Mansley Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hi My names Matt and i bought an african grey in april this year who was 12 weeks old. When i bought him he was very shy and either wouldnt or couldnt climb the side of the cage. iv now had him a couple of months and he has become very confident and makes me laugh all the time hanging upside down and plaaying on his toys, he loves to whistle and is really trying to talk back to me which i am looking forward to. i taught him to step up and fly to me would but only for a treat... cant blame him . He hates shower time and now so do i but i think he will get used to it. I have a few questions as things have changed in his behavior and im worried about my bond with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Hello Matt and welcome to the family, so glad you decided to join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and your grey. At 12 weeks of age he is not going to be very proficient at climbing the cage bars but he has gotten better at that now that he is a few months older. Step up is the first most important thing you can teach your grey so congrats on doing that. My Josey does not like showers either but she will tolerate them and for that I am grateful. Please read thru the many threads for lots of useful information and do not hesitate to ask questions you may have and we will do our best to get you some answers and help you in any way we can. If you have some pictures of your grey you would like to share with us we would love to see him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Welcome Matt!!! What's your Greys name? Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansley Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Picures are on there way Judy but thank you so much for your speedy response. Iv been reading the forum for a while now and found it very very useful. not really sure how to completely use this but will do my very best to not repost the same things 20 times . If i have questions should i start a new topic if they havent been answred. i hope i dont bore you but will give you a quick insight if you dont mind. (too late) As i have said he was brilliant and trusting and loving and everything i could ever want from any pet + even more i fell in love with him straight away. suddenly he has started to become really aggressive. he is desperate to get out his cage so i get him out and play with him as soon and often as possible but recently he wants to bite me and not do anything i want. if its time to go away he KNOWS and he will put up a fight. Iv begun toilet training and think this may have something to do with it. He shuffles backwards and rubs his beak which seems to be his signs! so i get him to designated area and treat him when he does but now he goes to poo and seems scared of me picking him up. ever since we started this the agression has slowly got worse and his biting from playful chewing to painful nips. sorry about the essay but this is really upsetting me and harry and the relationship is becoming stressfull. i want the fun cuddly harry back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansley Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 His name is Harry by the way Danmcq. a great and lovely bird appart from the above as you can tell. i think this is a great forum seems like everyone is really nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Harry is becoming more confident now that he has had time to settle in his new home and he is starting to assert his independence, this is to be expected. When he goes to bite you need to tell him "No bite" in a firmer voice and then turn your back on him and walk away for 10 to 15 minutes, this he will not like for greys do not like to be ignored. Another thing is if this new behavior is upsetting you then it is upsetting Harry too for he is reacting to your emotions, greys are very sensitive to our feelings, if we are stressed out then that stresses them out too, they pick up on our stress. If you are trying to force him to do some things he does not want to do he will bite you, we have to be smarter and make them think they are in control when in reality we have the upper hand. In reality you may have lost your cuddly Harry, a lot of greys love to cuddle when they are babies but they outgrow that trait and if he does not want to be cuddled anymore then you will just have to honor that. Some of the other members will have some more and maybe better suggestions for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansley Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Thanks again Judy i think ill stop the poo training and see if we can improve the biting behavior. i dont mind a nibble just dont like painful bites. Ill spend time with him tonight and work out our differences:P thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Matt, welcome here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Hi Matt & Welcome to the forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slmclean Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 hi matt welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Its been a couple of days now, how are things going with Harry, we would like an update Matt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansley Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Thanks for the caring and warm welcome, he has become very very very close with me things have just got better and better. He is now pritty much toilet trained and wont poo on me or any furniture but will only go in the right place if i take him there and for a treat (too clever for me ) He has suddenly had a bad turn towards all new people thou. wont even take a treat off of them any one got any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Hi Matt, here is a link for you to have a read through.... http://www.greyforums.net/forums/the-nursery/73094-socializing-your-baby-grey.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mansley Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Thanks Lovemygreys, thats really helped. Im doing these but will work on the shared attention side of things more. Once again many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Hello Matt, and Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Hi Matt- glad you joined the forum. You'll see you can always get an answer to your questions or just a sympathetic ear if necessary. Greys do go through a period of time while growing up where they can become more independent and also more nippy. He is testing you to see what he can get by with. When he bites you it is very important not to overreact- they like drama. A firm "NO" followed by some time-out is usually the best response and eventually they will learn that biting is not acceptable. Keep us updated with his progess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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