like to be in their underwear or are closet nudists, lol! it broke my heart but have learned that even though we've done everything we can to prevent this, they still do it. in a way i can relate, i bite my finger nails and have on and off my whole life! they get regular vet checks so we know they're healthy, eat as healthy as we can get them to, have tons of toys and interaction but still have periods of plucking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 What a wonderful act taking him in and it sounds like he's lived more in the past few days than he has his whole life-poor guy. I'm sure he will come around with time as it sounds like you are taking wonderful care of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emlee Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Mariesa & Dave, You are such wonderful people to bring this poor baby into your home. Im glad he found you. Those people should have the same thing done to them. I can only repeat what everyone has said already. Im glad he is going to the vet, it's an avian vet right? They will be able to tell you more about his health which comes first. Then all of us here along with you guys can help you on your road to having and keeping a great grey what ever his exterior package looks like. They are awesome birds! Keep us posted, and whats his name? Eileen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bran Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Hi Mariesa! Thanking you for stepping in and giving an abused Grey a quality home! Not alot of people are willing to do that! Both of my greys are re-homed... and it is the hardest job you will ever love. Sometimes you will second guess everything you are doing, and that is completely normal. There will be peaks and valleys, and your patience will be tested.... just remember to breathe! I wrote an article in my blog Parrot Earth that you might find interesting, http://parrotearth.com/2011/09/22/just-relax-already/ it kind of sums up a good portion of the first year of re-homing my first grey. Welcome aboard this forum, there are some really great people, and very experienced.... that's always a good thing to have in your corner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Copeland Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 He calls himself Harvey, but it is always followed by something negative, like Shut up Harvey or a swearword. We are calling him "Scuttle" like form the little mermaid =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 kallie's name when we got her was honey. so we used honey and kallie together and slowly started dropping off the name honey. she now knows her name is kallie and will say hi kallie, kallie good girl, etc. (she's only 3 years old and for a while we were all called kallie, hahaha) but i won't be surprised if someday down the road, her old name will come out on occasion. i'm sure she has it in there some place in that way too smart little brain of hers lol!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emlee Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I like his new name! I think in time after not hearing those bad words he will replace them with loving, caring and funny words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariesa Goji Narelle Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 So its day 3 and he is already coming around so much i cant believe it! he is grabbing a chopstick or pen when at first he used to attack. at first i reinforced behavior with a treat but now he does it just by saying good boy! (he also says "boyyyy" when he does it hehehe). He is taking to me very well, i think he may feel less threatened by females. He is running all over his cage and is lovingggg all of his toys!! some new swear words came out that are quite vulgar, so we dont pay attention when he says them. He is constantly whistling now and talking endless. he seems so happy! I cant believe how fast he is getting comfortable!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I can certainly hear the excitement in your words when you talk about Scuttle. Love and patience can do wonders for a grey in need of understanding. I salute you and Dave for a job well done!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Scuttle is too cute!! A new name for a new start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted December 9, 2011 Share Posted December 9, 2011 Greyt name Scuttle it really suits him.You may want to keep a journal of his progress with pictures because the way he is going by next year he will be such different bird than the one you first met. You make my heart glad and his too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Mareisa and Dave... congrads on your new baby! And yes... they are a new baby.From your post, this bird has lots of potential. Focus on diet and step up training right now. Both, will take alot of time and commitment. a bird of seven, is actually quite young. Behavioral modification, is totally duable. We will be there to help you. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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