I adopted a 15 year old CAG last night with issues.

[sdkramer76]

Hi there,

 

I'm Shannon and last night, I adopted a 15 year old CAG named Peatree. I'm here to learn from you all, and to have a sounding board to ask questions as we go.

 

Peatree has some baggage. 10 or so years ago, his last owner found him in a bunny cage, outside in Michigan weather, with a pair of jeans draped over the cage. His cage was overfilling with feces and mold, and his feet were moldy.

 

For a while, he was handleable, but clearly her bird - he hates men, boys and is a one person bird.

 

He's currently on a bad diet of mostly seed with a small amount of pellet. I plan to ease him into a better diet of mostly fresh with a little pellet and of course whatever we're eating. This morning we shared scrambled eggs, and he was delighted.

 

Peatree is not currently handleable. He hasn't been out of his cage in several years from what I understand. His last owner is a Foster mother of children (lots and lots of children) and is trying to simplify her life. She didn't feel like she had the time or energy to try to rehab Peatree to get him to a place where he could live out a safe and happy life.

 

I am ridiculously excited to embark on this adventure with Peatree. So far here's what has transpired:

 

I toweled him into the carrier, (he was NOT happy about that, clearly). We put his cage, exactly as she had it with toys and everything all in the same places in the cage they were in at his old house, and i've been reaching in and giving him treats. Pretzels, eggs, strawberries, grapes, etc. He's taken all of them and eaten the majority of everything I've given him.

 

Right now, he's in his cage, with the door open and has not deemed us safe enough to come out.

 

I think I'll wait for a few days and start getting closer and closer so he trusts my hands. Is that the right course for a bird that is wholly unhandleable? Work up to it? I don't want to set us both up for failure by just demanding that he steps up. I want him to know I'm his friend. I talk to him all the time.

 

Anyway - thank you for having me. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

 

Shannon

[aerial.2000]

I am not sure if you are a first time bird owner and/or grey owner but I will guarantee you everyone here will tell you NOT to rush. That you will need to let Peatree do things in his OWN time which is commonly referred to as "grey time" you have a long time to be with your new friend so take that time to build that bond and trust it could take a long time but you will be rewarded in the end by Peatree. (which btw is a great name) So talk to your new fid, sing to them, read to them, sit close to the cage, continue to give little snacks and treats. Change the diet to fresh and sit back and watch your bird flurish good luck

[Timbersmom]

Hello and welcome to you and Peatree! It sounds like you have an adventure ahead of you. As you said, let things progress at Peatree's rate. It takes time to build trust, and slower is better. You are off to a great start! He will start coming out as he acclimates to his new environment an "flock" (you and your family). You might want to spend some time sitting by his cage speaking softly to him or even reading. God luck and God bless

[Luvparrots]

Congrats on taking in an older grey. Looking forward on joining you on this new adventure.

[Brat Birds]

Welcome Shannon and Peatree. You did the right thing in leaving his cage the same as it was before. As stated before, it will take time. It will most likely take lots of time. I am thinking months, if not years. Now, there will be small steps as you go, but it will be a long time before you have a happy, healthy Grey. You are doing great with giving him new and better food. I would go a bit heavier on fresh veggies. Remember no salt or sugar in what you give him. Also, no caffeine, fruit seeds or peanuts. Thank you for taking in a teenager - we all know how difficult they can be! LOL Looking forward to hearing all about your adventure.

[katana600]

Hi Shannon. Welcome to the forum and thank you for joining us. Each grey and every relationship is individual and unique. We will learn as much from your progress with Peatree as you will gain from sharing with us. Is Peatree a Congo African Grey (CAG) or Timneh African Grey (TAG)? The CAG has a black beak and bright red tailfeathers where a TAG had a black beak which is creamy light colored on the curved beak front. In my avatar photo, Gilbert is a TAG. You have great instincts already. When you get a baby grey, it usually has been handled, is more trusting and has been trained to step up. In that case, keeping it current is a good idea. However, Peatree has not been handled and it might be a great frustration for both of you to push him too soon. He will let you know when he is ready. You are doing a lot of things very well from the onset. Congratulations on the journey of a lifetime.

[judygram]

Hello Shannon and welcome to our family.

 

So glad you could give Peatree a new forever home and the best advice is to take your time, lots of time for grey time is very slow. Just let him make the decision to want to interact with you, poor guy has been cooped up so long it isn't easy to let go but he will when he is ready.

 

We do have some threads in the bird food room that list foods that are safe for them and some that aren't, get familiar with them so you will know what to avoid.

[murfchck]

Welcome and congrats! The journey you are about to start will be slow going and sometimes frustrating but never give up! You have done a wonderful thing giving this guy a chance at a new life and, in time, you will be rewarded by him like something you have never experienced before. As everyone has said greys have their own time line and what is months, even years for us is like days for them. Let Peatree tell you when the time is right, in the meantime just build the trust with him by doing what you have been doing. Sitting beside the cage and talking, singing even reading a book out loud to him will all help him with the trust. Learn his body language, the little ticks and whistles he will do and make to let you know how he feels about what is going on. One of mine will make a click noise when he doesn't like something, another one will lower her head like she wants her head scratched but in reality she is saying put your hand near me and I will remove it for you, lol. My third will stand up tall and slit her eyes at me to tell me to go away. They each have their own personality and learning the signs of his likes and dislikes will help you a lot!

As for the cage, most of the cages that come with these guys are not adequate for them but if his is the right size then use it but if it isn't then I would put him in his new cage sooner than later.

Best wishes to you both and I can not wait to follow your new journey!

[Greywings]

Welcome, all the advice given above is excellent and it sounds like you have the right heart. While your patience gets a work out waiting for Peatree to make the first moves towards building a relationship you will gradually hear and see some of his history it can be enlightening. Will enjoy hearing the progress you and Peatree achieve moving forward in little Grey steps.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

So excited for you! Read a story in front of the cage nightly, with door open. No pressure. Nancy

[Ray P]

Welcome Shannon to you and Peatree to the Grey Forums.

At this time I wont add anything as others have given you some good advice.

As said by others, Grey time is their time line and it`s not the same as our time line.

[Acappella]

Welcome to you and Peatree. Thank you for taking on a grey with issues. You will have to put a lot of time, patience and effort into this new relationship but you will be very rewarded. People who are not experienced with birds think it's nuts that it took a couple of years before my Dorian stepped up for me, but that was how long it took before he got up the nerve to take that leap of faith. A lot will depend on what Peatrees lifetime experience has taught him about people. It will also depend upon how naturally resilient he is. Just let him observe his new home and flock and let him have a little control over his life as far as how he interacts with you. I'm looking forward to hearing about your journey together.