Adopting a grey

Hey guys I am planning on adopting a 4 year old semi tame African grey and I was wondering if y’all had any tips on what feed treats and toys to buy her also good trust building exercises and reply’s are greatly appreciated 👍🏼

Also the person who owns her now says she is pretty aggressive won’t step up and rarely eats out of hands, does anyone think I could tame her down?

Kudos to you for considering adoption.... the best birds are adopted (I’m biased lol). I believe you can always build a relationship with a bird. This is a good thread to give some ideas about how to start http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html. My personal advice is to take your time and move at the bird’s pace....things take longer but you’ll build a better bond. Don’t force things, make interactions positive and build trust. You’ll learn to read your bird’s body language, and the more you respect what they are telling you....the less bites you’re likely to experience .

Diet is really important and can definitely impact behavior. A balanced diet of pellets and fresh foods will go a long way to your bird feeling good and acting better. Seeds and treats are also good. Nuts, pine nuts, safflower seeds, sunflower seeds, bits of fruit all make good treats. Toys will be kind of dependent on the bird preference. Wood, shredders, preening toys, puzzle toys - wouldn’t hurt to try any of them. Introduce them slowly if your bird seems frightened by toys. You can try leaving them on a table nearby for a day or two, then moving closer, then into the cage. Just ideas, I’m sure that others will chime in with more .

Hi!
Have you had parrots before? I think rescue/ or taking in a rehoming parrot is excellent! Can you tell if you and the grey have any chemistry?
These are very smart birds do it's like adopting a child, life time commitment of keeping their minds occupied
Excited times

I do have a cockatoo right now and I either want a grey or a macaw (I feel like I can take the challenge) right now I’m torn because there is this grey but she is EXTREMELY aggressive and there is a blue and gold macaw with some feather picking and it’s just shy

A Too, and thinking of taking on a new challenge, you are adventurous!
Well can you identify the cause if aggression? My Penny when I found her was a fearful screaming lunging mess stuffed in a tiny dirty cage next to an aquarium of rats! I was going to take her no matter what! But when they let her out if the cage she jumped right to me , when they tried to get her back to go in the travel cage she but them hard! We had some set backs but she's a sweetie...
I know a lot of Grey's are not cuddles, but still form close bonds. I haven't worked with macaws... But have heard their volume can be very loud. Will your cockatoo be ok sharing you with a new bird? And don't forget about quarantine and testing before introduction to your current bird. Hopefully our members with these species will chime in with thoughts!
Good luck, hope your heart and mind lead you in the right direction.

My advice - read , read, read. Follow the threads of all the Grey owners on this forum. All parrots are smart ( my opinion) but Greys are REALLY smart (again my opinion) and sensitive too. With time and patience you can probably tame this Grey, but be prepared to live with her/him with the current attitude. Kudos for considering adoption!!

My cockatoo is easy going as toos are he is a corella so he’s calm and chill I’m kinda leaning towards the macaw because It is my dream bird and I like noisy birds but I don’t know how to correct the plucking

Hi there and thanks for considering helping an intelligent animal in need. Is it possible to spend a little time with the grey before bringing him home at all? It seems quite common that greys like either male or female human companions, it certainly seems that way with my Enzo.
Id start off quietly sitting and talking with the grey at a distance that his body language looks relaxed, let him know you are not a threat.



Best of look with either bird you help out, im sure we will try and help whenever we can

I can’t actually meet the grey, I think I’m going to go with a macaw, does anyone know a proper fruit and veggie mix for both macaws and toos that I can make to go along with their diet

Hey- a cockatoo and a macaw should NOT be housed together---macaws are very prone to a respiratory syndrome caused by the dust on cockatoo feathers. Powder down birds are safest around other powder down birds, but macaws are particularly vulnerable- https://www.petmd.com/bird/conditions/respiratory/c_bd_Macaw_Respiratory_Hypersensitivity

We adopted a Grey from the rescue that we volunteer at....he’s a good bird, steps up to me or my husband. Still shivers a lot, could use more feathers, but they are coming back. He was a mans bird but, I feed him and do lots of treats so I’m hoping he calms down with me. I have had my Grey(Pierre) for 17 years, I finished hand feeding him and he has gotten a little more needy since Beau arrived. They are verrrry slow to do everything. So be patient.

My Smokey ( Timneh) was a wild-caught six month old when she came home with me over 32 years ago. She was also my first parrot,except when I had a Budgie when I was thirteen. In the twenty-eight years that I had her before she passed away,she REFUSED to step up onto my hand,unless it was her last resort. She would sit on my shoulder for HOURS,preening my hair and beard,gurgle in my ear,nibble my ear lobe,regurg on me,bang her beaky on my forehead etc etc etc! but HATED hands! After years and years I came to the realization that as a baby,she got yanked from her nest by this huge monster ( some dudes gloved hand!) and was traumatized for life!

However,she learned to talk VERY WELL,talk in context,whistle/sing imitate sounds etc. She would NOT let anyone touch her...no head skritches or cuddles,but she was ohhhh sooo smart and clever!!

I could go on and on but won't lol. Needless to say,she was loved deeply and she gave back love in her own unique way and four years later I still think of her everyday and she is missed so very much :07: :49: :60:

Good luck in whoever you choose!!!!


Jim