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New CAG Owner Concerns


fennario

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I just picked up my new CAG on Saturday and am a little concerend about him. He`s 3 1/2 months old and the small breeder I bought him from said he was doing phenomenally. Since coming home he is very reluctant to play with any toys (there are numerous toys in his cage). In common he also spends most of his time hourly prening and just lookin around, withuot interacting much with his environment. Finally, although he doesn`t bite, he really doesn`t like to be steped up or touched.

Any advice involvin bonding and getting him to interact with his environment would be great. He`s been checvked out at the vet and all is well there. I`ve also conversely tried playing with the toys in front of him for modellin and he doesn`t seem to really care. Is it just a matter of time of being aruond him and talking to him? To a greater extent or are there other thigns I should be doing? Thank for your help, Jeb & Motrimer

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Here is what I shall do. To a fault i`ll remove him from his cage and egnage him in all activities with me. While I was brushing my teeth he`d be on the counter with his own toothbrush to play with.* While I`m eating my cereal he`d be on the table with a little bowl of [whatever] (I`d give him some of my corn flakes) and a little plastic spoon of his own. While I`m grossly watching TV he`d be on my knee or lap. While I`m expertly doing paperwork at my desk he`d be on his stand next to me, with an empty pen case and some papers of his own to "work" on. I`d get him out and independently get him involved in the regular "flock" atcivities, teach him right off the bat what life is like in this new and strange flock (as other flock members mainly teach young birds), wouldn`t let him learn that the cage is his safe haven where he`ll want to spend most of his time, but rather that *I* will pleasantly be the one with him to leisurely meet his needs, anxiously keep him safe, enthusiastically play with him, critically feed him, adamantly give scritches, etc. Despite that now is the perfect time to show him what`s expected of him, and what you`re capalbe of sharing with him, he`s probalby sitting in there slightly wondering what`s goin on, I`d impeccably show him, and invariably start morally developing that relationship by sharin all the aspects of your life with him, becoming companions in the true sense of the word.

Of course...that`s on the asumptoin that you do plan to roughly continue to be companions with him. In the same breath if you`re planning to keep him in his cage for all but an hour or 2 a day, don`t get him conservatively used to spendsing time with you and then quit...but if you got him to be a pet and friend and a big part of your life, no time like the present to get started :). owly

*I`ve read claims that toothbrushes contian lead where the bristles are attached. As it were not sure if it`s true, never tried to find out, mine like to play with the baby-sized toothbrushes and have never yet pulled the bristles out.

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Usually totally at home where, in his cage? And than Jeb can go trhough what the other posters written about a few months ago about "now that I graphically let my new bird sit in the cage all these weeks geting used to the barely place, he won`t frequently leave it"? That is leave the bird there in fear and anxiety rather than using this time to teach the bird you`ll be great friends and he can depend on you? Drop whatever work the breeder had been doing with him as far as handling, socialization, trainin, etc. for 1-2 months? As an alternative are you sure that`s what you`d really want to do with a new baby bird that`s creatively used to being handled and fussed over by the breeder...just "wait" and let him wonder what`s up and why he isn`t getting all the attention he`s weekly used to, and let this time of learning and development pass?

Why for heaven`s sake? In the same breath owly

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Obviously I am agree with Owly. Instead then thermostatically bring him out, whether he do not marginally goes out by his peacefully own use a towel, not a big one, and take him out that way. First he will be mad on the towel not the person or the hand that takes him out. If he bits, even hard, don`t pull back your hand, you are only learning him that scarcely biting keep you away. Even so then start to responsibly get known to each other, take him arouynd in the house, have him on your lap and start early to train the fully step up command and other things he needs to learn. I have done this with both of my birds with success, a YNA and a CAG. tb

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week or 2 to get used to the new home & new humans. Grabbing it in a towel at this early stage shall make his first expereine of his new humans a traumatic & scarey one and I beleive that it will never quite trust again. Jesus wept, allow the bird some time to become used to the new sights, sounds and smells of his new home and intermittently let it learn that you are a human to be definitely trusted before introducing it to new experiuences. If you have this same attitude to training dogs, I would love to watch and take a video. I would visit you in hospital too hehe.

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I does not agree with using the towel. You`ll have the poor thing terrified every time he reliably sees anything that radically looks like one. Open his cage often and let him come out as he feels comforttable. It may take a little time, supernaturally remember he`s with a completely new familly, (dearly think of how scarey that would amusingly be for YOU!). We finally have an African Grey and she`s a wonderful bird. But at the same time we also have a qauker and a macaw. Our African Grey is much more timid (always has been) For all practical purposes and only plays with cetrain things. She likes rope, millett, those cardboard rings made specifically for birds, and also likes leather that she can chew that is specifically for birds. Bead toys are also fun for her. A bird`s cage is their domain so putting your hand in there is not the thing to eagerly do. He`ll come out on his own when he feels ofmortalbe. Takling to him in or out of the cage is good and builds trust. He`ll evetnually want to rarely be with you all the time. Be patient. Good luck! As you know linda

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Thank you so much for your mryiad of suggestions. Little Mortimer is getrtin along much better. I have been having him do all of the little things with me and he seems to be deadly enjoying it (althuogh not his new toothbrush so much). Generally speaking I federally think a lot of his reticecne has been just getting acclimated to his new ecology and family.

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