biting

[gourdlady247]

hi Marla and George want to know what should I be working on first. NO MORE Biting or stepping up. I can only get him out of the cage if he is towled. I really don't want to do that I'm afraid that he will be even more upset than he is. Thanks for the advice.

[judygram]

Marla, can you just open his door and allow him to come out of his cage on his own, he will come out and explore when he feels comfortable doing so. Most greys can be territorial about their cages and do not like their owners coming into the cage after them.

 

Open his door and stay in the room and talk to him and play with some of his toys, act like you are really enjoying yourself with the toys and he won't be able to resist coming out to find out what is so much fun, greys can be very curious.

[Dave007]

""""I can only get him out of the cage if he is towled. I really don't want to do that I'm afraid that he will be even more upset than he is."""""

 

You're right. he might not like you doing that but it's only 2 weeks and that's not enough time for you to have learned all about him and his personality and visa versa.

You don't know if he's one of those birds that won't tolerate your hands in the cage to get him. There's lots of birds that are like that. Your bird came to you with a history of habits and likes and dislikes and it'll take time to learn about those things.

[BaxtersMom]

I got bit a bunch of times the first couple weeks I had Baxter. (I thought I would be scarred for life) When I look back now I think it was because I was expecting too much from him to fast. I was the one who decided to get him and love him and make him my world. Poor Baxter didn't sign up for that. He was nervous and scared and his only defense was to bite me.:ohmy: I finally did learn to slow down with him. I would just talk to him and sit by him, sing to him if you can call it that:laugh: but not expect anything in return from him. That was probably my turning point. I would hold my hand out to him and he would eventually come to it. Then he would let me barely pet him on the head. It was ok when he decided it was ok but if I wanted to push the issue and he wasn't willing I got bit. Take it in baby steps and he will come around. After about a month to 6 weeks,I haven't been bitten by him since. I can now pet him all over his body and he will let me lift his wings and spread them out. He still doesn't like it but he allows it. I just would do one little step farther than before and if I seen him get nervous or back away I would quit right then. It just takes time. He is still settling in and unsure of everything. If he was not handled at all this is all very new to him and he probably doesn't know what to think. Let him go at his own pace and you will be rewarded.

[Hrund]

Hello

I have a 6 year old TAG that I´ve had for 2 months now. In the beginning we tried to have him step up and got him out of the cage without him wanting to come out because he just wanted to stay there. It didn´t make me feel good and not my bird Nokkvi either. After about two weeks of having him and nothing working out I decided to take it slowly and not push him at all, let him make the decisions.

 

We sat by his cage, talked to him, sang to him and played music. Slowly things started to happen. We had his cage open whenever we were home. At first he didn´t come out but then he started to every once in a while and then more often. We gave him toys he could tear apart and he played with them, also he enjoyed getting warm musli in the morning.

 

We have had Nokkvi for about two months now, a few days ago there was a breakthrough and I got the proof that patience pays off. He started taking treats and toys from our hands. He has been afraid of hands but now we can get closer to him :cheer: , it brought us such happiness.

 

I think the best thing is to give your bird time and some choices. Get as close as you can but as soon as you feel he is uncomfortable back off. Build upp trust. I read somewhere that you have to think of it as a trust bank, you put as much in the bank as you can and it will pay off, you have to try not to take out of the bank.

[she]

Take your time. thats the best advise anyone can offer. Let the bird dictate the pace you go at.Open the cage and just let him wonder out in his own time. It will happen once he is more at home. Everything you do should be aimed at building trust. If it is not trust building, dont do it. The trust bank idea is a great one. Put the trust in but never draw out. Good luck. Sheila