25 year old aggressive bird

[Boketh]

So my wife has a congo african grey that is 25 years old (she is also 25) she has lived with him her whole life but the only person the bird let touch him was her grandma and ever since she died nobody else has handled him or really showed him any attention. For about the last 8 months i have been trying to get Casper to let me pet him or step up onto my finger, I feed him peanuts and almonds through the cage by hand every day multiple times a day and every now and then i can touch his head and give it a quick scratch. Every time we let him out of the cage he always comes right over to me when i sit on the ground and then he bites the hell out of me lol drawing blood everytime on my fingers, hands, arms anytime i try to get close to him he bites me hard and then i yell at him so I guess he thinks its a game now lol. I love the bird he mimics me and my wife and our kid all the time and I wish that I could get him to step up on my finger or even just let me pet him without getting my fingers ripped apart. What can i do to build more trust and to get this guy to stop biting me and to actually be apart of our family without everybody being so scared of him?

[katana600]

This is a unique circumstance. Many times someone comes into the forum to say they have acquired an older parrot without much history. Your wife is a part of Casper's history so she will know many things that grandma may have done that will help along the way. You are the one coming in as a relative stranger and for him to be accepting food and an occasional touch is outstanding. I love your attitude, that you want things to be good for Casper but also to protect other family members from his outbursts. Casper is probably still grieving his loss and the changes in his life. Continue doing as much as you can just short of those things that elict a bite. If you are sitting on the floor and he comes running over, it seems as if he may be trying to drive out an intruder. As much as you can predict, don't set him up for that type of interaction, keep your distance so you don't establish a relationship as adversaries and reinforce the biting. Slowly and gradually he will start seeing you as less of a threat and eventually as a flock member. Don't expect it to be in coming weeks, maybe months, maybe longer before he chooses what kind of relationship he is going to permit. We have a ten year old Timneh and it has been slow going. He had been rehomed more than once as a bird with issues, so with Casper, he may be older, but he also may have less baggage. Best of luck and congratulations on the beginning of your journey of companionship with Casper. I love your attitude that you want to do more and understand him better. Kudos.

[JeffNOK]

I think Katana is right in saying that accepting treats and the occassional touch is actually very very good. I admire your dedication to Casper and your courage in withstanding the bites. I agree that you should try your best not to put yourself in a position where Casper seeks you out to bite. Also, yelling is quite counterproductive no matter how much you are in pain. Yelling reinforces the biting habit rather than stopping it. A "withering look" and a firm yet calm "no bite" is much better.

[Jayd]

I hope this might help: It's 2 years later now...

Rescue #1 JOEY

 

Joey: Congo African Grey Parrot

Present Age: Four years old

Abuse Type: Mental and Severe Psychological (No visible sign of Physical abuse)

Background:

We know the pet store that Joey had originally been purchased from. He had been weaned and clipped, never allowed to fly. For the next two years we had no record and we have not been able to speak to the previous owners. After purchasing Joey and with some help also with help from Joey himself, we have been able piece together some of his past history and his previous owners.

His previous owners were a well-established young couple. The female was never fond of any types of pets, did not fit her lifestyle. Joey had favored the male and there had been a bonding but it wasn’t a healthy bonding. Shortly after getting Joey, which brought problems to the marriage, the male was more interested in maintaining harmony than integrating Joey.

This brought about bickering over Joey between the two owners with the female getting more and more agitated, putting him in a small room by himself, being ignored by both of them except for cage cleaning, food and water. There was a lot of arguments that took place within earshot of Joey, possible marital abuse, yelling at Joey by both of them, cage being tapped, arguments about whether to keep Joey or get rid of him.

At this point, the owners decided, (not mutually) to get rid of Joey. So, at this point, Joey and his cage was taken to a pet store where the owner agreed to hold him for awhile and let Joeys owners visit him for a while (which was wrong). They only visited him three times over the next six months, arguing in his presence each time. At this point in time, we took Joey into our hearts and home.

 

The Homecoming:

We didn’t know this young Grey’s name, so we called him Jim (Kirk) to go along with Spock. At this time, we had enough birds for everyone in the city. He was a quiet bird and would sit in his cage in the back and be soundless. He would let you change his water and food (he had been on seeds only diet). He would also shake if you came near the cage and would constantly head-search while chewing his toe-nails. He was extremely neurotic…he was a small bird and looked like he might have been stunted from lack of a proper diet. We introduced him to everyone and we did not attempt to hold him. We talked to him and talked to our other fids in front of him. If we saw that he was being extremely nervous, we would go out of our way to stop and talk to him with a “Hi Jim” etc, and we were slowly discovering the depth of his psychological and mental abuse. We left the cage door open whenever we were home and awake which at this stage was 24/7.

One day, Jay left the room and in the most concerned voice, Joey called out “Hello! Are you okay?” When Jay came back, Joey was standing at the open door looking down the hallway, looking for Jay to come back. He would also say “Hello”, “How are you?” at this time. He also started talking to himself…bringing up his past two years. While shaking badly, he would say things like “Are you going to feed me?” “Get a lawyer”, “You can run but you can’t hide!” “LIAR!”

He would make crying sounds…he would do this while we were not in the room (plus other things too sad to say). During this period, we were introducing him to all sorts of fresh veggies and fruits. (It has taken over a year to get him to eat veggies and fruits)

Besides his ruminations, he also started talking, calling to the other fids, calling us by name, singing but always reverting to his old self and chewing his nails and shaking. Out of nowhere, as Jay and I were walking by his cage, he looked Jay straight in the eye and said, “I’m Joey, NOT Jim”. He told us this twice (imagine us with our jaws on the ground) and we had to start changing his name on our threads.

Now and into the Future:

Joey lets us hold him and play with him more each day. He is coming out of the closet so to speak…he is an ideal parrot in a number of ways but it is all from his abuse years. He has built his life on his own routines. He eats at the same time each day, he talks at the same time each day, he preens himself at the same time each day…he definitely has obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For the last two months we have not heard him say anything from his abusive past. He has a growing vocabulary and strong cognitive abilities which we believe has roots in his abusive years. He lets us hold him when he wants to. At times, he is very cage-territorial and he stays on his cage. He will perch and let you take him from his cage for a few moments only. We have a perch on the outside of his cage and he likes to spend most of his time looking out the window. He is extremely vocal and interacts with Spock and Salsa and lets both of them eat and drink from his bowls and he plays tail-chase with both of them on his cage. He is very insecure anywhere away from his cage. It is an ongoing process to try to get him comfortable enough to stay away from his cage. He has attempted to fly on four-five occasions to fly and they have been disastrous. This is definitely due to the fact that he was constantly clipped. (We have set out pillows on his common landing areas that is more often missed than hit.)

At times, he will revert to something that triggers his bad memories and will pin his eyes and draw blood out of the clear blue. Once he snaps out of it, he is very affectionate and loving.

The Future continues:

On-going Progress: In the last couple of weeks, Joey has made some amazing changes. To everyone’s surprise, when you open his cage in the morning, he will hang from the top of the cage, wait for you to support him with your hand and involve you in beaky play. He will hang with one foot and grab your hand with the other (Yikes!) and play roughly while talking to you. (Non-Sexual) He’s molting and he’s also found out that a human finger is excellent for rubbing the pin feathers at the bend of the leg where it touches the body. In the few moments that he lets you hold him, he has leaned against our chest (on his own) and cuddled.

Now and Beyond:

Daily, you can still see the pain that he has endured. When he thinks we are not observing him, he reverts to his shaking and nail chewing to a lesser extent. His most recent trait that the past is still current in is memory is when we have to leave, he will let out a couple of loud contact calls and puff up to almost twice his size and stare and you and call while you are leaving. It is so sad…

They NEVER forget…any abuse is a major and daily part of their lives and they live with it….it is always there to haunt them.

[Talon]

No matter how many times I read this, it brings tears to my eyes, how heartbreaking. What a precious soul, he is blessed to have found you and Maggie.

[Greywings]

Learning to trust after any amount of time in such an unhappy situation is very difficult even for humans with all the medical help and support of friends and rescue groups. Can you imagine how difficult for one who is in a cage with no way to walk out on the situation or avoid the dreadful storming emotions around him? I hope that other folks will take the time to read Joey's story and take that chance on another bird who has survived such terrors and have the same wonderful nurturing patience to help these birds learn that life can be good, some times very good. Lucky Joey.

[inc0gnito]

I have a wild caught cag and he responds so well when he hears other birds. He is very unsocial. Hates humans. Is afraid of us. But i feel incredibly sorry for him. Because i try to imagine him getting plucked away from his flock. Put into shipping containers. Stuck there for god only knows how long and in what conditions.

 

And the abuse he must have dealt with, by the people who have no feelings at all. And now he is in my care. When he whistles to those other birds i feel a pang of sorrow that he needs to be with his own. But i cannot make that happen. I feel an enormous responsibility to make his life as wonderful as i can. He has suffered enough. He is a little child and should be treated with love and Patience.

[braveheartdogs]

This story is so touching and sad. Joey is so lucky to have found you. He just needed someone who could be patient and not push him and let him do things on his time. Sweet boy.

 

I hope this might help: It's 2 years later now...

Rescue #1 JOEY

 

Joey: Congo African Grey Parrot

Present Age: Four years old

Abuse Type: Mental and Severe Psychological (No visible sign of Physical abuse)

Background:

We know the pet store that Joey had originally been purchased from. He had been weaned and clipped, never allowed to fly. For the next two years we had no record and we have not been able to speak to the previous owners. After purchasing Joey and with some help also with help from Joey himself, we have been able piece together some of his past history and his previous owners.

His previous owners were a well-established young couple. The female was never fond of any types of pets, did not fit her lifestyle. Joey had favored the male and there had been a bonding but it wasn’t a healthy bonding. Shortly after getting Joey, which brought problems to the marriage, the male was more interested in maintaining harmony than integrating Joey.

This brought about bickering over Joey between the two owners with the female getting more and more agitated, putting him in a small room by himself, being ignored by both of them except for cage cleaning, food and water. There was a lot of arguments that took place within earshot of Joey, possible marital abuse, yelling at Joey by both of them, cage being tapped, arguments about whether to keep Joey or get rid of him.

At this point, the owners decided, (not mutually) to get rid of Joey. So, at this point, Joey and his cage was taken to a pet store where the owner agreed to hold him for awhile and let Joeys owners visit him for a while (which was wrong). They only visited him three times over the next six months, arguing in his presence each time. At this point in time, we took Joey into our hearts and home.

 

The Homecoming:

We didn’t know this young Grey’s name, so we called him Jim (Kirk) to go along with Spock. At this time, we had enough birds for everyone in the city. He was a quiet bird and would sit in his cage in the back and be soundless. He would let you change his water and food (he had been on seeds only diet). He would also shake if you came near the cage and would constantly head-search while chewing his toe-nails. He was extremely neurotic…he was a small bird and looked like he might have been stunted from lack of a proper diet. We introduced him to everyone and we did not attempt to hold him. We talked to him and talked to our other fids in front of him. If we saw that he was being extremely nervous, we would go out of our way to stop and talk to him with a “Hi Jim” etc, and we were slowly discovering the depth of his psychological and mental abuse. We left the cage door open whenever we were home and awake which at this stage was 24/7.

One day, Jay left the room and in the most concerned voice, Joey called out “Hello! Are you okay?” When Jay came back, Joey was standing at the open door looking down the hallway, looking for Jay to come back. He would also say “Hello”, “How are you?” at this time. He also started talking to himself…bringing up his past two years. While shaking badly, he would say things like “Are you going to feed me?” “Get a lawyer”, “You can run but you can’t hide!” “LIAR!”

He would make crying sounds…he would do this while we were not in the room (plus other things too sad to say). During this period, we were introducing him to all sorts of fresh veggies and fruits. (It has taken over a year to get him to eat veggies and fruits)

Besides his ruminations, he also started talking, calling to the other fids, calling us by name, singing but always reverting to his old self and chewing his nails and shaking. Out of nowhere, as Jay and I were walking by his cage, he looked Jay straight in the eye and said, “I’m Joey, NOT Jim”. He told us this twice (imagine us with our jaws on the ground) and we had to start changing his name on our threads.

Now and into the Future:

Joey lets us hold him and play with him more each day. He is coming out of the closet so to speak…he is an ideal parrot in a number of ways but it is all from his abuse years. He has built his life on his own routines. He eats at the same time each day, he talks at the same time each day, he preens himself at the same time each day…he definitely has obsessive-compulsive tendencies. For the last two months we have not heard him say anything from his abusive past. He has a growing vocabulary and strong cognitive abilities which we believe has roots in his abusive years. He lets us hold him when he wants to. At times, he is very cage-territorial and he stays on his cage. He will perch and let you take him from his cage for a few moments only. We have a perch on the outside of his cage and he likes to spend most of his time looking out the window. He is extremely vocal and interacts with Spock and Salsa and lets both of them eat and drink from his bowls and he plays tail-chase with both of them on his cage. He is very insecure anywhere away from his cage. It is an ongoing process to try to get him comfortable enough to stay away from his cage. He has attempted to fly on four-five occasions to fly and they have been disastrous. This is definitely due to the fact that he was constantly clipped. (We have set out pillows on his common landing areas that is more often missed than hit.)

At times, he will revert to something that triggers his bad memories and will pin his eyes and draw blood out of the clear blue. Once he snaps out of it, he is very affectionate and loving.

The Future continues:

On-going Progress: In the last couple of weeks, Joey has made some amazing changes. To everyone’s surprise, when you open his cage in the morning, he will hang from the top of the cage, wait for you to support him with your hand and involve you in beaky play. He will hang with one foot and grab your hand with the other (Yikes!) and play roughly while talking to you. (Non-Sexual) He’s molting and he’s also found out that a human finger is excellent for rubbing the pin feathers at the bend of the leg where it touches the body. In the few moments that he lets you hold him, he has leaned against our chest (on his own) and cuddled.

Now and Beyond:

Daily, you can still see the pain that he has endured. When he thinks we are not observing him, he reverts to his shaking and nail chewing to a lesser extent. His most recent trait that the past is still current in is memory is when we have to leave, he will let out a couple of loud contact calls and puff up to almost twice his size and stare and you and call while you are leaving. It is so sad…

They NEVER forget…any abuse is a major and daily part of their lives and they live with it….it is always there to haunt them.

[Greywings]

I have a friend who just this week got to have her Grey bird step up & allow a head scratch after ten years of living with his very aggressive behavior. She never pushed him just took a long time to build his trust. The lady was shedding tears of joy never really expecting him to allow such interaction.

Incognito that was beautifully expressed and you have an ideal look out on their lives with us.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Greywings

[Luvparrots]

I have a wonderful amazon who will not step up for me. He has never been clipped. But Louie will go into and come out of his cage was I ask. Strange but true. Perhaps someday he will step up for me. But until then, we have a very good relationship that works for us.

Edited October 18, 2012 by luvparrots