Rescue Grey

SOOO SORRY for the length.

Hi, I'm a fairly new parrot parent. I've wanted a parrot for a long time but never really had the time for it. Now that my children are almost out of the house, I find that I have more me time. I was nervous about starting with a larger bird so I adopted a GCC a couple of months ago from a rescue. All of our pets come from rescues. I don't see the point in buying a "brand new" when there are so many others that need a good home. I'm in love with our GCC. He warmed up fairly quickly and has begun to train us in parrot. I felt confident enough to be able to look and listen for cues in a bigger bird so I adopted a CAG.

The only background that I was given was that he was purchased as a baby from a couple in their 70's. They named it Jasper. Jasper is 9 years old. No DNA test as to male or female. Red feathers have grey edges so I think female?? Now that they are in their 80's, they can no longer care for him. They had a huge house and were moving into a studio apartment and didn't have room for him. When the rescue picked him up, he was in a huge room all alone in his cage. He was very excited to see the male owner when they came into the room, Jasper regurgitated. The rescue doesn't know how often Jasper was let out of his cage. She said it was difficult to get information out of the owner because he was so upset about releasing Jasper. Jasper doesn't seem to know what seeds are or doesn't like them. He also doesn't really eat fruits or vegetables. I've been able to get him to eat some apple, tangerine, walnuts...kind of. He'll take a bite, throw it down, take a bite, eat it. I've been offering a mixture of corn, carrots, peas, either apple or orange.

The current problem: I would love to let him out of his cage the entire time when I'm home but need to be able to put him back in his cage. The rescue only had him a few days. She thought it would be less traumatic if he got placed quickly rather than let him settle in and moved again. Since we had a previous relationship, she let me take him. She was able to get him back in his cage. We also know he doesn't like to be covered at night. He's in my living room where we are most of the time. He doesn't want to step up. Shivers when we get close. I left the cage door open for him yesterday. By the end of afternoon, he was out of his and playing with a toy that I had bought for him. I tried to put him back because I was leaving. He didn't want to step up and my dog barked which scared him and sent him flying into the next room and hit the window. I grabbed a towel and gently grabbed him so he could bite the towel. I held him in front of his perch and he sat on it.

I hate to see him in his cage all day. My GCC hates going back in his cage before he's ready. If he tells me no, I usually offer him a treat to go in and he's happy. This won't work for Jasper because I haven't found anything he's crazy for. I'm going to get a clicker and a t perch and start there. I'm hoping it won't take too long because I think he'd be happier if he was out of the cage. I just need him to be safely out.

What books should I start with for him? Is there a way for me to encourage him to "pick me"? Is the living room too high traffic for him? I could put his cage in the next room which is adjacent and open to the living room. We don't use that room much just to go in and out of the house mainly. He could be able to see and hear us.

Thank you for your time

I don't a lot of experience with other birds... I have a lot of experience with ONE.

But I do recognize a sincere, open-minded, loving heart when I run into one. Like you.

Lots of bird-lovers here to help you out. While you're having a look around, you can take any issue or topic which interests you, use the Search Tab and then read about it. It's a really good engine. I use it a lot.

Birdman6666 and a few others are whom I find the best at giving advice on CAGS. I know this, they are stubborn more times than not, so be patient, don't force things and above all else always think of the bird before you do anything.

Also beware of loud outfits you might wear, I have learned that Perjo my 1 yo CAG is very picky about what I wear and if she likes me as much that day, and I'm not kidding. Certain colors set her off.

First of all I will tell you my experience with African grey's is not long. I have had my Bella for only about 2 months.

I bought Bella as a rescue but she was at a pet shop. I was told that she was less than 1 year old (a lie I almost sure). She had plucked all her feathers off her chest and I was told it was due to a DOG that was stressing her out.

Now I don't know if the dog part of the story is true or not but we have heard her say "I'm sick of you". And also bark like a dog.

She is starting to let the feathers grow in and I think she may recover from her abuse with her previous owner.

My reason for replying to your posting is this.

If your African Grey is reacting that strongly to your dog I would be afraid of a long term problem.

I have to admit I am not a dog person, I am more a cat person. With a house full of birds a cat is not an option I can afford to take even a small chance for fear of a terrible accident.

I think having a dog (unless it was outside only) could also end horribly . It only takes once.

texsize

I understand that dogs and birds don't mix well. Jasper will be supervised. My dog wasn't barking at Jasper. He was barking randomly at something outside. He was just right next to Jasper's cage when he saw something. Jasper did have dogs at his previous home so he's used to them in general.

Sooo happy this morning! I let Jasper out of his cage and for no reason other than her desire, she flew into the next room landed on the floor. I went over asked her to step up. She did! There was no shaking or squawking. She doesn't seem to want to bite me. She's very protective of her cage. I'm almost wanting to move her food and her to a play gym during the day so she's not so concerned with her cage and can relax a bit. I'll wait another week or two.

Sometimes a bird flying across the room unexpectedly is enough to slightly confuse them or make them a bit nervous even when they've landed safely, which to me could lend to them having the desire to step up so quickly, almost as a form of refuge. It's great that he did step up for you and didn't bite, so take the positive note from that. But don't get too presumptuous about it resolving an ongoing issue. Every time Perjo takes flight unannounced and doesn't have a safe and proper landing spot I can tell she is waiting for me to show up and/or is on the look out for me to get her. She's isn't scare to death or anything but she understands she is out of her comfort zone and is looking for some consolation. So much so that when I get her and she sits on my hand immediately afterward she lets out a little "sigh" whistle as if to say "wow that was close" or "whoa I gotta be more careful".

I'm so excited. Jasper came out of his cage 2 mornings in a row! Yesterday, he just sat on the door until I put his morning meal in his dish. He went back in to throw food around and eat a little, I suppose. Today he did the same thing but also went on top of his cage to chew up a toy I bought him for a few minutes. My plan is just to keep leaving the door open for him and see what happens. I offer him a piece of shelled walnut every few hours. He takes it and likes it. He seems to adore grapes so I'm leaving those out of his bowl for now. I'm hoping to be able to use those as the ultimate bribe.
This is Jasper.


This is his not so great cage. I didn't want to take any toys out because they're the toys he knows. He's broken the clasp on the bell in front. I'd like to replace it with another one that has the clasp in a place he can't reach. He likes the bells in the back. I've not seem him chew on the wooden toy. Is it too big for him? I'd like suggestions as to what to add to make him happier. I've had the last 3 weeks off for Winter Break and will be going back to work next Monday


He's out again. When he's on the door looking at me, his body is faced down like he'd like to attack me. I'm just happy that's he feeling more comfortable and will come out of his cage. And he's chewing on MY TOY. At the rate he's chewing that piece, it's not going to last. OK so I'm watching him. He likes chewing that wood. He got a piece off and is trying to figure out how to get in his cage with it in his mouth. Not happening. Should I get another one to put in his cage and take out the other one or leave the other one?

Thanks in advance.

Let him struggle with the Problem To Solve. It'll keep him busy. I'm constantly amazed at what my birds can drag around in their mouths if they're sufficiently motivated.

With my new Tag whos 1 and 1/2 years old. Was sold to my local pet store after a year with her first owner. It took time for Timneh to warm up to me the first week my hands were bleeding. Look for little advances in behavior and you will notice your making improvements everyday. Timneh loves grapes and is most motivated for red grapes. Also her second favorite treat now thanks to a member Wrench she now loves pine nuts and makes sure not a shred is dropped.

Billdore said:

With my new Tag whos 1 and 1/2 years old. Was sold to my local pet store after a year with her first owner. It took time for Timneh to warm up to me the first week my hands were bleeding. Look for little advances in behavior and you will notice your making improvements everyday. Timneh loves grapes and is most motivated for red grapes. Also her second favorite treat now thanks to a member Wrench she now loves pine nuts and makes sure not a shred is dropped.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the idea. I'll try the pine nuts. The walnut halves are so big and I've been bribing him, I mean giving him treats, a lot.

Jasper flew off again this morning. He let me retrieve him but this time I man'd up and held him for a few minutes. Even though Telly is small, his bite hurts. Although, not as much as when I first got him. I was totally dreading Jasper's bite. He wasn't stressed or didn't seem worried. I had him on my hand and put my thumb on top of his feet. He didn't like that so he bit my thumb. It wasn't hard, just pressure. Is it possible that he was taught not to bite hard? Looking at the beak, compared to Telly...I was thinking he could snap by thumb off. Or am I just over reacting. It's hard for me to tell what he likes because I can't get him off the cage. I know he likes that shredding toy. Wish it made out of slightly harder wood. It didn't last long.

With Timneh it almost seemed like she didn't know how hard she could bit at first. So every bite hurt then she learned from me saying ow how much pressure and from where on her beak she could apply. When I mist her she gives me sharp pinches on my arm. She bites really hard but only grabs a tiny bit of skin. They really do test their boundaries.

LOL, once you find that super special treat, You got them! Training is now possible because they will sell their soul for that treat. Salty's is the afore mentioned pine nut. He would put a transmission together for a pine nut. You may not want to actually DRIVE the car with that tranny, but he will put it together.

Perjo seems to love pine nuts the most as well, if not pine nuts than almonds.

I'm planning on a treat test this weekend. Putting on the treats I give her on a table and see which one she goes to first. Then eliminate that one and try again. I'll only repeat it 2-3 times in a sitting then I'll start over but not including her favorites the next time around.

Someone forgot to mention that pine nuts are $20 a pound.

30 dollars a lb for organic raw pine nuts here but a few bucks goes a really long way I have found out.

Costco sells them in large bags at way cheaper than that, I rebag and freeze them or keep them in the fridge. I would be happy to order them but the shipping would cancel out the savings. On the other hand... anybody with a Costco gift card can shop there without having a membership, so it's a good way for people who live near one and can make a connection to save some money. I do have a membership, if it would really help someone out maybe something could be arranged off line to get cards to people. Any kind of nuts...almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans... the big box stores like Sam's and Costco are so much cheaper.

Hoping you're not tired of hearing about Jasper's latest fly escape...

He flew off his cage again, no reason. I retrieved him again. He was pretty relaxed. He bit at my fingers but it seemed more curious. I would just say no biting and he'd let go. He sat on my hand for about 15 minutes or so. At least until my arm started to ache a bit. Never realized how heavy they were. Anyway, he was totally fine. An hour or so later, I thought that since we hung out for a bit that he'd be ok with me asking him to come out. I tried to get him to step up while he was in his cage - no. He lowered his head. I said step up. He bite me, I said step up. And then he started to back away, so I walked away. I figured that if he's backing away that he's not being shy, he really means No. I even tried to entice him with a grape which he loves. No go. He'll take the grape but no stepping up. I'll wait him out. He has no idea of the patience that I have. I am a high school math teacher. I can wait them all out.

I leave his cage door open so he can get out on his own. Someone at a bird store said for me to NOT do that because it gives him the ability to say no when I want him to come out. They said it was a power thing. I kinda see that but also think that's it's too soon. He's only been with me for 2 weeks.

I also was curious about a couple things. His chest feathers look downy. Not like contour feathers at all. It's just on his chest and like 2 tiny spots on his back. I thought an adult molted only a few feathers at a time. I don't really know his history. He doesn't seem to be a plucker. I don't see him pluck nor find feathers in or around his cage. I do find a few downy feathers here and there.
Also, he's missing part of one of his toes? The nail is definitely gone but and the toe looks much shorter than the others. He seems to chew on his toe nails often. I think they may be a bit long. The few times he was on my hand/arm, his nail were a bit pointy. Not terrible.

My plan is take him to the vet for a checkup after I'm able to safely get him in and out of the cage. It was very traumatic getting him home from the rescue. At least it was for me....

Here are some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about.

Hey there fella, looking good. Another member had a bird with part of a toe missing and the parent had bitten it off while the bird was still young. I know one thing I learned when first meeting and getting to know Timneh. If you are trying to get him to step up do not hesitate go straight to his chest at the top of his legs and say step up. Then I just had her step up from finger to finger a few times when I did get her to step up. Seemed to help me avoid a nasty bite. I had quite a few band aids by the end of that first week. Now as soon as she hears me moving in the morning She starts whistling for me to come get her.