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[Hrund]

Hello everyone

 

My name is Hrund and I´m from Iceland. I spent almost all day yesterday reading posts in this forum and liked it so much I decided to join .

Me and my boyfriend live together with 5 cats that we have had for a while, two cocatiels that we have had for two months and a Timneh grey that we have had only for 4 days. I didn´t have any previous experience of birds, had an allergy as a child that has thankfully gone away B) , my boyfriend has some experience of birds.

It has been my boyfriends dream since he was a teenager to have a African grey. We got a cocatiel from a friend two months ago. We decided to get him a friend and went to a bird specialist in my town. There we saw some Congo greys that he was using for breeding, we decided to go on a list for a handfed baby. While we were there we heard a bird growling, we took a look at him and it was a Timneh grey, really scared in his cage. We asked about him and the shopowner told us his name was Nökkvi, he was 6 years old, male, half tamed. He had been brought into the country as a breeding bird a few years ago from Britain with a female but they didn´t mate so the female was sold away. The bird seemed really lonely to us and we felt sorry for it. Some days later my boyfriend went back to the store and disscussed the bird with the shopowner. He told us we could take Nökkvi home with us and give him a try, if we didn´t like him we could return him.

On wednesday we took him home, I have never heard such loud screaming from anyone as when we brought him to our home.

Yesterday after reading your forum I decided that I wanted to keep Nökkvi no matter what, I just couldn´t think of returning him to the store. So now he is a new memeber of our family.

Nökkvi is a frightened litle bird, he growls if we get close to his cage but in four days we are able to get all the way to the cage before he starts to growl. He doesn´t bite and we are careful with him to back off so he doesn´t start. We are able to touch him in the cage, stroke his beak and the side of his head. I sing to him when I do this and he seems to like it.

My heart has really gone to this bird and I hope that he will learn to trust us with time. I´m just so afraid that we will do some mistakes. I have ordered some books from Amazon and hope to learn something from them. I would be very thankful for any advice you can give me on how best to approach him. He really wants to go outside the cage but we made the mistake of letting him out the first day because he wanted to go so bad when he saw the cocatiels go out, it took us a long time to get him back in the cage and he got really frightened. We can only have the birds out for a limited time because of the cats.

Well I guess this is long enough for now .

 

Hrund<br><br>Post edited by: Hrund, at: 2008/08/24 20:57

[nims]

Hi,

 

Welcome to the forum. This forum is s great source of information for you and your parrot will surely benefit from the advice.

 

Your parrot will take a little time to adjust to the new surrounding so dont expect too much from him just yet. Spend as much time as you can with him/her and she/he will surely learn to trust you.

 

Patience is the key

 

Good Luck

 

Nims

[siobha9]

Hello Hrund,

 

Welcome to the forum. First of all I would like to congratulate you for taking on an older grey. You have done a wonderful thing for him. I think you are doing really well to be able to pet his face already;) Even if it only a couple of times, for a grey who is as frightened as Nokkvi must be.

Please keep reading and asking questions and there will certainly be someone who can help you along the way.

 

Siobhan

[danmcq]

Welcome Hrund and thanks for rescuing that poor frightened TAG!!!

 

It sounds like Nökkvi is actually taking to the change and you both pretty well, since you are already able to touch him. I can not express how HUGE that is from your description of his previous 6 years.

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Hrund & Welcome to the forum.

We look forward to hearing more from you & your progress with Nokkvi

[BaxtersMom]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Good for you taking on a an older and scared grey and giving him a much better and happier life. I'm sure you will find it very rewarding once the prorgress is being made and it sounds like it already is. This forum is a great place to find info and there are so many people here that can help you with the questions you may have. I think patience will be the key, too and time. Keep us posted. We'd love to hear more about him and pictures if you can.

[Tigerlily]

Hi and welcome.

I have to agree with whats allready been said that i was supprised to read that you've been able to touch him allready.

I'm also a new grey owner and new to this forum and am quickly learning and often need reminding that greys need sooo much encouragment, praise and positive interactions.

I started punishing my grey for flying onto the top of room doors (not safe cause of wires) by forcing her to step up and put her back in her cage and firmly telling her off which for a few days worked. then she started being aggressive if i tried getting her down cause she knew what was comming and she bites quite hard when she wants.:evil:

I realised that being harse with her wasn't the answer and started calmly asking her to step up, praising her when she did and put her back on her pearch. she still protests a little but just to let me know she'd rather be up there. (she just keeps me fit getting up to get her down)

 

I'm constantly learning and the key with greys is patience and trust and by the sound of it, you're grey is quickly learning to trust you and i'm sure you'll be best friends b4 long.

[Hrund]

Thank you everyone

 

Nökkvi came in a rather small cage, which he of course feels safe in but is way too small for him. We got a proper cage for him and just finished putting it together . We are wondering what is the next step. He will of course have to get used to it and it´s easier for us to get close to him in the small cage. I really don´t want to rush him.

I will post pictures of him as soon as it´s possible to take good pictures B)

[lovemyGreys]

Birds are very much creatures of habit and routine. A new cage is a brake in his safe routine. Most birds will see a new cage as being a scary new object

So let your feathered friend adjust to this scary object in his own time.

 

Place some of his favorite things in the new cage. If the cage has a play top attach toys and put some of his favorite food in the new dishes. Even if he won’t approach the new cage having his favorite things within sight and easy reach will keep him interested and his natural curiosity will draw him to try out this new place in time.

 

Some birds will adjust in a day. Others will take longer

[judygram]

Hello Hrund nd welcome to the family, so glad you decided to join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Nokkvi.

 

That is a wonderful thing you did in taking in this Tag and you won't regret it if you give him lots of time and use much patience when working with it. Being an older bird it will take longer for him to bond with you and to learn to trust you but don't rush it, just let it happen in good time.

 

He does need time out of the cage but you will have to be very careful of your cats when he is. Not only can he hurt your cats or they catch him but if one of them would get a hold of him and break his skin, even if it didn't do any real damage to him the saliva from the cats mouth could kill him because of the bacteria they carry.

 

Please read thru the many threads or lots of useful information and do ask any and all questions and we will help you in any way we can.

 

I look forward to seeing some pics when you can manage to get some for us.

[Guest]

Hrund welcome here

[tarnold]

Welcome welcome!

[Hrund]

Thanks for all the advice:)

We are always careful of locking the cats up when we let the birds out. We definently don´t want anything bad to happen. Nökkvi is out right now and is extremely happy. I took some pictures of him but of course the battery on the camera ran out after just a few pictures and I can´t put them out right away.

[Hrund]

Nökkvi is so wonderful, instead of watching the tv we are watching him. He let us touch him for the first time outside the cage although he growled the whole time. He could so easily have left but didn´t. They were playing Mika on the tv and we sang along and Nökkvi really seemed to like it.

We have his new cage open for him and he went inside it himself some minutes ago and is exploring it :laugh: , what a wonderful guy. He is preening in there right now. We have it open though if he wants to go out again.

One thing we haven´t had much luck with is "step up". We use a stick and put it to his abdomen right above his feet but nothing happens. I don´t think he has ever been tought to do it. We also have one problem, we haven´t discovered yet what he really really likes as a reward. Well I guess we can´t expect everything to happen in just 5 days .

[siobha9]

You are doing so well! That is astonishing considering his past that he will let you touch him at all without taking your finger off:ohmy:

 

Have you put some food and toys in the new cage? Its sounds like he likes it already and you may be able to move him in sooner rather than later.

[BaxtersMom]

That is fantastic!!! I am so happy for you. I think Nokkvi is already letting you know in little ways how much he appreciates you rescueing him and giving him a happy life. When I first got Baxter I quit the TV and just watched him and talked to him for hours and hours too. I couldn't think of anything else other than him. 5 weeks later, I'm still that way:) Can't get enough of him, I guess. One thing I did when he first came to stay with me was sit by cage and talk softly to him. I kept saying "good bird good bird" over and over in a soft soft voice. It seemed to soothe and relax him. I never tried to touch him when I was speaking softly to him so he didn't have to get spooked. He liked it and still does. I am so happy for you because I know the joy you are feeling right now! That's wonderful he has already checked out his new cage. You are letting him do things at his pace and it's working and will gain his trust that way. Good for you. Can't wait to hear more!.

[Hrund]

We have put some toys in his new cage and also food. He was getting tired earlier and chose to go into his old cage. But I´m sure he will be ready to stay in the new cage soon.

I also speak softly to him all the time and sing , I don´t think I´ve sang so much in years, he really seems to like my singing (probably the only one :laugh: ). I tell him he´s my friend and that he is a good boy, he is such a treasure, I couldn´t wait to go home from work today and was thinkging of him the whole day.

I´ve taken some pictures of him, I hope it´s ok I put them here.

 

 

 

[lovemyGreys]

He is adorable,no wonder you couldnt wait to get home from work I'm sure by the sounds of things he will soon be in his new cage.

[BaxtersMom]

I think everyone loves seeing pictures and if there's a spot to put them in I say go for it:)

 

I will share with you one of my early mistakes and hopefully it will help you from the doing the same. I hope you don't mind and you might already know this. When I brought Baxter home all I wanted to do was be with him and pet him, etc. I was able to pet him on the head which was good but I wanted to pet him more than he liked at first and I was pushing him too much. He would bite me alot and it hurt because he bit hard:pinch: He even drew blood several times. It would have been okay I think if I pet him a little bit and left him alone but I was anxious and kept petting him when he didn't want me to and I kept getting bit. After a few days I finally figured it out. I still pet him but I learned his limits and didn't push him. Took me about a week to figure it out:S He hasn't bit me hard since the first week. Each time I would pet him I would go a little further, from the head, down the neck, eventually all the way down his back. I think he even likes his back petted. I am now working on petting his wings. I can tell he doesn't it like much yet:angry: but he is allowing it. I go at his pace, not mine and it's working. Baxter doesn't even bite anymore. He will now take my fingers in his beak and be gentle as can be with me. Yea! Baxter was used to people but not used to being handled at all. Baxter doesn't like me to pet him much in his cage but does allow it occassionally. I usually do it when I have him out of his cage on my hand. I would pet him as much and as often he is willing to let you.<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/08/26 04:21

[BaxtersMom]

<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/08/26 04:20

[Lyric]

Welcome here Hrund. Those are beautiful pictures of your grey and I'm so happy he has found a good home with you. You were doing a great thing when you adopted him. Sounds like you are taking things slowly which is just the right thing to do with a grey. They do things in their own time and eventually they come around. Keep up the good work!

[Kaskoo]

All greys are different...Kaskoo doesnt like me touching his tummy...but i once had a grey that wouldnt let me touch anything other then his tummy!!!:ohmy:

It usually takes a while for a grey to get used to his new home..but Nökkvi is doing great!!!:woohoo: :woohoo:

I'm sure your going to have toooooons of fun with your grey! Be sure to keep an eye on her while the cats are out!

[Hrund]

I´m sick so I haven´t had much energy to be online and not much energy for Nökkvi either , my boyfriend has to take care of him these days.

Nökkvi went on his own to the new cage two days ago and has stayed there since . The new cage is much bigger and it´s more difficult for us to reach him there but I talk to him a lot. It´s a bit more difficult also to get him to go out of the new cage but he went out himself yesterday. Right now we are trying to get him out and he doesn´t seem to want to.

Things are at a standstill right now with touching him, we have stopped trying to get him to step up and are going to do things slowly and not push him too much.

[BaxtersMom]

I hope you feel better soon. I would not worry about everything being at a stand still. Nokkvi might be taking everything in and settling better with a few days off too. Besides you have the rest of your lives to do stuff together. Get well soon and keep us posted on Nokkvi.