JokersMamma Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Well after my neighbors had a house fire, we wound up with their bird and them staying here...when they got on their feet and left, they couldnt take "Joker" with them..so he has stayed here with me. He is an African grey i am told..but he looks a bit different then the ones here(he has some tanish color on his beak and a dusty red tail not bright red)...I never much interacted with him while they all lived here..because he stayed in their bedroom...so now i am at a loss with what to do..he bites all the time. He will step up for me, but thats it! If i try and touch him or he even thinks i am going to touch him he lunges at me and bites HARD. He has managed to draw blood once. I was told he is 7 years old and he is DNA male. He doesnt talk at all or even make sounds unless i come by his cage sometimes it sounds like he is growling at me! help help help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 Hello JokersMamma and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Joker. Wow, that is some story of how you came to get Joker, glad he wasn't hurt in that fire and I bet your neighbors are sad they couldn't take him with them but good for you that you could take him in and give him a good home. From your avatar I am guessing you have a Tag and not a Cag, these are two separate species of greys and the Tags have the horn colored beak and the darker tail. You need to do a little research on the african grey to know what you are dealing with especially if you have not kept birds before. You will find lots of useful and helpful information in our many threads so read thru as many of them as you can and do ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. Since he is 7 years old he is somewhat set in his ways so you need to take some time for him to get settled in his new home and be very patient with him. Greys are by nature very cautious and wary of anything new and that includes new owners. His biting is his way of telling you he does not want you messing with him right now, allow him to feel more comfortable with you, talk to him softly and tell him what you are doing. Open his cage and allow him to come out on his own and yes he may even be growling at you but that will pass in time as he comes to trust you. He may talk and make sounds as he gets more used to his new home, most greys have to feel more at home to vocalize and he may not like being touched very much. Some greys love to be touched all over and some only want their neck skritched, you will learn to take your cues from him as to what he wants and will allow. Remember this will probably be a long slow progress but it will be well worth it when he learns to trusts you and bond swith you. We would love to see Joker if you have some pictures besides the one in your avatar, he looks very nice in that pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JokersMamma Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 he seems to be a very "good bird" i say i;ve never had a bird before, but i guess its more i have never had a parrot before..we had lots of tiels growing up..but those were my dads..and he has passed away so i have no clue where to get advice! haha. I was wondering if that was what he was doing..it seems so odd for a bird to growl!! Like i said he will step up MOST of the time..when he doest i just let him be..i let him out on a play stand i got and he likes just sitting and watching me..he also makes his grinding sound with his beak alot. He will go on your shoulder but IF you let him up there he WILL NOT get down with out biting you pretty good! let me figure out the uploading here and i will put up a few pics..he seems to care for my husband wayyyy more then me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupa Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi there and welcome About the growling, my CAG Shani growls when she is uncomfortable, Joker probably just needs time to settle into his space. All he needs is love an patience. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykittykitty Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hello and welcome! As everyone will tell you it takes a lot of time, much love and even more patience. The very best to you and Joker.:ohmy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 I would suggest you not allow him on your shoulder until he learns to trust you and you learn to read his body language, when they are on our shoulder they tend to feel superior. Greys tend to pick one person over another but that does not mean he will not like you, he may just have a different relationship with you than he does with your hubby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hello JokersMamma- it was so wonderful of you to take in Joker and offer him your home. As the others have said, it will take time for him to feel comfortable with all the changes he has experienced in such a short time. The fact that you can get him to step up and hold him is a sure sign that you are doing great with him. The beak grinding is a sign of contentment in a parrot, they usually do this when they are sleepy and comfortable and everything is well. As Judy stated above, your bird is a Timneh, not a Congo. The Timnehs are slightly smaller, have a horn colored upper beak and a darker more maroon colored tail. Let us know what questions you may have about your new friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JokersMamma Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 thank you! i am trying to figure out photo bucket so i can post pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi jokersmamma & Welcome to the forum,the other members have offered some great advice,take each day as it comes,given time & patience im sure you will come on in leaps & bounds with joker. Here is a link for posting pictures... http://www.greyforums.net/forums/the-photography-room/89533-how-to-post-picturesphoto-tuturial.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi Joker is very lucky to escape unharmed from the house fire, as are his previous owners.Greys are by nature cautious birds and it will take time for him to be comfortable with you. Continue to make the step up consistant, Practice this away from his cage. It is never wise to let a parrot near your face for obvious reasons. If Joker is more easy with your husband, use this to your advantage.Get your husband to practice step up and then include you in the game. Greys do growl,often when they feel threatened and insecure. Joker seems to enjoy his stand so let him hang out their. Give him plenty of toys and feed him healthy treats from your hand.The name of the game is to build trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi and congraduations on your new grey. Joker is very lucky that he has you to turn to. Everyone above has given great advice. I rehomed a 12 year old grey and he acted the same way when I first had him except for the growling. Only thing I have to add to what the others have said is that when I brought Baxter home, he bit me every chance he got:S And drew blood many times:( I wanted to spend as much time as I could with him so he would get to know me but learned I had to go at his pace and let him get comfortable with me. I finally would check his moods and if I could tell he was not comfortable and high bite risk, I would not try to get him out, but come back later and try again. I found he got real curious about me and wanted me to come for him. If I forced it, I got bit, if it was his idea, everything was fine:) I would sit and talk with him or sing or whistle to him all the time and he seemed to like it. He liked the attention without me messing with him but eventually wanted to be friends with me. It took Baxter a good month to really feel comfortable and safe around me. It's been a little over 2 months now and we are the best of buddies:) He may bond to your husband more, they are known to pick a favorite person but you can still have a good relationship with Joker:) I am not for sure but think greys will bond more with the main caregiver. Who ever gives them food, water, tucks them in at night, etc. Keep up posted on him and be sure to ask any questions you may have and read through the threads here on the forum. Someone is always here to help if you have questions;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JokersMamma Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 I am letting him do his thing accross the room from me. I do have a quick question though... are mirrors a bad idea??? His play stand is next to a mirror in my living room and he keeps walking up to it and making little sounds under his breath it seems. He also keeps putting his wings out and moving them a little while watching the mirror...twice now i have heard him make a very highpitch sord of whistle at the mirror..does this mean he does like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nims Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi JokersMamma, Welcome to the forum. Mirrors are generally a bad idea as Joker might fly into it and it can spook them sumtime. The other members have given you great advice and dont worry about th growling he is trying to settle into is new home. Im sure you're going to get on fine he just needs a little time to adjust to his new house and mamma! If you have any questions please post them and there is always someone in the forum that will be able to help. Good Luck Nims Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abernathy Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Hi and welcome JokersMamma and Joker! Congrats on Joker becoming part of your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Welcome Jokersmamma!! Well it sounds like you have inherited a fine Timneh (TAG - Timneh African Grey) there. :-) He is obviously not yet real comfortable with you, but over time that will all change. It sounds like he is already interacting with you well in stepping up for you. The bites are his way of letting you know that he does not want to do whatever it is you are trying to get him to do at that time. It takes some trial and error, but once you learn to read his body language, you will know when to just let him be without receiving a painful bite/warning. It sounds like he either thinks himself beautiful or he thinks he has a perfect match in a mate and is using the smooth and slick moves like dropping the wings, walking around a little and using soft and sexing sounds to let the other Grey know he's definitely interested. :-) Looking forward to hearing more about you and Joker. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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