why he still unsure about me??need help.. :(

[Momo]

hi everybody,

i have congo grey 11 months old.i had him just for 2 months now.

i face some problem and please help me,(sorry for my bad english)

 

he settle down well,he will take treat from me or everybody but only IF he really likes the treat.

mostly he will ignore the food if its new or look scary for him,no matter if i eat it in front of him and i make really tasty sound and expression.he really easy bored with the favorite food too.this is really makes me slow to train him because i cant reward him easily.what i have to do?

 

this few days i tried to touch him.he wouldn't scream but he always try to bite.is it any trick to make him not too scared of hand??i try to reach his beak(everybody said i should try to touch his beak first) but his fast movement to bite me makes me difficult to reach the beak.i dont show any fear but still..he will not stop doing it.

 

i can come really close to him but as soon as he see my hand moving near him,he will be scared.i know im really new to him and he dsnt trust me completly but maybe there is any idea to make him trust my hand more?

maybe somebody ever faced this problem before??

thanks everybody,really apreciate for the reply:)

[judygram]

You need to realize that he may not want you touching him at many times and a bite is his way of letting you know he is uncomfortable with it. Just back off and try again later but you have only had him for 2 months and since he spent 9 months somewhere else he may have just a little baggage to deal with, meaning some behaviors he may have picked up from his former home. You really need to learn to read his body language as it will serve you well in the coming months and years to avoid most bites, here is the link to that thread: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen

You will have to experiment more to find out something he really likes above all else that you can use for treats in training but I would just let him continue to adjust to his new home and you two build on the bond you need for him to come to trust you.

A lot of greys will be somewhat fearful of hands especially when they come towards them so just keep them away for the most part right now and let him feel more comfortable.

[Momo]

thanks for the reply,u give me a hope.

i just want to know how exactly i should try to touch him?? should i approach him from front,back or above his head because maybe im doing something wrong that freak him out.

and is it true i should put him under my shoulder level to make him less defend himself?or i should take a ladder to make me taller than him when he sitting on top of cage?

sorry for too much asking,im still new to grey and he is my first parent rised parrot so he's not tamed at all.

thankssss again!!!

[brianlinkles]

I have researched and read over and over that the whole height thing about dominance is not true. I think it is difficult to get birds to behave (meaning step up etc.) when they are for instance at the top of their playstand ladder (top of cage) It is hard to manuever your hand properly etc. However I don't think that there is much truth to the dominance because of height. I totally agree with Judy that you should hold off on touching him for now. I think that passive play is the way to go. Since it sounds as if he is allowing time on your hand then perhaps sit quietly on the couch and watch some tv, or read with him on the arm of the couch. This way you could maybe snack on something (popcorn for instance, nuts etc.) and share with your cag. He will observe you as well as build trust just sitting near you (his flockmate) quietly. In time he will probably feel safe and secure enough to lower his head and allow some neck scratching. I think that many birds settle down in the evening and allow this much more easily. I would not however even attempt touching at this point. Just sit quietly next to each other and spend time together. What is his name?

[Momo]

hi,

yes i will give him more time,maybe i push him so far

he spent his 9 months with another family,they dont want him anymore and put him in rescue.his wing is brutally clip and very short(maybe thats why he feel really unsecure )thats how i meet him and i dont know any of his background so maybe it would be difficult to tame him if 'something bad' ever happened before to him.

until now he come out of his cage without any problem and come back to cage himself for dinner and go to bed.honestly i dont know the best way to approach him without freaking him out.

and how long ussualy is take to make bird really bond with us?

his name is momo and he is wonderful bird,thankssss for the help!!

[judygram]

Just take your time with him and be very patient as he learns to be more comfortable, never push him for more than he is willing to give and the day will come when he will allow more interaction, he may have been neglected in his former home so he is very fearful of trusting again.

[danmcq]

Judy has given great advice.

 

From the description of at only 9 months old (which is still very much a baby) he had already gone from breeder to first owner, then to a rescue and now to your home. I suspect the first owner was one of those people that just that owning a parrot that could one day talk would be cool and expected it to behave as a domesticated puppy dog. When that did not happen, the baby grey probably under went some horrible treatment and experiences until it went to the rescue. This is all baggage and memories this young baby grey has of how the human world works and the huge walking monsters have treated him so far.

 

Thus the distrust you are experiencing. he does not know that you are or will be any different and is being very cautious. It will take time, patience, a kind loving voice, smiley face and uncoditional love to overcome these fears and have those replace with trust and closeness to you and family. The worst thing you can do is try and push him into letting you do something as personal as touch him. There is no secret direction to come from the sneak a touch in and you do not want to do this. It would alarm him and build greater distrust and fear of when the next sneaky action might occur.

 

In other words, he needs to decide when he wants to come close to you and touch/explore you, your shirt, your hand, fingers etc. Just let him come to a true feeling of trust and expectation that nothing bad or hurtful is going to occur. He is a baby in need of nurturing and gentle guidance and direction from an adult. Be that loving adult that guides him to being a self confident grey as he matures and learns from you.

 

The touching can occur at the natural pace and level it will reach based upon his personality. You are going to go through many maturing stages with this baby cag. The terrible twos will happen just as they do similar to that of a human child when they try to figure their place in this world and throw tantrums. But, you have a long ways to go before those come a long.

 

The most important thing you can do is read all the great stickies in each room here to gain knowledge and wisdom in how your grey will act and what you should do. Of course ask questions as often as you need. That's what we are here for.

[Momo]

hello

thanks for the help and support,i will give him more time and respect what he feels about me now.

hope the day will come soon,wish me luck!!!!

thanks everybody,i will post soon if i get a better progress

[judygram]

Please feel free to post an update or share some pictures of Momo with us as we would love to see him.

[katana600]

You are being kind and patient with Momo and when he is scared, talk softly and keep your hands down at your side so he gets baby steps to come to you when he is ready. Our grey is much older than Momo and had what he thought were bad experiences with other homes. It has been one year of many rejections until he is getting brave. He will learn you are loving and safe, keep being his friend and one day he will begin to trust.

[Momo]

hi katana

glad to hear somebody ever been in my position,today i just sitting playing computer next to him and he sleep beside me on top of cage.sooo cute to see him really comfort with his one leg posture.

he come back himself to his cage as soon i say,''momo dinner time come back to your home honey'' and he come back.he never frustated me to catch him to come back,what a lovely bird.

well,i really love this bird and i hope he will learn soon how my love is for him.

thanks again for your support.

[katana600]

I think the most important thing I learned with Gilbert is it is not about me being pushed away but about him being scared and not ready. It sounds like you and Momo are going to be friends. His relaxed posture while you are near is good news. Take your time and you will be well rewarded by his trust. You are doing a lot of things right and he is getting calm and happy to be near you. I know you love him and want the best and you want to be his friend, it will happen at a time you least expect it when you are not looking.

[Momo]

hi katana,

hope that big day wil come soon,

thanks,i will post as soon as i can win his heart

[Bhristopher Caldwin]

hi katana,

hope that big day wil come soon,

thanks,i will post as soon as i can win his heart

 

 

There is a lot of great advice in this thread and I think most of it can be summarized in two words.

 

Patience and Perseverance

 

I've sorta been dealing with the same thing with my parrot, chicken, just continue to hang out with your bird, train him (it's a great way to spend time that will also produce rewards further down the road) and just be around him!

 

You're lucky the bird is so young, it'll make his adjustment to you a lot easier.

[Momo]

hi bhristopher,

yes patient and thick skin gonna change him besure

what i know he is lack of confident because of his wing clip.its so brutal,he dsnt even have 1 mm of wing.when he jump(yesterday)he almost roll over and he is VERY upset.

is it any medicine can grow feather faster??