Need help with new timneh

Greetings. Yesterday I brought my new timneh African grey home and I need a bit of help and guidance. A bit of history to put things in context:
He is a bit less than 2 years old. He was gotten as an 8 month old (high probability he was wild caught) by his previous owner about 9 months ago. He became very tame and would step up and play with his owner and talked a lot (many phrases in context). I saw videos demonstrating this by owner. His owner had to rehome him due to traveling.
I visited his previous home to pick him up yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised he went from his hand to mine (did it once then decided he didn't want to do it again. I brought him home in his old cage (a very small cage with only food, water and a wooden perch).
I had prepared a very large cage with several toys before bringing him home. His old cage had a broken bar that was sharp and dangerous so I decided to immediately transfer him to his new cage. I threw the old one away because it was in very bad shape. He went onto my hand and I got him to his new cage.
Unfortunately he was terrified of his new cage and spent all day and all night (for all I know) hanging on the side (the exact same place) and would not budge. No attempts to go to food or water dishes and no attempts to go to toys or perches. I felt very bad for him so I tried feeding him seeds and a peanut from my fingers while calmly talking to him and he ate most of them. Also I tried to talk to him a lot calmly to help him calm down. Twice I opened the cage and he came out but was very nervous. I tried letting him step up. He refused and flew off cage to floor. He did step up off the floor and hurried up my arm and sat on my shoulder then I successfully transferred back to cage. The second time out he refused to step up and seemed nervous of my hand. So I decided to take it slower. I guess even though I had read the first few days should be 'interaction free' to let him adjust, but I guess I just got encouraged by the initial step up. And drawing from my experience with many cats and dogs, the more I interacted with them the first days, the easier it was for them to adjust to new home. But I realize an African grey is NOT a cat or dog. Sorry for the long description but I wanted my questions to be in context.

Question 1:
I moved to quickly, right? What would you suggest as the best approach for the next coming days? Totally backing off for the first few days (as some online sources suggest)? Talking to him during these days or not? Feeding from fingers through cage bars or not? Letting out of cage or not? Letting out but staying away or trying to pet or step up? If you suggest a more reserved approach, when do you suggest I start each of the above things?
Btw, this morning when I uncovered his cage, thank God he was off the side of the cage and down on the wooden perch, but no attempts to go to food or water.

Question 2:
His previous owner spoke to him in Arabic so all interaction and verbal commands were in Arabic. It just happens that I grew up in an Arabic speaking country and therefore I am fluent in Arabic too. However, English is the language I feel MUCH more comfortable using. Should I stick to the same Arabic commands (for stepping up...etc...) that he used to use? Or should I start out from the beginning in English and 'reteach' him the association between the English command and the action? Since I plan on this being his forever home and since that hopefully means many years to go, I would much prefer starting and continuing in English.

Question 3:
Similar to question 2, the parrot had the name Coocoo. I really don't like it at all. Can I rename it and use that name from now on? Or will this be to confusing for the parrot? For those curious, I want to make him Timmy


Thank you very much in advance for any advise and help you can give me. I really want to start out the 'right way'.

P.s. to my previous post. I feel a bit silly even saying this but somehow I was a bit hesitant to mention the Arabic part because it crossed my mind that maybe some readers may be (either consciously or subconsciously) anti Arab and maybe that would result in less motivation to reply to my post (I've notice several views to my post but no replies). I think I'm being stupid to even think about this but unfortunately we live in a world where politics and religion are issues to many. Anyways, forgive me for even mentioning this. For the record, I am an American. It isn't Coocoo's fault his previous owner was of Arabic origins. Again, a thousand apologies for even thinking along these lines but I really need guidance and I'm worried that piece of info in my original post may somehow 'turn off' some readers and cause them not to reply. After all this forum is for the African Grey wellbeing and not their human owners
Thanks again in advance for any much needed advise.

Hello & Welcome.

Congratulations on your new Grey.

Leave him in his cage for a few days and allow him to acclimate.
Sit next to the cage and speak softly. I’ve been told some greys are bilingual.
So, I will would teach him English as well.

Go to the many forums and read all you can about general health & diet.

Start here:

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html

Best of luck to you.

You could change his name and teach him English. He will learn. Just see it as a new start for him. He isnt used to things yet and will be scared. Everything is new to him so its best to let him settle in and get used to his new world. This is normal behaviour for most Parrots. Take baby steps with him. Talk to him and try hand feed him or let him step up if he lets you to get him used to your voice and hands. It might take a few week for him to settle so dont be discouraged. You might need to show him how fun toys are also but just be patient and nice and he will settle x

Sounds like a very typical new parrot who's a bit nervous of what's going on. Try to go at his pace, if he likes you talking then why not talk to him, and if he likes what you offer him in terms of treats then once again why not?

I see now worries in a name change or a change in language, he's got plenty of time to pick it all up.

Just keep an eye on his eating and drinking habits, it may be an idea to put a food and water dish near where he is temporarily so he doesn't need to move far from his safe spot

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have been doing a lot of reading (webpages and forums) and I have read conflicting info about the following issue. Most places say that the cage is the bird's safe zone. And that some birds are territorial about their cage. So many places imply that the bird (by bird I'm talking about an African grey) should not he handled/trained inside its cage because that is invading its safe zone. Other places talk about letting the bird step up inside the cage and ultimately get comfortable being handled inside its cage. Which is the correct approach? Since I'm starting out with a new Timneh, what should my approach be for now and for later (After it gets fully comfortable with its new home and new family? Should the cage always be a zone that is 'off limits' to humans when the bird is inside? Or should I slowly and gradually get it comfortable with my hands inside the cage and handling it inside the cage?

It sounds to me your new friend is doing pretty good already...congratulations.
Smokey my Timneh was also wild caught but NEVER became hand friendly,even after 28 years.

Yes take it slow with him/her..Have you chosen a name yet? How about posting a picture,we'd all love to see him/her.

There are many parrots on the forum that are bi-lingual.
I had rehome a Goffin Cockatoo a few years back and his new parronts are Pakistani. The couple own a convenience store right down the street from me that I go into often. TJ (Joney's new parront) has told me that Jonesy not only speaks English,but Pakistani also!

I read somewhere years ago that there is an African Grey that speaks five languages!

Keep doing what you are doing!!


Jim

Id leave his cage open if your home with him so he does have the option to come out even if he doesnt and if he does start comming out just let him explore on his own but keep an eye on him x

when it comes to the cage I'm on the bank of yes it's their space they should feel safe in. But they need to understand that I do need to go in sometimes. I've actually taken to calling the cage their bedroom now just out of semantics. It's where they sleep and they have most of their toys in there to play with but I need to be allowed to enter for multiple reasons. What I do to keep it from being an issue is make your hand going in an exciting time, so treat offerings are good and of course playing together with a toy be it even just batting a hanging toy about

Mark51 said:

P.s. to my previous post. I feel a bit silly even saying this but somehow I was a bit hesitant to mention the Arabic part because it crossed my mind that maybe some readers may be (either consciously or subconsciously) anti Arab and maybe that would result in less motivation to reply to my post (I've notice several views to my post but no replies). I think I'm being stupid to even think about this but unfortunately we live in a world where politics and religion are issues to many. Anyways, forgive me for even mentioning this. For the record, I am an American. It isn't Coocoo's fault his previous owner was of Arabic origins. Again, a thousand apologies for even thinking along these lines but I really need guidance and I'm worried that piece of info in my original post may somehow 'turn off' some readers and cause them not to reply. After all this forum is for the African Grey wellbeing and not their human owners
Thanks again in advance for any much needed advise.

Click to expand...

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

First, to address your concerns regarding the initial views without responses, such is a regular occurrence and pretty much unrelated to any mention you'd made to Arabic language or culture. This is an international community with members literally all over the globe. Belief systems I've seen represented here include Christian, Muslim, Judaism, Hinduism, Spiritualism, Wiccan, Agnostic, Atheist... the list goes on and on.

Given the world in which we live, I understand your fear. But honestly the explanation is far more mundane. Simply, this forum is viewable by anyone. Which means that there are hundreds of spectators on any given day who might be viewing threads on this site... spectators who are not members and, as such, are unable to post comments or replies. Which is a large part of the reason why the number of views on a particular thread will always FAR outweigh the number of posts.

In future, should there seem to be a lag in response time, just bump the thread back up high on the Active Topics list with another post. (Which you inadvertently did by asking the above quoted question.) Anyhow, just wanted to address this so that there is no confusion about the nature of the forum you have joined. We are a global community inclusive to all. The only requirements? A shared love of birds and respect for fellow members.

Okay, on to your questions.

1) Yes, you might have moved a bit too quickly for your grey's comfort level. Not a big deal. You haven't done anything to damage the potential for a relationship or anything. And no, I wouldn't leave him completely alone. Middle ground, actually. Spend lots of time sitting next to his cage (as close as you can manage to get without totally freaking him out) and either talking or reading to him. Also feeding him treats during this time will work to endear you to him, as you will become associated with said treats in his mind. Just make sure the treats are things that he won't be getting as part of his regular meal. They should be seen as special things that only happen when he interacts with you.

Once he can comfortably take food from your hand and his fear seems to have somewhat diminished, you can start coaxing him onto your hand with the lure of a treat.

Letting him out of the cage is fine, so long as getting him back in hasn't been too traumatic. I just wouldn't force him out. Leaving the door open so that he can come out on his own is a good idea, though perhaps after he has had another day or two to settle. And if you try to take him out somewhat close to his meal time when he will be a bit hungry (assuming you give him defined meals rather than free-feeding him) getting him back in will be easy enough as simply placing the food in the cage should lure him back in. (Of course, this is once he starts showing interest in food, again.)

As for whether you can interact with him when he is out of the cage, that largely depends on what he's ready for. But try to make him the one who is taking the action. Again, luring him to step up for you with a treat is preferable to forcing a step up. You want to encourage the idea that being with you is where he wants to be. See, the trick with birds is not to look at it as getting them to be subservient to your commands. What you want is to get them to want to do what you want them to do. Get them to associate doing what you ask with wonderful things happening. See the difference?

*If he goes over two days without so much as touching the food, you might want to take him in to see the vet.

2) Teach him in the language most comfortable to you. Just be consistent with whatever phrases and such that you use. To ease the transition, however, you might want to start off using the Arabic command AND the English equivalent together while using a consistent corresponding gesture, and then eventually drop the Arabic part.

3) Yep, renaming him is fine. Just be consistent with the usage of the new name.

Since you have received lots of great advice I’ll just go straight to what stuck out at me; your concerns about anti Arab sentiment.

Unfortunately we DO live in an era where that is a real thing, which is horrible. However on this forum we don’t tolerate racism in any form. Sure it’s POSSIBLE that someone chose not to answer for that reason, but I doubt it. We routinely have members from Arab countries who get plenty of answers.

Usually what happens is that people read the thread and either don’t know how to answer (and we don’t WANT them to answer if they don’t know how) or they don’t have time to give the full answer they want to, and plan to come back later and answer fully.

I hope you will feel at home here, we would love to join you on your journey of parrot life . I also just picked up my first grey (mine is a Congo), and though I’ve lived with parrots since I was a child, I now have a whole new species to adapt to


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good for you for reaching out, and asking for advice, and then being open-minded.
I agree with the good advice you're getting.
I do have an additional thought on #3. I think it's not obly okay, but a GOOD THING to name the bird something that's pleasant and meaningful to you! It probably affects how you and others perceive and interact with the bird. I'd love to knw what names you're considering.

Mark greys are the observant close-watching members of the parrot family. It usualy takes them awhile to get used to new things. You will see this once your grey calms down in his new cage and surroundings - he might take awhile to get into a new toy or other new things. Go at his pace not yours, and you will not go wrong.

As far as open or closed cage door - if he returns on his own, fine, but if you have to chase him around to catch him, dont leave it open just yet. It is traumatic for parrots to be chased , remember - they are prey animals. My Amazon only sleeps in his cage, the rest of the time he spends on a play area next to it, connected with plastic chain. I hope yours is a life long relationship with your new grey, they can live 60+ years, so no need to rush anything. So - a possible sequence of your actions might be:

1)Calm in cage and eating
2) feeding favorite treat thru bars
3) start to hand train him
4) step up training
5) now you can leave the cage door open, because he will allow you to calmly return him to his cage.

But every parrot is different and he may take longer or shorter for each part.

Thank you all so much for your great and helpful replies. I have decided to name him Timmy since he is a timneh Btw, I refer to Timmy as 'he' because I was told he is male but of course that could be wrong. I am sure he was not tested or anything.
A quick update: as I mentioned before at first he was very nervous of his new cage and spent the whole first day 'frozen' to the exact same place on the upper front wall of the cage. This morning I was happy when i uncovered the cage and found him on a perch. The first day he only ate what I gave him from my fingers through the cage bars. I had work today but has my mom pass by and check on him during the day and he was in the exact same position (in the middle of the wooden perch) where he was this morning. I got home from work to find him in the exact same place and food was untouched. I gave him some sunflower seeds through the bars which he ate and dropped a few in his food dish over the sunflower seeds I had left for him during the day. Slowly he inched over and started taking seeds out and going back to eat them on the wooden perch. I was very happy
When he came I had his cage set up in the kitchen because I reasoned there would be less activity and it would be less stressful to him. However, I know the dangers of Teflon cookware in the kitchen and also I know that it's best for him to be in the room where my wife, son and I spend most our time, which is the living room. So I decided to move the cage there early on (i did it this evening) as opposed to having him readjust later on to the new cage placement. However in wheeling the cage into the living room, the kitchen tiles which are not smooth caused a lot of vibrations of the cage which spooked him so he flapped his wings and climbed up to the upper side of the cage (where he was frozen all of yesterday)! I was disappointed and felt bad that I had lost the confidence he had gained... I guess that place on the upper front side of the cage is where he feels safest. He stuck there the whole evening and refused to budge. I just covered his cage for the night and I'm praying he will go down to his perch and not stay up on the side.
A quick question: after the change of cage location and him moving back up to his 'safe place', he spend a lot of time hanging there and preening his feathers (he went over his whole body, preening all his different body parts). Doesn't that mean he was relaxed? I mean, don't parrots only preen when they are relaxed and comfortable?
And guess what??!! About 10 minutes before I covered his cage, he said a few words!!! Neither my wife or I caught the exact words but they were definitely not parrot sounds but words or at least they seemed like it! Btw, ever since I brought him home he has been totally silent. Not even whistles or other wild parrot sounds... nothing.. that is why we were so surprised that the first sound he made was talking (or at least that is what it seemed like to me).
Isn't it kind of strange that his first sounds were talking and that he spent the evening preening at a time when he was so nervous that he was frozen in one place on the side of his cage and to scared to go back to his perch? Isn't that a bit contradictory behaviour?

Sorry for the long post but I was just so eager to share the details of today

Preening is a very good sign and clearly shows a growing comfort with the World around him.

With rehomed Parrots, there is no guild lines as to what their first sounds /words will be. Its all their choice!

Keep us up to date!

Enjoy!

That is what I thought, Sailboat But what confused me is that he was doing it shortly after I relocated his cage and as I said he seemed to be nervous because he spent the whole evening glued to that same place in the upper front side of the cage (hanging sideways off the bars) as he did all of his first day (yesterdat) in his new cage. Not even bribing him with a treat would make him move)! Even when he'd slide a few inches downwards, he would quickly climb back up to the exact same position! I took that to indicate he was scared or nervous but then he was preening which is a sign of comfort. Contradictory, right? At first I was worried he was so scared he was plucking, but I observed him and no it really seemed like he was preening because he systematically went over the various parts of his body (chest, wings, back, tail...etc). I noticed a few tiny chest and under wing feathers (they are called down feathers, right) float down from him during this process but i assumed it is normal during preening for few such (probably loose) feathers to come off? Right? Kind of like humans losing a few hairs when we brush our hair, right? Btw, what does the process of plucking look like? Does it look like preening? Or does it look different? Does it look like the parrot is more aggressively pulling out feathers? I'm just curious.
Thank you again for your replies.

I don’t have any answers about preening, but something in one of your posts popped out at me. You mentioned that you moved him from your kitchen in part because you know the dangers of non-stick cookware. There is nowhere in your house that’s far enough away for it to be safe. Please please remove all of the non-stick cookware and replace with stainless steel or cast iron.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Way too easy to over think this stuff!

Although there are somethings, that link-up (A-B-C-D, etc.). With a rehomed Parrot, its more like opening doors to different rooms, everything in that room is now open! Sometimes the room is full of activities and other stuff and the next room can be empty with the exception of one thing or a couple.

There can be an hour, or a day, a week, a month that goes by with no changes and then there is a flood.

Remember, there is no good reason for a Parrot to Trust a Human! When you see the World from their view point: Near everything eats them! Their caution just makes sense!

Change your vantage point;
- It is NEVER the fault of the Parrot!
- It is ALWAYS the fault of the Human!
When you see their World from this Vantage point, you will pick-up on what you are doing WRONG much quicker and can correct it!

Enjoy!

Thank you very much, everyone for your replies. One more question comes to my mind: I have experimented a bit with feeding Timmy various vegetables and a few pellets from my fingers. With all items, he nibles on them a bit but then drops them. With the pellets, he crunches down and crumbles them so what actually is ingested is probably 10 % of the food item and the rest drops to the cage floor. Is this expected? For example when your parrots eat a piece of vegetable do they only eat (ingest) a small proportion of the item? Is it the same with pellets? I don't mind with the vegetables/fruits but it seems most of the mass of the pellets would go to waste that way... for comparison, if I give him a sunflower seed, he uses his beak and tongue to get the inside out, drops the shell and actually 'chews' and swallows probably 95% of the inside... please tell me what is normal with fruits, vegetables and most importantly pellets in terms of how much goes to waste.
Thank you.

First, regarding diet. Spend some time gaining a solid understanding of the diet requirements of the Congo & Timneh Grey's species requirements! Everything you need to know is within the Congo & Timneh Grey Forum and elsewhere on Parrot Forums.

I can assure you that not only are Grey's from a different Continent than Amazons, the diets differ also!

All Parrots are naturally messing eaters. The entire World under them in their natural regions depend on what they drop. From the trees and Veggies, to the ground critters. Parrots feed them all, or at least transfer their seeds to different areas.

At this single point, it is more important that your Grey is eating. But, diet adjustments are needed, so develop that understand.