History of biting.

[Luckybap]

I just rescued/adopted a Grey who has been mistreated for a number of years. He bites, He has not been outside of a cage in two years. His cage was not cleaned for a year. i have had him about a month now and would like to take him to get his wings clipped so I can start working with him. I hear these guys can give one nasty bite. He is starting to trust me but it is a long going process. I can scratch his head and rub his neck and back through the cage bars now. When I reach in the cage he gets a little on the nutty side. Should I take him now to the Vet and get wings clipped or wait until he trusts me even more? I have made such progress with him I dont want to ruin any trust he has started to have. I hope I am doing this right on here I have never joined a message board before. I have to be honest part of me is afraid of getting bitten but I will do almost anything to help this littleguy out. Even if it turns out he does not want to come out and wants to bite he will always have a home here regardless. This was his final move. Thanks for any information. Beth<br><br>Post edited by: Luckybap, at: 2007/03/24 17:54

[TheGreyMiester]

If it were me I would try to work with him a little longer. You got this far, I think more of what you have been doing would help. Perhaps you can try leaving the cage open and try to encurage him to come out under his own will.

[Guest Monique]

That is awesome that he is letting you pet him through the cage!!

 

Keep building your trust with him by petting him (since he seems to like that), being by him, and talking to him. I would also work towards give him something to eat from your hand at least once a day as you reach into his cage and give it to him. This would be a good step towards him associating your hand inside the cage with something positive.

 

I would also work on getting him to step up onto a perch that you hold out from inside the cage.

 

Stay patient. It can take a really long time to gain their trust, especially when they are older and have been mistreated. But if you stick with it and take baby baby baby steps you will be greatly rewarded!!!

[Guest]

Beth, you're bird has finally some luck: he's met you. Good luck with everything

 

Also, welcome here. You've done right. If you like a place to get detailed information about greys or just chat about them, you've come to the right place

 

Enjoy it and hopefully we'll a lot more of you and your experiences with your bird

[Sticks_n_stones]

Beth, you've done a wonderful thing by taking a rescue bird. Congratulations.

 

As for the wing clipping, I'd wait a little longer. If he's barely trusting you now, you could destroy all that by taking him to the vet for something that could be very scary for him. Unless the clipping is important for his immediate safety, I'd say wait as long as you can.

 

Good luck with your new family member. What name did you select, or are you using the one (s)he has always had? And what age is (s)he?

[Luckybap]

Hi SticksNStones : Please be patient with me I have never used a computer much before this and am learning. Took me forever to figure out how to get here-lol. I kept his old name which is Noah. He is about 6 years old. The woman I took him from lost his birth cert. I believe that is about the age they begin to sexually mature right? I will have my hands really full. He has started swallowing funny then he jerks his neck at me and some food regurgitates and he eats it.(yuck). If Im not mistaken that is a good thing right? Means he likes me. I did do a quick diet change with him so I am hoping he is not sick with upset belly. Seems to be acting fine otherwise. He also has been wanting me to pet his back. Above his tail and between shoulder blades. I say do you want a back scratch and he puts his back against the cage. I say move closer so I can reach and he does. Should I not touch his back? I dont want to encourage mating behavior. Thanks for responding to my message. Its good to know there are people here to come to with helpful knowledge and its just fun to tell stories about these guys. Beth : )