Need help with a young Grey

[Abaddon]

Hey everyone! new here. New to having a parrot as well actually.

 

I got an African Grey not too long ago, just a couple of months or so, when he was a couple of months old or so as well (and had the joy of hand-feeding ).

So, he's about 4 months old now, and before I got him I read up a lot about Greys, and then it turned out that.. well, not much is immediately practical. I read about making a reward system like clicker-training and so on, about behavior, playing, and so on, but it doesn't really work; I assume because of his age (the breeder who offers support mentioned something along those lines as well). He doesn't really respond.

But if as he grows up, I'll do a poor job because I'm really not certain about what to do. I'm even concerned because as it stands, he doesn't do much all day long, just hangs out on the roof and inside his cage, chirps every now and then, climbs around every now and then, and I'm not sure what kind of mental stimulation to offer him. Little did I know, every single toy I got him was a chewing toy . I would be really excited to do some training with him but he doesn't really respond to treats (I tried a lot): he wouldn't take anything directly from me, I'd have to put it in his bowl and he might eat it then or later. The only exception is sunflower seeds (which I know not to give him much of) but I don't think that's much of a reward to him, sometimes he wouldn't move just a bit to get it. The thing that's hard on me the most is that he avoids my touch. If I try to pet him even for a tiny bit he'll do everything to move away. Every now and then he might let me pet him for a few seconds but then move away again (and then scratch; he almost always scratches after I pet him at the place I did ._. maybe I'm doing it wrong? although I kept experimenting, I'm really not sure). Does any of this sound normal at all? this kind of information is so surprisingly scarce (even online). I would really appreciate help!

 

Thank you!

Cheers.

[Luvparrots]

Welcome Abaddon, relax and enjoy your new grey. Talk to him and let him know what you are doing. Looking forward to getting to know the two of you.

[Greywings]

Question, do you have any lotion on your hands? Welcome and feel free to ask questions. You will be learning about Grey time, they have to learn to trust us and trying to make them do anything can mess up that trust.

[Abaddon]

Welcome Abaddon, relax and enjoy your new grey. Talk to him and let him know what you are doing. Looking forward to getting to know the two of you.

 

Thank you! will do!

 

Question, do you have any lotion on your hands? Welcome and feel free to ask questions. You will be learning about Grey time, they have to learn to trust us and trying to make them do anything can mess up that trust.

 

Nope, I never use any or anything like that.

Thank you. According to the breeder I reckoned trust would be pretty much established from hand-feeding, is it not the case? well, to be honest maybe my OP is the answer to that is it okay at the very least to put him in his cage? he really doesn't like it and he's usually screaming for the first second. If not then I need a way to do it because I do it out of necessity (not punishment e.g. when I can't supervise he won't get himself in danger, which is only when I leave the house or go to sleep). I really wished I could use a treat to lure him but as I mentioned, he couldn't care less.

And on top of that I'm just wondering, what can I do to build trust with him when I can't really have interactions with him? (no petting, no feeding, no playing..)

[judygram]

Just because you handfed him doesn't mean he trusts you, trust has to be earned as in the way you treat him, talk to him interact with him, in other words it in how you respect him and his wishes. Sometimes it takes a long time to build that trust so be patient while that is happening. Some greys do not like to be touched much so that may be the case here so be prepared to just allow him to be close if he desires.

 

You can find lots of ideas of different types of toys and even household items they might enjoy playing with, some love one kind and not another so try them all to find the one he likes the most, we have a toy and playstand section where you will find these ideas.

 

As far as spending time in his cage that is fine, most of us have to keep our fids in their cages during the day while we may be at work but most of us have ours out in the evenings to spend time with us, they are flock animals so they enjoy being with their family, you being your grey's family. Hope this helps but we are here for any help so all you have to do is ask.

[Devin Corso]

Hi Abaddon! I started typing a response, but it turned out very long, so I made it into a separate thread. It's under "Training" called "Tips for New Parrots Parents." I hope it helps.

[Abaddon]

Thank you all so so much! you've already helped me so much.

Things have already been going way better since I realized it's a trust thing and already on the day I posted the OP he came over to me and asked me to pet him quite a bit, which is just amazing!

 

And Devin, I love the thread you made. You made a point to take him everywhere I go and I would love that but how should I do that? like, how would I carry him? and how can I desensitize the experience for him because he is very scared when he goes out of my room (as things stand he's actually in my room with me all day, I work, and he's on the top of his cage which is just a meter away.. although recently he's been explorative and going over to my bed and nightstand).

I would really love to keep him actually on me by the way, and I tried that a lot when he was younger, but he keeps trying to get on the desk and to chew on cables (there's also him taking a crap but that's okay.. kind of ). He wouldn't just chill with me, unfortunately for me.

I would really love to be able to do those kind of stuff with him; before I even got him this is exactly what I had planned for, but I'm not sure how to make this happen. Any thoughts?

P.S. I'd love to train him to get up on my hand/arm, and just stay and relax when he's with me but as I mentioned, he doesn't respond to treats (maybe it's because of his age? does that make sense?).

[Devin Corso]

No problem! I'm glad I could help.

 

When I trained Korra, I trained her to stay on my hand. Not my arm, shoulder, or head. If he stays on your arm, he will want to climb all the way up and probably want to get onto your head. I let little Yoshi do that, and now she only wants to be on my head, no where else. It's very cute, but it messes up my hair, and I have to wear a towel on my head so I don't get poop in my hair. So if I wanted to go out on errands with Yoshi I couldn't.

 

So train him to either stay on your hand or shoulder. Being on your hand is practical because you can get him comfortable enough to be fine with your hand moving like when you type and use your mouse. Having him on your shoulder is nice because it looks cooler, but you have the poop problem again.

 

When he steps up onto your hand, you have to make it a place he wants to be. For instance, during Thanksgiving, would you rather sit in a chair alone, or sit at the dining room table where all the action is? The table of course! You want to have him understand that your hand has the most action, and is the most interesting place to be. Right now, your desk is more interesting because he can chew it.

 

When he steps up on your hand, celebrate!!! Say "Oh my goodness! I am so happy to see you!" Dance with him! Then put him on your preferred place. Maybe a table top desk perch, a lamp, or on top of your computer. Make sure there is newspaper under where he is going to be sitting. If you want to make your desk look nice, you could use scrapbook paper with cool colors and patterns on them. (I don't know if you ever have meetings, and would want your desk to look nicer). Here are some examples: https://www.google.com/search?q=scrapbook+paper&rlz=1C1NHXL_enUS688US688&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=580&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYtYyJlsLPAhUDS2MKHaUWC_UQ_AUIBygC#tbm=isch&q=masculine+scrapbook+paper

 

When you put him on your preferred place, make sure you tell him to "step up!" Then give him something interesting like: a bell, cardboard tube, tissue or tissue box, or an unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seed, or a peanut in shell. Remember to not give more than 3 peanuts a day because they are fatty. Also, be sure that he is not swallowing tissue or cardboard that you give him. Basically, make sure that your preferred place becomes his preferred place. Make it interesting.

 

As you are working be sure to take breaks to talk to him, dance with him, and play peek-a-boo. If you want to work on "touchy-feely," be sure to pet him once in a while as well. He will realize when your hand comes to him it either means a toy, treat, or petting; he will look forward to your hand coming his way. This will also make it less likely for him to get down and chew your desk. Korra likes to grab my keyboard, mouse, and lcd computer screen (eek!). I tell her "no!" In a firm, but not loud voice. I point my finger at her (not too close) and give her an angry look. After you do this for a while, you will realize that he will look up at your face to see your reaction to different things (especially when he is doing something wrong). That is an important connection to make with him.

 

When you take him into the kitchen or bathroom, carry him on your hand and put him down on the counter or floor when you reach your destination. Sometimes the sink faucet works well too. When I'm in the bathroom I put her on the floor, or in front of the mirror. Make sure if you take him to the kitchen, he is not near non-stick pans, or the oven (bad gases).

 

Make sure to talk to him in a soothing tone. Have him realize that walking, doors, stairways, shadows, and new places are not scary. Try to keep him calm enough that he won't fly away. If he does, say "you're ok" or "oopsie!" and have him "step up" onto your hand. Say "wow you are so good at flying!" Show him that it's ok, and you will always show up to help him wherever he lands. Point things out to him like "I washed our hand towels yesterday, see how clean they are!" or "Look out that window! It's such a pretty day!" or "Look at the magnets on the fridge!" It will switch his thinking from new-scary to new-interesting.

 

 

The bottom line is:

∙You need to show him that you love him. That you care about him, and that you are interested in him.

∙He needs to understand that he can trust you, and where you take him is good and interesting. That he can come to you if something is scary.

 

 

(Example) When I move Korra's huge rolling stand, she gets very scared. So I say "*gasp* Oooh Korra! I see that you're scared. This is so big right? It's pretty funny that a tree should be rolling across the floor hmm? It's ok baby girl. Ok, I'm almost there."

And then

"Ok! We are all done! Are you ready to step up and go on your perch?"

 

 

A quick tip: If you can't get poop off of a surface, spray or pour water on it, and let it soak for 5 minutes. It should wipe right away quickly!

Edited October 4, 2016 by Devin Corso

[Abaddon]

Thank you again.

I've tried to apply that but he wouldn't step up on my hand.

If I offer a sunflower seed and he wants it, he will go for it without hesitation and take it from my fingers, so I tried to give one to him with my other hand between him and the seed so he would have to step up to get it but he didn't and he even got away; I think he was scared of my hand that was close to him.

I also tried to put it closer so he would have to put just one feet on my hand but same story; and also I've tried to put it in the center of the palm of my hand so he would at least reach out above it, but also no

 

This is a trust issue, isn't it? I imagine this is what I should work on for the next while more than anything.

Maybe that's why he doesn't respond to treats too, right?

 

I'll try to work on that the most. If anyone can offer tips or just explain how to do it efficiently, it would be very welcomed.

 

And P.S. another update: I managed to play with him today, yay! (he basically chased my hand with his beak )

[Devin Corso]

Very good! Try the "crawl up hand" method that I mentioned, and keep interacting with him. It takes patience. The point that Korra is at right now took me 3 years. Keep going, you're doing great!