faith Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hello everyone! My name is Faith and I am brand new to the site. I joined because an African Grey has fallen into my lap, and requires lots of love! which means i need some advice. He is about two years old, I am currently fostering him for a pet store. He needed to get out of the store because he has destroyed the feathers on his wing. They are all broken and chewed. To make matters worse the day I went to pick him up he had fallen at the pet store and broken FIVE blood feathers, dont ask me how. Anyway i picked him up the next day after they stopped the bleeding and now he is here! I have him in a beautiful cage, lots of toys and isolated from my flock. I havent bothered him much but sit with him and mimic his stretches and whistles and feed him walnuts. any tips on how i can help him heal? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolesgreyuk Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hi faith, sounds like your grey has been through the wars but with lots of love, care and attention should soon heal. I don't feel qualified to help you as I'm a new owner myself but plenty on here will be happy to help you and your grey. I wish you both well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckobird Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hello Faith and welcome to the forum! That is so nice of you to take care of a very stressed grey. I don't really know how you can help him heal but as long as he stopped bleeding then thats good. As for the feather plucking, make sure he has enough foraging toys so he can keep his beak busy on the toys and not himself. Also try to spray him with some Aloe Vera juice and give him a nice bath a couple times a week. If you can't handle him then just mist him or put a water bowl at the bottom of his cage, maybe he will take one himself. Maybe that will help his plucking alittle. I really like your profile pic of your senegal. They are such cool birds. I also have a senegal parrot named Kiwi and she is so sweet and loving to me, but hates my mom and she was the one who raised her lol. We also have an "other birds" room if you ever want to introduce him/her. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the forum. Don't hesitate to ask any questions. If you have any pictures of this grey we would love to see him. <br><br>Post edited by: caitb2007, at: 2009/04/29 22:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hi Faith, you are doing exactly what you should be doing to help him settle in, I can imagine he was pretty stressed out in that pet store and he will do a lot better in a home environment. Prepare to spend some time and lots of patience to get him to come around to feeling comfortable with you, poor thing, its hard to tell what kind of things happened to him at the store, some people can be very stupid with birds when they don't know any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Hi Faith, with your love, patience and gentleness this sweet grey will have a great chance to settle down and grow to trust you. The soothing Aloe Vera juice will certainly help. Welcome to the family, Faith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 Thanks everyone! looks like it will take a while, he stepped up fine last night, and today he hides behind a perch/ toy thingy everytime i walk by the cage. There was also a spot of blood on his cage paper this morning, but after looking closely at his wings while we streched together there was no more blood to be found I'm nervous that the pet store did not pull out the blood feathers correctly and the folicle shattered in his wing. I'll have to keep a close eye on it. They vet he saw reccomended he stay in a foster home for a year. I have no idea if I will keep him beyond that. Any thoughts on him going back to this behaviour once he goes into a new home? I assume going back to the pet store is out of the question.. Caitb2007 - i have an aloe vera plant i use to on my other birds feet when they dry out, could i mix some with water and use that? Here he is! not the greatest, because i don't want to make him come out of his cage for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 had to try again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 bah! maybe when my boyfriends home he can make the picture small enough. thanks again for being so encouraging. its really hard to have a bird who needs so much from me, but is so scared of me we will get there! Any name ideas!!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raposa Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 Faith, it sounds like you are doing a great job with this poor stressed grey. My prediction is that after a year, there is no way you will give him up :-) Meanwhile, if there is any way we can help you with him, don't hesitate to ask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 I agree, I may end up keeping him. The commitment freaks me out. When I got my first bird, Layla -a white capped pionus i was stressed for about 2 weeks after, I was sure I made the wrong decision. On the other hand Cricket the senegal in my picture is another foster from the same pet store, who will be shortly adopted by a friend of mine. He also had a plucking problem however it was his sibling who was doing the plucking. Silly parrots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckobird Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 I don't think the aloe vera plant will work as good as the aloe vera juice. You can buy a gallon jug at a Walmart near the pharmacy section, its $9 for a gallon. Oh I hope you end up keeping him. You will see, by the end of the 1st year you will not want to give him up. Greys are so much fun and people tend to fall in love quickly lol. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faith Posted May 1, 2009 Author Share Posted May 1, 2009 Wonderful I will go pick some up soon. Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty sure no matter what I would like to think I'll keep him...!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jamalbirdbiz Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Lotz of grate advice. I pretty much was gonna give the same advice but my other bird family members beat me 2 it. :silly: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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