15 year old grey with an attitude.....suggestions?

[McKinzie4me]

Six months ago, we adopted a 15 year old Grey that had been left alone in a room with very little contact. The previous owners had 5 dogs that got all of the attention.

My boyfriend and I felt so sorry for McKinzie and we both fell in love with her. When they told us we could take her home we thought that was the best thing for her and was excited too. We've enjoyed learning about greys and have to give her the best care possible.

My boyfriend has been able to pet and become closer with her. I have tried to pet her and she has biten me very hard a couple of times. She doesn't like me and knows I am alittle afriad of her because of being bitten. Trust issues. The previous owners say she doesn't like women, we think a woman has harmed her in the past.

She will take treats from me, but is very protective of her cage when I try changing her water or food. Occasionally lunges and tries biting.

We open the cage door daily and she doesn't want to come out. She has been so cooped up she is so content with her inside world.

On the few occasions we have gotten her out she's different, sometimes calmer, sometimes skiddish.

I've tried to be patient but I'm so excited about working with her and trying to teach her new tricks, cuddle with her and show her that she's got such a better home.

Can anyone suggest how I can get to be closer with her and to help her "come out of her shell". Is it even possible?

Thanks for reading.

[judygram]

Even though you have had McKinzie for six months she is 15 years old and has been neglected all her life, plus she has baggage that you may or may not be able to rid her of.

 

Thats a shame that her previous owners did her that way and no wonder she is the way she is, she doesn't trust anyone. A woman may not have harmed her for some greys do favor one sex over the other and there is not much you can do about that.

 

She views her cage as her sanctuary, where she feels most secure so she is not apt to want to come out to the outside where she feels vulnerable. But do encourage her to come out by offering treats and talking sweetly to her. Time and patience are what you need now for this will take time but I think it is possible to bring her out of her shell, but it won't be easy.

 

I doubt you will ever be able to cuddle with her, most greys are not cuddlers, most are as babies but a lot of them grow out of it. But you should be able to establish a good relationship with her if you continue to work with her and be patient.

 

Some of the other members will have some more suggestions for you also, maybe better than mine.

[spookyhurst]

Clicker training is supposed to work wonders . I'll look through my books, and find which one talks about clicker training neglected birds.

 

In the mean time, I thought I'd re-share a poem originally posted by danmcq:

 

"The Meaning of Rescue"

 

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,

All nicely tucked in my warm new bed,

I'd like to open my baggage,

Lest I forget,

There is so much to carry -

So much to regret.

 

Hmmm...Yes, there it is, right on top,

Let's unpack Lonliness, Heartache and Loss,

and there by my perch hides my Fear and Shame.

As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -

I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.

 

I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,

But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.

 

Will you add to my baggage?

Will you help me unpack?

Or will you just look at my things -

And take me right back?

 

Do you have the time to help me unpack?

To put away my baggage, to never repack?

 

I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,

But I do come with baggage -

 

Will you still want me?

[McKinzie4me]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I've not been well known for patience, but I'm trying. She's just so beautiful and adorable from afar.:laugh:

[McKinzie4me]

The poem was neat, sad but true. I would really appreciate any info on clicker, open to any and all ideas! Thanks.

[sandra902]

sweetie, what is your name? maybe i had too many vinos before i came to the boards...if so, sorry.

 

anyway, let me tell you dear one, that even from a rescue background i never ever expected to learn the meaning of eternity until merlin my AG came home!

 

he came to me from parrot rescue in october. my friend was fostering him before he came home to me. he is only 3 years old but had been neglected for who knows how long. he enforces a very strict 'no touchy birdy' policy.

 

but bless his heart, he has really been blossoming and letting his silly clowny colorful self show. he plays peek a boo with me, he takes treats from my hand, he encourages interaction but there is no touching the bird. so you are way ahead of us!

 

the road here is very long and full of potholes. it is slow going. you might turn a dog around in weeks but a birdy i have found takes months and perhaps years. but i must ask myself, is this about me? or is it about merlin? well the answer is clear: this is about merlin.

 

so with that in mind, is merlin happy? yes. is he safe? yes. does he have a secure and stimulating environment? yes. so if it takes me however long to finally be able to handle him, so be it.

 

enjoy your bird every day. enjoy every day that you are giving your bird a happy, healthy, stimulating environment. put your timeline aside and just enjoy the gift of each healthy happy day. your little lady will blossom too as best as she can. and you will have the huge satisfaction of giving one of our little ones a new start and a happy ending.

 

THANK YOU for rescuing! i salute you and applaud you. rescue is not easy but the rewards are there.

 

keep a journal, won't you? i find when i recollect merlin when he first came home and the difference now, it is a big pat on the back when i need it. really helps those moments of discouragement go away quickly.

 

-s

[McKinzie4me]

My name is Jeanese. Thanks for your response, as I look back to the day we brought her home, yes, I can say she has progressed in so many ways. It helps with my boyfriend being great with animals, they all love him.

 

We've even moved her into a new cage because the old one was nasty and small, she REALLY didnt like that, but eventually grew to appreciate the space. She's still funny about adding new perches and toys, but she has come around to even accepting those.

 

She's picking up on our voices now and our routines. Lance (boyfriend) even reminds me that she's a female at the age of 15, why do I expect not to have attitudes. :laugh:

 

I know it all about her, at her pace, I just want her to be happy. And I enjoy her more and more everyday.

 

Thanks!

[spookyhurst]

Clicker training is really cool. I have tried it with Nikko, and it works well (I just need to teach her more things than to wave ). I use a shelled sunflower seed broke in half, or a pine nuts broke in half as my treats.

 

Here's a great 7 minute video about clicker training on YouTube:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkI9PvOsjS0&feature=related

 

Since your McKinzie tends to be cagebound, a great first lesson would be "targeting." Once you condition the clicker, and get the bird to target something (like a straw), you start moving the straw closer to the door, and the eventually outside of the cage. The following article explains it a bit better:

 

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13441.asp

[Louisejane]

Hi Jeanese

 

Just wanted to say hang in there. Your story is so similar to ours! We adopted Eddie just over a year ago now and he too had been cooped in his cage as his owners had two dogs which they adored. However, Eddie was only two so he hadn't spent that long cooped up but long enough. The first thing he did when we brought him home was bite me so hard I cried! It took me so long to gain the confidence to be near his beak again!

 

I decided to camp out near Eddies cage. We gave him a couple of weeks to get used to the room then I moved the arm chair right next to his cage. I ate next to him, watched TV near him and made everything look really fun! Bit by bit he got more and more interested and started coming onto his bars to get a closer look. I also opened his doors on an evening, it took him months before he would come out and when he did he just stayed on the top of his cage. He then started to come down for treats and then pets and now he behaves like a little kitty and loves to bed down on the sofa and be stroked. However, he does not like my husband all that much so we're starting the basic training all over again but with hubby so Eddie gets used to him too.

 

Its been 17 months now since we rehomed Eddie and we're still getting used to each other but you will get there Jeanese. It takes them a long time to realise you are different to the people who treat them badly but they will come round.

 

best of luck!

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Jeanese.Rescuing /re-homing is a wonderful thing that as us humans can do for the less fortunate greys out there.Each case is always different & has different circumstance's ,many birds come with baggage through no fault of their own.Time & patience will always be the most single factor to helping these greys on their journey back to life,no one can say how long that will take but often longer,They need to gain back their confidence & zest for life,they have to learn to trust their new owner.Im sure given that time you will make wonderful progress with McKinzie

[sandra902]

miss jeanese, i just want to add that we all will be cheering you on and want FREQUENT updates on mc kinzie and you!

 

there are a lot of us on this board who have rescued and we can all offer each other a lot of support. i myself take good care to keep an eye on lovemygreys as i learn a great deal from her. and i will learn a great deal from you too!

 

i'm a first time bird mamma so i am starting at square one with mr merlin. we are both finding our way together and i know i will learn a great deal from you since you are 15 months ahead of me!

 

funny that, all the other animals in the monkey house prefer me, but merlin prefers daddy-man just like your mc kinzie.

 

merlin can be a little anxious, so when i introduce something new, i let him observe it for a few days or a week first. like his ladder. he really seemed to think it was a bird-killer so i hung it well away from his cage but within sight and that really seemed to help.

 

does your mc kinzie like music?

[Lyric]

There's so much good advice on here, Jeanese, I hope it helps. It sounds like you've come so far already with your McKinzie, her world is already opening up to be a better and more interesting place. The ideas that Louisejane gives about camping out next to her bird sound like really great ones for you to try. Mostly I can just say be patient, try not to reward negative behavior and never punish for it, but reward good behavior and give your bird all the love you can. Best of luck to you and we all look forward to getting updates on how everything is going! :cheer: