Skuttle My 7 yr old rescue

[Mariesa Goji Narelle]

Hey everyone! haven't been on here in a while!

 

Skuttle is my 7 yr old african grey whom i rescued. He was kept in a cage with 1 perch and 0 toys in a room away from any communication. When i first brought him home in november he only knew swear words and always told himself to shut up.

 

He is now coming out of his cage and walking around. i will take treats from me and occasionally grab my finger. I have been severely bitten and recently had a HUGE chunk of my toe ripped off. (he was in his favorite hiding spot in the pantry and i didn't know he was coming after me!)

 

I was wondering if you all had any more advise about how i can gain his trust. I just want to be able to scratch him and love him <3 He has such a special place in my heart. Ive been eating meals with him lately since I'm a raw foodist and we eat the exact same diet (minus the avocados of course) so ill give him some of my creations and he will say MMMMMM good! It so great because he was on a peanut seed diet and now is entirely on fruits, some veggies (working on this still) and pellets.

 

He tells me he loves me all the time, and i know he does, i just was wondering how long it may take for him to let me touch him. i am still scared of him because of the amount of times I've been bitten. I don't want to be scared of him any more!!

 

Thanks for the help!

[judygram]

You have had him since November and that may be too soon for him to trust you yet, he is a mature bird that was abused so it will take longer for him to learn to trust again, it could take a year or more for it to happen so continue to do what you can to make that happen.

That sounds like a very bad bite if it ripped a part of your toe off but he was probably scared when you walked up on him in his hiding spot, maybe next time you know he is out and you go close to that spot be on the lookout so you don't get a repeat performance.

Maybe one or more of the more experienced members will have some ideas and suggestions that may help you with your problem.

[katana600]

Bless you for taking on Skuttle and loving him through his transition. We have a TAG rehome and he has been with us just a little over a year. It is very rewarding but slow work to build trust. Gilbert was distressed when a guest left yesterday and I was caught unaware this morning when he sweetly took a pine nut from me and then swung quickly around to bite my thumb. What I have noticed is a slow progression to him being able to manage his frustrations. I am grateful that he is more and more able to calm himself from stress plucking as time goes on but as I learned this morning he is still working on the frustrations he has no other way to express. I am so sorry Skuttle bit your toe, that had to have hurt more than just the toe but your feelings and trust of him too. We have days when Gilbert will ask for a scratch and be so loving and the next minute he is upset for seemingly no reason. The good part is that he is getting better every day, he is getting more trusting and trustworthy and the bad moments get less ferocious and farther apart. They are so intelligent and it takes a long time to reprogram the instinct to protect themselves. With time and patience though it will get a lot more rewarding for you and Skuttle.

[Mariesa Goji Narelle]

Thanks everyone. I noticed he is more apt to bite after 8pm. when he is out of his cage around then he will literally run after you to bite your toes. Sometimes if your in the kitchen he wil run out of the pantry and try and get your feet. It is really painful when he bites but i understand why he does it so i don't get mad ever. I am nervous around him and i know he can sense it.

 

For now we just whistle tunes back and forth and he lets me know when the dog has to go out.. when the dog goes down stairs he says "gotta go out?" its great. we have our little things together and I'm trying not to be too pushy. I also like when he tells me my food is good =) i retired from the chef life so its nice to know i still have it =P

[Guest XxExoticPsychExX]

I've had Solomon since last August and he's already 15 years old. However, I was around him for about 4 years before getting him. Every time I would go to my boyfriend's house I'd always stop by his cage to say hi, chit chat (it was always only me talking by the way) for a bit and then I'd give him a peanut. It took a long time before he was willing to come close to me and let me give him scratchies. I don't remember how long, but it was definitely over a year.

 

Just be patient, kind, talk to him and give him a treat every day he sees you for the first time. It could be a peanut one day and then a piece of his favorite fruit the next or even a favorite toy. You want him to associate you with good things. However, don't give him treats when he does something he's not suppose to, like biting.

[Mariesa Goji Narelle]

what worries me is the fact that when i am in the kitchen he will sneak up behind me and bite me. sometimes its just a little nibble, sometimes he full out runs up to me and bites. any thoughts on this? sometimes we literally feel hunted!

[Guest XxExoticPsychExX]

Solomon does the same to me sometimes (when we're in the bathroom while I'm brushing my teeth!). Now if he's on the floor, i just wear shoes. Nothing open toed. That way, if he were to try and chomp down, he wouldn't be able to do any damage except to your shoes. I haven't had that problem though. As in, Solomon isn't all interested in chewing on my shoes so he doesn't damage them.

 

I think it's more along the lines of, "You're in my space, get out!" That's most likely why he does it (both yours and mine) I think. I'll try to video record his actions this weekend and show you what I mean. Otherwise, bites on the feet hurt like !!!! and it's extremely difficult to just take it.

 

If he were to bite your ankles, that's a different story. Solomon hasn't done that to me. At least, he hasn't really tried. However, I've noticed that when he does try to do it to any other part of my legs, he can't get a grip on anything so it hasn't worried me. Unless he's been taking it easy on me. . .

[chezron]

Wow, I have nothing to add except good luck with Skuttle.

[Greywings]

You mentioned this begins after 8 o clock, suggest he be returned to his cage or removed from the floor prior to that time. Avoiding the bite so as not to reinforce that behavior is the best I can offer.

[judygram]

If most of this biting occurs after 8 pm maybe he is ready for bed by then so just usher him back to his cage, some birds do like an early bedtime, we have some members here that their birds demand an early goodnight so try that and see if it helps.

[danmcq]

Bravo on rescuing him!

 

I am surprised he comes out of his cage after the life he lead hidden away by himself in the cage. God, what are people thinking when they do that!!

 

Now that you know this can happen, wtach for the bote before it happens as others recommended. Are you able to get him step-up with out getting bit?

[Acappella]

My first thought was also along the lines of bedtime. Maybe he is over tired. They can be like little kids who get over tired and grumpy. Is he getting a full 10 - 12 hours sleep a night?