New Bird with Old one

[Rah]

I have a 20 year old grey who only goes with one person in the family and he is aggressive towards everyone else and screams a lot. So i was thinking would getting a baby bird help my other bird go with other people rather than just one person? Becuase he would see everyone else playing and talking with the other bird and he will realize that we are not a threat to him so he will be friendly? Also if this can work can i put them in the same cage, becuase the guy at my local bird shop said that the 20 year old will kill the new bird!? But i seen videos of people talking about how having more than one bird is good and that they can be more friendly that way?:confused:

[danmcq]

A general rule of thumb, is you never get another bird hoping it will encourage, befriend or help your existing bird. The pet shop owner is right. Your grey would probably kill another bird if you tried to put it in your greys cage. That is not a good idea. If you have two birds, you get two cages. If your grey presently only likes interacting with one person, it will for the most part remain that way. They normally have a favored person. Also, you may not be able to let the new bird even come close to your grey. It could result in serious injury.

 

The best thoughts I can give you on this. Is try working with your grey more frequently by offering favorite treats, toys etc. to break the ice and get a little better relationship built with him. It will probably never be a relationship as close as the favored persons. But it can be improved to some level.

Edited October 30, 2013 by danmcq

[Rah]

So even if they are in separate cages it would not do anything for my bird that i already have? Also we have only had him for three years and in the beginning he had no problem with me or my grandpa who he now only goes with? He's bitten me a few times but thats it and now he does put his head down when he wants to be pet but as soon as i touch him he goes to bite any ideas as to what happened?

[JeffNOK]

When greys are new to a home, they often observe their surroundings and are more docile with everyone. In time, they almost always pick a favorite. That doesn't mean they can't have good relations with many people, but they generally have a "beloved one". This is completely normal and no indication you did anything wrong or that something bad happened. It just means that everyone has to find their own relationship with the bird. Dan, who has responded above, is not the "favorite" with his grey Dayo--his lovely wife has that privilege. Dan has often discussed the "sucker-punch" where Dayo bends his head for a scratch and then bites. This doesn't mean that anything is wrong or that Dayo doesn't love his daddy--in his own way. It is just a part of living with a grey. We have to accept things as they are and make the best of it. Reading body language, respecting boundaries, giving choices, and keeping realistic expectations is key. As far as getting a second bird, I agree with Dan's advice. If you get another bird, it should be because you desire that bird for yourself--not as a means to get your grey to open up. It is unlikely to change your greys behavior.

Edited October 30, 2013 by JeffNOK

[danmcq]

Well, your description of how your grey responds to you is kind of normal for a grey. They will sometimes let their least favored person give them a scratch and then try to turn quickly and give a nip. The most important thing for you to do, is maintain a neutral emotions. If your apprehensive, afraid or nervous a grey can sense it and will react to it. Just talk him him softly, ask if he want's a scratch and proceed to give a short one while watching his eyes for pinning or the head starting to turn rapidly and just remove your finger quickly if you detect a bite is on it's way. If he puts his head down again, repeat the process. It is a trust building thing that takes time. It also takes time to study their body language to where you can see a bite coming MOST the time, not always. Then over time those scratch sessions will last longer and your grey will come to you for it at times. Give him a treat after he lets you give him a scratch sometimes. Build the relationship.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Absolutely listen to others advice. It doesn't always happen this way, but two greys together just makes me shudder! My Grey and Amazon, respected each other, but Sophie my grey ruled. Nancy

[katana600]

I have been thinking about this a lot since I also have a rehomed grey that took a really long time to acclimate. My thoughts early on was that Gilbert may not like us, we may not be up to the challenge, that maybe a friend would be good. In other words, a lot of what you are saying resonates with me. Rah, you seem to really want to make life better for your freind, and I understand how that feels. We are just about to the three year mark with Gilbert, now found to be a female. She was scared, grieving her favored person and just seem shut down for the longest time. The good news is you are probably not doing anything wrong and you probably wouldn't help things for him if you bring another parrot home. Its hard to tell why he is screaming, but a vet visit might be a good place to start. Our vet was instrumental in helping me understand the process of a grey trying to tell me something that I would never have figured out for myself. She was plucking and so scared for so long and it was a matter of her being anxious and scared. It helped to have the forum with really good hearted and kind people to encourage me to just keep loving her and giving her a chance. They are so unique and individual and so amazingly intelligent it takes a lot of help to sort things through. I was also lucky that my whole family got involved and we learned not to take it personally that she would not accept any of us as her beloved one and only. She is still stuck on her first love Jim. That was an original bond that they don't seem to forget. The other good news is, that seemingly by a miracle, she has begun to move around, to play, to be more involved and engaged with my husband and with me. She still does not want to step up, or to move away from her cage without great anxiety. The first thing to do is to figure out what is making your grey scream. What is his name? He is trying to tell you something because that is not a usual grey trait. Loud vocalizations occasionally out of excitement, but not screaming. It takes a really long time to get to know a rehomed grey sometimes. Every situation is different. Please don't give up on him, it appears when one is having trouble adjusting, it gets worse with another rehoming. Maybe with more information we can all put our heads together and find some way to figure out what he needs. Also, depending on where you live, someone else with more experience, or a parrot behavior specialist could come in and evaluate some things that could help such as where his cage is located or covering part of his cage if he is shy and nervous. It really comes down to stopping and looking at the world from his eyes and finding small things that can make a huge impact on his mental health improvements.

[Luvparrots]

Hi Rah, getting another grey is not going to change your present grey's attitude. First of all you need to figure what the screaming is about. If it is not something physically wrong then you need to work on stopping the screaming. My zon has a little scream almost each day, it is just a time to clear his pipes, I think. My suggestion is if he is screaminig find out why. Talk to your grey, My greys listen intently if I talk to them. Relax and talk to you grey. Open his cage door and talk to him.

[judygram]

I have to echo the other's comments about getting another grey, you should work on getting the grey you have to be more receptive of other people, getting another bird will not solve that problem and could potentially create more problems than you already have, even if you would get another bird you cannot put them together in the same cage. Most of us do have more than one bird and I am not saying you cannot get another bird but if you do get it because you want another one and not to try to solve an existing problem.