African grey behavior

[Hassan]

My African grey has been getting 12 hours of sleep but during the day everyday he always seems to just go in his cage to just sit there, fluff up, and maybe stand on one leg or he may tuck his head back into his wings and just go to sleep. Now he is bonded to my dad and usually during the day my dad is at work, and hes not really bonded to us although he takes food from us and touched my finger when i ask. He doesnt really like to play with the toys we have for him either, most of the time during the day he will either go sit and sleep in his cage or go to the top of the cage on the playstand perch and just sit up there and rest. But as soon as my dad walks in the door he goes crazy, running side to side on his perch, flapping his wings, making many different types of squeaks and coming down to the cage side that is nearest to my dad. My question is, Him sleeping during the day is it due to some illness or possibly just boredom?? We just took him to the vet yesterday and found out that he has not been treated right and really no human interaction throughout his life, noone before i got him knew how to handle or properly interact with these birds thats why he is very cage aggressive and doesnt even know the basic like step up or anything actually. (hes 8 years old). He said we would really have to work with him in order for him to change. He also took a gram stain and i guess we will get results soon. But yeah please tell me a bit about your Greys daily routine, are they very active, going up and down their cage, playing with their toys constantly, sleeping during the day?? what is a normal grey behavior like throughout the day? Oh and my african grey is currently on a full pelleted diet with some veggies and fruits since yesterday. I told my vet tht he ate mainly sunflower seeds but also ate the pellets which i placed in his other bowl, he told me to just completely remove the seeds and leave just the pellets. He said the bird will not starve himself and most likely just eat the pellets, and what do you know the next morning he seems to being going crazy on the pellets, he is constantly eating, even more the when he had a seed diet! I guess there were too many fillers in the seed mix which made him think he was full. Anyway the Avian Comprehensive exam and Fecal Ova and Parasite exam cost me in all $108. I asked for a basic checkup for a new bird and that was all they gave me? i expected a free nail and beak trim too but they didnt give me that either. They gave me a list of things recommended exams i should give him and the total price for those exams? Does this sound about right for a normal exam?

 

Sorry for the long paragraph but i have tons of questions need answered since this is my first parrot which i hope will be with me for a very long time

[birdhouse]

I can't tell how long you've had your grey, but he may still be settling in. So he may not be ready to interact w/the flock. Just something about your Dad makes him that happy. At 8 yo, he's young but not a youngster. He's just apt to be more resistant to having his life so changed, even if it is for the better.

 

He's also most likely learned to live a sedate life from his years of passive neglect. He may not know how to play w/his toys. He may not like those toys. He may just not be ready to accept them, yet. So you might try to start small. Maybe have Dad (because he trusts him) hand your fid a plastic straw or bottle cap instead of a treat. See how he reacts & if he's interested. Once he'll play w/it, maybe you can all start to find him little things to play with, too. Buttons, unwaxed paper cups, coffee filters, Popsicle sticks, clean natural birdsafe twigs, etc. This will give him something to keep him active & interacting w/other members of the flock. It may help to strengthen his trust, build some new bonds & recondition his activity level.

 

And yes, avian vet bills are something of a sticker shock a lot of times. Even though your vet didn't seem to do much, there's a lot he can tell from an exam. If the bird's eyes, vent, nostrils are clear, his poop is distinctly white, green & clear w/the correct consistancy, if his plumage is good condition, etc, then there's no indication that the bird should be put thru more testing w/o specific cause. Trims are ususally extra money & aren't done unless requested or the vet feels a particular need.

 

It's a very common problem. Some vets can't wait to spend tons of your money unnecessarily. Some just aren't very good. Unfortunately, you'll need to get to know each of them to figure out what type you're dealing with. Hopefully, this vet is going to prove to be a good one.

 

Welcome to Grey parronting, Hassan. I'm sure you will have many, many more questions. We're pretty good listeners whenever members need to vent, too. By all means keep posting things like your fid's name, story, pictures, videos, etc. Oh, and Welcome to Grey Forums.

[DawL]

Hello Hassan, and welcome. I read through your post, and I was wondering if you had taken you grey to an Avian Vet, or to just a regular vet that sees cats, dogs ect.?

[Hassan]

Thank You for the warm invite, it does make me feel a whole lot better that i am not all on my own and there are people i can turn to for help. Oh sorry, i have had him for a month now and Dawl here is a link about him, His name is Dr. Anthony Dallatore http://windcrestanimal.com/index.php/meet-our-doctors/ . The doctor was really nice and did seem to know what he was talking about. He had a sudden and in depth answer for all my questions. Anyways Junior (Thats our Greys name) came with a small cage 24x22x61.5 so im guessing they had him locked in that tiny cage for the majority of the day with little or no interaction. He opened up to my dad first because usually my dad would never throw his hand back if he bit his finger or put his beak around it, which was something i did. The vet told me that they use their tongue as a finger to feel the surface of things and that hes not trying to bite you, but as soon as people see the mouth open they throw their finger back which scares them and causes them to bite out of fear which those uneducated people did on a consistent bases to him in his previous years. Anyway after two weeks of having him he finally came on my dads hand but not on command. I told my dad to move him to the new cage we had for him which is approximately 32x26x64 and very spacious for him. He was so happy that first day in his new cage in fact he literally went to the top of the cage hung upside down and began swinging his whole body back and forth. It was a great moment i wish i had it on camera because i dont see that excitement anymore. He did regurgitate on my dad sometime afterwards and i thought at first that it was a good thing because all the articles that i went through claimed it was a sign on bonding but when we told the vet about it he said it wasnt good since the bird was trying to make you his mate instead of a flock member and bad effects come out of it like masturbation. Although i haven't seen him do it lately because after that day my dad was had to go away for two weeks for business purposes. but he did do it once to my brother while my dad was away lol. I guess he thought he got dumped by my dad . After my dad came back, things went back to normal and he began his usual walking side to side, swinging his wings, making every type of noise possible, when my dad would step in the house. And the first thing he does is come to the side of the cage on the outside and get a scratch on the head from my dad. Although that night he did pluck his second wing feather, im not sure why maybe it was over excitement. In all his only plucked three solid feather to the follicle and the third one i noticed the next day in his sleeping cage following the visit to the vet which is normal i guess since the vet had to restrain him with a towel, he also cried red tears which made me very sad the vet told me that red tears are normal for Greys. He came out to be 525 grams which the vet told me was a bit overweight since they should be just under 500. but i think the full pellet and veggie/ fruits diet he is on should take care of that, just getting him to play is a bit tough since he doesnt really have much attention towards me but he usually he does go to the top of his cage playstand perch and walk side to side and flapp his wings constantly as if hes trying to take off but it seems like good exercise so i try to do it with him and usually that hypes him up. I am guesssing at a point he could fly since he does flap his wings and jumped off the top of the cage a few times so hes not scared of jumping but the vet did tell me that his wings were cut too rough for his liking and his left wing seems to consist of more feathers than his right so i dont know if they tried to do it themselves at home but it is very uneven and a roughly trimmed, i am hoping it grows back sooner or later. He didnt come with a band around his foot so i am guessing he may have not came from a breeder rather just from someones home. He did have a birth certificate with many tests hes had when he was born, which i will upload soon oh and if the parrot is already tested and comes out negative for some diseases, is it necessary to have him go through those same exams for those diseases further down the road?? And lastly the poor guy did have an infection on his beak which was causing it to grow a bit deformed, his mouth is a bit crooked and cannot close all the way so you can always see his tongue. The doctor told me that he would need to sedate the bird and perform a surgery on his beak to get it back to normal which i am looking at will cost me about 400 dollars at full price which i am not really financially ready for. He told me it was recommended, i will take pictures of his beak tomorrow to show you guys, i thought a simple beak trim would do the trick but it is due to an infection so i dont know. Thanks You guys more pics, videos and text on the way, i am trying my best to rehabilitate this bird to become one with humans and will need plenty of help along the way

[DawL]

Thank you for so much info on your little guy. I am so sorry the people that had him before you didn't treat him well, but he is with you now, and you are doing the right thing for him. Give him time, I am sure he will warm up to you.

[danmcq]

Great update and it's good to hear you received many answers from your vet.

 

One note on red tears. It is not normal, but greys do produce them from the highest of anxieties possible which causes small capillaries in the eye to burst from the blood pressure and cause the red tear(s).

 

This means your grey is very nervous. The majority of it may be coming from placing him in s new cage he is a afraid of which means he feels like he is surrounded by terror. It may be a good idea to place him back in his other cage and [lac e new new cage close enough, with Door open so he can become used to it by exploring when he feels comfortable with that. The other cage may be small, but it is home and his security blanket right now with all these changes over the last weeks in home, parronts, furnishings and strange sights.

 

One thing to always know about introducing anything new to a grey is very slowly and from a distance so they can check it out and become used to it over time as you slowly bring it nearer and nearer their cage or favorite perching spot.

[Luvparrots]

Very nice update n your sweet grey. As I understand it, the red tears are due to the vet visit not the new cage, if this is so, leave your sweet grey in his new cage as he seems he is enjoying all the extra space. Although your grey is 8 years old, he seems to be doing just fine with his new parront and family. So enjoy him and take things at his pace and on his terms, nice and slow.

[Hassan]

Sorry there is a bit of confusion here, what i meant to say was that he cried a red tear during the vet visit when the vet was holding him with a towel to examine him, but he seems to be doing ok now, and he loves his new cage . Before the vet visit he didn't really know how to do anything but today he has learned how to step up to my dads hand! He is still afraid of me and vice versa. but i didnt quit and decided to get it into his memory by experimenting with a perch and after a few trials he stepped up onto the perch . I just wish he would do that with my hand without lowering his head to my finger as if trying to bite. I know he may just be trying to test my finger but he has gotten me good a few times so i am a bit hesitant. Not of his bite though but just for his safety. I dont want him flapping his wings and going mad if he gets on my hand. The vet told us to come see him a month from now to see how he we are doing with him. So far only two days after the vet visit, He has been getting 12 hours plus of sleep at night, has been on an all pellet diet w/ veggies and fruits and also has learned to step up as well so getting all that down two days after the vet visit seems good to me! Only one thing i am a bit worried about, his poop is darkish brown and the urine is part clear and part dark yellow/brown. I think the yellow urine may be from the dark brown feces which kind of changes the color of the urine because it comes together. As i said he is eating an all pellet diet. The pellets are Zupreem Fruit Blend, the pellets are many different colors, shapes and sizes. So that may be the reason why his feces is dark brown, im not perfectly sure but i have read many other posts of people confirming that there parrot had dark brown poop because of the colorful pellets they fed their parrot. More updates on the way

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Hassan... I think your new guy is doing well. I agree he maybe being more quiet during the day, as that is what life may have been for him with previous owner. He is bonding with your dad. That is GREAT! He has the ability to do so. See if your dad can become more active in his life. Work on stepup and down with dad. Once he trusts dad, have dad bring him away from the cage to family room. Have your baby watch the interaction between your dad, you and rest of gang. Let birdie see your dad trusts you all. Of course, immediately return him to his cage if nervous.Eventually have dad have birdie stepup to you, then back to dad. We did this with all three of our birds. They each bonded to someone different. We practiced this for all three. Now all of them go to anyone here in the house. It was fun this morning opening Christmas gifts. All three were there, we traded birds like crazy to open gifts. We had sooo much fun! Of course, wrapping paper was their favorite gift. Who cares about new toys? LOL Nancy

[DawL]

Hassan- Hope your birdy is doing okay, and all is well. I completely understand your concern with the changes in your birdies droppings. I would keep an eye on them, and if they seem strange to you, a call to the vet is always in order for something like that. In your situation though you should be okay as your bird just went to the vet, and I am sure they ran tests, but we can never be too careful when it comes to our fid's health.

[birdhouse]

Change in diet will often, quickly become reflected in a bird's poop. Droppings are a combination of urine & solid wastes. The more liquid the fid takes in, whether thru eating or drinking, the more he'll put out. Junior's droppings should be expected to become more watery because he's starting to eat more "wet" fruits & veggies. His metabolism also needs to adjust to this new, healthier diet.

 

By all means watch the droppings, but what you've posted isn't automatically cause for concern. Yes, since you've started to feed a colored pellet the dyes may well be causing the color change, here. Some pellets will effect a change for as long as the fid eats them. Change the brand of pellets & the dropping color may change, again. You might want to read up on the different concerns & suggestions that members have posted about the different brands & why they do & don't like to use them.

 

Sounds like Junior's started to make some very nice progress. Yay!!! When you think about it, he's being pretty brave. Now, maybe it's your turn. You already know Junior NEEDS to explore anyone/thing w/his beak in order to become comfortable & convinced that they really are not threatening. As long as you won't let him explore you, he'll remain unconvinced that you're not a potential threat. That's going to stand in the way of your bonding. That, unfortunately is also likely to get you bitten. I'm sorry. It's a tough hurdle for a lot of people to overcome. But a necessary one.

 

You're going to need to learn not to be afraid & you can't fake it. Eyes closed & sound asleep, every parrot can sense a person's exact state of mind. One member says they're empaths. They read body language, interpret tone of voice & simply (literally) smell emotion. Especially fear.

 

It's really kind of funny, when you think about it. A lot of this is the very same conflict that Junior is trying to overcome. Up til now, you've been focused on trying to convince him that it's safe to interact w/you. Now you need to be convinced that you're safe around him. Might be very helpful if you really think about what this feels like & remember so you can use it the next time it's his turn again.

 

The "magic" solution (for you both) has a lot to do with control. You'll need to become relatively convinced that you can keep Junior from hurting you. One of the best ways to do that is to learn to understand & read his body language at least half as well as he reads yours. So I'd really suggest that you do some big time reading up on that, too.

 

You might want to try to get started relatively soon, too. Greys often tend to pick a favorite & very often everyone else can become second class citizens, even when the fid loves them. Your Dad is well on his way to becoming Junior's fav & you may want to start giving him a run for his money.

Edited December 26, 2011 by birdhouse

[Hassan]

Update: I have gotten him into a bit of foraging now. Since junior does not have the slightest bit of interest in toys i figured i could at least help him use some time and energy into foraging instead of just sleeping and dozing in his cage out of boredom. Since i knew this was all new to him i started small and placed a sheet of newspaper over his bowl, surely enough when he got hungry he came down and knocked the newspaper off, i did this several times to make sure he got the just of it. After that i decided to make it a bit more challenging by this time taping the newspaper on his bowl, this would help him use his beak and give him some exercise. At first he was a bit afraid of the (taped) newspaper and didnt want to go near it, even though before placing the newspaper over it i poured some of his favorite sun flower seeds in the bowl in front of him. So i decided to help him a bit so i nibbled on a piece of the newspaper end that was sticking out and ripped it off while he was watching (He loves to shred paper). I did it a few times revealing a bit of his seeds, as soon as he saw this and the bit of seeds that was showing through the open space, he came up and began shredding the paper like mad ripping it and tossing it off of the bowl so he could get to the seeds . He finally got it and nibbled on everything in that bowl ( i didnt put too much in there) cause it had been a while since has eaten seeds since his conversion to pellets. I did this taped newspaper bowl foraging thing a few times and he started getting the hang of it. Last time a double layer the newspaper and left it there, of course he was afraid at first but i decided to leave it there this time with no help and when i came back into the room a little while later he was shredding the newspaper off his bowl . So hes begining to learn how to forage but i am taking it real slow. If anyone has anymore ideas about simple foraging please let me know, preferably something that requires paper since he loves to shred that.

 

Also we have had a bit of aggression problems with him, when he is on his cage at about my level he seems to be fine when i approach him but when he is sitting on the couch or something, he is very scared and when i come near him his feathers always tighten and he elongates his neck and usually bites if you get too close. He is a bit afraid of me though since im the one that always cleans his cage and gives him a shower etc. Outside the cage he is very aggressive and another big problem is him and my mom. Everytime he is out he tries to bite her, i mean actually goes for her. His cage is near the couch and she sits on the couch watching TV and he literally comes out goes on the couch and charges at her and bites her arm, It happened many times and yesterday my mom was sitting with my dad watching TV and once again he came from the back slowly creeped up and charged at her and bit her arm bruising it this time. The vet told me that he sees my dad as a mate but i dont really understand why he keeps going for my mom even when shes alone he while come out and go to her slowly and then quickly charge and bite her. Is there anyway to change this between my mom and the bird because my mom is getting very angry with junior ???