jencrane63 Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Okay... I was cleaning the cage last night and CoCo got out. I knew I was in trouble from that point on. He did okay on the playtop but would not come near me. I tried to tell hin to go into his cage but he either he did not know what that meant or he just refused. He knows what step up means but he will absolutly not do it. So in all the mess he ended up on the floor madder than hell. I finally forced him to step up and he stayed on my arm for a bit then before I could stop him he was on my chest. I am not afraid of him but I did not want to end up with a sliced nose or lose an eye LOL. I put my arm against him to step up and he went nuts. Before it was all said and done I ended up with 2 really bad bites and 2 not so bad. I am proud of my self because as much as it hurt I calmly said No Bite but really that didnt accomplish anything either he just moved to another peice of flesh. I got him to his cage and ever since he will not talk and when I offer him a peanut he just flings it to the floor. Although he did let me scratch his head for just a bit this morning. Before this I could put my hand in the cage and touch him but if I said step up he would go to the back corner of the cage. I just need some guidance. I don't know what to do. Treats will not entice him to step up and I don't want to leave him in his cage all the time. But if I can't get him back in then what do I do. Thanks for any advice anyone can give me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Jenny I know you are feeling so discouraged right now but you just recently got CoCo and it is going to take lots more time for him to come to trust and bond with you. He has been ripped from the one he was bonded to and you have to be very patient with him if you ever want him to come to accept and trust you. As a three year old grey he is fairly set in his ways but keep on working with him, just don't expect it to change too much for a while, he has been separated from the one he was bonded to, from the home he knew so give him some time and space to settle in and relax in his new home. It sorts of sounds like he is taking temper tantrums just like a small child and refuses to step up for you. He knows he has the upper hand right now and is using it to his full advantage. Don't let him know that you are upset about his uncooperation but for the time being don't force anything and just work on building trust with him. Remember this is going to take a lot of time and you have spent hardly any time so far as you have had him for less than a month, much too short a time as it might take a year before he fully trusts you but it will be worth it when it happens. Some of the other more experienced grey owners will chime in soon with their advice that might help you more than I have as my Josey has been an easy one to deal with so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 15, 2008 Author Share Posted July 15, 2008 Okay so do I leave him in his cage then? Because really the getting him back in is so traumatic? I am really not discouraged just thinking maybe I am taking the wrong approach. I can take the time that he needs. I just feel bad about him being in his cage so much. I just don't want to make him go through all that to get him back in the cage. I just feel bad because we were doing so good and now I think we just relapsed. I don't want him mad at me and I know that trust is a big issue. Even if he never steps up I would not get rid of him but I feel like he is in prison staying in the cage all the time. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I personally i wouldn't leave him caged.Will coco step up onto a perch ? If so use the perch instead of your hand,if not then let him come out on his own accord.Make sure food is only accessible inside the cage, i can assure a hungry grey will return to the cage at some point to eat.Another valuable point to remember is that Staring and glaring directly at your grey is threatening and intimidating,it's like the predator staring at dinner, frightened, nervous or phobic birds should not be looked at straight on or stared at. Sideways looks are much less threatening to them,so avoid eye contact when talking to him for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 I have tried the perch and he just squawks and screams and tries to bite it. I do not stare or glare at CoCo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I wasn't implying you did stare or glare,i was just stating a fact,if you avoid direct eye contact with Coco he may feel more secure.If you don't want to leave him caged indefinitely then id let him make his own way out.It's very early days in your relationship with him & it will at times feel like 2 steps forward & 1 step back,but given time & patience you will make progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Yeah that is what I feel like... that we took 2 steps back. So then you think I should go ahead and let him out of his cage and leave the food in and hopefully he will go back in on his own. If he doesn't go in by bedtime should I towel him to get back in. I really hate using my hands if he is afraid of them and as I said the perch isn't an opeion either. I just don't want to traumatize him further. Since I am new to the african greys I am worried I will jeopardize our relationship further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I had a wild grey who i could not handle at all,i would open his cage,he'd climb out & stay perched in one place,when he was hungry he always went back for his food inside the cage,i never allowed him to eat outside the cage until i had a little control over him,unfortunately he had been mistreated & was petrified of the towel,but he always made his own way in.If you toweling Coco is the only way to go then personally i would if it means he gets to spend time out,he may as i said go back in of his own back when the hunger kicks in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Okay gonna give it a whirl tonight. Let you know tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Good luck,fingers crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Let CoCo out at 5:30 and it was 10:30 when he finally went in to eat. He just sat on the cage door most of the time. Otherwise no confrontations. I have a new cage that has been setup for a week and I have a ladder between the two hoping he will get nosey and go investigate. Will let you know how that goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Good job Jenny, he went in when he got hungry. Did you put some toys in the new cage, that might entice him to investigate, he will eventually, he won't be able to resist forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebbie Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 Oh I know exactly what you are feeling, I felt the same way with Floyd, but he did step up on a long wooden handled spoon, and I eeeaaaassseeeddd {Feel-bad-00020063} him back in, because I had been bitten several times. He would glare at me or pin me with his eyes but I would cock my head to the side and talk really sweet and soft to him, and after a few days he started calming down, and also after a while if he was on the cage, I would get a chair to get him down, because it would make me taller than he was, and he felt somehow smaller than I was. I know that I cannot offer much help but maybe something I have said will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jencrane63 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 All advice is welcome as are the words of ncouragement. I have about 4 new toys in the new cage so now it is a waiting game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 That wasnt to bad, 5 hours to encourage him to venture into the new cage use a few fimiliar toys he is use to,then add the new ones at a later date,it may be the toys discouraging him from sneaking a look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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