rickwith3 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hi! My name is Rick. My Girlfriend and I are taking a 5 yr old African Grey as a rescue. We have a large 9 yr old dog, Liz and a 13 yr old cat, Baxter. We have a relatively large house with lots of light. ummm....What can we do to make the transition as peaceful for the Gray as possible? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!!! His name is Merlin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hello Rick and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Merlin. I commend you for adopting a rescue grey, not everyone can do that and it takes a special person to be able to adopt a bird with possible baggage that so many rescues seem to have. I would bring him in and leave your other pets put away for a bit and bring them out one at a time to introduce them to your bird, take it slowly as Merlin may be frightened at first, you don't know whether he has ever seen or been in a house with any other animals. Let Merlin decide when to come out of his cage as greys can be very possessive of their domains but any time he is out do supervise for with a cat and dog you need to be vigilant in case one thinks Merlin may be a tasty treat. Talk to him a lot even with him in his cage and offer him treats from time to time, he may be very receptive of you or he may be fearful, it all depends on his previous owner's handling. You will find lots of useful and helpful information in our many threads so do read thru them and do ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. When you get a chance take a few pictues of Merlin and share them with us as we would love to see him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Welcome Rick and Flock!! First, let me thank you for taking in a rescue. :-) The transition will take a lot of patience, love and time. Merlin may come with some baggage which I assume would have been related to you by the person or rescue you have obtained him from. He will need to become used to his new home, cage and family members. Just don't put too much pressure on him at first to step-up or to try and get him more hand friendly than he shows a desire to. he may not want to even come out of his cage for a while. It just depends on Merlin. Set his cage up in a room you are normally in where he can feel like a part of the flock. Talk to him, watch TV, read etc. next to him. You can also try offering a special treat like a sunflower seed or Nut carefully through the cage bars and see if he will readily accept it. The key is to just let him know he is in a safe place that will respect his space. Looking forward to hearing more from you about Merlin and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hi Rick, welcome here! Merlin is a nice name for a grey. Sounds like he will make your household complete- I hope he makes the transition well. Just take things slowly and give him plenty of time to settle in. Let us know how things go when he gets home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra902 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 welcome! and a Big THANKS to you for taking in young merlin...ah it's a good name that is for sure! my merlin also sends his regards and one day we shall have to compare rescue notes. my merly man is a rescue also and every day is a joy and a wonder. do give us more info on his background and i recommend you start a little journal to chart your progress with him. again, welcome to the forum and welcome to a wonderful adventure! -s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazyAK Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Rick & Merlin: Welcome, glad you found us. This site is full of very knowledgeable grey owners and is the best resource I've found on Greys. The postings above have covered what you need to know about bringing Merlin along slowly and so his comfort level is met, so I won't add much but to say you are to be commended and that rescue birds can take some time to acclimate to a loving home. They may not have come from a place such as this. Post some pics for us and we look forward to hearing more from you. Bruce & Mazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickwith3 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Thanks to all. I really feel we are in good hands. This was a bit of an emergency rescue. The owner passed away and Merlin needed to be adopted within a matter of days it seemed. He is being delivered to our house Friday night in his travel cage. My girl friend Lori is driving to Bethany Beach to pick up his full-size cage on Saturday. So I will get to know Merlin Saturday. I am really looking forward to it. I am hoping he will be ok in his travel cage till Lori returns. Should I encourage him to perch outside the travel cage, Saturday? Again, Many Thanks! Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Merlin will be fine in the travel cage until you get the full size one there on Saturday. Sure open up the cage and see if he will come out perch on the outside for awhile, it will give him some time out to assess things for himself. I hope all goes well with Merlin and you and I think if you don't force anything with him then you will do just fine. Be sure to let us know how it goes this weekend, ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickwith3 Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 ok. i will. Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hi Rick, karma to you for taking in a rescue. Everyone has given you some great information. I only add that you should get as much information from the rescue personnel about Merlin, great name by the way, as you can. It can only help with getting to know Merlin and his feeding, exercising, interact habits, etc. routine. I believe that will help you understand him and adjust things as needed. Can't wait to see some pictures of Merlin when you get a chance. Congratulations on your new grey and welcome to the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickwith3 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Well...We didn't get Merlin. Additional family got involved, additional family being her daughter, we were working with her son, and decided to take Merlin to a rescue facility instead. We called the rescue to request an interview towards taking Merlin. Apparently the woman at the rescue already had someone in mind and said that the trip from Pittsburgh to Annapolis would be to stressful for Merlin, which I can understand. So...the son bowed out...we lost Merlin. We are very disappointed, but we wish Merlin a long and healthy life, and wonderful new home where ever it is. But we are still very interested... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Have a nice weekend! r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 So sorry Rick about the loss of getting Merlin. Keep looking, there is a grey out there for you. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra902 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 oh boy i'm sorry for your disappointment. but it is true the perfect little match is waiting out there for you. my merlin was bird #3 for me, there were two others i was in line for before the stars aligned and my darling merlin came home to me. by the by, he had quite the road trip as well and with a little care and consideration they manage well. merly came from minneapolis to milw area. his foster mamma brought him to me so he rode with someone he knew and loved which i think helped. chin up, and keep looking, this could be a great opportunity to get to know your local parrot resuce/s and maybe pitch in and help and learn a little. maybe fostering is an option for you at this point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I am sorry things did not work out. Keep looking,the parrot for you will come along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazyAK Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Rick : I'm so sorry for the emotional build up you felt and then the letdown it must have been. What I say is that you are already mind set, follow through and search out a grey for yourself. You have the heart and the3 will, just get out there and find the bird now.........what are you waiting for,,,,,,,,, get going. Bruce & Mazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickwith3 Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 Thanks! The search for the grey continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Good luck to you Rick and I know that soon you will be back with good news for that grey is out there, you just need to find it. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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