Adopted A 10 y/o African Grey. Help please :)

[greytness]

Greys are super cautious and aren't very good with change. Baby steps are needed, and read her queues.
We rescued a grey that was neglected and abused for 8 years. Have had him for 2 months now, and it wasn't until 6 weeks after we got him that he began to warm up to me. Now he thinks I'm his mate. But that's okay. I can now hold him without getting bitten.

 

[Katelyn]

Greys are super cautious and aren't very good with change. Baby steps are needed, and read her queues.
We rescued a grey that was neglected and abused for 8 years. Have had him for 2 months now, and it wasn't until 6 weeks after we got him that he began to warm up to me. Now he thinks I'm his mate. But that's okay. I can now hold him without getting bitten.

Wow! I am so sorry he was abused and neglected. And here we are, cant even hold our patience to have the smallest bit of interaction with them! What a shame how someone would do that. Yes, I believe were making a bit of progress. I havent tried touching her, but I did put a perch out or "playstand" thats a T shape , which extends from the edge of her cage to my computer chair, where I sit. I had some millet in hand, and I said "Chloe, come here" and she seen the millet, about a minute later, she had made her way to the end of the perch and extended her neck out for me and took the millet and then walked back to her cage with it. LOL Actually, six weeks is short compared to what I was thinking. I am just hoping by Christmas she will have warmed up to me. Congrats on holding your little man!

 

[Katelyn]

So, update, Chloe was on her cage, and I was sitting there doing my artwork at my desk, husband at his desk playing computer game. Chloe slides down her cage like a fireman, and walks around in the floor. She went under my husbands feet and looked confused but she was definitely on a mission! I picked her up, as my cats looked curious, and she flew from my hand, back to the floor and climbed back up her cage. This whole thing only lasted like 2 minutes, but hadn't the cats been in here, who knows what good things would have happened. The cats didn't go for her, but I was just scared, nonetheless.

 

[greytness]

You might want to think about putting the cats away while she's out as a preventable measure.
My new abused guy was living in a cage inside makeshift shack in this awful person's back yard for 8 years. Never held. Only given cheap bird seed. Rats ate through the shack's screens to regularly eat his food and swarm all over his cage each night. The day we rescued him the temperature outside was 114 degrees, and all he had was a 6 inch fan blowing above his cage. No water. No food in his bowl. Poor guy was heaving with panting when we rescued him.
I agree. 6 weeks is a short time, considering everything he's been through. We took it very slowly. We called back and forth to him throughout the day if we were in another room, and spent tons of time sitting next to his cage talking to him softly. He was cage bound for 8 years, so he's just now beginning to feel comfortable exploring outside his cage.

Your grey will get there, too! Glad to know her cage is set up near where you spend a lot of time.
Have you ever heard of 'grey time'? It's a real thing with them. Everything has to be on their own terms, and there's no rushing it.

 

[Katelyn]

You might want to think about putting the cats away while she's out as a preventable measure.
My new abused guy was living in a cage inside makeshift shack in this awful person's back yard for 8 years. Never held. Only given cheap bird seed. Rats ate through the shack's screens to regularly eat his food and swarm all over his cage each night. The day we rescued him the temperature outside was 114 degrees, and all he had was a 6 inch fan blowing above his cage. No water. No food in his bowl. Poor guy was heaving with panting when we rescued him.
I agree. 6 weeks is a short time, considering everything he's been through. We took it very slowly. We called back and forth to him throughout the day if we were in another room, and spent tons of time sitting next to his cage talking to him softly. He was cage bound for 8 years, so he's just now beginning to feel comfortable exploring outside his cage.

Your grey will get there, too! Glad to know her cage is set up near where you spend a lot of time.
Have you ever heard of 'grey time'? It's a real thing with them. Everything has to be on their own terms, and there's no rushing it.

oh man! That sounds horrible! Thank you for rescuing him! Thats plum awful. How did you find out about your bird, and how did the confrontation go when you picked him up? I wouldve wanted to give them an ear full! I have not heard of grey time but ill look into it! Is it where a certain part of the day they want to interact with you? If so, I believe that could end up being night time for Chloe. She gets active during that time.

 

[greytness]

No. It means that it has to be completely on their terms.

Our rescue's plight was brought to my son's attention by his friend, who happens to be this awful guy's son. He knew we are a bird loving family, so he helped make it happen, as he knew that his deceased mother's bird would have perished in that heat.

 

[Katelyn]

No. It means that it has to be completely on their terms.

Our rescue's plight was brought to my son's attention by his friend, who happens to be this awful guy's son. He knew we are a bird loving family, so he helped make it happen, as he knew that his deceased mother's bird would have perished in that heat.

Oh , gotcha! Wow. That's crazy. Good your son was able to help.