Gracie Acting like a Wild parrot Help!

[vicky022389]

Hello all. I have had Gracie (CAG) for about 6 months now. The first week she was flapping inside her cage and screaming/growling whenever someone came near her or we tried to cover her cage for bedtime. We figured it was just because she was new and still scared but she is still showing this strange behavior. She talks and the other day she was brave, came down from her cage and was regurgitating. I really want to take her to the vet but I cant find any avian vets that are close to the Orlando area, and I do not have a lot of money so I am terribly worried about that. I have had an african grey before and she never acted like this. I am worried and need some advice. I started to give up and posted an ad on craigslist but I decided to try and keep her for a little longer. Any help is appreciated!

[Jayd]

I found a number of vets in the Orlando area that are avian specialists. Here is just one...http://www.lakehowellanimalclinic.com/html/about.html

 

Something is definitely upsetting Gracie. She has a lot of baggage. It could be the cage, her toys in the cage, where and what room the cage is located, it could be your boyfriend. Is there at least one wall on the side or the back of her cage? It could be a window that she looks out and sees a dog or people walking around that bother her. It could be your body soap or the soap you use to wash your clothes.

 

What you need to do is spend quality time with Gracie. If you can take her into your bedroom with the lights dim, sit down on the bed with her and put her on the bed or on your knee and just talk softly to her, read her a book, make no quick motions. Do this once a day (at least) every day. Try moving her cage. Leave her cage door open and go about your normal routine. As you go by, say "Hi Gracie." "How are you doing Gracie?" "How's my baby?". Keep your hands out of her cage unless absolutely necessary. Pull up a chair and talk to her about whatever, she won't care what you are talking about, she just needs the attention. If you are feeding her sunflower seeds, stop for a while because it can make some parrots nervous.

 

Keep a 1/2 cup of seeds and pellets in her cage at all times. Keep fresh veggies in the afternoon and limit fruit to a minimum; one grape or one bit of apple or pear the size of a grape. If you are giving her a lot of fruit, please stop. If you can, give her one unsalted almond or 1/2 unsalted walnut daily along with pine nuts and a pistachio or two (Unsalted).

Stop all salt and sugar.

 

Is there a lot of tension, loud noises, music or arguing in the house? This could be baggage from the previous home. Try not to make any reference to the previous owner, name etc. This is going to take time. Make sure you don't raise your voice to her, tell her NO!, etc. If she does something that you don't like, say "Gracie, I don't like that." or "Gracie, please stop" and walk away. If she regurgitates, Say "Thank you, I love you too" and walk away. If she is regurgitating, don't touch her anywhere other than the head and beak. Is she showing signs of mating? (bending head down, cute sounds, quivering, wings held slightly away from body, etc.

 

This is going to take time. She is carrying a lot of baggage and I believe something is reminding her of her past. It can be color, smell, you or your boyfriend...have your boyfriend keep his distance for now and make no overt gestures. He can still talk to her but from a non-threatening distance with no gestures toward her. At this time, don't worry about socialization and keep her in the part of the house that is the center of attention. Please keep us informed. Thank you. Jay

[Talon]

Jay offers very good advice. You haven't said, how she has been behaving for the past 6 months? Has she left her cage, does she seem to enjoy you sitting next to her cage and talking to her? Does she show any interest in what the family is doing? Where is her cage located. She may not like the location. Is she getting enough sleep time? What's her diet?

It is like being an investigator, YOU have to try and figure out what is wrong by the things you try and how she reacts.

Keep us posted. She needs a lot of tlc and understanding....

[danmcq]

Jay and Talon have given good advice and asked pertinent questions regarding our Grey.

 

The more you can post and describe what you are going through with your re-homed grey, the better off you will both be if the answer are applied and followed. It takes a ton of patience and commitment in some cases if with such a young grey at 3 years old.