Advice on rescued CAG

[michadka]

My wife and I recently took in a 16 year old CAG. The bird was allegedly abused by a prior owner, though we have no proof of that other than the untrusting nature of this bird. He's adjusted well and come a long way in the week+ that we have him. He still bites a great deal, but we can scratch his head from time to time and he has climbed out of his cage to an outised perch for some feedings. Attempts to get him to 'step up' have been a total failure. If I try when he's outside the cage, he flys away and crashes into something (I stopped that after two tries so he wouln't get hurt). Attempts inside the cage lead to him biting hard and climbing fust and furious to escape. He'll throw a big tantrum and shivers like crazy. I've gone to a glove to stop some of the damage to my hand but this is a big strong bird. I'm trying to be very patient and give him good long breaks in between trying, but I seem to be making zero progress. If we can't get him out of his cage we have trouble involing him in daily activities. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[danmcq]

Welcome michadka!!!

 

Well for just a week plus, it sounds like he is adjusting well to his new home and Flock. I would first recommend not using a Glove. That will instill even more fear, though it protects you from some bites.

 

It would be better to interact inside the Cage with him on a less aggressive schedule and try to avoid getting in his "Safe Zone".

 

If you have been able to give him head scratches, that is a great stride forward. Just be patient and sit next to his cage while reading. listening to music or watching TV. Keep his cage door open and let him climb in and out at will when you are present in the room.

 

He is a very mature fully Adult Grey that has baggage of what ever nature he has accumulated over 16 years. I think for one week, you have made good progress and so has he. The only thing that will keep this progressing is time, patience and lots of love and understanding on your side.

 

Does he have plenty of toys in the Cage to play with and help get rid of some of his energy and frustration? A vet check would also be a "Must Do" if you have not already done so. This will insure he does not have any underlying health problems that could be bringing out his grouchy side also.

 

There are a lot of members here with tons of experience that will chime in and help you also with plenty of great advice.

 

You came to the right place for help and a great community of members that are caring and loving people. :-)

[judygram]

I agree with Dan, you have come a long way in just a week's time so plan on spending a lot of time with this grey and I think he will come around eventually.

 

Being a mature adult grey and possibly abused he is set in his ways and it will take lots of time and patience but you will be handsomely rewarded if you don't give up on him.

 

Most greys do not react to being handled with gloves very well so abandon that and talk to him and let him come out of his cage before attempting to get him to step up.

 

If he has not seen an avian vet in a while he needs to have a complete workup and you will probably have to towel him to get him there but it really needs to be done.

 

We do have a lot of members here who have a wealth of knowledge that will be willing to give you some ideas and suggestions to help you in your quest to make this grey a better companion pet. You certainly came to the right place.

 

Why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us a little more about you and this grey.

[michadka]

Thank you both for the words of advice and encouragement. We are fortunate enough to have a friend who's wife is a vet and works in a prctice where there is an Avian practitioner. We are currently trying to set up that appointmen which will, sometime in the very near future, happen. I will dscrad the use of the glove, as advised. Hopefully I have enough blood left to get through this transition for him. I have yet to explored this site, But I'll look for the welcome room and introduce us all. Any other tips and advice will be great.

[LisaM]

Sorry for the really long post, but this is copied from another site and it has helped people with birds that were not trusting to start building that trust. I do this often with all my birds (it's fun!). My two ekkies will initiate it with me now. My CAG doesn't always blink along but she does about 50% of the time. The other 50% of the time she just looks at me like I have three heads. :-)

 

Good luck!

Lisa

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Here is a description by Mary Nogare of how to play the "blinking game":

 

The blinking game is a game to play with your parrot that simulates parrot body language believed to express comfort, security and trust. The idea of using this body language is to communicate in a way that a parrot instinctively understands as a bridge to trustbuilding.

 

You can do this any time and anywhere - even if you are just trying to convey a gentle "I love you" to your parrot - on a playtree, on your hand, or on/in a cage.

 

We will describe it with the bird inside the cage, since that is a good place to start with a bird that is wild, afraid, not used to humans, not used to nice humans, etc.

 

With her inside her cage, enter the room with a happy, gentle smile and expression on your face. Speak gently and calmly to her and praise her.

 

Go near her cage but not right up to it. Ensure she can see your face and eyes.

 

Greet her (so you are sure she is looking at you). Then slowly close your eyes. Hold them closed for a count of three and then slowly open them. You don't have to open them sssslllllloooooowwwwwwlllllllyyyy - just open them gently - don't "snap" them open. Then repeat. Watch her for a second, but ensure your gaze is gentle - even if you have to lower your eyes just a little and not look at her straight-on (this can be an important step for a frightened parrot - when your bird trusts and knows you, you can look "straight-on" - just keep the gaze gentle).

 

She may blink back. It may be a quick blink. Blink back in the slow blink described. Praise her gently. She may now give you a longer blink back - maybe fluttering her eyelids just a little bit. By closing her eyelids for any length of time, she is showing you trust and is responding to your overture of trust.

 

Do it one more time...blink slowly, praise gently. Watch for her response.

 

End of session. You don't want to overdo it.

 

Next time you try it (whether from inside her cage or from a playtree, etc), she may respond more quickly with a long blink of her own. Praise her and repeat the blink....

 

If you do the blink from a place away from the cage (where she is out of the cage) ensure your face and nose are sufficiently far away that if she should spook, she will not lunge and grab you by your handy nose-handle while your eyes are closed. Eclectus typically would not do that, but it is best to be safe. Sometimes, the birds will blink, hold their eyelids closed for a second, then open them just a tiny bit to see if your eyelids are still closed.

 

After she is comfortable responding to your blinking, you can keep your eyes shut for a bit longer - birds seem to enjoy that, and will also lengthen the time they keep their eyes shut...sometimes peeking as above.

 

After she is used to communicating with you in this way, you will find that you can play the "blinking game" even from across a room - as long as she can see your face and eyes, she can see the exaggerated blinking of this body language communication.

[danmcq]

This is great advice I had forgotten about Lisa, thanks for posting it. :-)

 

I used this on Jake my wild Conure to get him to relax. The theory is, if you stare wide eyed at a bird, that is a predatory sign of your about to get eaten to the Bird.

 

As Lisa's posts suggests, closely the eyes definitely transmits that all is well, your comfy with him and he will probably blink back as Jake did to Me.

 

Dayo, my Grey does not seem to play along with this as Lisa also. I figure it is due to them already being comfortable with us as their parents that fed them from the early beginning s of their lives.

 

I have also seen the Bird whisper not only blink, but grab the wild Parrot, flapping away, raise it above his head, release his grasp and then turn his head around and downward slightly looking away from the now wild eyed Parrot. It settled down, sat willingly on his hand and after a few minutes, fluffed up, stood on one foot and started preening!!

 

These guys read body language BIG TIME and give body language also that you need to pay careful attention to.

[MazyAK]

michadka: You do have a super start for this bird for only a week. You'll have it made. Dan had some great advice, and yes ditch the glove. Stay out of his space as much as possible as he gets used to his new surroundings. Door open is great but if you notice he's uneasy close it so he can regain his security.

You're doing great. There is much to read on this site which is directly applicable to your needs.

See you out there. Bruce & Mazy

[michadka]

Thanks all.

We're taking all advice and trying to make prudent decisions. I have a few further questions:

 

1) This site seems a little difficult to navigate. I see no way to sort posts by date or user, am I missing something?

 

2) Anyone have experience with the www.birdtricks.com videos?

 

3) When my bird shakes, meaning his body is basically still, his head is still but his body feathers (mostly breast) are shaking, is that a sign of fear, cold or something else. Our home is usually around 67, I'm believe I read that to be acceptable.

 

4) His pupils dialate in and out quickly at times. I can't find much on that behavior. Any thoughts?

 

Thanks you all again, you've been very helpful.

[judygram]

1) This site is really very easy to navigate once you get used to it, I know for I was intimidated by it at first glance myself, give it a chance and I am sure you will learn quickly.

 

The posts are arranged by the last posted being first and so on and if you want to see posts made by a certain member just go to their profile and their last 50 posts will be listed there.

 

2) Don't waste your money on that video.

 

3) Shaking or quivering of the feathers or chest area of the bird is normal, they all do it.

 

4) They have control over the dilation of their pupils rather than like ours that react to the amount of light coming to them. And they usually say they are about to bite if they are pinning or making the pupils small.

[KatB]

On navigation -- I found a good tool to be the list of recent posts on the Home page. That's the best way to see all posts sorted by date. You can search by name in the search box at the top of the Forum pages if you want to see posts by a particular user. Also, if you click on the user name beside a post you can go to that user's profile and see a list of all their posts. I'm not a power user by any means, but these are some things I use often.

 

I experienced some of the things you mention when I brought home my grey when he was 18 months old. I also did the glove thing until the folks here recommended I not. I then went to a hand-held perch for quite a while until he became trusting of me. That worked very well. He didn't mind stepping up onto the perch and it saved my skin!

 

Just be patient. I can tell you from experience that as long as you consistently show him you are trustworthy, he'll soon get the message and become a wonderful loving companion. With these guys, that word "patient" always shows up!

[HeatherStrella]

I wonder if using a perch to get him out would work. If he was abused with a stick or something, you might scare him, though. I've read that as a first "step" use a perch...maybe try a colored one so he doesn't associate it with a stick. What I mean by using a perch is, while he's in his cage, put the perch up to his breast as you would with your hand. Say "step up" as you would if you were using your hand...If he seems afraid of it, ditch it.<br><br>Post edited by: HeatherStrella, at: 2008/01/29 14:46