Hello! Just got an AG.

[TubeScreamer]

Hello,

 

Just got an AG adult, male I think and I know nothing about these birds. I have a couple of questions.

 

1. Can you stop them from saying a phrase? This one keeps saying "yo n*gger" every 20 min or so and makes like a phone ring tone. Funny but it gets old specially the phone ring.

 

2. I can hand feed it and all but he still moves away from me if I get too close. I can walk up to the cage no problem. I don't want to try and force anything but I do extend my finger to it a few times a day to get him used to it. That beak looks mighty painful if he gets a hold of me so I tend to jerk back alot when his head comes near my finger. How should I get him used to us and what should I do regularly?

 

I don't leave food in his little tray all day long. I feed it by hand now figuring that would help in developing trust. Is this wrong, should I feed him more?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance. :cheer:

[judygram]

Can I ask why you got a grey and you know nothing about how to take care of them, you put the cart before the horse so to speak.

 

But you have it now and we will try to help you all we can. First read as many of the threads here as you can, you will find a lot of useful and helpful information for dealing with feeding, bathing , toys and etc.

 

For the first question, no you cannot stop them from saying certain phrases, this one picked up some nasty language from some racially bigoted owner who should have known better, you will just have to ignore it, if you react to it in any way he will continue to use if for the entertainment it provides.

 

The same thing applies to the phone ring sound, greys like to imitate different household sounds like microwave beeps, timers going off and any such sounds.

 

You need to leave food in his bowl during the day, they like to eat when they get hungry and you do not have to hand feed everything he eats, it won't help much in bonding with him. He needs a balanced diet that includes, pellets, vegetables, some fruits, seeds, grains, legumes and nuts. We have some threads that list the veggies and fruits that they may have.

 

You say this grey is an adult, do you know how old it is and what is his name? It will take time and patience to build trust with him and for him to bond with you, so don't try to rush it, it will only backfire on you.

 

Yes the beak is powerful and can easily break the skin and take a chunk if necessary but you should not show fear in trying to handle him, he will pick up on that and react by biting. Don't jerk your hand back, offer it with confidence and take a bite if necessary, if he finds out that biting makes you go away he will do it more.

 

I assume it is in a cage, open the door and let him come out on his own and he may be more receptive to stepping up on your finger, some greys can be territorial about their cage. Talk to him, offer him treats and give him time to settle in, patience is your best friend right now.

[TubeScreamer]

Alright, you're a little dramatic and jumping to conclusions already. You just assumed I got it from a racist person. I'll tell them they're the first racist Black people I know, because they are Black. 2. I got it because no one else wanted the bird and I'll give it a chance. If it doesn't work the worse that could happen is we pass it down to one that wants it.

 

Can I get some help from an adult point of view? If not can I please get directions to where I can?

[danmcq]

LOL - Welcome Tubescreamer!!

 

Unfortunately you cannot stop a Grey from saying something. The best way to "Maybe" have him forget about it, is to just ignore, do not react in anyway to it. If they see or hear that something got your attention, they will use it even more. :-)

 

Hand feeding treats like fruit... a grape, apple etc. This will get the bond and friendship established. You should have food such as Pellets or seeds along with veggies available for him to eat in his cage or where you let him stay outside of his cage such as the play-top or a stand.

 

Please consider your home, this Greys last home. It is sad to see any Parrot go from home to home and it is very stressful on them as well. They will become a member of your family and look at you as such over time with patience on your part to establish that bond.

 

They are the most intelligent of all Parrots and pick up your body language, tonal fluctuations in voice, eye contact and even your internal feelings such as anxiety, fear, happiness, sadness etc.

 

There is a ton of information on this site you can find by typing in a key word in the search like food, bathing, toys etc. Also, we are all more than happy to answer questions and help in anyway we can. :-)

[LisaM]

Hey Tubescreamer -

 

Ditto what Dan said about the food. Leave some good quality dry mix of food in the cage...for now probably what he is used to eating but trying to get him to try new foods (mix with the old) will help in the future.

 

One way to "extinguish" sayings from their vocabulary (and it's usually not gone forever, but will come up periodically just for effect), is to really make a big deal out of some other noise or sayings he says. That will make him more likely to do the other noise more often because it gets the reaction.

 

The best course (though not always the easist) is to just flat out ignore the words/noises you don't like...even a stern look or "no" can be construed as a "reward" for them as it is attention.

 

One way to get step-ups without getting bitten too painfully is to not go for the step up with your fingers or the side of your hand. Try to tuck your thumb into your hand and curve your wrist in so that the skin on the back of your hand is as tight as possible so it is harder for him to grasp any skin. His beak may scratch along it but won't be able to actually get a "bite". Put the back of your hand towards him..again trying to not be anxious (easier said than done, I know) as they pick up on that. Go in with confidence and put your hand just slightly above his feet level just in front of him. It is true that you might have much better luck, at least at first, by having him step up from the outside of his cage or from a playstand than from inside his cage.

 

Another option is to hold a potholder or something in your other hand (not a towel at first as some have a definite fear of towels...depending on their past). Hold the potholder off to the side a little to distract him and go in with your other hand for the step-up.

 

You didn't say how long you have had him in your home. It may be best to just give him some time to adjust to the home first before trying to get him to engage physically with you.

 

Good luck to you. I also echo Dan's hopes that this is your Grey's forever home. You can spend hours on this site and learn what you could learn by reading several books. Please ask away any questions you have. And it's probably difficult at times but try to not take people's responses personally. There are some very passionate people on the site who really want to help and have the bird's best interests at heart. The discussions sometimes get heated and there is a lot of healthy debate as well as there are so many varying opinions on several topic relating to these incredible feathered companions of ours.

 

Please stay with us and let the experience and knowledge of the various folks here help through the adjustment. It has helped me to learn some things to try to prevent from the start (vs. stopping once they start) also, which is helpful in learning to live with thparrots!

 

Good luck to you! Look forward to reading your intro in the Welcome Room. We love pictures as well!

 

Lisa

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Tubescreamer the other members have all given you first class advice,We are all passionate about our own greys & our members greys,Please never take anything as a personal attack,we are not here for that,we will help you all we can so this works out for you.

[TubeScreamer]

danmcq wrote:

LOL - Welcome Tubescreamer!!

 

Unfortunately you cannot stop a Grey from saying something. The best way to "Maybe" have him forget about it, is to just ignore, do not react in anyway to it. If they see or hear that something got your attention, they will use it even more. :-)

 

Hand feeding treats like fruit... a grape, apple etc. This will get the bond and friendship established. You should have food such as Pellets or seeds along with veggies available for him to eat in his cage or where you let him stay outside of his cage such as the play-top or a stand.

 

Please consider your home, this Greys last home. It is sad to see any Parrot go from home to home and it is very stressful on them as well. They will become a member of your family and look at you as such over time with patience on your part to establish that bond.

 

They are the most intelligent of all Parrots and pick up your body language, tonal fluctuations in voice, eye contact and even your internal feelings such as anxiety, fear, happiness, sadness etc.

 

There is a ton of information on this site you can find by typing in a key word in the search like food, bathing, toys etc. Also, we are all more than happy to answer questions and help in anyway we can. :-)

 

Hello, thanks for the welcome and the advice.

 

I plan to keep him so I have no problem with the patience. A funny thing happened when I got him the first day, he was getting used to me right away and let me get close, real close with no problems so I figured to let the cage open and I went about my business. He got out and went towards the bathroom so I went after him but slowly not trying to scare it and eventually herded him back to the cage and now he's scared of me. :blink: I get close to the cage now and he goes the opposite way. It's getting better and I try to do things in front of him like surfing the net etc.

 

So far everything is cool, he eats, sleeps well and is rather quiet except when I go to another room or gf gets home.

 

He's very healthy and nice and fat with all the feathers. I like the bird, hopefully he'll like us.

[judygram]

Patience is key when working with greys especially one that is an adult from another home, give him plenty of time to settle in and he will come to trust you and bond with you.

 

Everything else sounds good, eating good, sleeping well and of course they call for you when you leave the room, just answer him and tell him where you are at, he just wants reassurance that you are still there.

 

We would enjoy seeing some pictures of him if you have any you would like to share with us. BTW, what is his name?

[TubeScreamer]

I forgot to answer some questions.

 

I've had him for 3 days. I like watching him it's relaxing and funny as hell.

 

I've tried the step up thing from the outside of the cage and I can rub his beak that's it.

 

Here's the thing though. I'm doing him a favor not him me. I know very well who runs the house and it's not my pets. I have no problem with getting him used to me but if he bites..I'm biting back. I don't go well for that whole, "bite the hands that feeds you crap". If it doesn't work too bad but I at least took him in with great intentions when no one else would. I suggest he turns into a dog soon, and show he appreciates what I did. He tried a couple of times and I've said NO really stern and he stopped.

 

I was thinking of boot camping him by just grabbing him by force for 20 min. 3 times a day so he learns. It doesn't matter if by fear or love as long as he learns. Again, I'm doing him the favor. I'm not losing sight of the fact he's an animal not a person. I trained a friend's amazon parrot like this years ago by grabbing it a few times a day and when he bit the glove just tap him on the beak and say no. It worked for that parrot so we'll see. I'll show patience and will give him a couple weeks to get settled in then we'll see.

 

I might sound like the wrong way to go about it but he has no choice if he gets handled by force a few times a day. :evil:

[danmcq]

Well for 3 days, it sounds like he has made fairly good progress considering a complete change of environment and flock members. That's quite a shock to a Grey and even a Dog. Neither will normally just want to suddenly be your snuggle muffin with complete trust.

 

Trust is earned, as I'm certain you know. Giving him a few eeks to get comfortable with his new surroundings will be very good for him.

 

If he's not screaming at you or other things in the house, that's a good first indication things are ok, at a distance. One thing you can expect sooner or later from any Parrot though is a good bite. Sometimes were just not paying attention to their body language and BAM, your nailed. :-) But, normally that is the exception, not the rule. Unless they just hate you for some reason.

 

I hope all goes well with your new Grey and you both end up life long buddies providing one another great entertainment and friendship.

[MommaFawkes]

I would sugest not doing the boot camp thing at all! He will not respond the way you want to that! That will most likely make him more aggresive and then he really will end up hating you....Im not trying to be rude. I have a 22 year old Amazon who was in one home his whole life until a few months ago and was only handled by one person that whole time. He is responding well to A TON of patience and treat sneeking. I know that if we were to just grab him by force we would be missing a lot of skin! Also if you decide to grab him by force and it doesnt work out your way and you then decide to rehome him...this would create an even harder to handle bird for the next owner. Not to mention the stress this would put on your grey...Greys are highly sensitive and intelligent birds, they demand respect and do things the way they want to. No amount of FORCE from you ar anybody else will help his behavior. I promise you if you boot camp him he will get worse and probably hate you for it. You could also cause him to start plucking and all kinds of other behavioral issues. Birds take time, patience and LOTS more patience. Gentle handling and proper understanding! Take this post how you will...but know that it was not meant to be rude or mean in any way! Just do your research and try the patience thing it pays off. It could take years instead of weeks for your bird to trust you...and it may never trust you at all. that just comes with the territory of being a bird owner. Good luck!

[Acappella]

Hi TubeScreamer. What's your new grey's name, or are you going to re-name him with his new home. Quite a few people here who re-homed birds have I think.

 

I know what you mean about letting him know who's in control. I'm waiting for Dorian to start saying "you're not the boss of me" 'cause I say that to him a few times a day:lol: When it comes to safety, like heading for the bathroom where a bird can easily drown, or not wanting to go back into his cage when he needs to, he does need to know that what you say goes, but with other things I think you do have to chose your battles. Just like a child they need to feel some control and independence to be healthy mentally and emotionally. With him already letting you hand feed him, pet his beak, and venturing away from his cage, it sounds like you've adopted a resilient little guy who's on his way to bonding with you. If he learns to love and trust you he will want to do things that get a positive reaction from you. Dorian's happiest when I praise and reward him for good behaviour, and I can see his little brain spinning, "Wow, I like this reaction. What did I do to get it and how can I do it again"

 

Also, like dogs are pack animals, birds want to be part of the flock. I think one training technique is to 'punish' bad behaviour by removing yourself from the room he is in, but just for a couple of minutes, not for a long time. Just like time-outs for kids, too long and they forget what they're being disciplined for. Sometimes just turning my back to Dorian's cage, without saying a word, he'll stop with an 'annoying' noise. The trick is to reward as soon as he changes to a more acceptable behaviour, either with a treat, praise, whatever motivates him. They are so smart they figure out very quickly how to connect the dots. "When I do this, I get ignored, when I do this, I get love" Dorian still does his ear piercing budgie imitation sometimes, but no where near as much as he did when I moved him here, and I never, never, never respond to it! (did I say never?) Had to tell other people in the house to handle that noise the same way. Don't think of this as letting the bird run his adgenda, think of it as using a bit of birdy psychology to get him to conform to what you want.

 

I know what you mean when you say watching him is relaxing. I find myself putting on the tv or radio way less than I used to. He's become my feathered entertainment unit!

 

Wow, this is long, hope it helps. Most is stuff I've learned from people on this forum. Let us know how you're doing.

 

p.s. If he's making noise when your girlfriend comes home he could be trying to divert your attention back to him and could start getting jealous of her. Y'know, you're his and she takes your attention away from him. You might avoid this problem if she makes a fuss about him when she gets home. Lots of praise, gives a treat etc. . . She might feel silly doing it, but you could teach your grey that her coming in is something to look forward to! Ok, I'll stop typing now:P

[Tari]

It am starting to think you are not a bird person. You NEVER bite a bird back or hit it EVER.

Birds to not learn anything by being grabbed an force except maybe to mistrust any human ever again.

Birds are not dogs. Now well they ever be. If you want a dog get a dog not a bird.

Patience, love, understand and lots of time are what a bird requires. As far as him being grateful birds do not think like that. He is in a new scary place. With new people and things all around him. Unlike dogs birds are the food that is hunted so it takes them a while to learn to trust.

Oh and just a heads up we don't like for any cuss words to be used on this forum we have several people here underage and you can express yourself without using them.

If you think you well ever hit your bird then for anything then I think it is time to find it a new home before you do him any harm.

Good luck

[lovemyGreys]

I'm In Total agreement with Tari & those of you who know me, know I will give advice & help whoever i can but on this occasion i will not be posting in this thread as i fear i will overstep the mark with my personal opinion on you TubeScreamer.Lets just say god help this poor grey .

[MommaFawkes]

I agree with you 100% lovemyGreys!! It was so hard for me to post what I did and hold back what I felt should of been said!!!

[HeatherStrella]

Oh my goodness. I've never read something so heartbreaking. I fear for the bird in this case. I hope you take people's advice and don't take the attitude of "I'll show you who's boss"...punishment does NOT work with birds. Greys in particular are very sensitive and if you do anything to hurt him, he will never forgive you. I'm sorry to say, you saying that you're doing him a favor by taking him in sounds awful. If you don't want him, why did you take him in? It sounds like you want a different kind of animal. Although, I'm not sure any animal would ever live up to your expectations. Please don't hurt your grey...maybe you can find a person who would want him for who he is.

[Talon]

TUBESCREAMER,

 

OUR MEMBERS HERE ARE BEING WAY TO NICE TO YOU. YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT GREY IF YOU EVEN HAVE ONE, AND I'M NOT CONVINCED YOU DO. YOU BETTER NOT BE PLAYING WITH OUR MEMBERS HERE. I BELIEVE YOU TO BE A TROLL UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVEN TO ME DIFFERENTLY. I WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO PROVE YOURSELF TO US AS A MEMBER WHO REALLY DOES HAVE A GREY, AND WOULD CARE FOR IT IN THE WAY THAT IT DESERVES TO BE CARED FOR.

 

AS ADMIN HERE, I WILL BE WATCHING EVERY WORD YOU WRITE. CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING. I DON'T LIKE WHAT I'M SEEING HERE FROM YOU SO FAR.<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/02/17 01:35

[LisaM]

I can't even express how much I hope you are kidding or toying with us. If you are even 1% seriously considering taking the approach you mentioned with a bird, please please please do the bird a favor (like you claim you're doing now...though there could be some serious debate about that) and find a new home for him ASAP, tomorrow would be too late. Turn it into a bird rescue group or put an ad in the paper or anything other than what you're talking about doing. Heck, if you let us know where you're from there may be a member here willing to help rehome him.

 

I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight not knowing if you're really serious and if this bird's future mental and physical health is in jeopardy.

[HeatherStrella]

I didn't even think about the possibility of this, what I thought to be, animal abuser being a slimy little troll. I really hope he is. You don't deserve to have any animal, let alone a wonderful animal like an African Grey. If you do have one, please do what was suggested and turn him over to someone more mentally equipped to handle this delicate, precious little being. No animal deserves to be treated the way you say you're going to treat him.

 

On this forum, Karma is just a number or in your case, a negative number. In real life, Karma can bite you in the a$$ and I believe it will. It may not happen right away, but it will happen.

[dblhelix]

I appears that TubeScreamer has indeed entered into bird ownership w/o any information, and said as much himself in the very first post. If you, TubeScreamer, sincerely have good intentions then you will continue doing what you are doing, which is educating yourself on these amazing animals and their needs.

 

Parrots ARE NOT DOGS. They WILL NOT take to the same type of training/mentality of pack leader etc that does work with canines for the most part. Parrots are unique, beautiful and intelligent animals that will reward you 1000 times over if you have the right approach an invest the necessary time with them.

 

Time and patience is a concept a lot of people do not truly appreciate with parrots. These are long lived animals (many 60+ years) and therefore you cannot expect change/reward instantly. Some things take YEARS. If you are in this for the best interest you either commit entirely 100% now, learn and enjoy the ride together or you should get this bird rehomed as soon as poosible to an owner that will properly embrace the animals needs. If you "boot camp" a bird the damage you do to its trust in humans may be irreversible and you will completely undermine what you are trying to do AND make the animal a difficult pet for any future owner.

 

I encourage you to continue educating yourself so you can truly do what is best for the animal and you. On another note, you are a new member here and we welcome new members with open arms. However, quickly entering into inflamatory posts IS NOT going to be tolerated. Every post I see here was written by people investing their time to try and give you advice. All responses here are of a mature nature and with intent to address your questions. If people come across as critical its because they are concerned for the animals welfare based on your stated and clear misunderstanding of these animals needs. Please educate yourself and make the best decision in interest of the birds long life. We are happy to help as we can, but you need to have an open attitude, willing to adapt and patience if you want to be a successful parrot owner. Are you up to that challenge?

[danmcq]

The story of a rescue that the petshop probably tried to train like a Dog:

 

[HeatherStrella]

That was so sad. I don't know how anyone could mistreat any animal...especially a bird after seeing what it does to itself when it's abused. Some people just suck!!:sick: :angry: :evil:

 

Laws need to be harsher.

[pixiexoxo]

:ohmy:

I'm shocked that someone even gave you this bird! Please please take it somewhere else to be cared for by someone who #1 knows what they are doing and #2 will appreciate the joys that these beautiful creatures can bring to a family's life.

[judygram]

Pixiexoxo, why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us a little about you and your grey.

[danmcq]

Welcome Pixiexoxo!!

 

Ditto to what Judy requested :-)