I would love some words of wisdom.

[Clarhe]

Hello folks,

 

I,ll be getting my little baby grey on Wednesday next week ( yay ) and i really hope there are some kind people who can help me out on a few questions i have?

 

I did have an adult grey quite a few year back but i fell pregnant and it turned into a very complicated one that involved alot of hospital stays so me and my husband felt it better to hand him to a family friend who dearly wanted one.

 

Now 8 year on and with 3 children i am on the verge of getting my baby and i,m after as much advice as possible so,s not to do things wrong.

I have done nothing but read books and any webpage on the net for advice and a little help but i found alot of it contradicts and so i,m now very confused. I read that its best to leave them in the cage to settle down for a day or 2 when you first bring one home but then i also read that if the baby is hand fed and used to "hands" and ofc the holding ect then its unfair to leave them in the cage, can anyone give me an idea on the best way to approch the situation when i do bring him home?

I also read that the bird will probabley bond more with the person who has the most contact with the bird or who plays more, feeds it, but on the other hand i have read different and that it can bond more with anyone in the household regardless of amount of contact?

 

So,s not to spam this with all the different advice i,v read this past week i would really appreciate anyone who can give me some pointers on the best way to go about making my little baby happy and ofc trusting me rather than me messing it up because i,m doing it wrong I should aslo put that i am indeed a complete novice with a baby so no little detail is too small.

 

To anyone who can help i dearly thank you for your time.

 

Regards

Clarhe.

 

Edit: I just found the thread for bring home your baby grey \o/

Edited January 29, 2012 by Clarhe
Too dumb to read

[JeffNOK]

I would let your new baby take the lead as far as whether to come out of the cage the first day or two. I brought home my grey six weeks ago, and she was content to come out and explore a bit. I didn't force the issue, though. It was her choice, so it really depends on what your grey seems to want. As far as bonding, I don't think there is any guarantee about who the bird will bond with the most. They have a mind and heart of their own. I am single and live alone, so my grey doesn't have a lot of choices, but in a household with many members you really never know. It has also been observed that greys may switch bonds later in life. I guess the best thing is to make sure everyone interacts with your grey so that it can have a positive relationship with many people despite the choice of "favored person"

[Clarhe]

Hiya Jeff,

 

Thank you for your reply, and your advice does make alot of sense. As far as the bonding goes i had not what you would call a bad experience with my old parrot but it did indeed upset me. When we first got him he was 3 years old and quite a happy chappy, he did,nt take to me at all instead he did my husband. This was ok at first even though i could,nt really pet him or tickle him, to be honest i could,nt touch him at all without a bite. But this did become a problem later down the line when he started to attack me for no reason that i can think off, i could just be walking past him and he,d try attacking me Eventually we had to put him in his own room were my husband would spend his time and me in another room so he could be out of the cage and i wasnt going to get hurt. But as i said when i fell pregnant and we was both at the hospital so much the right thing at the time to do was give him to our friend who was also male and he did settle in very well there.

But now i,m scared that this could happen again. I spent alot of time talking and praisieng and even singing to him Yet he would just get more and more nasty towards me, so i,m just trying to understand and get as much info on the bonding process as i can to ensure we can all bond with our new baby as much as possible.

[Dave007]

1------It is important to be patient, gentle and considerate of your new parrot. He doesn't know you. He is in a strange place with strangers. He will undergo a brief grieving period. He has lost all that was familiar and loved - the other babies he played with and his beloved and trusted caregiver.

 

2-------He may be cautious. He may be watchful. He will want to learn the lay of the land. He will need to adjust to other birds (if any) and other companion animals you may have. Because of careful early management by your thoughtfully chosen breeder, he will be inclined toward acceptance, but don't assume it. A bird is not a domesticated companion animal and his trust and love must be earned by all who wish to have a satisfactory relationship with him.

3-------The adjustment period should last about three weeks. Be patient. Don't rush him. He doesn't know how loved he is and how anxiously awaited he was. Hold down the excitement. Be calm. Allow him time. Let him explore the cage and become familiar with it. The toys will be new and exciting and he will want to check them out. Let him stay in the cage for at least 2 weeks before fussing all over him. Pet, talk, give some small nuts. Communicate but let him get used to his 'home' (cage)

4------Remember he is just a baby and will need more sleep and more food than an adult bird. . Give him all the food he will eat. He will not get fat. He has weight to put back on after weaning. He should have food available at all times. Weigh him periodically for at least the first 6 months. Record the weight. Learn what is normal for your parrot - there will be small weight changes over time. Small losses - a downward trend for three days will call for a trip to the avian vet. He should be seen by the vet immediately, if there is a large loss on any one day.

5------Don't invite the family or neighbors over to see him just yet. Let him come to know you. Be careful to avoid accidents - take your time. Try not to let any "bad" things happen. Once he knows and trusts you, he will be able to accept an accident as just that. Hold him securely. Don't let him fall or be off balance when on your hand or knee. No earthquakes! Don't push him into accepting intimate petting until he is ready.

6------A parrot should be acclimated into the whole family. Allow the least amount of opportunities that will let any parrot become a one-person bird. The whole family has to be involved with the bird in all areas--feeding, treat giving, cage cleaning, adding toys and handfeeding certain types of food.

7------Your parrot should be in an area where your average daily constant habits, conversations, household chores, relaxation and guests are nearby. Putting any species of parrot in another room with no human contact or visuals accomplishes nothing. The bird has to learn to accept all different things and the owner needs to help that parrot do all of these things by putting the bird into the mix of things.

8-------Your parrot needs a decent sized cage and eventually he/she will have to be let out of the cage every day for as much time as you can afford. Putting a playstand nearby helps a lot. The cage needs the type of toys that can handled roughly. A lot of scrap pieces of wood are necessary for chewing and destroying. It's either the wood or your furniture. The reason for this is really simple......The animal is a parrot!!!!

9------When you bring your parrot home, although the temptation is great, it's not a good idea to be handling him a lot until he/she feels good about that new cage and it's contents. Everything else ahead of the bird is also going to be new and learning about them in a relaxed state is best accomplished from the security of it's own cage and no time limits should be placed on any parrot when anything should be accomplished. All parrots are different from each other.

10-----It's a bad idea to allow your parrot on your shoulders because they have a bad habit of biting necks, ear lobes, nape and head hair, breaking jewelry and sometimes biting the face. Not all do but it's a habit that should be avoided. On the other hand, a parrot can be put on the shoulder as soon as the owner is absolutely sure that the bird won't do the above things. You never can tell what's going to happen to you when you can't see the bird up there. Many people differ about the shoulder thing. I'd rather say that it's better to be safe than sorry.

If you kids are very young, they shouldn't be making sudden moves around the bird. Kids need to be told what they can and can't do.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Dave007

[Luvparrots]

You should post your questions in the Nursery Room as Dave 007 is the moderator there and as you can see has excellent advice!

[judygram]

Thanks Dave for the excellent advice as I knew you would come thru with it.

You may be a complete novice with a baby grey but you did have an adult grey in the past so you do know some of what to expect.

But now i,m scared that this could happen again. I spent alot of time talking

and praisieng and even singing to him Yet he would just get more and more nasty

towards me, so i,m just trying to understand and get as much info on the bonding

process as i can to ensure we can all bond with our new baby as much as

possible.

Don't go into this new relationship expecting the same thing to happen as some greys do prefer men over women or vice versa, I don't know why this happened in your first grey but if you go into this new grey's life with the expectation that the new one will react the same then it might very well happen that way. Greys are very in tune with our emotions and if the new one senses hesitation or fear then he will react accordingly. Keep your old emotions out of the picture and approach this new one like it was the first grey you ever owned, give him time to settle in and feel comfortable and don't rush him for more than he is willing to give, time and patience are your best friends when dealing with a grey.

[Dave007]

You're welcome. I only do it because I'm such a loving, wonderful, easy going, likeable, caring, generous, congenial type of gentle, sweet, open minded human being.

[Gwen]

Dave, LOL !!!!!!!! Your the best !!!

[Luvparrots]

Ahhhh, Dave, no comment!!!! LOL!!!

[Clarhe]

Dave is such a modest person i see

 

Thank you very much for the replies, i,m starting to feel a little better already and just knowing that there appears to be a ton of info on this site and some very nice and clever people.

 

I will ofc do my very best to start my friendship with Bob without any doubts or fears of what happened before i guess i just needed some reassuarnce about the situation, so thank you all for that.

 

And ye i should have checked out the site a little more before i posted here with my question. Right after i made this post i found the nursery thread and spent a good few hrs reading through it and found loads of advice and stories and cute little pictures \o/ Now i,m looking forward to Bob evern more but with a little bit more confidance.

 

PS: Every home should have a Dave007 !

 

Thank you all so much again.

[judygram]

Dave is such a modest person i see

Unfortunately modesty is not one of Dave's better qualities but he has a great sense of humor.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I read thru Dave's advice and found it quite amazing! We all believe, and practice his advise. BUT.... did so, only because Sophie taught us. We had no idea what to do when we got Sophie. I relied on my parenting skills. It is better to have this advice upfront. I feel strongly about the advice of socialization to the entire family, as well as shoulder status, for when they are ready.

Sophie and all birds think of my son Ryan, as something special. He is a bird whisperer, if I ever met one. But he comes and goes for college. When he is gone, I become Sophie's favorite. I'm okay with that. She adjusts quickly. ( 24 hours).I'm her mama and keep her safe. Nancy

[Life is Greyt]

Everyone has given great advice and I'm sure you'll do just fine with your new baby.