New member saying hello!

[jj_qpr11]

Hi Everyone,

 

James here from UK, I probably should have said hello here before going and posting elsewhere, but after some prompting I am doing it now!

I'm quite new to African greys, but have had countless other birds as pets over the years. Corkey (5 year old congo) is my first and probably only grey, I have only had her for a month and I have fallen for her unique charms! She was a little scared for the first couple of days of ownership but now she's used to me we're inseparable!

Shes still shy around strangers, and seems terrified of any toys or anything new I try to introduce, which is the main reason for me searching for a help forum just like this, and within minutes of posting some very nice people have already helped loads so thanks again and I look forward to getting involved here

 

James

[lovemyGreys]

Hi James & Welcome, nice to see another new UK member There is a wealth of knowledge here on the forum so please have a good read through as much as you can.We look forward to hearing more from you & corkey

[judygram]

Hello James and welcome to the family, so glad you decided to join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Corkey.

 

Its nice to hear that she has adjusted so well to her new home and you are enjoying her company so much, they are amazing creatures aren't they.

 

Most greys are real leery of new things and you have to give them time to adjust to them, putting new things where they can see them and then bringing them closer will get them used to it. It just takes time and patience when working with greys as they are very cautious of new things.

 

Take a little time and read thru the many threads for lots of useful information and do not hesitate to ask questions you may have, we will do our best to get you some answers and help you in any way we can.

 

If you have some pictures of Corkey you would like to share with us we would love to see her.

[jj_qpr11]

hi thanks for making us so welcome here corkeys always trying to type something on here she loves using the keyboard!

I will try and get some photos up of her, she is lovely, but a little rough around the edges, I think she plucked a lot at her old home and Im trying and slowly succeeding in getting her to stop that, and shes looking more full-feathered by the day

 

Thanks for the warm welcome

 

James (and corkey )

[judygram]

James if she is plucking are you ignoring that, you shouldn't give any reaction to that except to try to distract her with something else, maybe a toy. If you physically try to stop her from plucking she may enjoy that reaction and continue to do it for that response.

 

If she has not seen an avian vet recently it would be a good idea to have her checked out to see if there is any physical reason for the plucking but most of the time it is a behavioral problem. But it sounds like you are working on that already and I hope she continues to improve.

[jj_qpr11]

hi i am actually trying to distract her from doing it, by always playing with her, letting her be with me when im on computer etc etc, I dont THINK i'm rewarding her as such for plucking, but I hadn't thought of it that way. Her feathers in general seem to be getting a lot better, but she still seems to loose a lot of fluffy ones if she flaps ever, is that normal? They get everywhere! Ive given up trying to drink anything from a cup without it slowly filling with fluff!

 

I will take her to the vet soon anyway, for a checkup.

 

Cheers

 

James

[judygram]

When she goes thru a molt you will see more of the downy feathers but you can always check the ends and see if they look chewed or mangled in any way, that would be the plucked ones.

 

But it is normal for them to lose a few all the time, they are birds and birds will lose a few feathers from time to time.

[casper]

Hi James, welcome to the forum. Its a great place to be, you will get lots of help and advice from everyone. Look forward to hearing more about Corkey and maybe see some pics. Caroline:)

[Laurie]

Hi, James and Welcome!

I wouldn't fret too much about Corkey not liking new toys (or new things in general). Klaus can take up to a month or more to get used to something. For example, he has a swing on top of his cage and had always loved playing up there. One day I hung a new toy from the swing and it took him FOREVER to go back up there. Oooh, that scary new toy! LOL

Anyway, glad you're here!

Cheers,

Laurie

[siobha9]

Hi James and Corkey,

 

I am in Ireland, so it is nice to see someone else in the same time zone! You have already discovered how helpful everyone is here, so ask any questions that pop into your head!

[Guest]

James & Corkey, welcome {Communicate-00020121}

[danmcq]

Welcome James!!

 

Thanks for "officially" introducing yourself. :-)

 

Looking forward to hearing more!!!