Another Grey coming in Please help

[bukhari]

Hello folks,

Please help me with the following...

I have a 4 months old african grey and a friend of mine who is moving to another country and has offered me his 6 months old African grey as well. My bird is healthy and active however in the past I have had a bad experience with raising birds in pairs, few years ago I bought two 1.5 month old baby alexandrines and unfortunately despite I giving them 2-3 hours daily they never bonded with me as good as single birds do and both of them never bothered to learn any words they used to talk in their Parrot language, So I am concerned about the 4 month old baby grey I already have if I take in my friends 6 months old African grey they might bond with each other and I will be facing the same issues. Another thing I am concerned about is his health and safety I have worked my ass off to keep his cage clean from day one I dont want him to get mites or anything like that now I haven't seen my friends bird nor do I know the conditions he lives in so if he has mites or something like that my bird could also get it. Please suggest me what to do, should I take him in or skip the offer?

 

[LeaKP]

Greys are very smart birds. Even the most experienced owner can have issues with them. There's a possibility they would bond together, there's a possibility they won't. Are you prepared to spend lots of time with them separately? I hope all goes well.

 

[bukhari]

Greys are very smart birds. Even the most experienced owner can have issues with them. There's a possibility they would bond together, there's a possibility they won't. Are you prepared to spend lots of time with them separately? I hope all goes well.

I am afraid I wont be able to give them time seperately....I take out my bird whenever I am around 30 minutes in the morning while i am downstairs to make breakfast then 20-25 minutes in the noon and finally for 1.5 -- 2 Hours in the evening, this routine carries on till bird has fledged and is able to fly and land easily after that I clip their wings for the first time and then they would spend most of the day on a stand and go inside cage only at night. I can do the same with the other bird if they are kept together but it wont be possible to attend them both seperately and this is what I am concerned about It is not easy to raise a bird and it takes one little mistake to ruin it...i know greys are expensive birds and all but I dont want to ruin things with the one I already have just out of greed to get another one for free.....this is why i am posting here so maybe people who have raised birds in pairs can guide me....regarding bonding and regarding the possible health concerns I have posted (mites etc).

 

[LeaKP]

Sorry I'm not answering everything. I hope you find out what you need to find out - there's just no guarantee they will get along. It may be very difficult, just giving you some possible scenarios.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Mites arent an issue as you can treat the incoming grey for them and its cage if the cage is coming too but there are other health matters to think about as there are a number of possible contagious diseases that the new grey could be carrying so you would have to quarrentine it for a period of time and get a health check on it by an AV...possibly blood work and general health check before introducing it to your grey...so unless you can seperate them initially for that period of quarrentine and give them time seperately then it could be a bit risky I think to take the second grey on. I am not a Grey owner so I know nothing about what its like being owned by one grey never mind being owned by two greys or what effects that would have on the bonding but the quarrentine period is pretty standard practice accross the board for all types of parrots

 

[Taw5106]

I have three parrots, a GCA, female eclectus, and as of Saturday Buzz, a CAG. Buzz is in my office away from the other parrots and he's being stubborn about coming out of his shell but patience is key. Now, my GCA and Ekkie have never made friends. They have their own cage, are next to each other, but they do their own thing. Buzz is getting his own cage as well and will be in the same area with the others. Since I work at home, Buzz is with me in my office so I am lucky having the time to spend with Buzz and he can see my every day business.

Both my GCA and Ekkie are bonded to me so they get their one on one time and they know they have to take turns. They have learned just from every day activities.

I think you are over thinking it, great points, but when you bring a new bird in you have to take it day by day. Also I like my birds having separate cages, it's their space and I don't have to worry about the birds doing things to each other. If I put my Ekkie in a cage with another bird, it would be a blood bath, she runs the house, lol. She loves to take any opportunity to run the GCA out of his cage, she knows how to open doors so I've had to fix the locks so she can't open them. I hope you find some value in this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bukhari]

Mites arent an issue as you can treat the incoming grey for them and its cage if the cage is coming too but there are other health matters to think about as there are a number of possible contagious diseases that the new grey could be carrying so you would have to quarrentine it for a period of time and get a health check on it by an AV...possibly blood work and general health check before introducing it to your grey...so unless you can seperate them initially for that period of quarrentine and give them time seperately then it could be a bit risky I think to take the second grey on. I am not a Grey owner so I know nothing about what its like being owned by one grey never mind being owned by two greys or what effects that would have on the bonding but the quarrentine period is pretty standard practice accross the board for all types of parrots

Thank you, you are right about the qurantine procedure, Yes I just confirmed he is coming with a small cage which i will be discarding as I already have a spare cage. Do you know any specific tests for mites and other parasites? My vet usually does not bother going through the tests he just looks at the bird and says "He is healthy". You are also right about "being owned by grey" ....these birds the smartest I have ever encountered, they test the might of their human companion by challenging them constantly....and they will dominate you if they think you are not worthy enough lol.

 

[Taw5106]

For mites I learned on this site to take scotch tape, wrap it around your finger, sticky side out, then touch your bird's feet with the sticky side. Mites will be picked up on the tape, and the tape isn't too visible to the birds, not invisible but not as noticeable. I have used this on my fids, so far no mites and confirmed on visits to the vet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bukhari]

I have three parrots, a GCA, female eclectus, and as of Saturday Buzz, a CAG. Buzz is in my office away from the other parrots and he's being stubborn about coming out of his shell but patience is key. Now, my GCA and Ekkie have never made friends. They have their own cage, are next to each other, but they do their own thing. Buzz is getting his own cage as well and will be in the same area with the others. Since I work at home, Buzz is with me in my office so I am lucky having the time to spend with Buzz and he can see my every day business.

Both my GCA and Ekkie are bonded to me so they get their one on one time and they know they have to take turns. They have learned just from every day activities.

I think you are over thinking it, great points, but when you bring a new bird in you have to take it day by day. Also I like my birds having separate cages, it's their space and I don't have to worry about the birds doing things to each other. If I put my Ekkie in a cage with another bird, it would be a blood bath, she runs the house, lol. She loves to take any opportunity to run the GCA out of his cage, she knows how to open doors so I've had to fix the locks so she can't open them. I hope you find some value in this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe I am overthinking it because of my past experiences. I have noticed this bonding behaviour is more common in same species, grey-grey, cocktaiel-cocktaiel...... Just a few months back I paired my hand tamed cockatiel with a wild female, and now he has become very aggressive towards me even bit me a few times when I put my hand in his cage to change food and water pots lol at first they were in different cages placed next to each other for 2 days and I could tell they were comfortable with each other so I moved them into the same cage. I am still confused about moving in this other grey but incase I move him In he will be placed in a different cage till I get a health check on the new guy.:25::25:

 

[Birdman666]

CAGS generally get handled on their own terms anyway... These are flock birds, not pair bond birds. There is always a risk, but the way to deal with it is to handle them at a set time every day... it becomes part of the daily routine.

Mites have never been an issue with any of the birds I've kept, or fostered, and I've been keeping parrots for 20+ years now...

 

[bukhari]

CAGS generally get handled on their own terms anyway... These are flock birds, not pair bond birds. There is always a risk, but the way to deal with it is to handle them at a set time every day... it becomes part of the daily routine.

Mites have never been an issue with any of the birds I've kept, or fostered, and I've been keeping parrots for 20+ years now...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, you maybe right but from what I have read greys maybe flock birds they do have a "favorite person" or a "bonded other" ...... What do you suggest should I do? What would you do if you were in my place?

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Mites arent an issue as you can treat the incoming grey for them and its cage if the cage is coming too but there are other health matters to think about as there are a number of possible contagious diseases that the new grey could be carrying so you would have to quarrentine it for a period of time and get a health check on it by an AV...possibly blood work and general health check before introducing it to your grey...so unless you can seperate them initially for that period of quarrentine and give them time seperately then it could be a bit risky I think to take the second grey on. I am not a Grey owner so I know nothing about what its like being owned by one grey never mind being owned by two greys or what effects that would have on the bonding but the quarrentine period is pretty standard practice accross the board for all types of parrots

Thank you, you are right about the qurantine procedure, Yes I just confirmed he is coming with a small cage which i will be discarding as I already have a spare cage. Do you know any specific tests for mites and other parasites? My vet usually does not bother going through the tests he just looks at the bird and says "He is healthy". You are also right about "being owned by grey" ....these birds the smartest I have ever encountered, they test the might of their human companion by challenging them constantly....and they will dominate you if they think you are not worthy enough lol.

See what the home this grey is coming from is like if all is clean then you wont have any worries about mites...my Mr Biggles had mites when he came (they were easily treated by the vet aswell as me steam cleaning the area around the cage and the cage itself and the toys too ) but Mr Biggles came to me from a badly kept aviary...I just wanted you to know that mites arent the end of the world and are real easy to deal with and get rid of...there are a number of tests your vet can do but if the condition of the grey is good and its the correct weight in good feather etc then a quarentine period should be enough ...your vet will probably do some bloodwork and do some tests to check out the new greys general wellness and more than likely if anything is amiss it will show up in these tests or during the period of Quarrentine and Quarrentine doesnt just mean seperate cages it means seperate rooms and as far away from each other as possible for the period of the quarentine.
I think by the way you are thinking this second Grey is about to get a good home with you and if you do adopt him/her they will indeed be a very lucky Grey and I hope you and your two Greys make a very happy Flock. I pick a bone with you and dare to challange you though regarding the smartest birds as I firmly believe my WFA Mr Biggles and my Quaker Peter Pan would hold their own in smartness and intelligence against your grey any day of the week cos Im owned by them and they run rings round me and always get what they want in the end hee hee

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

I will also add if he is used of calling this small cage home then I wouldnt rush putting him into your larger cage for a while after he comes as a new home is pretty stressful in itself without a new cage being in the mix too but I would leave the small cage in view of his larger one for a few days and then see if he would like to move in to the larger cage but do the move gently and over time if necessary...others may have other ideas about this but thats just my thinking on the cage...I am not very experienced in this area so perhaps others might give you better advice.

 

[bukhari]

I will also add if he is used of calling this small cage home then I wouldnt rush putting him into your larger cage for a while after he comes as a new home is pretty stressful in itself without a new cage being in the mix too but I would leave the small cage in view of his larger one for a few days and then see if he would like to move in to the larger cage but do the move gently and over time if necessary...others may have other ideas about this but thats just my thinking on the cage...I am not very experienced in this area so perhaps others might give you better advice.

Thank you for your suggestions, I just called my friend' will be taking in his grey. Since he is in a different city I can't tell anything about bird's or cage's condition. Lets wait and see....I will be posting pics here when I get him.

 

[bukhari]

UPDATE: So the bird arrived today, I was told he is 5-6 months old....he is not, poor thing is not even fully covered yet....I am at my work just got a call from home that the bird has been delivered in a very dirty and smelly "shoe box".....before leaving I cleaned the other cage i had and placed adult bird food and water in it. The bird is not eating that and my brother just fed him formula which he liked and is now resting. I got him moved to a wooden box which I use for baby birds....I actually like it and hate it at the same time that the bird is younger, Like because I won't have to put up with bad behavior he/she is very young and I will be able to tame him properly, Hate it because of my work commitments ..... I am told he is weak, I will schedule an appointment with my vet on monday will get him some vitamin supplements so that we can make up for the negligence he has been subjected to. Very hard to swallow this as my friend is a very kind hearted person.

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

Hope the little guy comes on in leaps and bounds for you and that all goes well on your visit to the vet with him...poor little guy he has had a bad start but things will be better from now on hopefully ...so glad you decided to take him in and make him part of your family. Im looking forward to seeing his pic ...Congratulations on the new addition to your family

 

[Taw5106]

I agree about the pros and cons. As for your friend we are all human, not perfect and make mistakes but your friend did reach out about the situation which is good. Many wold not out of fear or embarrassment. Keep us posted!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk