New to TAG's and need advice

[aisia]

Two weeks ago, I took in a male Timmeh African Grey. I was told he was around 1 or 2 yrs old and believed to be parent raised. (Before anyone asks, he was vetted and then quarantined at my moms house before I brought him into mine because I have no where to quarantine away from my other fids.)

He has been abused in the past. The previous owners kids would poke him with sticks through his cage. He was also housed in a 15in x 15in cage...with no perches or toys all he did was sit on the bottom of his cage and cower as they poked at him.

 

When I got him, I put him in his new cage in the bird room with my other fids. The problem is he won't come out of his cage in there and there isn't much people contact in there. I usally bring my birds out to the living room to spend time with them. The bird room is basically for sleep and the little's who don't like attention.

 

He has never been handled. If you put your hand in his view he will nip at it. He also growls if I get near him.

 

I guess my big question is...would it be better to put his cage in the living room where I am most of the time so he can see me and what is going on or do I leave it in the bird room. (I don't know if he feels safer in there)

 

Right now he wants nothing to do with people. I do carry him to the front room and put him on a stand but I hate that because he already thinks people are bad, me grabbing him isn't helping. (I do not towel him cause he freaks out so bad it looks like he is having a seizure) I gently grab him with both hands (he growls the whole time but doesn't bite). He does bite but never bitten to drawl blood.

 

Any advice would be helpful. I am not new to parrots (I have several others) but he is a whole new ballgame.

[brianlinkles]

I rescued an abused and neglected lilac crown amazon, she was much the same way. I just left the door of the cage open and sat and talked to her, read to her, sang to her! My vet suggested feeding her just by hand, it took so much time however I feel it helped her to associate my hand with something good. Will he let you hand him a snack? If so I would sit in front of the cage and hand him some much loved food. I would move the cage to the living room, I think he could observe you and learn to trust you in the safety of his cage. I would not grab him out of the cage, I would work to gain his trust. My lca still will not venture out of her cage on her own ever, however will let me get her out of the cage with a step up onto my hand. (this took a LONG time!) I think once you start forcing him out of the cage it will instill his sense of fear of humans in him. Right now you need to work with his fear. You need to respect his boundaries and allow him to gain trust in you. I would put him in the living room, sit and speak to him (try and look to the side of him, at this point you don't know what exactly has happened to him and staring at him may add to his fear) I would lower my eyes and then look at my lca for very short periods of time and then I would lower my eyes again. I would then see what he does if you leave the cage door open while you are with him in the living room. Sit and eat in front of him, talk, read etc. He may come around quickly or it could take a very long time. Good luck!

[aisia]

Yes, he will take food from my hands...although he wont always eat it. Sometimes he eats what I give him and sometimes he takes it and then looks at me like "who do you think you are!" and then flings the food as far as he can. lol All while growling at me like he wants to eat me.

[brianlinkles]

Have you found a food he really loves? If so then I would hand him that. I know how you feel however my birds throw whatever they don't want as well! It takes alot of patience however it will be so worth it! I want to see pictures, I love TAGs, I don't often get to see them. It seems that there are many more cags around!

[kave70]

Sam came from an unknown situation and exhibited some of the same behaviors. What helped us a lot was having the cage where he could see us (mostly me, since I've home all day) all the time, and sitting next to his cage, reading to him. I also played music and sang. It took a long time to get him to allow me to hold him. Only recently have I been invited to pet his head - we're a work in progress.

My personal advice would be to move the cage, if at all possible and then just interact with him through the cage, until he's more comfortable.

BTW, what's his name?

Good Luck !

Karen and Sam

[katana600]

Two weeks is still early in your relationship and he has been in another strange house (to him) in the interim. We have a Timneh who was not abused, but didn't adapt to several moves between caretakers. It has been a year long exercise of patience and gentleness to get him settled in and he is just now starting to come out of his shell. Gilbert didn't growl much at us, he was more withdrawn and fear driven. Time and patience and giving him space has been the key in our case. Bless you for taking on this little guy, he deserves so much more than he has had.

[aisia]

Well at first, He liked peanuts...then he didnt. Then he liked sunflower seeds...then he didnt....lol so I havent found his WOW food just yet. I named him Skye. He didnt have a name before I got him. I will post pictures tomorrow. Also, he doesnt mind my other birds. He has been on the stand with my blue crown conure and my green cheek and just sits next to them. My larger birds like my macaw and u2 arnt fond of him yet so I haven't introduced them yet lol.

 

He is on a seed diet atm but I did buy him pellets...now if only he would eat them.

[Acappella]

First, bless you for rescuing him. My grey Dorian was totally hand shy and cage bound when I got him. It was months before he ventured out of the cage on his own, but I never forced it. I just sat by his cage and read or watched tv, or went about my business just talking to him and telling him what was going on. At first I could only leave the door open a couple of inches. Any further and he'd start shaking, his cage was that much of a comfort zone for him. When I was standing in front of his cage I wouldn't look straight at him, as the members here told me they're hard wired to see a straight-on gaze as threatening, as in a predator (Does that make sense?) I'd also just slightly shut my eyes. That also seemed to be less threatening to him.

 

It may work to your advantage that you have other fids that he can observe. If he sees you being affectionate with them it may help him to trust you, and you always have that grey curiousity working in your favour. Even the most abused and neglected birds here still retain that basic curiosity that is always getting the braver and more sociable birds here in trouble. lol

 

If you can re-arrange your living space so that his cage will fit somewhere that backs onto at least one wall it would be best - two walls would be better. He's in hyper-vigilant mode right now. Knowing that no-one can sneak up on him from two sides might help him relax. Of course, if his cage is in the room where you watch tv, or stay up late at night, you might have a problem because greys, and especially your new stressed out baby, need 10-12 hours dark and quiet time. I spent more than 2 1/2 years sitting in a small chair watching a small tv instead of in my living room on the couch because that's what I needed to do to have Dorian around me during the day and getting his full nights rest. It has been worth it. Check out my formerly fearful baby on the video I posted in the Homemade Toys and Playstands room. Dorian is now my brave little boy and he has the run of the house because I allowed him to move at his own speed. We're here to cheer you on. <3

Edited April 24, 2012 by Acappella

[judygram]

The others have given you some excellent advice and do go about this slowly for it will be a long road since he was previously abused and his trust will be more difficult to gain but it will be worth it when it happens. The cage does need to be where he will be around you and the family most of the time and I second the idea to put the cage where he has at least one side to a wall and preferably two but if not then you can cover one side with a sheet to give him some space to be more relaxed.

All of what you have described is typical of a rehomed grey and it will just take lots of time and patience on your part, remember to not push him into something he is not comfortable with but the day will come when he wants to be a part of your flock, he might not like to be handled much, maybe just being near you will be enough to satisfy his needs. Do keep us updated on his progress and think of it in small steps for those will eventually add up to a rewarding friendship with your new companion.

I look forward to seeing some pictures of Skye when you get around to sharing some with us.

[aisia]

Thank you everyone for all your advice! First thing I do today is going to be move his cage into the living room. Next is to try to find a treat he loves. I've tried peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds and cashews...none seem to be it. As for taking it slow, I will.

 

Here are the pictures I promised.

 

[Luvparrots]

Great advice already given. Looking forward to watching your relationship grow with Skye. He is a very fine looking tag. Love those tags! My gang loves banana chips and pistachios. Perhaps Skye will also.

[Greywings]

Please offer some fresh or cooked veggies and a little fresh fruit as well. It would benefit him so much to eat where he can see you eating some of the same foods. Patience, patience, patience is the way to go whiel you show him that nothing bad or threatening will happen in his new home. You will see progress it will be slow but as his confidence grows his personality will bloom, all that patience and time will start paying off.

[aisia]

Quick question...how do i get him back in his cage at night? I tried turning out the lights...he just jumped off his cage and ran under the computer desk. So I had to grab him because I didn't want him getting hurt. He hates being in a cage now and I honestly dont think he would ever go back in if I didnt put him in it. He was out all day and never went in to eat. He just waited till I put him back in to eat. I HATE grabbing him but he is terrified of towels and perches (since he was abused with sticks). I didn't think he would jump off the cage just because it was dark.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Again... excellent advice from everyone. I always believe, most birds learn from the rest of the flock. Sunny, our rescue sunconure, was a real challenge. He was out of forever homes, noone wanted him. He would attack everyone's jugular, but my son. I did separate him... open cage in the family room. Was reading to him, singing... ignored his lack of interest. After two weeks, I got sick. Got pneumonia. Slept better on the couch. He got use to me. He eventually came out to check on me, as I was always there. I think he knew I didn't feel well. We bonded thru my illness. I didn't have alot of energy. When I finally felt better, and went to bed... that damn bird flew upstairs, around the corner, and found me! He slept on my pillow that nite, and pups made room for him. He never again flew out to attack anyone's jugular. He still has issues, lets us know.

He has since, fallen in love with our Amazon, and they are bonded. He doesn't say much, but when he complains, I know what he is saying! I am sooo happy he has found " love" with Kiki our Amazon. Nancy

[Jayd]

Rescue #1 JOEY

 

Joey: Congo African Grey Parrot

Present Age: Four years old

Abuse Type: Mental and Severe Psychological (No visible sign of Physical abuse)

Background:

We know the pet store that Joey had originally been purchased from. He had been weaned and clipped, never allowed to fly. For the next two years we had no record and we have not been able to speak to the previous owners. After purchasing Joey and with some help also with help from Joey himself, we have been able piece together some of his past history and his previous owners.

His previous owners were a well-established young couple. The female was never fond of any types of pets, did not fit her lifestyle. Joey had favored the male and there had been a bonding but it wasn’t a healthy bonding. Shortly after getting Joey, which brought problems to the marriage, the male was more interested in maintaining harmony than integrating Joey.

This brought about bickering over Joey between the two owners with the female getting more and more agitated, putting him in a small room by himself, being ignored by both of them except for cage cleaning, food and water. There was a lot of arguments that took place within earshot of Joey, possible marital abuse, yelling at Joey by both of them, cage being tapped, arguments about whether to keep Joey or get rid of him.

At this point, the owners decided, (not mutually) to get rid of Joey. So, at this point, Joey and his cage was taken to a pet store where the owner agreed to hold him for awhile and let Joeys owners visit him for a while (which was wrong). They only visited him three times over the next six months, arguing in his presence each time. At this point in time, we took Joey into our hearts and home.

 

The Homecoming:

We didn’t know this young Grey’s name, so we called him Jim (Kirk) to go along with Spock. At this time, we had enough birds for everyone in the city. He was a quiet bird and would sit in his cage in the back and be soundless. He would let you change his water and food (he had been on seeds only diet). He would also shake if you came near the cage and would constantly head-search while chewing his toe-nails. He was extremely neurotic…he was a small bird and looked like he might have been stunted from lack of a proper diet. We introduced him to everyone and we did not attempt to hold him. We talked to him and talked to our other fids in front of him. If we saw that he was being extremely nervous, we would go out of our way to stop and talk to him with a “Hi Jim” etc, and we were slowly discovering the depth of his psychological and mental abuse. We left the cage door open whenever we were home and awake which at this stage was 24/7.

One day, Jay left the room and in the most concerned voice, Joey called out “Hello! Are you okay?” When Jay came back, Joey was standing at the open door looking down the hallway, looking for Jay to come back. He would also say “Hello”, “How are you?” at this time. He also started talking to himself…bringing up his past two years. While shaking badly, he would say things like “Are you going to feed me?” “Get a lawyer”, “You can run but you can’t hide!” “LIAR!”

He would make crying sounds…he would do this while we were not in the room (plus other things too sad to say). During this period, we were introducing him to all sorts of fresh veggies and fruits. (It has taken over a year to get him to eat veggies and fruits)

Besides his ruminations, he also started talking, calling to the other fids, calling us by name, singing but always reverting to his old self and chewing his nails and shaking. Out of nowhere, as Jay and I were walking by his cage, he looked Jay straight in the eye and said, “I’m Joey, NOT Jim”. He told us this twice (imagine us with our jaws on the ground) and we had to start changing his name on our threads.

Now and into the Future:

Joey lets us hold him and play with him more each day. He is coming out of the closet so to speak…he is an ideal parrot in a number of ways but it is all from his abuse years. He has built his life on his own routines. He eats at the same time each day, he talks at the same time each day, he preens himself at the same time each day…he definitely has obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For the last two months we have not heard him say anything from his abusive past. He has a growing vocabulary and strong cognitive abilities which we believe has roots in his abusive years. He lets us hold him when he wants to. At times, he is very cage-territorial and he stays on his cage. He will perch and let you take him from his cage for a few moments only. We have a perch on the outside of his cage and he likes to spend most of his time looking out the window. He is extremely vocal and interacts with Spock and Salsa and lets both of them eat and drink from his bowls and he plays tail-chase with both of them on his cage. He is very insecure anywhere away from his cage. It is an ongoing process to try to get him comfortable enough to stay away from his cage. He has attempted to fly on four-five occasions to fly and they have been disastrous. This is definitely due to the fact that he was constantly clipped. (We have set out pillows on his common landing areas that is more often missed than hit.)

At times, he will revert to something that triggers his bad memories and will pin his eyes and draw blood out of the clear blue. Once he snaps out of it, he is very affectionate and loving.

The Future continues:

On-going Progress: In the last couple of weeks, Joey has made some amazing changes. To everyone’s surprise, when you open his cage in the morning, he will hang from the top of the cage, wait for you to support him with your hand and involve you in beaky play. He will hang with one foot and grab your hand with the other (Yikes!) and play roughly while talking to you. (Non-Sexual) He’s molting and he’s also found out that a human finger is excellent for rubbing the pin feathers at the bend of the leg where it touches the body. In the few moments that he lets you hold him, he has leaned against our chest (on his own) and cuddled.

Now and Beyond:

Daily, you can still see the pain that he has endured. When he thinks we are not observing him, he reverts to his shaking and nail chewing to a lesser extent. His most recent trait that the past is still current in is memory is when we have to leave, he will let out a couple of loud contact calls and puff up to almost twice his size and stare and you and call while you are leaving. It is so sad…

They NEVER forget…any abuse is a major and daily part of their lives and they live with it….it is always there to haunt them.

 

Jayd and Maggie

[OzzyCAG]

Lots of great advice. I just wanted to add the it took me quite a while to find Ozzy's treat of choice but finally found safflower seeds. He would not eat sunflower seeds but now loves them also.

I was told that one of the treats you offer could be his favorite but he might refuse it till he feels more comfortable. He has only been there a couple weeks and that could take a while. If I remember it took me a month or so to find that he liked safflower seeds and how I finally figured it out was when I got him his diet was moslty seeds (which we have gradually changed) and I watched carefully what he dug for first (I experimented first to make sure) then I picked those out of his food which too forever but it was so worth it and I would hand feed him those every chance I got until he learned it was a treat. Then it started working for other issues like getting him to step up to put him in his cage. It was a slow process and he was younger so I would imagine it will take longer for Skye.

Watch his body language, and take everything slower then you think necessary. He will slowly trust you more each day.

Another thing I learned when I first got Ozzy is that when you are trying to get him to step up to put him back in his cage make sure you are higher than him, I had to use a step stool a lot at first. I don't have that problem now but for a long time if he was higher he would not listen or step up. So just a thought.

I look forward to following your journey with Skye and I love the picture he is a beautiful TAG.

[OzzyCAG]

If he does jump down on the floor he might step up easier, at least that was how it was for us. He didn't like being on the floor at first so he would step up pretty fast.

[aisia]

I love all the great advice! As for him stepping up easier from the floor. nope! He likes the floor.

[Jayd]

Here's a Joe update...

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?195450-Here-s-Joe-video..

[brianlinkles]

I'm curious as to how you are getting Skye out of the cage?

[aisia]

I'm curious as to how you are getting Skye out of the cage?

 

Getting him out is no problem. He practically runs out of the cage. All I do is open the door and go into a different room because he is still very leery of me. When I come back in a min or 2 later, he is out and playing on top of his cage.

 

Just getting him in is the problem. I have found a better solution then grabbing him to put him in though. I take a large perch and gently move it around the top of his cage toward him. He will "battle" it for a bit but eventually inch closer to his door till he climbs inside. (when I say battle I don't mean attack, we kind of play tug a war with it except he pushes it toward me with his head and I push it back. He isn't scared of it though as long as I don't try to make him step on it.)