African grey does not like us :(

[Eve2]

I hope you wont decide to re-home her, she is just afraid and that wont last long. As for her nibbling your nails and "grooming" your arm hair it is a good sign. Birds communicate with their beaks, we learn to read them as to it being a good thing or not. My grey likes nibbling my fingers and never put on any pressure. If it were me I wouldn't try to train her to to do anything just yet. Gain her trust first doing the things the other members have suggested to you. Also what has been said about whistling is a very good idea. Greys love to whistle especially at dusk. They are also very good talkers and that will come in time, she may also have a vocabulary already since she is 8 years old, but not ready to come out with them yet. She will growl less and less and you'll know your are making headway with her. It sounds like her last owner was rough with her, and oven gloves! OMG!!

 

[AVA]

African Grey's take some time to get to know. I received my first late May 2016. Her name is AVA and her cage sat on my dining room table for quite some time. When I first started interacting with her I would sit in front of the cage and let her come out on her own and just talk with her. Then I started offering her treats; peanuts, almonds, pecans, banana chips. Anything she really liked. Not in excess, just enough to get her interested in me. When I arrived home after work the first thing I did was go over to her cage and say hello and offer her a treat. Saturday morning was coffee with Ava.

Eventually she started taking more and more interest in me. To get the treat she had to come down to the table (off the cage) and get it. She started stepping up on my finger about August. She still has her moods but she is willing to interact with me and let's me scratch her neck. Don't give up, it's all based on trust, she'll come around.

 

[Menvin]

Your story is so much like mine, I had to write my 1st post (I tend to read and not post). On the 22nd of this month Chico will be with me for a year. He had one home for about 3yrs then was sold, he was 6 when he came into my life. I was not planning on having a bird, aside from budgies many, many years ago I have no experience with our feathered friends. Chico was a challenge, he was a confused and scared bird that bit hard, they were blood drawing bites. I tell ya, I cried so many times out of frustration and couldn't understand why he hated me, I also wouldn't give up on him. His play area is in the living room and his cage is in my bedroom and he is only in there at bedtime, I think having me constantly with him might have helped. I am home all day and only leave the house to travel to my sisters every other weekend and he comes with us. I tell him exactly what we are doing or going to do, we talk, sing and dance, somewhere along the line he figured out I'm not out to do him harm. I was told after 4 or 5 months it was too soon and to give him more time, depending on the baggage she is bringing with her, 2 months is too soon. This year has gone by so fast, I think the first 6 months was the hardest.