Lovelylew Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 The first deal I had going fell through; the man backed out on me for reasons that I still don't know. Things happen for a reason, the bird was being shipped by airlines and so it worked out for the best. I found a 14-week-old, weaned 2 weeks, the breeder had one left, so I drove an hour and a half away to see/bring home our new baby. Not sure if it's a male or a female yet. He seemed to adjust absolutely beautifully in that our cockatiels were chirping, our dog barking, and my DH opened the pet carrier and out jumped the bird. So we managed to get him into the cage, where he couldn't wait to eat, drink and play with it's new toys. After my husband went to bed and it was quiet, I decided to try and bring him out - BIG MISTAKE - he bit the heck out of me. Taught mamma here a lesson for sure. So I've been talking to him all morning in the hopes of winning his confidence. I must tell you all, being a new larger bird owner, I'm a little skittish now, myself, so I've been trying to educate myself now so we can become friends and he'll trust me. Any helpful advice sure would be appreciate. All I can say is what a beauty! If I knew how to upload a picture, I'd do it; however, I don't know how just yet. Have a terrific day everyone, and thanks for sharing in my happiness. This is going to be so much fun, I can't wait until that trust bond is established and I can pet his head and hold him like I did at a breeder's with her sitting next to me, instructing me how to hold the bird. Bye for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hi Lovelylew, I also got my Grey on Saturday. Very exciting time, isn't it. I had more problems getting him out of the travel cage but all went fine in the end. I can't force him out of the cage yet either (give him time to settle in first) but once he is out I can hold him and pet his neck for a few seconds at a time. Have fun and congrats on your new addition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Congrats on getting your new baby home. Have fun getting to know each other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Lovelylew congratulations on your new baby grey,Any names yet ? & pictures please There are many topics on the forum so please take the time to read your way through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Thanks for the congratulations. We're going to call he/she Obi, it's African for heart/soul. I lost my mom on 12/07/07 and, ironically, this is when our baby was born. Talk about something meant to be. Congrats to you too, Imme! Do you know the sex of your Grey? I've been reading and reading, so I just hope I didn't scare my baby too much last night. He/she is growling at me today some, although I did put two grapes in her dish. She loves her toys. I guess I'm just over-anxious so I need to be patient. I love birds, and this is our largest, so it's going to take some getting used to. I need to make an appointment at the avian vet. Should I wait or somehow try to get Obi back into the pet carrier? I surely don't want to frighten him too much. Should I get the Grey vaccinated? The pet breeder said no, so I'm not sure what to do about that either. Bye for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 When one door closes sometimes another door opens and so glad one did for you. Just give it time, you need lots of patience when working with a grey but he/she will come around and the bonding will take place, but it may be weeks or months down the road, have faith it will happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hey Lovely, I will be getting Kenya sexed when I take him/her to the Vet on Saturday so I don't know yet. When I was trying to take him out of the travel cage he was growling but not really since. Yes, patience is key. At this point I am not going to force him out of the cage but will try to coax him out. I find opening the door and talking to him and then leave him alone and do something just out of his line of sight (or he has to crawl out of the cage to see what your doing) works to get him to come out . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Imme, how will you get him into the carrier to take to the vet? Will you get vaccinations if offered? Just one more question, promise - lol - have you had birds prior to this one? Have a great day and thanks for answering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 I will have to get him into the carrier very carefully, LOL. I just hope the last trip hasn't tramatized him to the carrier as he was quite freaked out by it. But I don't think it will be too bad as I am able to handle him. If all else fails, I'll use a perch to get him to stepup. He is fairly good at it I think. Nobody has mentioned the need for me to get vaccinations, maybe the breeder dealt with that already, I don't know. I'll find out on Saturday I guess. I have had a cockateil in the past but I think that's like practicing on a tricycle to learn how to bike, hehe. And feel free to ask all the questions you want. I thought it was cool that we both recieved our Greys on the same day :woohoo: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 It really is cool that we both received our Greys, actually in the same weekend; we just got ours yesterday. I'd like to get ours to the vet too, but I may have to wait since I think I traumatized him last night when he got out of the cage and bit me. I had to put a towel over him to get him back in, so it was quite an ordeal. I've been talking to him all day and he appears okay, just growls when I get close to the cage. I wish I could have spent time with him before the purchase, but the drive was 1-1/2 plus hours away, so I just brought him home instead of having to go back. I keep calling "him" for lack of knowing - lol. Good luck and keep us posted how the visit went. I'm sure we'll be communicating. How old is your Grey? Ours is 14 weeks. Bye for now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siobha9 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Congratulations to both of you on your new baby. It is so exciting isnt it? Imme good luck on your DNA test, I am sure Kenya will be ok in the carrier especially since you can handle him/her a little. Lovelylew give Obi some time and s/he will come round. Obi is getting to know you as well, and is probably missing the breeder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 They said Kenya is 16 weeks old but for some reason my gut tells me he is 15 weeks old. It was a 1 1/2 hour drive each way for me too; however, I went every other week for 2 months to visit him and see how he was doing, let him get familiar with me, (I even made sure to wear the same shirt everytime to help him, LOL), get some training, etc. They were good breeders. Two visits ago he wasn't very good at step up so I asked if they would work on that with him for me and he is way better. I'm the same, I'll refer to Kenya as him but don't really know. I've already noticed that when the microwave is going he chirps and wags his tails alot, wondering if he like the "Hmmmmm" sound. And he LOVES peanuts, about the only food he takes from me, all others he pulls back (I'll put them in his food dish and later he will get them but not from the hand, only peanuts). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Imme, Kenya sounds so cute. Our Greys are about the same age then. Wow, you drove a long way to visit your Grey. That's nice that he's used to you. Obi did pretty good last night. My husband adjusted his perches and I cleaned the cage and fed him. The breeder has him on a soy bean mixture in the morning. She gave me a bag of beans to soak and cook. I did that yesterday morning and froze individual baggies. I'm not quite sure all of that is necessary, but I'll reevaluate the situation after all the frozen stuff is gone. She feeds all her birds a warm breakfast, so they were very healthy birds. Obi loves grapes, strawberries and these yogurt fruits. It's so much fun to watch them eat, isn't it? I'm hoping today will be a better day for us. He's had two days now to settle in, and I'm going to try and coax him out of his cage today, if possible. Good luck at the vets on Saturday. Let me know how that goes. I called an avaian vet in the area, but haven't made the appointment yet. Have a great Tuesday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane08 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 It is so funny how they all differ so much. We got our second one last weekend and she is 15 weeks old. We got her home and into her cage thinking we would leave her a couple of days, but when we opened the cage door that same day she jumped out onto us. We let her do what she wanted for the rest of the day and she hung out with us for cuddles, had time alone on a swinging perch that goes from the roof and then at night she fell asleep on my boyfriend and he had to lift her up and place her back in her cage. The next day we got up opened the door and same thing, she jumped out and acted like she had been living with us for ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 All these new babies our members have it's so exciting ,good luck to you all & remember were here for any questions you may need answering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 Hi Jane, congrats. I guess we now have triplets, LOL. Kenya will now come out of his cage right away but stay on his cage until he is ready; however, don't try to force me out of the cage, then I won't come out. He wasn't eatting much the first couple of days (except peanuts) but last night he ate a fair amount so I think that is turning around. LMG, thanks. I am sure the questions will come a flying soon enough as we get to know them and then wonder why they do that. Better get those fingers warmed up for answers . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Jane, it's so nice to hear about your new Grey, and sounds like she is right at home with you. I had to giggle when Imme said triplets, it's so true! All three of us got our Greys on the same weekend. I'm making some headway with Obi. He let me pet his head just a little while ago from outside of the cage. I'm hoping in a very short time, he'll feel comfortable enough to come out of his cage. At least he's not growling at me anymore, so I'm feeling great about that right now. LMG, it's nice to know you are here to help us with our questions too! Have a great day everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Oh my goodness all the babies its a regular babie boom. I got my Grey when she was 5 yrs old and she was a rescue Ive had her for about 6 months now and we have had a few break throughs she doesn't barber her wings anymore which is a big one and she lets me touch her beak and she gives me kisses sometimes. And every once in a while she will allow me to touch the top of her head for a couple of seconds. I also have a 11 yr old yellow crowned Amazon that I rescued when she was 4 yrs old and I can do anyting with her scratch under he wings roll her over what ever and I let Tyco see my doing all these wonderful fun things with Fergie hoping one day she will let me do the same to her. I want her to know that Fergie trusts me completly and that its okay that she can trust me too. Its sort of working at least I hope it is. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 It's a baby grey explosion but these we like, congrats to all the new babies that came home this past weekend may they bring so much joy to their owner's lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Thanks for the congrats, Judy! Tyco's mom, I love the name Fergie! It's so great you are giving these rescues a good home. It sounds like you have so much fun with them too! Have a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imme Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Your making progress with Obi there Lovelylew. I find Kenya really likes it when I scratch on the side of his head, below the ear and eyes. He will close his eyes when I do this and only move to give me more room to continue last night. Once you manage to get to scratch the back of his neck (safer as he has to turn his head around to bite from there) move your fingers forward to that spot and see if he really likes that. I'm thinking then he might want it even more. Karma for you in making progress today! BTW, I really do like Obi's name too. Jane, wht name did you give your Grey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane08 Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 Lovelylew sounds as though do are doing great with Obi. Give him some treats, bribery works a treat to get them comfortable with you. Imme, they are so determined those little birds. Saw the pictures and he looks so cute. I had actually forgotten how much work a young grey is even though our other grey is only 11 months he seeems so mature and has really stepped up to show the baby grey how things are done in our house. He taught her to bath in the weekend and after seeing him do it she was all keen to get in herself which she did with much delight. He has even shown her the places they are allowed to perch and she only flies to these places. She is learining so much quicker than our other grey did as a baby and I really think it's due to the other grey teaching her. Our baby grey even had her harness on over her head last night. We are training them both to wear a harness so we can go out in summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane08 Posted April 2, 2008 Share Posted April 2, 2008 We named our girl Kea (means mountain parrot) and our boy is Rangi (means god of the sky) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 Cool names! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 2, 2008 Author Share Posted April 2, 2008 I can't wait until Obi is confident enough to get out of his cage. He ate pretty good this morning. Yesterday, I think he may have been homesick, actually. I keep talking to him and last night when he started coming around and becoming more lively, I tried playing peek a boo. I'm today today we make more progress. Please wish me luck - lol - Have a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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