Mehrosh Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Hi, I just bought an African grey that is 16 months old 2 days back. It only growls when unhappy and makes no other sounds, it steps on my hand but when i feed him by hand he picks and throws the food instead of eating. My question is if his behaviour is normal? And why is he so quiet? Any tips to get this guy started will be highly appreciated too Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Yes it's normal. When greys move to a new environment it takes a while for them to get the lay of the land. They are prey animals and acutely aware of potential predators. When he throws food you offer, it's because he is not trusting you yet. When he growls, he is warning you that he is stressed and wants you to back off. Giving him a little space is the best gift you can give yourself. Talk softly, sit as close as he will permit without growling. If you have tasty treats, eat them in front of him and offer him a sample, like almonds or pine nuts. Sooner or later he will get curious and come to you. Follow his lead and don't push him while he is getting acclimated. It's really hard. You know you want the best for him and you know you will treat him right. He isn't too sure about you yet. It's hard to back away. It's natural that you have found and exquisite creature to share your life and you want to get to know him. You will. It will take a little time for him to settle in, start whistling and talking. If he whistles, whistle back. It's a contact call and he will likely be more animated when you are in another room out of his sight. You will grow on him in no time. Have you chosen a name for him yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Thanks....atleast I'm content that he is ok. True that curosity is taking the best of me, I understand that time and Patience is required here. We call him by the nickname koku coming from casco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Welcome to you an Koku. Your new grey will be cautious at first watching you for reactions. Talk to him and tell him what you are doing or going to do. Greys are very smart creatures so have fun. My two greys are very quiet at times and noisy at others. So watch and learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 (edited) Curious is good. I have to admit now I am curious about Koku too. When you worry that he isn't eating, if you know what he was eating in his previous home and that type of food is available, chances are he isn't willing to eat in front of a stranger just yet. You may not see him eat, but if you see his water dish look a little messier at the end of day and see droppings on his cage papers, he is eating. It's a good idea to look through the health room to know the foods that could be harmful to him. It's also a good idea to get a scale, in grams, and weigh him once a week. That will let you know what his "normal" weight is and reassure you that even with all the food tossed on the floor, he is eating. Edited October 19, 2014 by katana600 Typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Hello and welcome to you and Coku! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Welcome to you and Koku. I wouldn't stress him out by making him perch on your hand right now. Certainly if you have to move him from place to place, but otherwise leave him in his cage and sit close by, as close as you can before he starts to growl. Talk to him, eat in front of him and offer him a treat. It's ok to just put it in his dish right now. Don't pressure him to take it from your fingers. Take a look here in the training room. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen. The best thing you can do is to learn to read the signals he is sending you. Respecting them will help him to trust that he is safe with you, and the faster he feels safe with you the faster and deeper he can bond with you. A bird that feels safe, respected, and bonded to his flock (you and anyone else in the family) will be more vocal and interactive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 What are you feeding him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Welcome to you an Koku. Your new grey will be cautious at first watching you for reactions. Talk to him and tell him what you are doing or going to do. Greys are very smart creatures so have fun. My two greys are very quiet at times and noisy at others. So watch and learn. Thank you for the warm welcome, its great in here and it seems that our journey with you guys is going to be easy and full of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Well there is a lot of mess around him, it happens that whenever I turn my back against him, he snips a bite. In the mornings there is a mess of seed leftover so yah I can say he does hide and eat. The shy little guy. Good thing that happened today is that he whistled while I was near him, seems its a sign of him getting comfy with me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 I will start eating in front of him as you have mentioned, will see what happens. Will sure look into the training threads, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 What are you feeding him? Sunflower seeds from the bird shop and also apple at times. If its from my he will just pick and throw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Mehrosh, that isn't a very good diet for a grey. Lots of people here share fresh veggies from our plates with our birds. We end up eating more healthy food because we are sharing our food with our birds. Lol Lots of our members have their bird on a pelleted diet, supplemented with fresh food, if that's available to you. Where do you live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted October 19, 2014 Author Share Posted October 19, 2014 Mehrosh, that isn't a very good diet for a grey. Lots of people here share fresh veggies from our plates with our birds. We end up eating more healthy food because we are sharing our food with our birds. Lol Lots of our members have their bird on a pelleted diet, supplemented with fresh food, if that's available to you. Where do you live? We live in the Middle East, we do have all the fresh stuff imported here and i did try to feed him some carrots today but he doesnt seems interested. I have read that they are reluctant to new taste so i think that it is. Will try to bring in the variety in his diet. The vet suggested vitamins which we have already started. His beak is flakey and am guessing thats due to the vitamin deficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 Well there is a lot of mess around him, it happens that whenever I turn my back against him, he snips a bite. In the mornings there is a mess of seed leftover so yah I can say he does hide and eat. The shy little guy. Good thing that happened today is that he whistled while I was near him, seems its a sign of him getting comfy with me? Sure is but remember that grey time is very slow so be prepared to be very patient with him as he settles into his new home and adjusts to everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted October 19, 2014 Share Posted October 19, 2014 You're doing great. I can guarantee that eating something infront of your bird and then offering it to him works, maybe not the first time, but sometimes the second. Here's how it works with my Dorian. I eat something and make yummy happy noises, then offer him a bite of it. If he declines I say OK and let him see me pop it into my mouth, making yummy noises again. He'll almost always at least take the food from me the second time I offer it, even if he only flings it. Sometimes while he's flinging he tastes it by accident and that's how you get new food into them. And since they can't have any overly processed foods, it forces me to eat healthier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpflynn Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 My girl loves vegetables if they are cooked and still warm. She will almost swallow them whole. She will eat raw vegetables, but only as a last option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Try cooking some rice or couscous mixed with some lentils and beans do not add salt to the cooking process but you can add spices. Greys and most Parrots will enjoy a warm food and you can cut some fresh veggies very small and add to the mixture. No onions, Avacado or Garlic but any dark leafy greens, bright colorful peppers , carrots, beets, sweet potato and a little fruit like Mango, figs or Coconut shreds should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Sophie eats a variety of pellet mix and freeze dryed fruits and veggies. Sunflower seeds are rare, and just a treat. She LOVES when I grill especially and I get more compliments from her than my family! Chicken is her favorite. When I make something new... I tell her " Rom is grilling tonite!" I get " whatcha cooking!" She is first to the dinner table, as Sophie has always eaten dinner with us... she has always complimented me the most. We went thru the veggie and fruit throwing at the walls. Sophie learned best, as I believe others have said, by watching you eat. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehrosh Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hello again, Here i am with updates and new questions, hope you guys and your greys are doing great. Koku has begun eating fruits and vegetables, thanks to all the great tips you guys had shared. He whistles briefly in the morning and evening, no talking yet. He stays in our living room through out the day perched on top of his cage, at nights we close him in and shift him to the kitchen to sleep in the dark. He isn't stepping up on my hand or wooden perch anymore, i have followed the training steps mentioned in vain. My question is how can i get him to step up again? He has been with me for a month now, he was stepping up when I got him but not anymore. Also, he is still scared of me even when he stays with us in the living room all the time he is awake and one of us always keeps talking to him, how long can this go on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I don't want to scare you, but it can go on for months. There's a reason we refer to 'grey time'. It moves much slower than our time does. Mostly the changes are so slow and incremental that they can only truly be seen by looking back. Something I wish I'd done with Dorian is kept a journal of his small steps forward. He took years, literally, to step up onto my hand for me. I just respected his boundaries. He was also cage bound for the first few months he was here. I took the advice I found here and let him make his own decisions. That helped build his self confidence, and his trust in me. My advice is to resign yourself to having a hands off birdie for now, unless you absolutely have to handle him, like getting him into a travel cage for a vet visit. That doesn't mean you stop offering him a step up. The fact that he steped up for you for the first couple weeks was because of what we call the 'honeymoon' period, and was mostly because of fear. Now he's testing you to see if you'll respect his boundaries. It's part of building a trusting relationship. You know that all you want is to offer him a richer, better life, but he'll need time to figure that out. Luckily, time is something you have plenty of. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. You can always come here to vent when you're getting frustrated. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Trust takes time! As they take " forever", I am a BIG believer, in developing that trust quicker, than later! I would work on step up and step down off the cage door. ( I don't believe in sticking my hand in their cage!) Its their domane, I am not welcome! We as a family, did most training and practiced stepup and down away from the cage. It really took Sophie around six months, but we were all committed and on the same page Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedawg Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 No doubt! Keep up the good work. The rewards are a plenty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 We practiced stepup and stepdown off the cage door, as this is where she would comeout to meet us. We were lucky to have 24/7 coverage. We all practiced with her once she was on the door. I would say we averaged around eight times a day. It also helped, that we all were involved, so I am sure thats why she learned to stepup to all. Once you have a grey's attention, to all family members, WATCH OUT! On Dec 20th, when Ryan gets home, she is gonna go crazy! She is going to have three people home that she loves and she will be in " high gear"! ( I barely survived Sean being home last week!) She had no interest in birdroom door being closed, wanted to be with Sean 24/7... waited outside his door patiently for him to wake up. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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