jhumberger Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) I recently adopted a 2 year old male Congo. During the day the bird is petrified of people. Even when taking a seed out of a persons hand it appears as though it is going to pass out from fear; however, then evening rolls around and at about 7pm it becomes the most cuddly bird you would ever see. He will beg for head rubs and want kisses, eat food with you... Any thoughts? (Side note... I work from home and spend all day and all evening with the bird. My wife refers to him as my business partner.) Edited April 3, 2012 by jhumberger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Do you know anything of this bird's background? It may be that during the day something or someone traumatized him and he is very fearful of people and by the evening when no one was messing with him he is more like he should be. You have only had this bird for a short time so he needs more time to accept his new home and to bond with you and come to trust you so please give him lots more time and be very patient with him as he gets more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 Thanks! He seems to do better in darker lighting. I have always been around timnehs so having a Congo is a new experience. Just curious if anyone had seen something similar. Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 That's an interesting shift! I guess you just need to talk to him during the day and love on him in the evening. I think he'll gradually accept that you're safe all day long... Another thought: do you dress differently during working hours? Could something in your clothing be startling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Since you work from home, are you saying that your grey is skittish with all people (including you) during the day or just other people, not you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 He is skittish with all people including myself. We have only had him for 2 weeks. Here is the story we were told. Bought from a breeder at 6 months. He was the perfect bird for 12 months (1.5 years of age) and then the son left to go to college whom he adored. He started plucking at that time. The owners thought that perhaps his skin was dry so they started misting him with water. This apparently scared and then lost all trust of people. The day I picked him up, I would have guessed he was a wild grey. Completely frightened by people in general. Sits and shakes most of the time. My office is in the second level of our home where I spend 9-12 hours a day. Yesterday was my daughters birthday, so I kind of forced the issue to get him into the pak-o-bird carrier. Once he was in I brought him down with the family for the evening. This was around 4pm, around 7pm his whole personality changed. The original owner mentioned that this would happen but I was reluctant to believe it based on what I was seeing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Let your new baby be comfortable, during his comfortable hour. Try to get baby comfortable a half hour earlier, once they like and trust you. The timing, may take several months. Its all about him! We can't rush anything unfortunately! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 He seems to open up when the sun goes down. Is that normal for Congo? Also once the sun goes down and he opens up, he is opened up for the rest of night and as cuddly as a puppy. Once he is tucked in for the the night, the next day it is as though he completely forgets who you are and sits and shakes all day in terror. It just totally baffles me... I told the wife tonight, I might have to start working midnights just to enjoy this little guy... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 I was told by the original owner today that he was fine stepping up and just one day out of the blue, he stopped and acted scared. She told me that she thinks that perhaps one of her teenagers was carrying him around and he lost his balance and fell and hurt himself. She was not sure, but just assuming... :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Maybe if you put him in his carrier and keep him in the office with you for an hour or so each day. Talk to him. If he feels safe in the carrier, he might relax and start to accept that you don't turn into a monster during daylight hours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Dude - You and I think a like. His Carrier, as you can see from my avatar is pretty good size. Today, I left him in his carrier (he slept in in last night), and put a table next to my desk with he and his carrier on it. He seems to be doing better with that. We will see as time goes by. Thanks again to everyone for their help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Good luck! This is such a weird situation. I wonder if one of the previous owner's sons was tormenting the bird during the day and the bird's favorite person was with it in the evening... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 4, 2012 Author Share Posted April 4, 2012 Could be... Its hard to find out the whole truth. Have you heard of Congo's personalities changing after dark? Getting more relaxed? Less anxious? Or is this unique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Not I, but I don't have the depths of experience that people on here, like Dave or Jay, do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Greys freak out, over the most silliest things. It is important as a parent, to understand their fears. Understanding, provide consistensy and routine, is very important Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 How has he been doing the past two days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Ok so here is the update. 3 days ago, with much trouble, I was able to convince him to get into the pak o bird. I kept him in there all day and at night of course he opened up. That night I left him in it but closed the door so he did not get hurt. The following day, moved the carrier up to my office and set it on my desk, interacting with him about every 20 minutes or so, by 3pm he was asking for scratches and allowed me to touch him, that night he was relaxed and singing, bobbing his head and talking, the next day, seemed relaxed all day, and would allow me to give him scratches, kisses, etc as long as he was in the carrier. Here is where I need some help... The little guy cannot live in this thing forever. When he is out of it in a cage he seems petrified so I've not forced him out of it. When I try to get him out of it he does night bite ( he is the most unagressive bird I've ever met. He would prefer to run than bite). So with this in ind, Do I purchase a small cage and start gradually increasing the size. The other issue is that when he is in the carrier, I can take him with me into different rooms of the house and I think he like the attention. I could really use some help here from the experts.... Thanks again! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Do you have a playstand that you can put in your office? If so, maybe you can put the carrier, open, next to the playstand and see if he'll come out and play a bit while you are near (but not right in his face). I'm not an expert, but it might be worth a try to gradually introduce him to wider spaces so he can feel comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Would it be best to leave him the pakobird until he chooses to come out of it. He seems so comfortable in it...in fact, since he has been in it the last few days he has seemed like a totally different bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 That's kinda what I meant. Leave him in the carrier with it open, but have a playstand within reach and let him pick his own time to enter the bigger world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Yes, we have a few play stands. I will certainly give that a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 His cage is in my office. He currently does not want anything to do with a play gym, in fact the only time he seem secure in any way is in this carrier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhumberger Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 FYI... My avatar is a picture of him in the carrier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimijean Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I agree with Doug, let him stay in the carrier and let him choose when and where to come out. It could take a long time, but I think his comfort level is very important and it will help his level of trust grow. A long time ago I read? heard? that greys often don't like big cages, feeling more comfortable in a smaller one, but I figured it was most likely the ones that were kept in small cages from the beginning. ?? Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Actually, almost all greys prefer a smaller cage. Unfortunately, they eventually outgrow the smaller cage, needing a bigger one. Then it is tough to get them to adapt to bigger cage. When I bought Sophie a " palace", she refused to have anything to do with it. Brought back her old cage. New and old cage, next to each other. She refused both cages and moved into cage with Amazon and Sunconure. OH BROTHER! Three birds in one cage! CRAZY! I removed her old cage. She eventually accepted her new cage, but I still find her on or in, the cage with Amazon and Sunconure. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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