forkeeps Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi my name is Kim and I recently have taken in a CAG that is 15. Andy's former owner passed away a year ago and the family couldn't properly care for him, he was placed into another home for the past 6 mths and I went to see him the other day and had to bring him home with me. Andy is a male (DNA was done on him) and has developed a severe plucking habit. I am not new to owning Parrots as I lost my B/G macaw this summer at approx 70-75, he was left to me in the early 90's and last year I lost my CAG that I rescued and owned for 10 yrs and he was estimated at 50 yrs when I got him. Both of my past birds were wonderful and had their own quirks, yet never plucked feathers. I'm hoping to find ways to help my new Grey Andy alleviate some of his feather plucking and look forward to any hints that may help me to help him live a better life and to talking with members of the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly Yokum Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hello and welcome. In this situation, I would take him to the vet, and get a complete workup done. In this situation, maybe the new loving home with toys, attention and a proper diet might just might go a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi and Thank You. He does have a Vet visit scheduled for this coming Thursday, I do know his diet needs to be adjusted and I'm getting him to try fresh veggies and fruit. His diet wasn't the best, basically just seed and he was on a cockatiel mix---I've picked up Pretty bird species specific grey food, Ecotrition organic blend seed and I'm mixing Zupreem pellets in with the seed, he's at least starting to try the new food. I am hoping a better diet will help. He got upgraded to a larger cage and I'm just starting to put new toys in with him, as he wasn't exposed to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hello Forkeeps and welcome to our family, so glad you could give this grey a new forever home. Since he came to you with the plucking problem there is not much you can do about it as it is probably a habit by now and very tough to stop but Shelly has given you some good advice of taking Andy to an avian vet for a full workup as physical problems have to be ruled out first. Do read thru many of the threads here for lots of advice and suggestions as the members here are ready and willing to give you any help you need to give this bird a happy and healthy life. Pictures are always welcomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Thank You Judy, I will get pics posted soon. I am enjoying reading through the threads, it seems like a very friendly group of people on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Kim, a great big howdy to you and CAG Andy! Wow, you have great experience with re-homed parrots. I look forward to hearing how things work out for Andy in your care. Welcome to the Grey family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Luvparrots, my B/G macaw Trouble taught me a lot about parrots and after a while became friends with most people and my Grey Tango was a pretty sweet grey that liked everyone...my new guy is going to be a challenge as he's a bit nippy and the exact opposite of what my others were. He is getting comfortable in his new house and is starting to let me know he has quite a vocabulary. He came from a home that had dogs and he's more interested in trying to interact with my dogs than me which is ok, my gsd's are "parrot aware". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hi Kim and welcome to the grey forum. With your experience with rehome fids you would fit in to our rescue bird haven room, hint, hint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmydreams Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 He came from a home that had dogs and he's more interested in trying to interact with my dogs than me which is ok, my gsd's are "parrot aware". How do you make your gsd "parrot aware'? My gsd seems facinated with my cockatiel to the point where I think he's really waiting for me to turn my back and it's lunchtime!! I onlt bring Peaches (the bird) out when I can closely watch everyone, but when I get my CAG, I'm worried because I want the bird to have plenty of out-of-the-cage time. The gsd will probably have to be outside the entire time..... Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi Kim, and Happy New Year! Andy sounds like a sweetheart that has had a hard life, and he sure is lucky to have you now. Welcome to the forums, and I look forward to seeing pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 Jimmydreams, train your dogs to learn the "leave it" command, it comes in handy in many situations, you have to train the dogs seperately and then work them together. You start by having the dog on leash and place something the dog likes on the floor, if the dog starts towards what is on the floor say leave it and gently pull the dog towards and as soon as the dog looks at you praise and give him a reward, you eventually move up to items the dog really wants such as food or a favorite toy and eventually the minute you say leave it the dog will look at you come towards you, remember to always praise and in a few days you'll see a big difference. Also I let my dogs go by the bird cages and they all grew up with my Macaw that taught them all to respect the birds, Trouble would take the tip of his beak and poke my dogs noses if they got to nosey, he never bit them but the tip of his beak was enough to let the dogs know to leave him be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks for the Welcome Ray & DawL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks for coming in to share with us. It sounds like you and Andy are made for each other. A lot depends on when and why Andy started plucking. He has been through a lot in a year so it is possible that once he is stable and he is distracted from mourning his first love, he may just stop plucking on his own. We have a rehomed stress plucker. He stopped for months, but on occasion, when he is upset he will pull a bunch of his downy feathers and fill his water bowl with them, then he calms down and doesn't do it for a long time. Some things like biting and plucking start for one reason, then become habitual. In nine months, our 7-10 year old TAG has learned more to soothe himself without plucking and his biting has become minimal and way gentler. He seems to have learned he can back down a notch. Good luck in transforming Andy from a nervous little fellow to a confident companion. I couldn't figure out what is a gsd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks everyone again for the Welcome, here are pics of Andy. GSD stands for German Shepherd Dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Welcome Kim and Andy. I'm so glad you found each other! See what the vet has to say about the chewing. Let us know. Nancy and Sophie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Awww! He is a little cutie! Thanks for sharing your pics with us, and we look forward to many more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Welcome!! Andy is a handsome boy and I'm sure he will settle down now that he knows he's in good hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cute Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hello Kim and welcome . It seems like your new CAG is in good hands . He is very lucky to have found you and you him . I really hope you find the help you need . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi & Welcome to our family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davek85 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) Hello Forkeeps, I live in VA as well. Did you rescue your bird from Project Perry? My 3-yr old CAG plucks herself as well. The thing that seems to be working for Wilma is the "sock buddy". It is a sweater made from a sock. Here is a link. http://www.thesockbuddy.com/ The sock buddy gets pretty tattered since she plucks at it, but it is better than plucking at herself. It seems to "scratch the plucking itch" with her. Dave Edited January 9, 2012 by davek85 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forkeeps Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hi davek85, No I didn't get him from Project Perry. His original owner died and his family didn' want him and he got passed to someone else. It's already 2 wks since I got him and he hasn't plucked any feathers since his first night with me. I started to spray him with aloe water once a day and 3x's a day I use pluck no more to spray him with, plus it goes in his drinking water and so far it's really working great. He lets me rub his head, he's not at the point of complete trust where I could put a sock buddy on him---I'm hoping he won't need one, plus he's loving all the different toys I put in his cage for him to play with and the out of cage time is doing wonders for his attitude. He's also on some antibiotics as he had a crop infection. Now that's he's getting good food and I'm lucky he likes to eat everything I've given him so far, unless of course his antibiotics are in the food then he won't touch it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Jimmydreams... forkeeps has excellent advice regarding dog training. It is a vital part of owning any bird. I was lucky my senior lhasoApso Max, who was eighteen when he died, was here to train Ollie and Zoey our Maltese, to love and respect the birds. They were both pups when she arrived. NOT the best timing, but Sophie was a surprise addition to our family. I got Ollie to keep Max going since he lost his mate Molly age 17. He got very depressed, so I brought home Ollie. Max couldn't keep up with Ollie, so I brought Zoey home, to play with Ollie, and give Max a rest. Next thing you know.... Sophie came home. ( this is NOT normal for me). Max just looked at me.... " are you KIDDING me? Max was blind, but he was able to train both pups, NEVER to attack the birds. Max became fond of Sophie extraordinarily fast! When pups would charge to checkout Sophie, Max would intercede. Max spent another six months working on new pups to love and respect all our birds. He trained them to respect Sophie as their leader. Once he new Sophie was respected as the " new" leader of our animal kingdom, he let me know it was time. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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