Hey everyone

[TeriG]

Just joined and thought I would introduce myself. My name is Teri and I am inheriting a 25yr old African Grey. I have never owned one, but I have known this one for about 21 years. Her name is Virgil (originally she was thought to be a boy). Her owner passed away and I didn't want her to go to just anyone. So I'm going to take her and I'm hoping she will eventually bond with me. She would let me hold her and pet her whenever I was around, but not much else. I'm a little nervous and just want to make her as happy as possible. She was kind of neglected for the last few years, and I want her to know that she won't be neglected again. Any advice would be greatly appriciated. Oh, I haven't seen her in a few years. Will she remember me?

 

Thanks, Teri

[judygram]

Hello Teri and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you are going to give Virgil a new forever home.

 

She might indeed remember you for they have good memories but when you get her let her take her time in settling in to her new home, don't rush her, just let her set the pace for what she will allow. She has spent a lot of her life with one person and she might even grieve for her past owner but you can help her get past that.

 

A grey's trust has to be earned so let her get to feeling comfortable, allow her to come out of her cage on her own, you can ask her to step up but if she hesitates then back off and try again later. Since she is an older bird it will take longer for her to get used to you and as she opens up you will see she has some baggage from her former life, they usually do and she is set in her ways so certain things you may not be able to change but just accept her the way she is.

 

Please read thru many of the threads here as you will learn a lot from the many members, firsthand experience is the best and you may find helpful answers to questions you didn't know to ask until you bring her home but do ask any questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

 

When do you plan on getting her? Please share some pictures of Virgil when you get the chance to take some.

Edited August 3, 2012 by judygram

[TeriG]

I will be picking her up in 2 weeks. We do have a 10hr drive ahead of us, so I'm a little worried about that. What is the best way to transport a Grey. I have a small dog crate that I have put a perch in. I was hoping it would work.

I have always loved Virgil and always wanted a Grey of my own. I can't wait to have her home. I bought her a new bigger cage, since the one she has is as old as she is and quite rusty. I also bought a good quality food to slowly switch her over to, since she has been on a mostly seed only diet. I also bought her a ton of toys. She still has the same 2 toys that she has had since I've known her. I've been all over the internet trying to find out as much as I can before she comes home. I'm really glad I found this forum! Thanks for all the advice!!

[judygram]

I have a couple of those collapsable travel cages to transport my birds, my grey travels with me when I go visit my son and his family, it is a 4 hour drive one way and she does just fine, she plays and chats to herself. If you don't have anything but the dog crate right now it will suffice until you can get a proper travel cage which you should have in case she needs to go to the vet or just out and about.

There are lots of threads in the bird food room where you will learn what to feed her but if she only wants the seed right now then just let her have it and you can slowly work on getting her on a better diet.

Homemade toys and playstands has a lot of ideas to make your own toys from common things you find around most households so you do not have to spend so much on toys but it sounds like she is going to be one lucky grey.

[Ray P]

Hi Teri and big welcome to you and Virgil to the grey foeum.

Judy has given you some great advice to help Vergil become part of your family.

And yes we do love pictures

[Luvparrots]

Hi Teri, I am all excited for you and Virgil. What a great adventure the two of you are on. Judy has given loads of great advice. Watch Virgil's body language and let her take the lead. Talk to Virgil and let her know what is happening as grey's are very intelligent beings and watch us all the time so see what we are doing. Looking forward to some pictures after you both get acquainted.

[JeffNOK]

So glad to hear your story. Virgil is a lucky girl. It's clear you want to provide a good home for her. This forum is a wonderful resource. Just read read read read--and ask questions. You will do fine. Life with a grey is a unique and rewarding experience. Welcome to the family.

[TeriG]

Thanks everyone! Here are a few pictures that were sent to me. Once I get her home I will take lots more.

 

 

Here is her new cage. I still have a bunch of stuff coming, so it's not complete yet.

 

[Ray P]

Let us know when she is home so we can give her a BIG WELCOME.

[CLB]

She is very pretty! Good luck and safe travels.

[aerial.2000]

great looking cage ... marco was sposed to be a "boy" too lol but its all good its just a name. Im sure she will love her new home and owner welcome

[Dusty Grey]

Welcome Virgil and Teri to the forum, Join in with us and feel free to ask anything you need to know it's really friendly bunch of people on here. x

[TeriG]

We're Home!!

 

We brought Virgil home on Saturday. It was a long trip, but he did very well. (It was originally thought that Virgil was a boy. Then I was told he was a she. When I went to pick HER up I was told they think she IS a he. So I think I will have a DNA test done to find out for sure. So until then I will call Virgil a boy since that's what he is use to.)

 

Anyway, we brought him home and he is doing really good. He is taking to his cage, eating well, and talking up a storm. He even asked me yesterday when I was in the kitchen "what are you doing out there". I was getting some apple for him, so I told him that and he mumbled something and then was quiet. He is so cute. Everytime he see's me, he whistles this cute little whistle and then does this strange stretch where he grabs a hold of his perch with one foot and the cage with the other and puts his head way down and stretches! He won't do it for my husband. I think he is still afraid of him. He fluffs up and does this high pitch beep when he gets to close to his cage. But he will prance around and dance for me.

 

He won't let me hold him yet. He will bite if I try, but I know with time he will warm up. He acts like he really wants to trust me, but he's just not sure yet.

 

He looks to be in decent shape. I will be slowly weening him off of seed only to pellet. Once he is comfortable I am going to take him in to the vet for a complete check up. His tail feathers look a little frayed. I don't know if this is normal? When he preens he tugs pretty good on the ends of the feathers. Almost nibbling. I will post a picture for you to see.

 

Here he is in his new cage:

He loves his new bell!

[TeriG]

Here is the picture of his tail. Maybe it will look better over time after have a better diet. I also want to get him something he can bathe in. I know he has never had a shower and he use to try and bathe in his water bowl.

 

[Timbersmom]

What a beautiful boy (or girl as the case may be)! I can commiserate with the gender problem. Timber (TAG) came to me as his/her 3rd (that we know of) rehoming and the comment was "we think Timber is a boy." OK. I'm planning on DNA myself on my next visit to the vet. I'm so happy for you! After a couple of months, I'm wondering what I did with all my time before Timber came home to us It sounds like Virgil is settling in well. That's a nice looking cage too. The talking is so entertaining, and it's such a joy to hear them interacting with you that way when you first bring them home. It's as if they are really anxious to establish a relationship, just like you are. It took us a few weeks of "hands off," but now Timber is becoming the original cuddlebird, wanting scratches and beak rubs all the time. You are right about the trust, it takes them awhile to get there, but with time he will. It has taken my husband quite a bit longer. Timber still doesn't want him touching him yet, but he has stopped the fear behavior like fluffing up or moving to the other side of the cage when he is around. Hubby can touch his beak without Timber lunging or hurrying back in the cage now. Slow and steady wins the day. Good luck and God bless

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Virgil, looks quite healthy!I would suggest opening the door, whenever you are home, offering her the opportunity to stepout. As far as into to other family members, it should be done away from the cage, but after she feels trusting with you. Nancy

[CLB]

Welcome home Virgil!!

[Sarasota]

Virgil sounds like he is adjusting well. The tail feathers look fine to me - it looks like he may have a couple of new ones. I suspect he rubbed them against the cage bars, or toys. My toucans will get a little frayed looking when they do that. He probably also just needs a good drenching. Mine get the drench at least once a week, plus regular sprays. It's hard to tell, but the stretch might be him coming down for a quick head rub.

 

Everything sounds fantastic!

[TeriG]

I thought he might want a head rub too, but then he tries to bite. I don't know. I'll have to see if he keeps doing it. How should I go about the bath thing? I doubt he was ever sprayed or put in the shower.

[Sarasota]

Think of it this way: right now you both speak different languages. It will take some time to figure out what each other is saying. You mentioned him "dancing." If you mean bobbing his head up and down with fluffed feathers...that may be him telling you to back up a bit. That's what my 31 year old TAG does if I'm too close. He'll also let out a long, single whistle. It took a few weeks for me to learn that. Now, if he starts to bob, I take a step back and he stops.

 

Rather than trying to pet him (and he may have pin feathers coming in on the head too), experiment with finding out what his favorite treats are - then hold them back from regular feedings. If it's a bit of apple, an almond, etc. - make sure you and your husband hand feed it. Soon he will associate you with the special treats. There will be time for pets and cuddles later once he learns he can trust everyone. 21 years with someone else is a long time. He's probably confused and a little scared. Give him lots of love!

 

As for the bath, first see if he reacts poorly to the spray bottle. If so, offer him a bowl of water at the bottom of his cage. Some birds prefer to bathe in a dish. My birds come outside and enjoy the mister setting on the garden hose when it's not too hot or cold.

[Timbersmom]

I went through that "drop the head then try to bite" for a few weeks with Timber. What worked for me was petting him through the cage bars. Actually, the first thing I did was just touch his beak and feet when I could reach him so he would get used to my hands and know I wasn't going to hurt him. When he was close to the bars, I would try to scratch at the top of his beak. He got better and better about letting me do it as he began to trust me, especially at night. He would sometimes lean toward the bars and let me scratch his head. I think they feel safer when the bars are between you. After that step, I started touching his beak when he was sitting out of the cage. He would drop his head sometimes, but when I would try to scratch his head he would draw back and give me a half-hearted lunge. The day finally came when he let me actually scratch his head while he was outside the cage. Now we are up to all around his head and beck, including the underside which he seems to particularly like. Everyone here on the forum was right when they told me it was just a trust issue. Timber isn't as receptive to petting when I stick my hand in the cage door. Sometimes I can pet him, other times he lets me know with his body language he isn't having any. I think he still feels threatened when my hand comes in the cage (his territory).

 

One more thing though, most here say that some birds just aren't into being touched and show their affection and bonding in other ways. It's really too early to say with Virgil. You really have to give them plenty of time, and it can be frustrating.

 

I have a standard spray bottle that I use to spray him. I put purified, chemical-free water in it and he loves it. Some do and some don't from what I've read here. You will probably be able to tell if Virgil likes it from his body language. Timber half closes his eyes and opens his beak like he's trying to catch water. He rubs his face on the area around him that is wet. He doesn't run when he sees the spray bottle, he climbs on the cactus perch he likes to be on when I spray him (easier to grip when wet I'm guessing) and looks excited.

 

A real bath is something else. When I spray Timber with the bottle, he doesn't open his feathers. In other words, the water is shedding off. When he decides he wants a real bath, he starts throwing water from his bowl over his shoulder on himself. When I see him doing that, I have a shallow pan I fill and put in the bottom of his cage. He makes a beeline for it and does everything but roll around in it (it is actually kind of funny to watch). When he gets good and wet, he will get on top of the cage where he has freedom of movement and flap his wings and such. I don't have a good way to bathe him yet, partly because I'm just getting to the point of being able to get him to step up (he still won't step down unless there is a cage or perch there).

 

I'm a newbie myself and there are others here who can give you lots of good advice. I thought I'd share my experience since I'm just getting started too! Any corrections or suggestions to what I've said by those with more experience are welcomed. It is a learning experience for me too.

[braveheartdogs]

Aw, Virgil is so handsome. I think his condition looks really great! My grey loves to be misted. I use Rain or just water from a bottle that has a fine mist. He will go to the top of his cage and hang upside down.

[Timbersmom]

I think we were typing at the same time Sara! I didn't know about the bobbing possibly meaning backoff. That is good info.

[FirstPenguin]

The circumstances you listed had me imagining a plucked bird in really bad shape, but I too was surprised to see how good he looks in the pictures. I'm new to greys but have been around other birds enough to know that building a relationship doesn't have to be so hands on. I sometimes leave treats for our bird a few inches away outside the "strike zone" and then back off and give them space to retrieve it. Then I just quietly talk to them. They're smart enough to know who provided the treat even if you're not placing it right in their beak. This hands off approach can help associate good things with you and builds trust.

[TeriG]

He's not fluffed up when he's dancing. He's bobbing his head and moving back and forth and chirping. Tonight he was going super crazy dancing and climbing all over the cage, so I decided to see if he wanted to step up. I asked him if he wanted to come out and he stepped right up to me. He got a little nervous after a minute and grabbed a hold of my finger pretty hard so I put him back in his cage. He's eating now and seems much calmer. I was thrilled that he stepped up to me from inside his cage. He never even did that way back when I was around all the time. I am so happy right now.