turboking Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Hi my name is Carl Am 57, I always wanted an cag(owned 2 senegal parrots), surfing craigslist, i came across "Chico". He was located in Pa, i am on long Island. We made an agreement i would pick him up on a saturday. After checking the miles(360) round trip,i got a call from the owner. If i wanted this bird. (For 400.00)( i ended up giving him $500.00)i would have to get him friday. Well checked the oil made it there. to pick up chico. On the way home, my hand slipped between the bars of the cage. Chico gave me a firm , bite, not enough to draw blood, just enough to tell me "Back Off". Got him Home, bought a large cage(craiglist). Let him cool down for 2 days. . Chico is the pickiest eater i have ever seen, Does not like zupreem pellets or roudybush pellets. only eats avi-cakes, cooked noodles , some fruits and veg, Loves his scrambled eggs, with turkey. When i got him , home i realized he was not banded. He is healthy, his voice sounds like beetlejuice. Its ok i love him anyways. It takes him 3 days to learn new words, more to come Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielaWelborn Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Welcome to you and Chico. I am a fairly new owner myself and also got my CAG off of Craigslist. Maybe not the best decision I have made, but here we are. Get ready for a heck of a ride:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) Hi Carl. I have two greys and neither of them is banded. Not required in the USA. Looking forward to learning more about you and Chico. Pictures are always appreciated if you get a chance. Welcome to the Grey family! Edited December 27, 2012 by luvparrots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Hello and welcome Carl and Chico! Not getting a blood drawing bite there is a miracle I'd say! Chico's pickiness is also not unusual in the grey world, at least from my experience and my reading on the forum here. Good luck and God bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Hello Carl and welcome to our family. So glad you found Chico and not surprising about the pickiness as most are but keep offering the good stuff for sometimes they will take a notion to give it a try and maybe like it so don't give up. He was giving you a warning bite on the way home as you invaded his space for most greys view their cage as their safety zone so even at home allow him to come out before you try to have him step up as they are less likely to nip when outside the cage. Above all don't force yourself on him, let him set the pace of when he is ready for more interaction, it will take time so be patient with him and you will reap great rewards. We love pictures here so if you have some of Chico you would share with us we would love to see him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Hi Carl and Chico and welcome to the grey forum. Judy gave you some good advice. So lit him settle in to his new home at this time as he dose not know what is going on in his life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Somehow i think "Chico" is older than the 5 years his previous owner told me.Is there a way to tell the age of a grey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Somehow i think "Chico" is older than the 5 years his previous owner told me.Is there a way to tell the age of a grey? Hi Carl After a grey reaches the age of 4 to 5 yrs old, it's pretty hard to tell the exact age of a grey. The eyes turn to a white color around the pupil which happens to a grey up to 3 yrs old and as the grey gets older that white turns to a white with yellow tinge. So, the best thing to do is try and believe the previous owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Today i was on a mission. During the last week I opened the cage door and placed my hand near him. I left it there for a good 10 minutes or more. Today i touched the top of his head!!!!!. I tried to feed him pomegranate, Chico was spooked by the site of the red fruit(once i removed it he ate the apples/ threw the pear slices away). I still cannot get over how picky of an eater he is.. Hold on, after eating all the apple slices , he went to the bottom of the cage and ate the pear slices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 it seems what they like and dislike today changes the next day so dont stop tryin to give him all the choices of yummy foods try lots of green veges ... marcos sorta stopped eating her pellets so I hide them in birdie bread i make for her good luck to you and welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Hi Carl, Welcome to the forum, so glad you found us. When we got an older rehomed Timneh, I had to take their word for his approximate age, so I just set his anniversary date to our home with a number to keep track of his new life with us. He wasn't banded either. At first he was really picky about his eating, but I have discovered that it is more that he was rejecting the changes in his life and it would depend on how the food was offered and what his other choices were. Like the others advise, give him lots of variety with veggies, keep his pellets in a separate dish. I found that giving him smaller amounts and tossing what he didn't eat of the fresh food after a couple of hours is optimum. For pellets, I give him just a little instead of keeping his dish full. He seems to toss more on the floor when he has an abundance. Every morning, I toss out what he didn't eat and put fresh ones in. I seldom will see him eat his pellets, but I know he is eating some because I am seeing them disappear and that is easier when there is just a tablespoon or so in his dish. It sounds like you are off to a good start. Take your time, watch him settle in and take his lead for how much interaction he will allow. You and Chico sound like a great match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Went to the parrot store got some zupreem fruit blend( he didn't like zupreen nutblend) and some African grey food. He ate some of it. The little bad boy bite me. Doesn't he realize i am his buddy.This guy is smarter than i give him credit for!!!!. Tomorrow is another day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 I keep saying it. "Chico is slicker than i give him credit". The cage i bought for him is 30 wide, 24 deep and 5 feet high. My dog Sammy was looking for dropped food. Chico went to the bottom of the cage and slowly lured Sammy in. When Sammy was within range He would peck at Sammy. Chico" burped", and said "I am going to mess you up". I don't burp near Chico, he didn't learn that from me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Chico is feeling more at ease. He is swinging upside down on the new toy i gave him. One thing i noticed , He talks up a storm when my friends are here, (he never does that with me). I think his former owner abused him , We both looked the same(6 ft, black hair, green eyes, crew haircut). He shy's away when i am in the room. Ha time will tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Progress though! Good going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboking Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 I am not giving up on Chico. I'm in this for the long haul!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS2K Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Hey Carl. I am a New daddy as well.(under a week) They teach me so much every hour of every day. One minute my little men want an apple. The NEXT? they throw it at me at tell me grapes. LOL....... Then they tell me peanuts and a loves, or nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolz7 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Welcome Chico i am sure you two are going to be the best of friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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