Need Advice, My cag is quiet and wont step up ?

[jjcool]

hi there i have a 2 year old african grey i have had him or about 2 months now, thing is sparky hates anythink by her bell or feet?

 

hes semi-tame.

 

what i have been doing is useing a tooth brush the handle side to start stroking her, then moving my hand down and useing my fingers to stroke her she seems fine with me doing that.

 

however soon as i try placing it anyware near her belly to try and train her to step up she will grab the tooth brush and move it out of the way ( in other words she dont like that ) need to try and get her used to me stroking her underside to learn to step up however shes haveing none of it

 

also hes a a very quiet bird???, i have tryed talking to her alot and also leaving a tape recorder on when im out, and sometimes radio but shes still a very quiet bird, not a sound out of her. no whistles, no singing, no mimicking she just grinds her beak alot?.

[judygram]

Hello, jjcool, and welcome to the family. So you have a 2 year old grey that you have had for 2 months now and she won't step up. Have you tried using your hand to get her to step up, does she try to bite you when you do this?

 

She should have already learned to step up from the previous owner and maybe something happened with her previous owner that is the reason she won't do it. Do you know anything about her life with her previous owner? That might help in understanding why you are having a problem with it.

 

Greys can be very quiet birds, I have a sun conure that is louder than my grey. They usually do some clicks during the day and the beak grinding is a sign of contentment or before they go to sleep.

 

Tell us a little more about your grey so we will have a better idea of how to help you with her.

[jjcool]

well the people that had her previously just dident really spend alot of time with her they said, also think maybe they sold her because she bites sometimes , they said she says hello but im not sure i can only take there word for it ive been talking to her alot but yeah i know they can be quiet birds, just strange as sparky my african grey dont mimick any sounds whistle or anythink i spend about a hour every day talking to her so i know shes listens to me is that normal for cag to be dead silent or maybe due to unhappyness or lazyness that shes dead silent?

i spoke to a guy who breeds them and he said thats not normal anythink i can do to improve this?

 

also when i go to put my hand underneith her she bites everytime:dry: so im unsure what way to go from there:dry: .<br><br>Post edited by: jjcool, at: 2007/09/15 04:39

[judygram]

Well when you do this and she goes to bite you do you pull your hand back, because if you do she is taking control. You may have to bite the bullet and allow her to bite you to get her to step up when you tell her to. They learn quickly that if they bite it usually gets their way and in this case it is preventing you from getting her to step up. Just go for it and put your hand in front of her and tell her to step up and if she bites you don't pull back, no matter what, and after a couple of times she will realize that you are not going away and she will do what you want her to.

 

I know she might bring blood but it may be the only way to get her to understand you are the boss not her. She will stop the biting when you get her to step up on command and not pulling back or flinching from the bites. Try this and let us know how it turns out.

[imran]

2 yrs old cag takes time..have loads of patience... if you get a baby then its much easier.. but the training time is same.. 2 months is very less for training

i made my cag step up this way.. i took a cloth covered the whole hand from the elbow till my finger.. and told polly to come step up here.. he climbs up then.. but not on my hand yet.. he is also a semi tame cag.. i ll try this later on, i ll remove the cloth slow and steady..

its a lonnnnnnnnng process jjcool.. take it easy.. and regarding thy being quite.. try to make him sit at a place where he can see the sky and other birds n leave him alone for sometime.. he ll start enjoying by himself <br><br>Post edited by: imran, at: 2007/09/15 11:42

[greylover]

yes imran is right you have to have loads of patience.It is better to for a young on to learn more than an older one.They can pick it up quicker than the older one's.Like imran said it is a long prosess.

[jjcool]

ok thanks for the advice guys, i forgot to say im trying to make him step up in the cage.

 

also noticed first thing in the morning when i gt up i go straight over to cage to say hello but he fluffs up and leans forward and does a click, think it means hes being aggresive ans your invading his territory .

 

i cant get him to do it out the cage as he just flys around everyware and im frightened he will injure himself as last time he was out he was flying off and hitting the walls and dropping down pretty hard and im scared he will damage his wings or break his neck, so i cant try it when hes out the cage so i try it when hes i the cage, also i have trouble getting him back into cage as he dont want to go back once hes out.

 

also i heard people say you can uselly tell if the bird is going to have a good vocabulary or not as they will mumble to themselfs, can i ask what they mean by mumble?<br><br>Post edited by: jjcool, at: 2007/09/15 15:16

[Tari]

Has your bird been to the vet yet? I would take her to the vet that maybe why she is quite cause she is ill.

I would also stick train her then as she gets more use to stepping up just start shorting the stick.

Think I would stop using a toothbrush to pet her. Many Grey's don't like to be petted so I would stop that and take the cues from her as to weather you pet her or not.

A wing trim would also be a good idea when your at the vets get them to do it for you. It well help with training and bonding to you if she has to depend on you to get around.

Good luck

[jjcool]

no i have not visited the vet yet, from what i can tell she dosent look ill, as she does most times come over to you in the cage, her whites on her eyes are normal as well as her eye color,

 

i have a spare perch that a cut up into 2 pieces same thick ness as the perch she sleeps on however she will have none of it, infact i think shes frightened of stick as when i go near her with it she just flaps around the cage, and i dont want to really get her stressed out. or are you suppost to keep doing it untill she stops flapping around and gets used to it?

the only thing i have found that works is a tooth brush, will let me stroke her and then i use my finger as i work down, however soon as i try go near her belly or feet shes haveig none of it.

 

her wings are not clipped, but i heard they can still fly when there wings are clipped? is wing clipping expensive?

 

Post edited by: jjcool, at: 2007/09/15 15:30<br><br>Post edited by: jjcool, at: 2007/09/15 15:35

[Tari]

Birds rarely look ill till they are very very ill. They are very good at hiding illness. A checkup is always in order for a new bird even if they appear to be healthy. Just part of getting a bird. I always take a new bird to the vet within 3 days and I tell everyone that buys a bird from me to do the same. I know mine are not sick but it is just a smart thing to do.

Keep tring with the stick. If you let her win everytime you'll never get anywhere with her.

Maybe start out with just having the stick near the cage then open the door and just put it in the door. In the mean time just enjoy her and talk to her a lot or read while you sit next to the cage.

[Guest]

Older greys are very shy! Sometimes they will be closet talkes until they feel safe in their new home. Why don't you use a wooden perch? Also another good thing to try take your bird until the bathroom and shut the door and sit down on the floor with the bird. Just sit there and talk to the bird let it get to know you. 2 mos is not that long so give the birdie sometime to get use to his or hers new home.

 

I don't know how you feel about putting a towel on the birdie just to get it to the bathroom. That way you won't get bit by his/hers beak.

 

Goodluck!<br><br>Post edited by: ~Bindi~, at: 2007/09/15 18:24

[Tari]

Bondi that is a good idea. Same advice I give for taming a budgie. Toweling them and taking them to the bathroom or other small room. Just make sure the toilet seat is down. lol

[jjcool]

i have tryed a wooden perch however she dont like it as she panics & flaps around cage soon as i put the wooden perch near her .

 

i am getting better at stroking her as i now put my hands in to stroke her and shes ok with that however soon as i put my hand near her belly shes haveing none of it, it seems she dont like anythink near her belly or feet:dry: so not sure where to proceed with that to get her to like someone touching her belly or feet.

 

heres a pic of sparky checking out my dog.

 

Post edited by: jjcool, at: 2007/09/16 03:42<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2007/09/21 02:34

[imran]

jjcool i think you are going too fast for your cag.. patience dude.... atleast your bird lets you stroke it.. my cag wouldnt let me touch him also.. go slow or your bird will get stressed out.. just let him be for few weeks, maybe months as far as i have heard might take yrs too :blink: have patience

btw nice pic.. is he 2 yrs old.. i feel he is more older then 2 years..<br><br>Post edited by: imran, at: 2007/09/16 11:41

[jjcool]

yeah sorry i found out hes 3 not 2, how could u guess he was older than 2 lol :ohmy: