Anyone adopted a grey from an excellent home before?

[Pookamama]

I'm adopting a Timneh from a woman who has had medical conditions and not as much attention to give her beloved flock. She has about nine birds, and from my conversations with her over the phone it's very clear that she has taken excellent care of her fids and is very concerned with making sure I know everything I need to know to take care of her grey. The Timneh is a four year old named Gabby and is very sociable with her, her kids, and her husband. The lady has told me so much about Gabby's habits and favorites and it's been so wonderful to find that we are a match!

 

She has had the bird since it weaned, so this will be a big change for Gabby. Along with taking it slow, being patient, and loving, what specific tips do you have for our transition? Gabby does have a favorite snuggle hut she sleeps in that we are taking with her. She eats Zupreem fruity pellets and I'm not sure if we should keep her on that or switch to something else (I've heard Roudybush is healthier but I don't know if it's healthier enough to switch) and she's great at eating a big variety of fruits and vegetables and birdy bread. So I plan on just offering her little bits of whatever I feed the kiddos (of course minus chocolate, avacado, pits, tomatoes, overly salty and sweet things).

 

I would also like to introduce a harness to her. How will I know when she trusts me enough to engage in doing that? She has been kept clipped and while I eventually want to work on her being flighted, but since it will be her first time and mine I am going to take it slow and wait it out (especially since I have children that leave doors outside open on a regular basis). But even if she is clipped, I really want to use a harness so we can go out confidently.

 

Thanks so much for your input. We are going to get her on Friday. I am so incredibly excited!

[thenabrd]

first of all, kudos for rehoming a bird and congrats on the newest family member! you and your family are about to become a flock and its a fun thing to be!

 

kallie came from a loving home. the woman that owned her before us also had her from weaning. the woman passed away and the family couldn't take any of her birds due to their own health issues. they wanted to make sure those birds all found loving homes, so it was a process of a couple of months of visits, interviews, a visit to our house, etc. kallie came with her cage, all toys, foods and a 1st vet visit to assure themselves and us that she was healthy. we already had a bird, so kallie hasn't ever known what it is to be an "only" bird.

 

besides the obvious changes, the biggest for kallie was having a man around all the time (her previous owner was a widow). so, everyone thought i would be her "favorite" being female, well we were all wrong. kallie thinks my husband is the be all, end all of her universe. she likes me well enough, but he's most definitely her chosen. so, be prepared for that as well. we might choose the bird, but the bird chooses us. this doesn't mean that person is then the only one to handle/deal with/take care of/etc the bird, everyone needs to be involved in that, but it means the bird ultimately makes up its own mind who they like "best".

 

are you getting this bird's cage and toys? if so, before you take it all apart to move it to your house, take pictures so that you can set it up as close to what it was as possible. talk to the bird, explain everything. this is a transition process so patience is needed. have everyone go slow, take time and watch for this bird to show it's ready for "more". i know its exciting to bring a new bird home, but too much too fast does more "harm" than good. i wouldn't even think about the harness for a while. this bird is about to have its entire, known world changed. the harness can wait, building trust is the most important thing with a bird! sit by the cage, read, sing, talk, explain things, including noises as even these will be new and possibly scary. remember some greys are very shy/cautious, some are very brave. you'll need to figure out what your new grey is "brave" about and "cautious" about and go from there. try not to overwhelm the bird with everyone right away. maybe have everyone take turns sitting by the cage reading or talking so the bird gets more comfortable with everyone.

 

try to keep on the same schedule/foods at the beginning, then if you need to modify it, slowly make the changes. get the bird checked out by an avian vet as soon as you can, just for your own peace of mind. we did the vet visit on the day we brought kallie home, so all the drama and trauma was all on the same day.

 

taking the bird outside, no problem! get a smaller cage, we use a cockatiel sized cage for kallie to take her outside. but until the bird trusts you and is more comfortable in its new home, wait to do that, especially if the bird hasn't been outside before. kallie hadn't been outside in her previous home, so even though we've had her almost 1 1/2 years, going outside is still a bit stressful to her, but she handles it better each time we do it. we pick a day that isn't too cold or too hot, not too windy either. of course athena is in her own small cage outside with her, but kallie still hasn't decided whether outside is a good thing or a bad thing, lol!! (she can't see the wind, so she doesn't know what's "touching" her)

 

i hope some of this helps. you've come to the right place for information and advice. the members here are fantastic and very knowledgable!!!

[Sarasota]

Excellent advice from thenabrd.

 

First thing I would do (as mentioned above), is a complete vet check and, if you desire, microchipping. They can also take care of anything you don't was associated with you, like nail and/or beak trimming.

 

Second, sit back and enjoy the bird. Don't change anything right now with food, etc. No forcing of training, no children try to pet it, no neighbors staring into the cage. Just let it take in the surroundings, you, the household, etc. It will be overwhelming for the bird. They are very sensitive, intelligent creatures.

 

If she has been clipped her entire life, it will be awhile before she is capable of full flight. My TAG was clipped and/or kept in a tiny cage for 25+ years (from what I can gather from his history). Once I got him I let his flights grow out. It was still several months before he was strong enough for flight (and his landings are still pretty wonky). I actually had to "train him" how to fly by getting him to flap his wings on cue.