Rehomed twelve year old male

[Annias]

I have adopted a twelve year old male Grey. He is such a special guy. He has been here less than 24 hours, and was shipped here, something that worried me but seemed to have gone okay. I wanted to give a home to a grey that needed it. He is suppose to talk a lot, but has not said a word yet, some whistles and cooing like a dove. He is very tame and stepped up right out of his shipping crate. He has bitten a few times, I think mostly out of fear and tiredness. But he seems disoriented. I mixed the pellets his foster family said he ate in with some nuts and he hardly ate. I then mixed steamed some vegetables and tried spoon feeding him and that worked a little. I then fed him the same pellets off of the spoon without nuts and he ate like mad. I felt so bad and confused. He was hungry for what was in his dish but didn't seem to be able to pick it out from the nuts? I want to transition his diet away from just pellet "pretty bird" to organic pellets and vegetables and things like rice, beans, etc... all the good things but I'm wondering if anyone who has rehomed a bird knows has a sense of how long I should keep things the "same" and when I should start making changes. And how realistic it is to expect to change his diet at this stage. Also, does any one have experience with a bird that has been rehomed getting comfortable enough to speak again.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[kittykittykitty]

Karma for taking a bird that needs a forever home. I haven't rehomed a parrot, just kitties. From what everyone has said it seems to to be important to take things slowly. Others here have had lots of experience doing this, however.

[nims]

Hi,

 

I have rehomed a bird about 4weeks ago. His name is Ice and is 4 years old. He is also quite special! Dont worry too much about the talking just yet. He may take some time to adjust to his new surroundings. I can imagine that shipping experience can be quite jarring too. The poor thing has been through a lot. Keep things the same as long as he takes to get comfortable and settle in. He will start talking but it will take time.

 

Keep offering him all sorts of food, nuts, fruit, seeds, veg and see what he likes best. Give him lots of treats and spend time with him and he will warm to you.

 

Good Luck!

[casper]

Hi,

 

Congratulations on your special new grey! Its so good of you to take in a re-home.

 

The most important thing here is to go slowly! Dont make any drastic changes with diet or feeding yet.

 

Let him get used to his surroundings, and most importantly he needs to build a relationship with you!

Not only has he changed homes but he was shipped as well, it must have been an ordeal for him but it sounds as though he coped very well and was not to traumatised by this.

 

Let him go at his own pace, sit and talk with him, let him get used to your voice and feeling comfortable around you.

 

As far as being vocal, he may be quiet for quite a while yet, greys normally need to feel content and comfortable before they will start to vocalise, this should be the last thing you should be concerned about, building a good relationship and making him feel safe and secure and comfortable in his new home should come first.

 

We have many members on here who have taken in an older grey as a re- home, I am sure they will give you wonderful advice and tell you of their experience.

 

Good luck with your new companion, please keep us updated.

 

Caroline.

[Annias]

Thanks everyone. I am not worried about his not talking except to think of it as a symptom of a problem. I'm glad to find out it is normal. You guys are great. I will take it slow. He is such a wonder, and I'm so glad to give him a forever home. Any more advise or expereince would be appreicated.

[danmcq]

Congratulations Annias on rehoming that Grey. He sounds like he is adapting quite well for the changes he has been through.

 

The others have given GreYt advice.

 

Looking forward to hearing more of him and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

[Dave007]

At your home 24 hrs. Just came from a shipping experience----it's not the best way for a bird to go from one place to another although it's sometimes necessary .

 

Disoriented---of course it is! New home, new people, new surroundings. Expect that to only subside, not quickly stop.

 

You say he's supposed to talk alot--everything about living with new people is much more important to him than behaving like a bird whose been in a new place 24 hrs. Birds don't talk quickly, even if they know how. Birds really aren't interested in talking right away in new environments. Some do but many don't and that's what you should focus on because of your confusion and feeling bad. Expect talking to start gradually and don't expect him to speak his whole vocabulary.

 

Won't eat normal foods that he's used---why should he? You should only give him the types of items that parrots can't resist. Let him know where good things come. My mother fed me good foods when I was a kid but I really loved it when my uncle came over with homemade italian honey balls that had sprinkles on them. My wonderful aunt made them. The hell with the good food.

 

"""Also, does any one have experience with a bird that has been rehomed getting comfortable enough to speak again.""""

 

That was already addressed and talking should be the last thing on your mind cause it isn't important. Birds talk all the time in parrotese. That's their natural language.

 

"""I want to transition his diet away from just pellet "pretty bird" to organic pellets and vegetables and things like rice, beans, etc... all the good things but I'm wondering if anyone who has rehomed a bird knows has a sense of how long I should keep things the "same" and when I should start making changes."""

 

That was partially answered already. Changing foods should be done in the future when the bird feels like it's in it's permanent home and that may take months . He's not a baby. He has set attitudes. He's lived in a different environment for years and it will take longer to accept all the changes.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/12/08 18:25

[Luvparrots]

Congratulations on your new grey. Some of our experienced members have given some great advice. I only want to let you know what a great thing you have done to adopt an older grey, it sounds like you truly want to make his life better. Have you found a name for him yet? When you get a chance we would luv to see some pictures. Karma to you for your generousity!

[BaxtersMom]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I rehomed a 12 year old CAG last July. It has been the best experience for me ever. I would let him ease into his new situation at his own pace. Poor guy must have been through such an ordeal but that part is over now.

 

Baxter was only on a seed diet when I got him and I have been gradually giving him other healthy foods to tempt him. i would offer things but not force. Some things Baxter will just not take to. I was lucky that he took to the pellets right away but the fruits and veggies he is real fussy about. All my other birds love a variety but with Baxter things are more difficult. Just do what you can when you can but don't have or set expectations.

 

Baxter previous owner told me he was a great talker and would pick up conversations from things he heard that day. Said he knew alot of words. Truth was, Baxter knows some words but I do not think he ever had a large vocabulary and never will. Sometimes people will tell you anything to make a sale:angry: Baxter is a sound effects bird and he started doing the contact calls the day after I got him. He did start saying some words pretty quick but never when I was in the same room with him. Only if he thought I couldn't hear...haha...I have baby monitors and could hear him real well.

 

It will all come in time and I think for the first month would just try to help him settle in and make him feel welcome and try to bond with him. I wouldn't try to change alot of things right off or just subtle changes. He's already have huge changes. I wouldn't have any expectations or set any time tables for him. I think it took a good month for Baxter to feel like he was at home and each month I still see him settle in more and more.

 

It sounds like he will be a real nice companion and sounds like he is already doing good. Baxter didn't even know how to step up when I got him. He was neglectged in many ways but we are getting along beautifully these days. It just takes time, thats all. Now he is my buddy, sits on my shoulders and will say his words and phrases and sound effects with me in the same room. It all comes in time and with lot of love.

 

I was wondering if you had any other birds or greys or if this was your first one?

[Annias]

Thanks so much... it is wonderful to hear of your experince Baxter's Mom. I lived with someone who had a Grey for a couple of year's and that is when I fell in love with this amazing animals. But I was with one that was already bonded and settled so this rehoming process is very new to me, and it is going very well. He seem to enjoy the green beans and carrots I steamed lightly and pureed. He eats them from a spoon that I hold for him and I think he really enjoys being hand feed. He is eating his pellets healthly. He also enjoyed some apple. He really likes it if I eat it first and make a big deal out of how good it is then he really wants to try it too. He seems to have had a good home until his first mom passed away and he has been passed down to realitives that were not interested in him. Left in a cage for six months without every getting out, so change has been negative in the past. I'm trying to show him that this time it is postive. It is hard to imagine how someone could neglect him, he is such a sweetie... When you say Angel, he puts his wings back like an angel. I will try and get a picture as it is so amazing. But I'm not sure I know how he was trained to do that, seems very unnatural, and today when I picked up the phone to make a call and he was in the room with me he said "Hello". So it seems he is settling in relatively fast, I'm sure the next months (years) will be full of suprises.

 

I am worried about one other thing, he makes a sound that sounds like a low cough so I'm taking him to the Vet on Wednsday. He is suppose to be a great Avian Vet... but I worry about my Grey having yet another disrupption, but I have to get this looked at and his general health should be checked out. If anyone has experince with this cough like sound, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Thanks so much for your guidance, support and encouragement. Baxter sound so wonderful... it is so rewarding to make sure these creatures with long lives have a good home after they loose their first family.

 

This is a great fourm thanks everyone I have gotten so much out of people's responses.

[BaxtersMom]

Baxter came with a cough too but it was just him mimicking a person coughing. He also belched, too:laugh: He still does cough and belch. Do you think this is a real medical cough type thing or could he be just mimicking?

 

I've had a bad cold for the past week and have been coughing more than usual and Baxter seems to be coughing more too. I have to catch myself cuz I think he is catching my cold and I feel bad, then I realize it's him mimicking me:laugh:

[Tycos_mom]

I also have a rehomed Grey only my sweet heart had three terrible homes before she came to me. It took her a good 6 months to settle in and start trusting me. I'm sure for the first while she was just waiting to hehomed again she is 5 years old and I'm her 4th and final owner its so sad when people buy these birds on a whim and then when they realie the amount of work and responsiblity that comes with them they get rid of them to another peson who does the same thing. Anyway patient and love is all it takes and you will soon have a companion that is so lyal and that loves you so much. You have done a very wonderful thing by taking in a older Grey it must have been very stressful for him to be shipped to you but he sounds like he must of had a wonderful secure life before his previous owner passed on he sounds like he's settleing in already your handfeedings are a great Idea they will help him to bond with you. What is his name by the way and please post some pics I would love to see him is he a Congo or a Timneh. as for the cough there is a good chance he may have learned that sound and is just mimicing. please keep us updated I would like to hear how he is progressing in his new home.