Please Help me, I'm sort of a beginner :(

[sam107]

Hi there,

I've got myself a CAG as a third owner, the first one was a parrot dealer and then a friend of my father with whom she stayed for approx. 2 weeks, and now I've got her. I'm not sure of her gender but by the description's that are on the Internet I'm assuming she is a female. Her eyes aren't black but with a yellowish grey iris so I'm assuming she is more than 1 and half years old. Her wing and tail feather's were poorly trimmed but hopefully they will grow back. I am suspecting that she was hunted as there is no Identification ring around either of her legs. She hasn't been trained on handling Humans because as soon as one of my Parents or brother goes beside or around or even makes some loud noise far away from her she would give him or it all of her attention no matter what she was doing. As all of this information is given, Now its time I ask for your help. She is not my first CAG, I have had a male CAG maybe a year ago as a temporary home for around 2 month's. He was the same age as her but was very active and "talkative" and used to be naughty and my whole family used to love him. She is almost the opposite. She has been with me now for about a week and she is very afraid of my whole family and would never Sing or "talk". She is almost all of the time sitting in her cage and would only come out when i play a certain video of a another CAG from the youtube, and thats actually bugging me. Because i really start to like her a lot but she is too dull and almost never sings. She doesn't or scream's if i or anyone went beside her, thankfully, but nonetheless, i really want her to be way more active. She did start riding or "step-ing up" our hands and would only give us warning bites but never serious ones. Her nutrition is a variety of seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables but unfortunately she eats almost nothing except Sunflower seeds and Peanuts and thats kinda worrying me. I'm really sorry about the length of this article, but thought of giving out as much info as possible to you so that you hopefully would help me. I would really love your help as soon as possible. Thanks in advance.

 

[strudel]

You need to be patient.

Birds naturally feel that you are a threat. After a week, she has no reason to believe otherwise. You need to be very, very patient and let her settle in and learn to trust you.

Change your thinking as to how you want her to be, and start thinking about how she is feeling, how scary it must be to be moving homes and suddenly living with strangers. Imagine how you would feel if you were a 2-y-o child and suddenly put into a foster home with complete strangers. If you'd never known anybody new, you would not just be comfortable or happy or active or anything at all other than terrified and upset.

Give it time. Lots and lots of time. Do some reading about how to gain the bird's trust. In time, you may get what you want, but you have to work at it, and be patient.

 

[Julianna]

I absolutely agree with what Strudel said: you need lots and lots of time. A common saying is that the "p" in parrot is for patience--you're going to have to wait for your bird to learn to trust you. It sounds like she hasn't had the best background, so you also don't know what she's been through in the past, which means that she could have a fear of people from mistreatment, being captured in the wild, or simply never having been tamed. Do some research on gaining trust, but basically all you have to do is take small steps in gaining your parrot's trust. Move slowly and don't hope for too much too quickly, and eventually she'll learn to trust you. As for the talking, as she comes out of her shell and realizes she's in a safe, friendly environment, she will likely begin talking and singing more. It's good that you've gotten her to ride on your hands, but if she gives a warning bite, don't press her. Always make sure your bird feels safe and secure so that she will learn to trust you. Keep in mind, however, that every bird is different, and while one african grey might be loud and talkative, another may hardly learn to speak at all. For her diet, I would try to get her onto a pelleted diet, as this is the most likely to get her all the necessary nutrients. It's good that you're offering the fresh food, though, even if she doesn't eat it, because parrots often change their opinions of food quickly and unpredictably. One day she may turn her beak up at a certain vegetable and the next day devour it. That's just the nature of parrots.

Good luck!

 

[MikeyTN]

A lot of home breeders or some breeders doesn't use the leg band so it doesn't mean she's wild caught. If she's wild caught you'll be bitten viciously more then you are right now. You gotta be more patient like it's been mentioned above!

 

[RavensGryf]

Hi Sam, I think you've gotten some good advice above
Like everyone said, she is still not comfortable in her brand new environment. Don't worry... She'll come around in her own time. Don't push her. As she learns to trust you and the humans and be comfortable in her new home, you'll start to see her real personality.

 

[sam107]

Thanks to all of you. This really really reliefed me. I guess I'll just wait for her now

 

[antoinette]

Remember everything is new to your bird, the environment, the set up, many new faces to get used to.

As mentioned by other members give your bird time, one day at a time.

You will become accustomed to what your bird likes and dislikes.

Spend lots of time near the cage, talking and singing, let your bird get used to you.
In the near future a wonderful bond will begin.

 

[sam107]

Thank you, Antoinette