new mom 6-year old grey

[NewGreyMom]

Hello All!

 

I've just adopted (or been adopted by) a 6-year-old CAG, his (not DNA checked that I know of) name is Brodie. He's been in his new home for about 2 weeks. I was wondering when he might start to DO something when we play? His former owners love him very much but no longer had the time to spend with him.

He came to me with a healed broken wing.

His previous owners had moved him from their living room to their basement and had had very little interaction with him.

It's like he doesn't know how to "play". He will step up now most times when I request, and loves his head scratched (morethancheese (I know it's not good for him)). I take him to the dinning room on the table and he just stands there, moving closer to me.

He's not bitten me badly and only a few times. When I first got him I was pretty scared of him, I've never been owned by a bird before.

I've tried rolling a wooden bead (he's not afraid of them).

He talks alot but only if I'm not in the room. He waved at me last night when I said "wave Brodie," and waved at him where he was sitting on his cage.

He doesn't seem to have any behaviors however I've seen him pull a feather or 2.

 

Anyone have words of wisdom? Do I just keep taking him to the "play" area and trying.

 

Thank you,

Lisa

[Abernathy]

Hi and welcome Lisa and Brodie! Sounds like he's still adjusting to his new life and home. 2 weeks isn't very long and I think him stepping up already is a good start. I would keep trying to play with him. Patience is key. Keep trying and showing him how much fun it is to play with the toys. Eventually he'll get curious and give it a try. Good luck. Can't wait to hear more about you and Brodie <br><br>Post edited by: Abernathy, at: 2008/09/09 22:51

[she]

Hi welcome. Two weeks is no time for a grey to settle in.He sounds like he is doing fine.Keep up the head scratches and the rest will come. Just dont rush him. Try showing him how to play with his toys. If he is at all scared go back a step.

[nims]

I think you are doing great so far however you need be confident around your bird as they can sense these things. Sometimes they need to be taught how to play so keep doing what your doing.

 

Welcome and good luck with Brodie. Im glad you took on an older grey. I too am thinking about adopting another bird.

 

Nims

[BaxtersMom]

Hi NewGreyMom and welcome to the forum. I have to disagree that the previous owners loved Brodie. If they did they would not have moved him to the basement and neglected him and they would have had daily interaction with Brodie. I am sensitive to this because I brought a 12 year old grey home a couple months ago and that was cage bound and put in a basement and had no handling. He didn't know how to play with toys either. I could barely touch him in the beginning. I didn't realize at the time he had been neglected. He didn't even know how to step up or fly. I wrote a blog about Baxter my CAG and how I got him to start playing with his toys if you care to read it. You can find it under the blogs link at the top of the page or you can check my profile page near the bottom and it shows my blogs there too. There are many other posts here that will be helpful on this site to and this is a great place to ask any questions you might have. Everyone is always willing to help. It will take some time but he will come around if you take time with him every day, teach him to play with the toys and have a little out of the cage time daily too. Don't expect too much in the beginning. Keep us posted. I love to hear about other members greys and hear about their accomplishments. I am very glad you got him out of his previous atmosphere. Working with my Baxter has been so rewarding to me. I'm sure it will be for you & Brodie, too.

[slmclean]

hi welcome lisa.

[judygram]

Hello Lisa and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Brodie.

 

Since you have only had this 6 year old grey for 2 weeks, that is not enough time for him to feel comfortable in his new home, he needs time to settle in and then he will be more in the mood for playing.

 

I am so glad you could find it in your heart to give this grey a forever home, he needs that stability to know that someone loves him unconditionally.

 

Some greys are closet talkers and you have to leave the room to hear them talk but he may eventually talk around you, you never know.

 

Please read thru the many threads for lots of useful information and do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

 

If you have some pictures of Brodie you would like to share with us we would love to see him.

[lovemyGreys]

Hi NewGreyMom & Welcome to the forum.We look forward to hearing more from you

[danmcq]

Welcome Lisa and Brodie!!

 

It sounds like you are doing everything right in giving him space and time to adjust to the new and improved living conditions. He has taken to you and the new home fairly well from the interaction you two are already having. :-)

 

Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance.

[Lyric]

Hi Lisa and Brodie, welcome to the forum.

[NewGreyMom]

Thank you all for such warm greetings and words of encouragement. Makes me feel better knowing that I'm doing the right things. I'm reading everything I can to prevent problem (as they are so much easier to prvent that to stop once they've begun.)

As an unexpected treat when I returned home yesterday I reached out to do the normal requested head scratch and he lifted his foot. I asked him if he wanted to step up and he did.....))) That was the first time he's initiated a step up.

 

Thanks again all!!

 

Lisa, Mollie and Brodie.....:> <- parrot kiss...)

[Hrund]

Hello and welcome

I´m also new here, I have a 6 year old TAG that I´ve had for 3 weeks today . It will be interesting to see how things with Brodie progress. I think he´s really lucky that you took him in

[kittykittykitty]

Hello! You are a very special person to give Brodie a loving home. I think that in time he will repay you a thousand times over.

[Rue]

Congrats on getting Brodie!

 

As the others have said, 2 weeks isn't really very long. Parrots can take eons to settle in to a new home.

 

I've had Nickel since February and she's still settling in.

[sandra902]

thank you miss lisa for giving brodie his forever and loving home!

 

my merlin is a rescue also and he's been with us a year now (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT) and your brodie is way farther along the socialization path than ol' merl. but they all have different backgrounds and it sounds like the past owners at least interacted with him early on.

 

2 weeks is just the blink of an eye in Parrot Time. i had set milestones in my mind for merlin when he came home that he just blew right out of the water! that's what i get for trying to translate Dog Time to Parrot Time. but i have become very trainable in merlin's world so progress is being made haw haw haw!

 

i guess the best advice i can give you is to enjoy mr brodie every day. he will be a joy and a wonder to you just as mr merl is to us. he chose big daddy as his preferred person and i am the Devil's Daughter. but that is OK, he and i interact on a lot of levels but 'no touchy birdy'. now he thinks it is funny to reach for my finger and instead of a gentle mouthing like he gives to daddy, i get a good hard snapper. then he says 'whoa-oh' as if it were an accident. sheesh!

 

closet talking: yes indeedy, i sit outside the office where the birds are and before i open the door i just listen to merlin chattering away. it was pretty spooky at first hearing my voice and big daddy's voice too coming from merlin but it is a wonder the things he will pick up and conjure with. i find he likes phrases with the 'w' sound in them.

 

he has learned that certain actions on his part will elicit a verbal response from me so we play those games all day while i'm in the office.

 

toys: merlin was afraid of EVERYTHING but i would sit in front of his cage (at a respectful distance) and make toys under his watchful eye. now he is a toy monster and if it has a bell in it look out. you can get good ideas for toys if you browse the birdy store or go to bird shows. lots of fun things you can do with drinking straws and little paper portion cups and pony beads. straws through a little whiffle ball are great fun. i didn't spring these things on him though, i would either hang them well away from his cage where he could see them and study them to satisfy himself they were not a trick to kill a little birdy, or i would construct them right in front of him for the same reason.

 

well enough of my rambling, enjoy your brodie and we all look forward to photos and reports.