First bird ever (CAG)

[jlandsiedel]

Yesterday I got my first bird ever and she (I'm guessing, because she's so sweet) is a CAG. I really got her for my 2 year old daughter who loves birds. They even seem to get along pretty well. Juliet (CAG) lets my daughter pet her and give her treats, and we haven't even had her 24 hrs. She is incredibly well adjusted and started to act pretty normal ever since we got her home. She actually insisted on hanging out with us instead of wanting alone time in her cage. She has been talking, eating, and playing all day today =) She even likes to tickle me! Anyways, I also have a Great Dane, Panther Chameleon, Leopard Gecko, and a Ball Python. I'm working my way around the food chain I guess =) I really want to get this whole AG thing down so I know I'm getting everything right. I think I got really lucky when it comes to getting a good bird! Any good advice would be appretiated!! {Feel-good-00020069}

[siobha9]

Hi jlandsiedel,

 

Welcome to the grey forum. I am happy your grey is so well adjusted. You asked for advice, so here it is! Please keep your grey away from your 2 year old daughter. Both a child and a grey can be unpredictable. A grey is after all a wild bird. A bite from their beak could cause serious damage to your childs hand, or God forbid her face!

 

Please consider her your pet, and love and enjoy her, but she is not a suitable pet for a toddler.

[lovemyGreys]

Hi jlandsiedel & Welcome.

 

As Siobhan rightly says be very very cautious with a two year old & a grey.Youve only had the grey 24 hours,im pleased the first signs are good,but any sudden movement from a child can startle a grey,id hate for your daughter to suffer an injury.Educate her as she grows so she learns all about greys

[casper]

Siobhan and Lovemygreys are both right! One of my greys gave my 9 year old son a nasty nip once I am totally on my guard now!

Congratulations on getting your grey though, everything sounds like its going well!

[Rue]

Congrats on getting your first bird! As the others have mentioned, greys can startle and be unpredictable (as can most parrots) and can give a hard bite. I wouldn't let the parrot sit on the toddler. You can foster a good relationship by having your toddler give the bird treats while it's sitting on a stand or other suitable perch.

 

Birds are social animals. In the wild parrots live in large flocks. They eat together. In captivity, most parrots do not want to be in their cages by themselves, unless it's bed time. They will also appreciate eating when you eat, since you are now their flock!

 

Good luck with your new critter!

[Abernathy]

Hi and welcome! Grats on your first bird! Glad to hear she is adjusting well. My grey also made a smooth transition to our home. We used to have a couple of albino burmese pythons many years ago. Every now and then we talk about maybe getting a ball python but I always spend all of our extra money on the birds so I guess it's not meant to be lol.

I'd love to see some pictures of your tag when you get a chance. We enjoy oooh-ing and aaah-ing over each others pets here. I hope things continue to go smoothly with your new girl. Looking forward to hearing more about you guys

[BaxtersMom]

Congradulations on your new grey. She sounds like a real sweetheart. You do have quite a few of food chain species and it sounds interesting and exciting but aren't you scared the python will eat Juliet?:ohmy: I would be terrified of that. I hear on TV how the pythons who never get loose have "gotten loose" I would also be worried about the baby too.

 

I also have an adult grey that is the sweetest thing too and is not known to be a biter but he tore my husband up this past weekend for no apparent reason. I was told that even the best birds can have their bad days just like us humans so please be extra carful with your daughter. They can easily take an eyeball out or split a lip or ear and disfigure a face for life and it would not be the fault of the grey as they do have a natural wild instinct. It might not ever happen but just know it's a possibility. I never imagined Baxter would bite like he did. I think it was an isolated incident but just know it can happen at any time. I do not mean to lecture but sometimes a little heads up can do a world of good and prevent a terrible accident.

 

I do wish you all the best with Juliet. They are amazing animals. And I am very curious about the rest of your pets. If you get the chance please post a picture of Juliet and let us know about you guys.

[BMustee]

I'm going to have to say the same as everyone else. A 2 year old...no matter how well behaved...is going to be a 2 year old and they don't mix well with parrots. You didn't say how old the CAG was and many baby birds are very sweet and not known for biting, but they do grow out of that very fast. If you bought a just weaned baby then it's coming fast. Children move too fast for parrots and they will bite. I have a CAG that is the a doll with everyone and has never really bitten anyone, but she did almost bite my niece a few times. Be sure not to allow your child to put her face up to the bird and alway supervise and be ready to jump in if the CAG is getting edgie.

 

I would also like to point out that reptiles and birds do not mix well. As BaxtersMom pointed out a snake that gets out will go strait for a bird cage and a parrot knows what a snake is so they WILL flip out if they see it...no matter how often they see them. I'm not sure if you know this but all herps carry salmonella which can make a human very sick, but will almost always kill birds. Be sure to never mix anything that touched the reptiles or their cages with the birds...this includes sponges, other cleaning utensils, and dacor. I would also shower and change your clothing.

[judygram]

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

 

Congrats on your first bird and also a grey, you will find out that they are amazing creatures and you will soon find out that you wonder how you survived without one for so long.

 

I have to echo the other's words of caution on allowing your 2 year old to handle Juliet, she is a sweet baby ringht now but that could change at any time and I would hate for your daughter to suffer a disfigurement from it.

 

Children generally are too quick of movement and too loud, greys get nervous when they are around even though they share the same household.

 

Please read thru the many threads 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.

 

Do you have any pictures of Juliet you would share with us, we would love to see her.

[she]

Hi Cant add much more advice really, its all been said. Just exercise caution where your child and your new grey are concerned. No reason why you cant have a grey but I would not allow too close contact while your child is so young. Greys live for 50-60 years so plenty of time for them to grow up together.

[danmcq]

Welcome jlandsiedel and Flock!!

 

It's GreYt having you here and looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

[jlandsiedel]

Yes, I understand that she can't have a lot to do with the bird until she is quite older. The only thing she is aloud to do is give the bird treats and occasionally she has pet her. She is old enough to understand that she needs to move slowly and she also does not want to be bitten. However, now I will exercise the same amount of caution no matter how long we have the bird. As far as the snake, chameleon, and bird . . . The reptiles are on separate floors of the house, and all are in different rooms. My snakes cage also locks and I'm the only one who really messes with the reptiles. I have yet to forget to lock its cage and am definitely more concerned about the snake being loose around my children! Right now I think there is way more of a chance the bird would eat or kill the snake being that the snake is pretty small right now (about 18 inches). My CAG is 20 weeks old and they did tell me that she doesn't really understand how biting works and hasn't used that to defend herself . . . yet.

[Lyric]

Hello jlandsiedel, welcome to the forum. Seems you've gotten lots of warnings and advice from the other members so I won't do that. I'm glad things are going well so far with Juliet and the others in your house. We'd love to see a picture if you get a chance to post one.

[kittykittykitty]

Hi and welcome! And to think your first bird is a Grey! All I will add is to read all you can here. These people are amazing and care deeply for children AND birds.

[slmclean]

Hi jlandsided welcome to the forum.