abula Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 i own a congo african grey for 8 months and i am only 14 i cant handle him sometimes havnt got the gender he/she is very messy and my mum says it has to go by 2010 if cant potty train him/her and tame him/her so please do help me i am a newbie my congo african grey is called abula he/she is relly messy so please try to make things clear as possible and give me 1 by 1 instructions please on: how to tame it: how to teach it tricks how to teach it to talk on cue how to potty train it how to teach it not to go down in its cage and charge on the floor of its cage like a bull making allot of mess how to get him to eat fruits and veggies he dont exept them how to teach it to come to me and play with me instead of my dad because its my bird and as soon as i let him out of the cage he flies to my dad how to get him not to be scared of toys that i have bought for him about 7 toys and he is scared of lots of things additional information: he flies to my dad when i open the cage he bites all the womens in my house he can talk but he mostly talk to get my dad attension he is scared of almost everything he is a bit nippy he is 2.9 years old his D.o.b is 4 july 2006 Thanks for any help i do apprecaite help Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/06/20 00:19<br><br>Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/06/20 01:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyj Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Wow Abula your asking a lot off questions all at once did you do any research before you got your grey ? they are messy birds but you got to live with that it looks as if its trying to bond with your father i think you need to spend time talking to abula to try and get him to bond with you sit by his cage and speak gently to him it will take time for him to get used to you as for the rest of your questions take one step at a time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 thanks Daveyj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 btw a lot of people told me greys are tideist and macaws are the messiest when i was getting my grey<br><br>Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/06/19 23:59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckobird Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 OH dear! How long have you had this grey? Thats horrible how your mom said he has to go by 2010 if he doesn't do certain things! Greys are very sensitive and can't be going from home to home! Did you and your parents know what you were getting yourself into before getting this grey?? OK let me TRY to help you the BEST I can for the sake of this grey. 1.) How to tame it? All greys are different and all have different personalities and different reasons for not being tame. Do you know if it was handfed as a baby? Are you able to hold him at all? Does he step up to you? Was he in a previous home where he wasn't taken care of well?? A little more background info will help. You are going to have to learn to read his body language so you can avoid the bites. There is a thread on here called Body Language that you should read through. 2.) Teaching them tricks? Well this takes A LOT of time and patience to teach them tricks. Sometimes the pick them up fast other times it is not so easy. You can't depend on them to learn these tricks so good luck on that. There are books out there to teach them tricks though. 3.) Teaching to talk on cue? This would be very difficult for you to teach them that. They talk when they want to talk and it's usually when there isn't many people in the room. It takes them YEARS for them to talk very good and have an actual conversations with him. 4.) Potty training? This also takes time and lots of practice. The good way to do this is placing them over a certain place you wanted him to go potty and telling him to "go potty" and give him a treat if he does. Rewards and lots of praise is the key. This does take A LOT of time so don't expect him to do it right away. 5.) Charging like a bull? This is an instinct they have and you can't teach them not to do it. He should grow out of it though. 6.) Fruit and veggies? Keep offering a different variety of fruits and veggies to see what his favorites are. Try giving the veggies to him cooked maybe he would prefer it that way instead. Have you tried giving him scrambled eggs or oatmeal and mixing fruit and veggies in there? Just keep trying maybe he will start to like them soon, don't give up on him though because he NEEDS fruits and veggies. Its very important in their diet! What is he eating now?? Pellets or seeds? Have you tried any nuts? A couple favorites for my grey is pine nuts, pecans, and walnuts. 7.) Play with you instead of dad? Are you the one feeding him daily, and cleaning his cage daily? Are you playing with him? Are you kind to him and talk to him in a sweet voice? Some greys can be one person birds and choose their favorites but don't give up on him, he is young and there is still hope for you too. 8.) Scared of toys? You have to slowly introduce the new toys to him. Place them in a place where he can see them for a while. Maybe play with the toy in front of him to show how fun it is. But do not force him to like it, he needs time to get use to the new things. I hope this helps you a little. Please be careful not to raise your voice at him if your angry, they can sense the anger. Good luck and please keep us updated!! Oh and btw what is your greys name??<br><br>Post edited by: caitb2007, at: 2009/06/20 00:20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 thanks but my grey is 2.9 mnths old the 4th july is his birth day and i had him for 8 months thanks for repliying tho i rely apreicate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Char Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 A Grey's mess is NOTHING compared to a Cockatoo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 why what do cockatoos do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rxe Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 hi abula....all above posts are correct, seems as if there was no research done b4 u got your grey? mum obviously hates the mess, but greys do produce alot of dander, dust not to mention food flying everywhere when they scramble at bottom of cage or flap, but thats how ALL parrots are....you wouldnt get 1 thats neat and tidy, except for the very small birds like budgies etc. your grey does talk, you are lucky, some dont talk at all...you CANNOT make it talk on command, as to potty training, it could take weeks, months or even years, they need alot of love, patience and care as well as acceptance of their ways, not just greys, ALL parrots. if your mom really cant cope with his messing and decides on him to go, please find him a loving, caring place which could be his forever home, its really not good for them to be uprooted time again from their homes, just like little kids, it scares them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 i did reasearch and mum only hates the food and feathers that goes every were and the poop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Abula YOu wrote: "i did research and mum only hates the food and feathers that goes every were and the poop" Food - Get a cage with seed guards around the bottom. This will help alot. Also, place food bowls on the bottom of the cage, but make sure they are not under perches to ensure they are not pooped in while your out. Feathers - It's a bird and feathers, especially the down and smaller feathers come out fairly constantly and will fly around when they shake off. When pulling out the cage tray, spray it with a water mister first so the feathers won't fly out as you walk with it. Poop - Try to keep your grey on playstands with trays to catch the poop. Training to poop on command is possible, but difficult to get a real consistency. Place towels anywhere you are going that he may sit like on an arm chair or couch back. Then just wash them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 thanks damanq i have a cage which dont have a seed gaurd is there a possible way i can make it?? and i am doing the current stuff<br><br>Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/06/21 12:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rxe Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 seed guards are sold in pet stores in different sizes or you could use any old material or curtain to cut up to go round bottom half of cage, or you could get a mosquito net that hangs around bed to hang around cage area from ceiling....that could keep even the dust and dander contained....i mist tray as well to take out and change paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 ok thank you rxe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GorgASS Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 my willis is mostly potty trained. like someone said before...put him in a certain spot and tell him to poop or go potty or whatever. and watch for the signs that he has to go (the butt wiggle) and pick him up and put him in the place you want him to go and tell him to poop, then give him a treat or lots of praise when he does. that's what i did and it working so far. don't get me wrong, willis does have accidents where he doesn't go where he's supposed to but a good 95% he does. it didn't take too long either...maybe a few weeks before he got the idea, then another few before he would fly to his potty spot instead of going where he was. like i said he doesn't 100% of the time go where he should, but i'm sure if you could get him to go in a place most of the time your mom would be a lot happier! hope i helped and good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimaysmommy Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Might I ask if your mom and dad have also read up on AG care? If not, maybe gently mention the idea to them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myafricanqueen Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Hmmmm.. thats a LOT of issues you seem to have with your grey... wow. I agree with the mess... Birds in general are kinda messy. But that is something that they do naturally and they don't think the way we do as far as keeping the floor neat. They drop a good percentage of what they are eating. They flap their wings, and food and feathers fly everywhere, they poop when they feel the need, and bite if you dont understand their signs/body language. They talk if and when they wanna talk. They wont be forced to do anything they dont want to do. My Dalia shows clear signs when she is about to poop, She gets down and backs up with a lil bum wiggle. I distract her by talking loudly and then pick her up and take her over the newspaper or to her playstand and then say " ok go poop " and she does. She of course poops a lot when I didnt even notice but Im trying to limit the accidents. You can try taking her to a room where its just you and your grey, and talk to her and let her come to you, if she is biting when you would like her to step up maybe try using a stick, one thats not too wide and not to narrow so that she feels comfortable on it. Gradually make the stick shorter and shorter so she gets gradually closer to you/your hand. The one thing that I think is very important is that your whole family should learn all theyt can about greys so that they understand her/him better. I think that people should change their ways in order to fit into the greys life rather than the grey should change to suit you and your families needs/wants. Good Luck! I hope you can keep your grey and give it a loving, caring and understanding home. Greys do not do well playing musical homes bouncing from one to the other. In fact that is why they bounce around due to the bad habits formed when they are constantly changing owners and have to undergo the stress over and over. The new owners cant deal with them so off to a new home they go! I wish you guys the best...do come back with your updates sooon.... have you pics that we can see? I love pics! Remember: Your grey is a wild creature with wild instincts. Nothing can take that away. Cristen:silly: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimaysmommy Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 One more comment to my earlier question about whether your parents have done any AG research themselves...maybe invite them to join the forum? Even though they are clearly trying to teach you that this is "your pet" and your responsibility, they are in the same household as the AG and therefore owners themselves. I think it would be greatly beneficial to all parties involved (you, parents and AG) if everyone is as educated as possible. Assuming she hasn't already, if your mom were to read up on greys--not just the "how to care for" instruction books, but read the experiences that everyone here has had with their greys, she may consider lifting the deadline that she's placed on your grey. It's unfair to the bird to place any kind of deadline on training, since they are SUCH individuals and no two grey personalities or learning curves will be alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 thanks gorgass and theafrican grey queen my does the bum wiggle but when i am holding him or he is on a perch he wont show signs.. thanks for the help looking forward to see some more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Abula, you have gotten a lot of great advice from our caring and experienced members and I know if you apply this advice things will become much easier on you, your grey and especially the household. Cleaning up after our greys is a chore but if you do it when it happens i.e., when Abula poops or throws his food on the floor, immediately clean it up so Mom doesn't have to, she may lighten up on the deadline if she sees you are really trying. Karma to you for caring so much about Abula that you want to make his life and your household much happier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 thanks and i am realy trying my mum was going to sell it 2 weeks ago but she gave me a chance by 2010 so i am realy trying becasue his poop kinda stain the carpet recently ive been putting old blankets around and once again thanks for all the great advice from every one and please try to remeber i am only 14 so you know how difucult it is for my to revise for my gcse clean his mess train him give him attention and cleaning his cage everyday and ect..... its kinda so hard because i dont get that much free time... but anywayz i dont care i still love Abula and i am still trying my best to keep him happy in our house and try to help him stay here permenant! once again thanks for the help! Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/06/25 22:21<br><br>Post edited by: abula, at: 2009/07/02 00:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Abula, karma is given to someone you feel has written a great post, done a good deed, given good advice or basically done or written something that you like. Thumbs up gives karma. A member can give karma to someone every 6 hours if they like. The thumbs down takes a karma away so we don't like to see that happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abula Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Do you have something more to add or ask or have more questions, Abula? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eckobird Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Make it alive again Wadi and post some pics or videos of Abula. Puhleezzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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