New Member with a new MISTREATED CAG

[qamada]

Hello guys,

just got an African grey parrot، one of my friend gave him/ her to me.
it was his cousin's but he traveled and there is no one to take care of the bird.
that is his side of the story, but when i toked the bird i was surprised

I will leave you with the pictures and please help me with him

the bird is talking and playing inside the cage, he speaks very clearly.

I'm wondering how old is the bird? what is the gender? what is going on ????? why he has no feather

 

[qamada]

and what's that bump next to the eye<<<< the other one is scratched !!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately there is no way of knowing how old your new family member is, nor to guess his gender by those photos. A simple DNA test can give you clarity on the gender though.

As for his/her feathers, looks like 'he' (since we don't know the gender, I'll call him 'he', ok) has plucked his feathers. Here is a GREAT link for you regarding plucking: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

My first recommendation would be to take him to an avian vet ASAP. Have him have the full works, a full physical check up, CBC.

Parrots are incredibly smart and sensitive animals that can live a VERY long time under the right conditions.

Please don't hesitate to ask more questions, and I urge you to do ample research, too.

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi Welcome to the forum .
Great advice from Wendy. I agree that a trip to a vet who specializes in seeing birds (avian vet) is important asap. Get the works done with a complete physical exam, blood testing, disease testing, DNA gender testing. There is a ton of great information on the forum and in the "stickies" at the top of each sub-forum to look through. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you have. After he is settled and has a vet check, we can help you with diet, foraging, learning to play, behavior, etc. Please keep us posted!

 

[Flboy]

Hi, beautiful baby! Please stick in for the long haul!

 

[Allee]

Welcome to the forums! What is your new friend's name? We're happy you joined us!

You've recieved excellent advice. A very thorough exam by an avian certified vet will more than likely help answer a lot of your questions and give you a starting point. Plucking is complex, every case is different but being informed and having a vet to help you with health and diet is a very wise first step.

Best of luck, please continue to share your new friend's story.

 

[qamada]

Hello guys,

thanks for the worm welcome and for the tips.

I'm trying to figure everything right now.

from the visual signs and my searches it seems that i have a girl so i named her Turf .

i'm facing a problem with the biting!! when i want to touch her head she just let me do it but she tries to bite me and she made my finger bleeds. what should i do with her??

I couldn't make her go on my hand i tried every time she try to run away??

I will keep you up dated and hopefully I can accomplish a lot with her she is very talented.

 

[RavensGryf]

It's not surprising that Turf will bite. It's a parrot's defense when it can't fly away from perceived danger. She is scared because all of a sudden she is in an entirely different environment, she doesn't know who you are, and she doesn't know what's going to happen next.

It's just going to take time little by little to get her to trust you. In fact, don't be surprised if it takes much longer than you are expecting. Consistency is key. For now, don't invade her space with your hand. She's made it clear she isn't ready for that. She just needs to get used to her new and different surroundings right now. Talk softly to her and use relaxed body language. Let her get used to you doing things near her but not directly to her. Try seeing if she'll take a little treat item from your fingers. If not, don't be disappointed, a bird has to have a certain amount of trust in order to take food from you. When she does, give lots of praise. If your intention is to get her to step up or maybe be touched a little on the head, I feel that is way in the future after a lot of work and building of trust. It will take some time, but keep at it, and you'll be rewarded. Sometimes our parrots are a lesson for us in patience!

There is no sure way to tell the sex of an African Grey by visual means. A DNA test has a high rate of accuracy to tell gender. I do think that "she" should go and have a vet exam with an avian vet or one experienced with birds for a blood panel, fecal test, beak and feather disease testing since she looks in rough shape and you don't know much about her past life history. Good luck!

 

[Bandespresso]

Be patient! It took me months to get my abused CAG comfortable enough to step up and even longer to get her okay with head scratches. The most important things right now are to take Turf to an avian vet and get her on a much better diet. Seeds are a great treat and okay as a very small portion of a bird's diet but the vast majority of the diet should be pellets, veggies, grains, and some fruit. Move slow and speak kindly to your new family member. Find out Turf's favorite foods and activities! Cardboard boxes and clean egg cartons are some favorites of my baby and of all the other CAGs I have met in my days. They are notorious for being stubborn and apprehensive. Turf will set her boundaries and stick to them. Your job as her new owner is to get her to trust you enough to expand her boundaries slowly but surely. You'll get there!

Some favorite treats in my house: Honey Nut Cheerios, apples on a skewer, cooked sweet potato, cooked butternut squash, and pasta

 

[qamada]

Hello guys,

everything is going well with Nora.

here is a recent pictures for her

and i post a youtube video for here at my office,

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67a_Vv8O-Y"]Movie on 3 27 16 at 4 22 PM - YouTube[/ame]

now i haven't done any move or anything i just let her relax play and i get her out of the cage two times a day ( around 30 min each)

she is still afraid of me and she bites a lot.
she accept me feeding her, petting her head but nothing else.
i don't know guys but i feel that i have made some progress with her, i have been using (beaphar federkur Paganol Vitamintropfen) 3 times a week 5 drops with her water and one time a week multivitamins.

any advise? or notes?

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hello guys,

everything is going well with Nora.

here is a recent pictures for her

and i post a youtube video for here at my office,

Movie on 3 27 16 at 4 22 PM - YouTube

now i haven't done any move or anything i just let her relax play and i get her out of the cage two times a day ( around 30 min each)

she is still afraid of me and she bites a lot.
she accept me feeding her, petting her head but nothing else.
i don't know guys but i feel that i have made some progress with her, i have been using (beaphar federkur Paganol Vitamintropfen) 3 times a week 5 drops with her water and one time a week multivitamins.

any advise? or notes?

Hi have you renamed Turf to Nora?

She sounds reasonably happy but I'm sure she would thrive so much better in a more generous cage. This would allow her to have different perches, sizes and textures which will be better for her feet instead of sitting on the same one all the time. She can also have additional toys which I'm sure will make her more content.
I am enclosing a link for the sort of cage she should have so you have a pictorial reference

Enterprise Large Top Opening Parrot Cage - Antique

As @ Bandespresso said previously "Seeds are a great treat and okay as a very small portion of a bird's diet but the vast majority of the diet should be pellets, veggies, grains, and some fruit" Please, please, please would you look at this as all that is shown in your video is seeds. If her diet is correct it will help with her plucking and she will hopefully live a longer healthier life without the need for artificial supplements. Could you imagine a life of being fed nothing but breakfast cereal and a vitamin tablet for the rest of your life? I dont expect so. Please please please improve her diet.

 

[miloslave]

Hi there! I am so glad she/he found you. The key here is lots and lots of patience. Firstly to adress the plucking issue, a avain vet will be able to check that the cause of it is not medical, for example feather mites etc. Once that is ruled out making sure that she has enough toys and distractions to keep her little mind busy will also help a lot, but keep in mind to introduce new stuff slowly in order to not cause any unnecessary stress. Good health, good diet, enriched environment and no stress should help a lot towards getting her back in full feather. Please make sure to do a lot of research regarding proper food for your baby. Yet, with birds nothing is ever guaranteed with our fids, Lol.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you need to get out the long game here. My CAG was not in an abusive home, yet it took him almost a year to get to the point of where I don't get bit at all any more. They sure take their time. Timeouts in the bathroom for a couple of minutes helped, Lol. Please keep taking him out and giving the attention, it is so worth it in the end!!

 

[mh434]

As the others have said, Nora will require some time to get used to you and, more importantly, to learn to fully trust you.

We have a CAG that was a feather-chewer - when we got him, in November 2014, he had almost no feathers at all. With a good diet, and LOTS of love & attention, he is now fully feathered, beautiful, friendlier, and much more confident.

Interestingly, though, despite my daily attempts during that all that time, he still won't let me touch him beyond a very brief neck scratch (always at HIS insistence). Anything more results in him biting & drawing blood.

My wife, on the other hand, can do almost anything with him, and he rarely reacts badly. My wife's female friend can also do anything with him...but men? Not a chance.

I have a yellow-naped Amazon who loves me endlessly, and I can do anything I want with him, within reason. But if my wife approaches him, he attacks her viciously, and he will even run across the room to get at her. This is after having him for over 2 years, even though she feeds him & gives him treats daily...so you see, this will take time.

She will get there - be patient, give her lots of love, professional veterinary care, good food, and she will grow to be your best friend in the world.

 

[Brittany741]

I definitely agree. That cage is extremely small for a Grey.

You can find a quality used cage on Craigslist to suit her. Grey's do well in cages which are wider rather than taller.

She needs plenty of toys and foraging opportunities. If she has only one or two toys, she may simply be plucking out of absolute boredom. Greys are highly intelligent creatures and need tons of enrichment.

Nora is beautiful and I'm glad to hear things are improving.