Need some help with my bird problems.

[Rah]

I got an african grey about 3 years ago from a friend of my grandpas and he was 17 at the time. But the only person in the house he likes and doesn't bite is my grandpa and he screams alot so does anyone have any ideas of how to fix this?

[JeffNOK]

It would be good to know a little bit more about your bird's environment and how people to interact with him. Does he come out his cage often? Is he around people most of the time or alone in a separate room?

[danmcq]

As Jeff asked, more information would help answer your question in more detail. I will say, most grey's have one favorite person and everyone else to a lesser degree and some people they just do not want to interact with at all. It takes time and patience to establish a good relationship with a grey, especially one that is 20 years old now. You need to first be able to read his body language as you ask to a step-up for example. If he wishes to, most will start raising a talon. If they fluff up and/or put their head down, they are not going to step-up and will bite if you try. It's best to start with offering a favorite treat carefully to ensure they go for that treat, not your fingers or hand.

 

Here is a link to a topic of body language on this forum, please read it to understand what their body language means: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen

[Luvparrots]

Please tell us more about your grey. What is his name and how do you interact with him. More details please. What is his daily routine,

[Rah]

His name in Ronu and we have about 7 people in our house, we let him out of the cage for a few hours a day becuase every time he sees my grandpa he comes on the floor and wont go back up with anyone else besides my grandpa. He is in a room with a tv and its on most of the time, before he used to whistle and talk a lot now it is just screaming with occasional talking and whistling. Like i said with everyone else he is aggresive and bites, only one person in the family can interact with him.

[Rah]

Oh and every time he screams for a while we either give him a treat that gets him to stop or just cover his cage with a blanket for awhile becuase we don't know any other way to get him to stop. He will scream if a lot of people talk or if my grandpa leaves the room. I would appreciate any suggestions thanks.

[JeffNOK]

Rah, I think there are some positive things that can be done, but it will take time and patience. Please don't get discouraged if things don't improve right away. First, if you give him a treat when he screams, you are reinforcing the behavior and he will continue to do it. Second, covering the cage is not recommended. This is not healthy for them unless it is their sleep time. For your bird to be alone in a room most of the day is also very isolating. Greys are flock animals and need company. A TV can be a good idea when no one is around, many of us who work will leave the TV on for our birds, but it is not a substitute for human interaction. Your grey is likely very lonely. Is it possible to move his cage to an area where there is human activity? Maybe in a living area where he can see what people are doing? I'm not suggesting you try to handle him right away, but can he just be moved to where he can see people? If that isn't possible, could you or someone else take turns just spending time in his room with him? Read or watch TV with him? I know he may be noisy, but can you try to just be around him? Does he have toys to play with? Greys need things to chew and dismantle and destroy. He needs mental stimulation. Greys are such intelligent animals. His behavior may simply be a result of boredom. I would set the goal of at least four hours a day in the company of a person. You can take turns if necessary. I know you really want to help him. This would be a good first step. It may take time, but I believe you will see progress if you are committed and don't give up. If you don't feel your family can provide this, I would think long and hard about whether your home is the right environment for him.

Edited October 22, 2013 by JeffNOK

[Rah]

Yeah he's not alone in room theres always someone in that room he has toys but rarely plays with them and i talk to him and he repeats things and whistles back but then after a while will start screaming and everyone else does talk to him just not as much as me and my grandpa do. And no one else tries to pet him anymore except me becuase he's bitten everyone at least once and their all scared. So is this all i can do just not give him a treat and cover him to get him to stop and talk to him more?

[JeffNOK]

If he is aggressive towards you, I would not try to pet him. Does he always reject your pets, or does he sometimes allow you to touch him? Where do you live, by the way? Was your bird wild caught or was he obtained from a breeder? Is he clipped or flighted? Was your bird always a pet or was he a breeder before? I know that Barbara Heidenreich has several books that deal with parrot problems like screaming and aggression. One is called Good Bird, and another is called The Parrot Problem Solver. They are available from Amazon.com. I don't have any personal experience with these problems, so my knowledge is not first hand, but there are many here who know a lot and I'm sure they will offer some good advice.

[Rah]

He does put his head down to let me pet him sometimes but as soon as i touch him he bites, we clip his nails and wings every few months. He was always a pet the previous owners bought him at a local bird shop. Thanks for the help with the books ill look into them.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Rah

[JeffNOK]

I wish I could be more help. I know you really want a good relationship with your grey and you want him to be happy. I wish you the very best and hope you keep us posted on how things progress.

[birdhouse]

Hi Rah. Wish there was a quick & easy fix for what's going on w/Ronu. But Greys are complicated, emotional & intelligent beasties. Sounds like things have been adding up for a while. So working thru this w/him will likely take some time & patience & a healthy sense of humor doesn't hurt either.

 

Jeff's suggested some good places to start. Barbara Heidenreich books can give you some really good insights. Also learning as much as possible about body language is really invaluable. Understanding eye pinning & feather fluff can very often help keep you from being bitten just for starters.

 

Most Greys don't do well w/change. At 17, Ronu was old enough to be set in his ways. It would have been traumatic when he lost his (only?) other home & the people he'd bonded with. So that's likely a big part of his problem even still.

 

You might try to read as much as you can in the "Rescue Bird Haven" before you really get going. A lot of the advice that's been written there will probably help you w/Ronu, even though you don't think of him as a classic rescue fid.

 

You said Ronu doesn't play w/his toys. That may be because he's just not interested in those particular things. So these are a couple of free ebooks that I recommend all the time. Lots of variety. You really should be able to find out what Ronu really likes because greys really need activity to be happy & healthy.

 

http://www.parrotenrichment.com/images/PEAB_V1.pdf

 

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/PEAB_V2.pdf

 

Also if Ronu is busy playing & foraging, he might do a little less screaming. Maybe.

 

Screaming, like biting, may be about control. You said he either gets covered or fed. In a busy household, getting a little solitude may actually be welcome sometimes. And, of course the food is it's own reward. Sorry to say, he's got his minions well trained. But don't feel too badly. They're usually much better at training us than we are at training them. lol

 

One thing that you could try is to keep part of his cage covered. It might give him a sense of protection if he has a place to "hide". It might help if he's only reacting to part of what's going on around him. It might not. Some birds hate being covered. But it's worth a try.

 

He might also like to rip holes in the cover. So you'll want something that isn't going to end up in a bunch of loose hanging thread that can cause injures. But on the upside, at least shredding's a new activity. lol

 

So, you can try some of this & a little of that while you do a bunch of reading. One other suggesting for once you're armed w/ALL this new found knowledge. Ask your grandfather to work w/you to begin with.

 

It's really common for a grey to pick a favorite who is *Won!Der!Ful!* while everyone else is . But you might get to use it to your advantage by keeping your grandpa around to tell Ronu to treat you nice while you restart your relationship.

 

You can also try to figure out what it is about him that makes Ronu trust him so well. Trust is the biggest hurdle when it comes to working w/a grey. Body language, approach, how we move & speak all contribute. So acting more like your grandfather can possibly score some major points & the good news is that Ronu can certainly change his mind about you if you earn his trust.

 

Hope you'll keep updating & asking questions. Vent if you want. Braggin is absolutely good too. We also love stories & pics. Welcome to Grey Forums Rah & good luck w/rehab'ing Ronu.

Edited October 23, 2013 by birdhouse

[murfchck]

You have a long road ahead of you, but you can do it! In our house there are (were) 2 of the greys that hate me. Both are older, one 22 Gabby and then Cotay who is about 12. Gabby, after a full year has started to accept me now. I can handle her and get and give quick kisses. Coaty however goes out of her way to bite me and strike at me. I do not try anymore to handle her unless she shows signs of being okay with it when daddy is not around. Otherwise she has to wait for hubby to get home to come out and play with the others. He will get her and hand her to me to carry her in the other room so hopefully one day she will learn that i will not hurt her. He also will have her step up on me during the evening time and i hold her for a few seconds then put her back to her safe spot on daddys arm. It is us building trust and chipping away the fear a little at a time. This we have been doing for a few months now and there is no change in her toward me, but one day there will be, i have faith. It is me who has to accept that i am not her "chosen" one or even close to it. All we can do is keep trying. I do not believe that punishing her by coving the cage is a good option for her when all she is is scared. You gotta work past it and get a good supply of ear plugs. Does she have a play stand that is away from her cage? A lot of birds have cage aggression and just despise having people near their cages and will act out when someone gets to close. There are so many reasons this could be happening but just know that when we get bit by our birds, 99% of the time, it is our fault. The other 1% is theirs when they just wanna bite to have fun! Good luck!

Edited October 23, 2013 by murfchck

[MKparrot]

Hi Rah,

My suggestions are as follows:

- bring the parrot's cage in thе room where he will be with the people almost all the time.

- put a lot of branches of willow tree in the cage with the leaves on (wash them thoroughly) Let your grey to chew them

- when your Grey is alone, turn TV or radio loud. Let him get use to a loud sounds.

- when he screams do not clap your hands, do not shout on him since he will start screaming louder to "produce" your reaction. Especially, do not give him any food or threats. You should live the room and left him alone in the room. You should come back in the room when he will calm down. He is a flock bird and will appreciate when you will be back in the room. In a month or so, he will understand that screaming means being alone, and getting calm means company in the room.

- while this process, consider decreasing the quantity of food you are giving him. You should give him smaller quantities of food on the daily basis and absolutely to avoid any nuts and vitamin substitutes. NO SUGAR at all, no candies. Reduce the fruits, give him just apple. Consider any diet that will keep him snug but with no explosive and "sparkling" energy. Do not practice this diet longer than a month.

- when bathing him, use colder water than you usually use. Soak him well and take him back to the stand, not in the cage.

- if his stand is on higher level compared to your siting position, you should shorten the stand height and make it to be on your eyes level or little lower. Subordination is important for Greys and this way you are sending him appropriate message. His stand is on your territory but there you are the boss.

- if he bites when he is in the cage, do not insist on putting your fingers in. Greys are flock birds but as a pets they may become very territorial and putting your fingers in is endangering his territory.

- when he is on the stand reach for him slowly with one hand, and when he will prepare to bite (I assume you can recognize his body language) than distract him with your other hand (touch him tenderly with a stick). repeat this as many times as possible every day and you will see that he will let you to get your hand closer and closer until you touch his beak.

- look at your bird while talking to the bird.

By the way, does he bite you when you are giving him food?

This is not the recipe to solve the problem, but are few tips that may help in decreasing it (less screaming).

Consider that some birds are very nervous during the fool moon period. My parrot turns into wear-wolf in those days :-) so I do not touch him, do not play with him.

Sorry for my broken English...I hope you will find some of the tips useful.

[birdhouse]

Please don't ever withhold food from any bird. They have very high metabolisms.

[Timbersmom]

Yes, and amen