Stess or scare?

[okan]

Hi,

About month ago I bought african gray. I need some help if you can.

 

1- How can I check if he is she?

2- How do you understand how old he is?

3- I hold him in restaurant indoor. He is friendly with me but not with others. When I open his cage he comes out but when I try to hold he back off and get in cage again. Does he stress or scare?

4- when I get him on my hand he does not stay there and try to fly. But he can not fly and fall down. when I try to get him from floor to she bites me too.

5- As I live in hot country I try spray some water on him so he get cool. But he does not like this. Is there any other way that I can bathe him?.

6- He have really long nails. Do I need to cut them short or just leave it as it is?

 

thanks

 

Okan

[Sarasota]

A few quick answers: Yes, you can have a DNA test done to determine the sex of your bird. If you post a picture, members might be able to give you an estimate of your bird (fully feathered? Eye color, etc.) Being in public can be very stressful for a bird. Check to see if his wings have been clipped, or he may be too young for full flight. He may get used to being sprayed with water, or try offering him a bowl of water for self bathing. Yes, nails can be trimmed. As it can be traumatic to bird and owner, you may want to investigate if there is a bird groomer in your area.

 

These are basic answers to a few of your questions. Behavioral questions are more complicated without a complete picture of the bird, environment, health status, age, etc.

[Timbersmom]

I'm going to respond to bump this up on the posting list. There are several people here who can answer your questions, but I'm a newbie myself. I can tell you that African greys do not have physical characteristics that tell you if they are male or female. You have to have that done by a DNA test. Sorry I can't be of more help, but your other questions require more expertise than I have (now at any rate). Good luck!

 

ahhh, thanks Sarasota. Your post didn't show up until after I hit reply!

[okan]

http://youtu.be/DO1Knz5FYdI

[okan]

thats him giving me his food. do not know why but he does often.

 

http://youtu.be/_Ozu28dyTGA

[okan]

http://youtu.be/7O0Hvg5gxCA

[judygram]

The only way to know the sex is to have the dna test done. As far as age once they reach 4 or 5 years of age the eye turns yellow and from then on its hard to judge age. Its normal for a grey to only want to interact with one person, thats why it is so important when they are babies to socialize them with other people, greys tend to favor one person.

As far as bathing you can provide a large bowl in the cage and maybe he will bathe in it and you can also take him into the shower with you and maybe he will be tempted to get under the spray.

If you want to clip his nails be very careful not to clip back too far because you might get the quick and he will bleed, if you have any doubts about doing it yourself then have a professional or an avian vet or technician do it. You can also provide rough perches for him to use as they help to keep the nails from being so sharp.