ANy Parrot/ African Grey owners out there?

[daniellebluetoo]

I recently bought an african grey for myself, for MY 31st birthday....
I was told he was 5yrs old, sweet, tame, DNA sexed blah blah blah.....

Turns out he's NOT 5, he's infact a wild caught parrot who was imported before 1991 when they stopped importing.

He is NOT sweeet, he BITES, often and hard. LIke this morning when I went to get him out of his cage as is the usual routine in the mornings, he spends his days out on top.

Not so tame, his last owner was able to pet him, I've had him for about a month and he only lets me pet him cause I was taught a wobble thing with my hand and am not afraid to be bitten. BUT he DOES NOT LIKE IT, seemed to like it when his last owner pet him tho :-(

He sings, talks a little watches every move and calls for me when I leave the room or apartment....


Any one have any other tricks to help tame this wild biting avian of mine :-(

I'm really tired of being bitten.


OH and I'm looking for a good brand of organic parrot food :-) Pellets and mix.

Blessings Mamas!

[angie7]

I have had a Blue & Gold Macaw, Umbrella Cockatoo and an Orange winged Amazon. The macaw and cockatoo were both rescues and the amazon was a parrot that I raised since he was a baby when I worked at a local pet store many years ago. The cockatoo had a horrible attitude! She hated men (she was abused by a man) and would often attack my dh. Unfornately we fell on extremely hard times several years ago and I had to find them all loving homes I'm still heartbroken about it and don't like to talk about it much.

Anyways, you have to be persistant with them, greys especially. They are so smart but also so stubborn. One thing in your post I noticed was you let him on top of his cage, is this higher then you? Birds will often place themselves higher then humans in their mind and if their physical conditions allow this as well i.e. on top of the cage, they think they are higher then you. I would stop letting him up there and start putting him on a stand, either one that sits on a table or a small stand that is shorter then you. Does he let you pick him up or are you just able to pet him when he's on his cage? If he doesn't let you hold him, one way to do this is to get a perch that is long enough he has a safe distance from you (make sure it's not too big or too small for his feet, you want him to feel confident) and slowly put it under him until he steps up and once he's on, move it way from anything he can step off on and keep raising the end that he is on so he has to slide down to your end. This way, he has no out other then going on your hand and with time (and probably a few bites) he will understand that you are okay.

Birds are slow to trust unfornately. You definately have to earn it with them. I would take things very slowly. Don't expect him to love you after only a month, it can take years, especially for a wild caught bird Give him some yummy treats, talk to him, sing songs, do silly dances. In time he will learn that you are pretty neat to be around and will trust you. Then you will have a life long companion.

[ErikaLeigh]

We have one and he is the same!! There is only one kid that is able to pet him and he does not bite!

[daniellebluetoo]

Thanks Angie 7!!!

Yes his cage is higher than me, it's about 5ft 6in tall!!!!.. I'ts ginormous and could hold several children standing up!

I have changed several things about how I handle him, I don't "let him out" , I bring him out of his cage. and I wait til he is asking to come out. I have also started using a smaller cage for sleeping so he can have a minimum of 12 hrs of pitch dark silence for sleeping. These two things alone have made a bit of difference.
I also don't ask him, I tell him and don't except no for an answer. for example, when it's time to move him to his sleep cage, I usually wait for cues from him, but if I don't get them, I tell him to step up on my hand. If he doesn't I get a chair and climb up if I have to.
Also, biting isn't rewarded in anyway, not with attention or me leaving him be. I just move a little quicker if I think he's hesitating or thinking about a nip when I tell him to step up, it seems to not give him time to think about anything but making sure he steps up or he'll loose his balance from me physically telling him with my hand to his keel bone......

I read some stuff by Sally blanchard over the weekend, good reads for anyone interested, she has a website, i can't remember it but a google search will bring it up.

I was even able to get him harnesses over the weekend and take him out side. Now mind you this is a 20 something yr old bird. I don't know if he had ever been introduced or been put into a flight harness before, but I can tell you he wasn't happy, BUT i was consistent and persistent and gentle and it paid off!.. when I find my card reader I'll post pics!


Hmmm, I think I just heard him "bock" like a chicken....LMAO.....

Since I've gotten him he's added a few things to his vocab....

kissing sounds
farting sounds,
fake cat ME OWE sound
big dog woof woof sound
Says Derek, my sons name.
and always answers my phone!
I think I also hear the sound a firecracker makes before it explodes.... he heard that the night I brought him home!!!!!

Life with a parrot is never dull thats for sure!

Thanks mamas !

[pitbullrescuer]

My mom does bird rescue and has 2 grays! I will ask her for her web site link so you can chat with her if you would like. I bird sit, but I am a little nervous of the bigger birds.

[lab]

HI!

I have a double yellow headed amazon that I adore!

This is Harry


Let me just say kudos to you for rescuing this bird. Large parrots bond with their family as if they are part of the flock. When the bird is sold/given away it is as if the parrot was rejected from his flock. It is devastating to them.

Also - certain times of the year are very trying for parrots. They may view you as their mate and want to mate with you. They get frustrated. They get territorial.

African Greys can also be moody and generally bond to one person. So if your bird has been passed around, not to mention having been wild caught - I think he's doing great!

Harry is 6 now and still hasn't realized sexual maturity. I'm dreading it.

Oh - as far as the pellets - I use Rowdy Bush (sp). It is the best!

lisa

[USAmma]

Congrats on your parrot! That's sad that he's wild caught. He may have been a breeder at some point, and if so it might be hard to ever tame him that well like you would a hand-raised one. Do you have any avian vets in your area? Maybe they can refer you to a bird trainer who can help you work with him a little bit. You can also find useful bird training clips on you tube.

I have smaller birds but a CAG is my dream bird that will probably never happen unless the right one finds me, at the right time, at the right price. I have a Jenday Conure (from Craigslist), a Sun Conure (from a bird rescue place), 9 budgies from various source, and just got a free cockatiel from CL who turns out to be really sweet. He was caught in someone's yard. That's enough birds for the time being, although I love and enjoy every one of them.

There's this website www.birdtricks.com that has a free video to stop biting. I did NOT buy any of this guy's videos that he has for sale, but the stop biting one was very very useful in teaching my conures not to bite in a gentle way. They are really sweet birds now. I have heard that some of his other videos are not so great in their methodology.

Good luck to you!