My first Grey and it's a biter!

[Guitartists]

Well, I'm new to the forum and to African Greys. I have always wanted one but never had the opportunity until now. As fate would have it a friend of my DH has a 4 year old grey that they want to rehome because the wife, the only one it likes, does not have the time to spend with it that it needs and they allready have a macaw and numerous other animals that require attention. So, they have offered it to us knowing that I am an animal lover and a stay-home mom. My day is busy, but I will have time to spend with it.

 

I have not yet said yes though. I do have 4 children and am worried about the biting.

 

S/he started biting when people started showing fear... especially her husband. Now it's going on 4 years, it hasn't been properly socialized. What are the odds that it will learn to accept me and my family as dominant leaders and submit to us and stop this biting habit??? Is it too late? Or is it young enough that hard work and patience will likely win out in the end???

 

Please, I need advice from people who know!!!!

 

I must give her an answer in the next few days.

 

Thank you!

Angie

[parrotlady]

At 4 years old the bird is still very young and can be socialised.

 

The key to being successful is patience, patience and even more patience. This will apply not only to you but to your whole family.

 

There are lots of ways in which you can help him to be more social and stop his biting and I'm sure myself and the lovely members of this forum would be only too happy to help you with this.

 

He is not a lost cause and he can become a treasured member of your family but before commiting to him just be sure that you are going to be able to put in the time and love which he is going to be needing.

 

I have ones here which have taken two years to turn around so to speak so don't expect too much too soon but the rewards you will gain when he is ready and chooses to come to you for his head to be given a scritch and returns your love with his is priceless.

[lovemyGreys]

parrotlady has given you the key word, Patience, you must decide if you can commit the time & patience that will be required to dedicate to this grey.Here is a link for socializing baby greys but a lot of the information will also apply to greys regardless of age.

 

http://www.greyforums.net/component/option,com_joomlaboard/Itemid,27/func,view/catid,19/id,73094/

[Guitartists]

Thank you

[Lovelylew]

I am a relatively new (3 weeks now) first-time African Grey owner. I can attest, that patience is the key. I'm so glad I found this forum because everyone here emphasizes patience.

 

I have been very very patient with my baby, spending hours on end sitting by her cage, talking to her, reassuring her that I am a safe place for her. She's getting it, but I realize now exactly how much patience you truly need.

 

If you want to dedicate the time and make the commitment, the African Grey is truly an amazing animal. I'm loving ours more and more every day. Good luck to you!

[Lyric]

Hi Guitartists:

Everyone has given you good advice so far. I will add that it will be important to teach your children how to interact around the bird. They should never try to handle it without your guidance unless they are old enough to handle the consequences. Also, try to teach them to move slower and be quieter than children tend to be when they are around the bird. Good luck in your decision!

[duchess]

Hi, Guitarists. Lyric gave some very valuable advice about the children. I would like to add that birds in general are very tuned in to their environment. If your household has a high energy level, i.e. lots of activity, noise, etc., the bird's energy level will match that of the household. If your household is clam and serene, you bird will soon adapt this same energy level. So, the calmer everyone is when they interact with the bird, the calmer th bird will be. Also, since the bird has a history of getting away with biting, be prepared to take some bites and try your absolute best not to let the bird know it can push you away with it's biting. When the bird begins to see that biting is no longer achieving his desired results, the biting will begin to lessen. Use very firm no, no bite, or some type of phrase to let him know you don't like his behavior. The biting will lessen as he learns that he can't intimidate his new people with his beak. One suggestion that I learned early in my birding experiences has been invaluable with biters. For as long as you need to do this, make a tight fist with your hand when you want him to step up and place your fist palm down in front of him and command him to step up. When he goes to do his usual biting, he will find he cannot get a good bite on the back of your tightened hand, thus neutralizing his bite and serious injury to yourself. You might still feel like you've been pinched very hard, but he will have a much harder time inflicting serious injury to you. When he stops trying to bite your tightened fist, then slowly turn your hand up and offer him two extended, steady fingers to step up on. Don't get discouraged if he doesn't step up on the first few times you do this exercise. Just do this for a couple of minutes each time you attempt to get him to step up as you don't want to make him feel threatened or become more aggressive by forcing the issue with prolonged attempts to step up. One thing to keep in mind is that birds also use their beaks to test how sturdy a perch is, so he may take your finger in his beak to test how steady the perch is. Many people fear they are about to be bitten and jerk their hand back. This will not only startle the bird, but will cause him to mistrust you as well. If he latches onto your fingers and really is biting, just try to calmly and gently push toward him with your hand so he has to let go to maintain his balance on his perch. This is a slow, gradual process of taking the effectiveness out of his biting while at the same time teaching him to step up. Each time you succeed in getting him to step up, praise him greatly and keep him on your hand for few minutes, then place him back on his cage. With each success, extend the length of time you keep him on your hand. Eventually, he will decide he likes this positive interaction with people and you will have a beloved family member. I would also recommend that until you succeed at breaking the biting behavior, only one person do this exercise with him. Everyone else should just approach the bird's cage and talk to him and get him interested in wanting to be a part of whatever the family is doing. By their very nature, birds are flock creatures and love interacting with members of their flock. Once you have gotten the biting under control, then you can work on handing him off to your spouse or children. Also, if you can get him off his cage and into a neutral area to work on the biting issue, it will help speed up the process. On his cage, he will be more territorial and more prone to continue the biting behavior. I hope this helps and good luck!