ok I am new at this help!!

[hanadupre]

Ok I just bought a Grey last week. Dont know if its a girl or boy but I have a habit of saying her, so anyway. She was so sweet when we got her and loved to be petted. I ordered a bigger cage for her because the guy i bought her from gave me this little 2 1/2 foot cage witch is not big enough for her. havent gotten it in yet should be in next week. Well today she does not want to be touched at all she keeps rubbing her beak on my in my hand and grabbing my finger with her claws and biting on my nails like she is trying to crack open a peanut. She is acting weird today, do you thing she could be sick. She has been scratching around her ears and eyes a lot too. I give her bathes well I spray her with a water bottle.

She is also stuck on seeds she will not touch the fruit pellets. She will eat apples and grapes but thats it other than her seeds. I heard that it wasnt good for an all seed diet but I know everyone and there bird are different. If anyone could give me any advise I would appreciate it.

[dblhelix]

Greetings hanadupre and welcome. I dont see if you mentioned (or know) how old the bird is that you acquired. Also out of curiousity do you have previous experience with birds? My guess from the subject line is maybe not. I ask only because experience can help identify "normal" behaviours (like normal scratching etc) vs potentially health related issues.

 

In general, any bird in a new home will take at least a month and up to 6 months or more to really feel comfortable in a new home, with a new owner, new sights, sounds smells...everything. Remember these birds live long lived (usually 50+ yrs) so many take to change cautiously as you or I might if we are all of a sudden in a brand new place. It is fairly standard for them to go through some phases, expressing the desire for cuddling and establishing independence as they acclimate to a new place.

 

Beaking you describe is usually a normal behavior. Please provide a little more info on yourself and your new bird. Read around this site as there are many many informative posts about many topics. Also feel free to ask questions as I am sure the many valuable members we have will try to help. It is not likely that your bird is ill. However it is usually best to have a wellness check performed by an avian vet if you are not sure of the birds history etc.

 

Keep us posted and welcome!<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/09/18 05:43

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Hanadupre & Welcome to the forum.

 

Mark has responded great to your initial questions.Please do have a good read around on the forum as you may well find many answers to your questions.

 

Here is just one link on introducing new foods to your grey,if you pop in the bird food room you will find lots more useful info

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/53831-tips-for-getting-your-grey-to-eattry-new-foods.html

[nims]

Hi Hanadupre,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Don't worry you stil have time to learn.....as the others said please take a look at the threads in the different rooms.

 

Would love to know more about your grey.

 

Nims

[danmcq]

Welcome Hanadupre!!

 

The others have given good responses to your questions. How long have you had this Grey?

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

[BaxtersMom]

Hi, welcome to the forum. When I brought my grey home (he was an adult) he used to grab my fingers and try to crack my fingernails, too. I think he is just getting to know you. At first my grey would do it kind of hard and I would have to tell him to stop in a stern voice because it was scary. He would literally try and pull or split my nail with his beak. Now he still does it but he is gentle with me (most of the time) He is fascinated with my nails for some reason:woohoo: He still grabs my fingers and will put his beak against my hands, fingers, nails and he will also use his tongue softly. I am not totally certain but I think it is a greeting from him.

 

I don't know about the scratching but would keep an eye on it.

[Lyric]

Hi Hanadupre, welcome here. You don't say how old your grey is but it is possible the scratching is due to the bird going through a molt. When they start to grow new feathers it is a very itchy process for them and can cause lots of scratching- try spraying the bird gently with water or 100% aloe juice from a spray bottle at least a couple times a week and see if this helps. Your bird is still adjusting to you and settling in and you may notice it will act different towards you as it matures as well. Best of luck and please read through lots of the threads on this forum for more information.

 

Ah, sorry, I just read your post again and you mentioned that you do spray the bird with water. When you do this do you spray it until it is very very wet? Their feathers are very waterproof and it takes some soaking to get the skin wet as well...also, try the aloe juice, it really helps.<br><br>Post edited by: Lyric, at: 2008/09/18 15:45

[hanadupre]

She is four and a half months old. I dont really know my way around this website yet but I will try and look around today. I really dont know much about her history either. I plan to take her to the avian vet tomorrow to get her wings clipped and nails cut, or do you think its to soon?

The only reason I want to do it now is because I am about to move her in my living room when her big cage comes in and I dont want her trying to fly around becasue I have 3 dogs that think they can play with her. I do know that she is use to dogs because the breeder owned dogs also. And she perks up a little when I let the dogs in the room with me to go talk to her.

I have been putting disney movies on for her everyday to keep her occupied while I am at work.

It's almost as if she wants something but I dont know what. It cant be attention becasue I was home all day with her yesterday playing and talking and letting her grab my finger and trying to crack open my fingernail. LOL. It wasnt hard and it didnt hurt and thats what she wanted to do so I let her.

[hanadupre]

Thank you everyone, great responses abck from all. I do spray her but I dont soak her with the water I just mist her but I guess I need to make sure she is wet. I bought a grey cookbook so maybe I can start cooking for her and sneak some pellets in..LOL. I will look around the site and see what else I find also. Tahnk You so much, I will post a pic of her today so all of you can see her.

[2Skittles4u]

Hi hanadupre and welcome.

 

Like others have said, it may be nothing, but if it's a lot of scratching I think I'd be worried too. Birds can get little "mites" on their body and if your bird has these then it would be best to get her to the vet. Treatment "can" be kind of expensive but if you already know what the problem is, then maybe you can get by a whole lot cheaper. Some of these mites are microscopic so the tests can get expensive unless you start with the "right" one. That's a pick um though...

 

Try looking for black or red specks around the scratching area or maybe even red/pink hair like "trails" in the scratching areas. This "could" be a pretty good sign that it's mites.

 

Oh, and not to scare you, but some of these nasty little critters "can" spread to humans if not treated!

 

Good Luck to you.

 

Linda

[judygram]

Hello Hanadupre and welcome to the family, so glad you have decided to join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and your new grey baby. Have you named her/him yet?

 

The others have already given you some good advice but be sure to read thru as many of the threads as you can for lots of useful information and do ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

 

I would love to see some pictures of her/him if you want to share some with us.

[hanadupre]

I was looking for mites on her feathers and skin I didnt see anything because she lets me look anywhere on her body. Her name is Kima, hopefully its a girl, but I guess that name could go either way:) I am just like a new mom and just dont know what to expect so I am curious about every little thing she does. I really dont know whats normal and not normal so I freak out at any little thing.

[kittykittykitty]

Hi hanadupre. It is so like being a new mom when you first have your Grey. And like a new mom reading and asking questions of more experienced parents is expected. I think this is one of the best locations to find answers.

[Abernathy]

Hi and welcome to the forum

[bbrew5]

Hi and Welcome hanadupre and Kima

[hanadupre]

ok, the earliest i can see the vet is tuesday but I have noticed when she shakes off she has a lot of dandruff that is falling so she may be scratching from dry skin maybe if they do that? Any advice on what to do about that?

[danmcq]

You should go to a local Walmart or Vitamonshoppe and purchase a gallon of Aloe Juice (not gel) and mist your grey until she is totally soaked. This will get all the dust and dry skin taken care of.

 

You should also purchase Red Palm Oil from Swansons health foods and mix in a 1/4 teaspoon of that with oatmeal or scrambled eggs etc. This will also help her skin condition and give her other healthy vitamins, oils and acids she needs for good health.

[hanadupre]

Thanks I will go buy that today if our wal mart has that. I live in a small town and our wal mart really sucks.

If not I will go get it from somewhere. Thanks again.

[judygram]

Hanadupre, you will probably find that aloe vera juice in the pharmacy department of Walmart, thats where I found the jug I bought, if they don't have it you might check at a health food store for it.

[slmclean]

hi and welcome my grey will beak me to she is 8 months old and she scratches alot to so it is robably cause she is getting new feathers in but i dont really know i'm no expert here, the bothers will have better advice for you.