Hey...just wanted to know...

[Ella_krisch]

I'm fairly new to this and I've had my African Grey for 7 years already. I inherited her from my oma when she passed away and im still trying to get the hang of things. I've tried almost everything to stop her from plucking and pulling out her feathers on her chest and at the top of her right wing. When I first got her some people said it was because she was depressed and that it would go away. Some of her feathers have grown back but she is still plucking and I don't know what to do. I've used sprays that are meant for plucking but she still does it and I hate putting it on her because I don't like chemicals near her. I give her almost all my attention but not completely as I have a life to live. I joined this forum because I want to make sure she has the best. I also came across it because I was wondering why she regurgitated on my hand all the time and already read why ... I'm also wondering how to train her to not poo every where but I don't know how. I've tried toys and such but she rips them to shreds and then gets bored with what's left over and buying toys all the time is not going well with my money. To sum it up... I need help with her plucking and her pooping?. I'm a newbee at this...

[SRSeedBurners]

Plucking: See the plucking thread. Also, you may never stop it but there are things you can try. Once it's ingrained behavior it may be harder to stop.

 

 

Toys: you don't have to buy toys all the times. Greys and other birds are notorious for using common items as toys. My Grey for instance LOVES a plain pine board or box made of wood. She'll go after them all the time if available.

 

Pooping: We trained ours to go where we wanted by taking her to the spot and asking her to go. Once she does, we praise her. Also when we get her out in the morning, it's the FIRST place we go to. She still tries to get away with an occasional lazy turd on the chair or my back but so goes it.

[katana600]

Our Miss Gilbert came to us as a plucker. At one point our vet suggested we try Rescue Remedy for pets. It is a homeopathic blend. I put a few drops in her water daily and with time, it did seem to help her have less anxiety. Once she broke the cycle, she still reverts to plucking when she is under duress. That can be when we travel and she adjusts to a new place, or it can be when I change my schedule from what she anticipates. I have come to terms with it. She will barber her chest and thighs and look scruffy for a while, but then she goes months without a care in the world. As far as the pooping, birds will naturally poop when they are about to take flight. What I usually do is come ask for a step up, when she reaches up her foot, I put a tissue down and say "bombs away". She will poop, then I have about a half hour before I take her back where she will automatically poop again as soon as she is on her perch. I had grand ideas of teaching her to poop on a tissue because I could choose her poop place or leave a tissue in her cage so she would always have a target. Unfortunately, with her background she is not predictable as to when she is willing to come out of her cage so we don't get consistent practice. It just helps to have her poop before I pick her up, then take her back before it is time to go again.

[BaileysPapa]

She's depressed about losing your grandmother. Eventually you'll fill that void. She needs time to grieve and move on. I've had some success with pluckers by redirecting that energy with shreddable "toys". Like paper cups, plastic drinking straws, little cardboard boxes, small paper plates, things like that. Also, preening "toys", like short lengths of rope to unravel, strings tied together, strips of cloth tied together, things like that. These guys love untying knots. Plucking is difficult to stop, and some birds never stop. But keep trying with other things to keep her beak busy.