Is it possible?

[Davidm]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and also new to owning a big parrot, a beautiful CAG male. He is a rescue that I got, let just say quite quickly. I got him from a friend of mine, my friend came to me and asked if I could euthanise the parrot. The reason for this was that the parrot, called Jocke, was probably a wild caught parrot, the age was unknown but it had been here in the country for atleast 15 years, it's not hand tame and when coming close to the cage it's very frightened and squeeks. And my friend was the third owner, making me number four. My friend told me she had tried "everything" to tame it and know she had developed an allergy so she had to remove all her animals.

 

Jocke was the only one they couldn't find a home to because he wasn't hand tame. I have always dreamt about having a CAG as a family member and of curse i couldn't bare to euthanise him. So I made a plan that if I couldn't make him hand tame or atleast tolerant of people (me) refilling his food and water without him being so scared, I would try and find a female for him and build an year around outdoor aviary with heated house so atleast i could enjoy him from a far and he could live out his days there being happy and maybe having some company from another CAG.

 

The cage I got with him was non bigger that 30"x35"x60". So the first thing I did was to build a bigger cage ( 6ft,7"x3ft,6"x6ft,7", the weird measurements is because here in Sweden we have the metric system) and he really loves it. He do talk a little bit but wizzels alot.

 

Now to my question, and I know maybe it is impossible to answer. But with time and practise do you guys think it is possible to make him hand tame or atleast tolerant of me changes his food and water without freaking out? I have only had him for a week so he has just started to settle in so I haven't done much with him, only talked softly and being there so he can see me. Sorry for the long post and spelling mistakes, but english is not my first languish

[Timbersmom]

Hello and welcome to you and Jocke! What a blessing that you agreed to take him. If you read some of the stories from our members in the rescue threads on the forum, I would say that nothing is impossible. Greys are very independent and slow to trust. At the very least, I believe you will find Jocke will "tolerate" you. I would certainly hope for more though. Good luck and God bless!

[Inara]

Hello and welcome to you and Jocke! Yes, it is very possible that Jocke can and will settle in and the two of you become good companions. My first grey was a wild caught Congo very much like Jocke who had bitten the living end out of people, was mutilating himself and did nothing but screech. He therefore, wound up ignored, tormented, neglected, very sick and nearly featherless until he came to live with me at somewhere between 10 and 12 years old.

 

I expected nothing from him other than for him to be a bird and to be able to live his life out in peace. Each time I walked past his cage, I would talk softly, and drop a small piece of walnut into his dish. It was not long before he began taking the bit of walnut from my fingers, and eventually he became quite a lover. You have the right approach. Just expect him to be a bird, don't expect him to fulfill your own emotional needs, stay relaxed and matter of fact with him, and make you and your hands welcome by initially always having a small treat for him. Refrain from pestering him, but spend lots of quiet time (reading, etc) around him so that he can come to learn that you are no threat. Chat with him as you go about your day. YAY!! So glad that Jocke has found a good home. I have soft spot in my heart for people who take in difficult birds. Thank you for not euthanizing him!!

Edited May 21, 2014 by Inara

[Davidm]

Thank you so much for the kind words. It feels really good that it might be a chance that the two of us will go along fine. I'll keep working slowly and update as we go along. And if anyone have some tips or trix please feel free to tell me.

I have another question. If i get another grey (that one to will be a rescue) even if they are in two separate cages next to eachother, do they have "company" of each other anyway?

[Greywings]

Inara had some great advice to give you a starting place with this frightened guy. If you do get another bird they may or may not be friends no way to tell in advance. I live with 4 Greys and they are not good together. I can have 2 of them out at the same time with our Elanora Cockatoo and they ignore each other. The other 2 Greys have to have only time as they are too aggressive with the other birds and they are not to be trusted together either. Other people have birds who do get along, most of my flock are all rehomes and rescues so have come with their own experiences and challenges.

[SRSeedBurners]

My opinion is they will have the company of each other. Even if they don't get along they will grow accustomed to each other. I have a Grey who can't stand my Caique...until the Caique is no longer in the area. Then she calls and calls and calls till she gets her little brother back and then she resumes trying to 'knock him off his perch'.

[birdhouse]

Hi David. Welcome to GF. Big brownie points for taking Jocke on. I can already tell from much of what you've said that you have the right stuff to work w/this guy.

 

My TAG Phenix is a wild caught bird who had it pretty rough before he came home to me. He growled, screamed & bit, make that ripped every chance he got. He was also sick which meant that he had to be handled when he was in no head space to be near people, let alone forced into scary contact like that.

 

That was 25 yrs ago when there was no internet & forums full of helpful people. We had to sort everything out on our own. I'm still not quite sure how we got thru the first couple of years. But he made in spite of me. lol Unless you know better, Phenix generally passes for a normal grey w/attitude these days.

 

Jocke is more intelligent than you could probably imagine. His emotions are much like a 3 yo child's. And he's a wild animal who was brutally ripped away from his life & sentenced to 15+ yrs in a cage w/horrible, scary people. It doesn't matter whether they were actually abusive, or terrifyingly well intended. They've collectively done more harm than good since Jocke hasn't transitioned to captivity.

 

He needs time where no one is threatening him. Well intended or otherwise. He needs to be somewhere that he can see his new flock w/o being forced to do anything. But he needs to feel he's welcome. Which is a little tough because w/o exaggeration, even looking at him is threatening at this point. So you glance in his direction occasionally while talking w/him from a safe distance or across the room. Whistle back & forth. Do quiet things sitting nearer his cage. People knit, read, work on their laptop, etc.

 

And w/o seeming to, watch his body language, the way his heart flutters in his breast, the way his eye pupils pin open & closed. You're waiting for him to tell you what to do & what not to do. And you should expect to wait for a long time. We call it Grey Time. Everything's in slow motion by human standards. But there's no rushing a rescue.

 

Right now, there's not a lot you can do about him screaming at you while you're close enough to the cage to feed him. Move slowly. Apologize quietly & sincerely. Step back as soon as you've finished, but try to talk w/him for a few minutes afterwards to see what it takes for him to calm down. More space? A chipper attitude? Commiseration? A song, perhaps? Seriously, many birds love music & being sung to, no matter what we think we sound like. But it will really help make good things happen if you can find something to end these encounters on a positive note.

 

While you're figuring that out, you & Jocke are going to learn a great deal about each other. The most important thing for Jocke to learn is that you respect him & what he needs. You are not another scary human. That's the magic key to everything else. So it's well worth whatever it takes & however long you may have to wait.

[Brat Birds]

Welcome. You have been given good advice. I will only, once again, emphasize that patience is what you need. As an older bird, it will take time to get anywhere with him. A month to us is more like a day to them. So, know that each little step is great! Thank you so much for giving this baby a home. Please keep us posted.

[Luvparrots]

Hi David, welcome to you and Jocke. Your English is magnificent and I commend anyone who speaks/writes more than one language. Kudos to you. Jocke is lucky to have found you. I have an amazon who was not well treated before he came to live with me about 4 years ago. He and I have an understanding and he is a love. Louie bites if I try to touch him but he follows me around and does everything I ask of him, just don't touch him.

 

I believe you and Jocke will work things out and you will be rewarded for your kindness to him. Welcome to the Grey family.

[Davidm]

Thanks for all the good advice. That it will take time, that I know and honestly I don't have a problem with it. Today, well more like this evening, has been really nice, Jocke have said some new words to me and he has displayed a behaviour that I would interpret as curiosity, and he has really explored his cage. It's not much but i'm over the moon with joy anyway. He has completely stolen my heart. I'm so looking forward to the coming years together

[judygram]

David, you have my heartfelt gratitude for giving this grey another chance and like the others have said he will come around in time so if you have the patience you will be rewarded for your effort.

[Ray P]

Anything is possible with kindness, affection and love. It just takes a little time.

[katana600]

I believe you and Jocke are meant to be. It takes a long time for trust to build. To an African Grey in a new environment, everyone and everything looks like a predator. One thing I read that made sense was to not stare directly at him, turning to watch through one eye. Watch what he does and do what he does for now. If he backs off, you back away too. When you offer food from your hand don't use your fingertip, but the side of your finger instead. It will be less likely for his beak to pierce in that position. Thank you for caring about Jocke and for creating a larger home and for giving him a chance. It has taken some time for Miss Gilbert to respond favorably. Every day is a step closer. It is worth it.