African Grey Timneh

[gutterfalcon]

I was Given a Timneh He is OLD I was told 30 to 40 years old , He was treated Bad , He's in a Cheap 18" square cage , I am the FORTH owner . I have a Macaw cage 3 foot by 2 foot 5 foot High , I have it set up for him to look at , when I move it close he seems scared of it , I've only had him 5 Days . He Bit me once , and got on my hand once using a Peanut , He takes food from my Hand . I am making perches , My Books say 1 1/2 " to 2 " , can I use MAPLE ? Is this size O K ? I think I am making Progress Slowly . I Need Suggestions !!! I use to have an Eclectus . SUGGESTIONS Please .

 

[birdworms]

Poor little guy, must've had a rough life. I think you're on the right track with the bigger cage, but don't rush it. Let him get comfortable with you first. Maple's good for perches, just make sure it's untreated wood. Keep us updated!

 

[gutterfalcon]

Poor little guy, must've had a rough life. I think you're on the right track with the bigger cage, but don't rush it. Let him get comfortable with you first. Maple's good for perches, just make sure it's untreated wood. Keep us updated!

The Maple is UN Treated , I have a little bit of woods on my property I cut down a couple small trees , I figured Maple is Not Poisonous they make syrup from them . He'll take food from my hand But won't step onto my hand . ( just once he did ) . Is 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick O K or to Big ? for perches . He also has lived on seeds , I'm trying to introduce Pellets , He likes Peanuts , Grapes , Carrots , he ate a little Broccoli if I held it for him . A couple Bites of Peppers & Apples but then he just throws or drops them . Any body have Advice or suggestions Tell Me . Thanks .

 

[texsize]

Peanuts are not a good idea for birds, they can carry a fungus.

Change is difficult for most grey's.
It can take 2/3 weeks just to get my CAG to accept a new toy .

 

[gutterfalcon]

Peanuts are not a good idea for birds, they can carry a fungus.

Change is difficult for most grey's.
It can take 2/3 weeks just to get my CAG to accept a new toy .

I know Peanuts are FAT . But with His Back Ground , State , Condition , & history , I thought I needed Something He liked . Not arguing But I had an Eclectus once that Developed a Few Yellow Feathers , and " Silvis " ( The Famous one ) told me that it was a " Lisine " Deficientcy and I should give Him Two Peanuts a Day . Thank You though I do still want advise and suggestions . And Your Grey with a New toy How do you introduce them ? Hang them outside or put them in His cage ?

 

[texsize]

I leave the toy out of her cage but somewhere she will see it for a few days.
Then on the outside of her cage for more time.
Then inside the cage but low down and out of the way.
Finally I can move it into a position she can interact with it.

Yes African Grey do need more fat than our Amazon parrots.
I give Bella almonds in the shell when I put them out of her seed mix. She really likes them and she has to work to get them out of the shell.

Slow and steady, you are doing great.

 

[gutterfalcon]

I leave the toy out of her cage but somewhere she will see it for a few days.
Then on the outside of her cage for more time.
Then inside the cage but low down and out of the way.
Finally I can move it into a position she can interact with it.

Yes African Grey do need more fat than our Amazon parrots.
I give Bella almonds in the shell when I put them out of her seed mix. She really likes them and she has to work to get them out of the shell.

Slow and steady, you are doing great.

I Really Don't have Much of this Guys History . I was told he is 30 to 40 years old & Treated Badly .I was told that the Second owner when He wouldn't be quiet they shut him in a Little cardboard box . I am the FOURTH owner . I was told his Name is " ROCKY " . Can you / ME change his name at this age to like Roger ? I have his new cage set up in front of him about 6 feet away . He can see it constantly , But when I moved it close to the cage He's in he seemed scared , His new toys are in it , should I take them out ? He has NO toys now . Just an old sock hanging in current cage . Some food vegetables he just drops unless I hold them for Him . Thanks for Helping Me !

 

[Botsari]

Recently it took me about 10 months to get my 29 year old TAG and a new youngster CAG to mutually get along, and about half way through that period there were moments when I nearly dispared of succeding. But with patience and always following a plan there was a point where suddenly they were buddies and wanted to be in the same cage together. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is for an older bird like that you can expect forming a strong bond will likely be a process of months and months. Even in some cases years. 5 days isn't even enough for him to get used to a new room. So patience! Make yourself available but not too pushy. Offer your bird the attention and space he apparently has never had before and eventually he may come to you.

A tip would be to just put some food, water and toys in the biger (open) cage and make sure it is accessible. He will find his way in there eventually, but let him make the choice.

 

[gutterfalcon]

Recently it took me about 10 months to get my 29 year old TAG and a new youngster CAG to mutually get along, and about half way through that period there were moments when I nearly dispared of succeding. But with patience and always following a plan there was a point where suddenly they were buddies and wanted to be in the same cage together. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is for an older bird like that you can expect forming a strong bond will likely be a process of months and months. Even in some cases years. 5 days isn't even enough for him to get used to a new room. So patience! Make yourself available but not too pushy. Offer your bird the attention and space he apparently has never had before and eventually he may come to you.

A tip would be to just put some food, water and toys in the biger (open) cage and make sure it is accessible. He will find his way in there eventually, but let him make the choice.

Last night at 12:30 I was in Bathroom , I heard him hit the Floor I think he jumped he did it before anyhow he stepped onto my hand and I put him on the TOP of the New cage . There's a Perch and and he did it I asked him several times "up" onto my hand , He Didn't , He just was looking down into His new Cage there's a couple Parrot Chew Toys in there ( Bright Colorful), for about 5 minutes he just was looking , checking it out , then he stepped onto my hand and I put him back onto his old cage . I was Happy & Excited . The Lady also told me He wouldn't eat Pellets that He Hates them , He has eaten some for me . Probably " old hat " to you guys , But I'm Happy and He's only lived here a week . I've heard him say very plainly , Good Morning , I Love You , and What ya Doing , I don't know if the last one could have been from me , I always say to my Dogs What ya Doing Baby . I have an English Mastiff & an Anatolian Shepherd Mix , they are a little jealous of the attention he gets . He takes food from my hand constantly. Anyhow thats where we are so far.

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

You are doing great and thank you for taking this guy in.

If you are the fourth owner just make him feel that you are the one and everything you do is in his best interest to have an amazing, fun, entertaining life.

I advise singing and dancing lots of attention at a distance.
You will have plenty of time to do all the other great bonded parrot stuff for now it is just building that bond.

Change his name use it like a nickname between the two of you and then share it with others...

Everything at his pace to build trust and respect.

 

[gutterfalcon]

You are doing great and thank you for taking this guy in.

If you are the fourth owner just make him feel that you are the one and everything you do is in his best interest to have an amazing, fun, entertaining life.

I advise singing and dancing lots of attention at a distance.
You will have plenty of time to do all the other great bonded parrot stuff for now it is just building that bond.

Change his name use it like a nickname between the two of you and then share it with others...

Everything at his pace to build trust and respect.

If I were to Dance it would be like Elaine on Seinfeld , I wondered if you could change His name as he is OLD , Everybody Names for instance Big Dogs tough Names like Diesel ,Tank , etc. I have an English Mastiff His Name is Baxter , My Anatolian shepherd went through a Tornado in Tennessee His name was Sampson , I call him Sam . I Don't like Big Tough Names , My Pets are My Little Babies whether they weigh 200 Pounds or Not . So Yeah I wondered if I could change His Name or would it confuse Him ? I'm Thinking "Roger ". it was "Rocky" I've been saying " I'm Melting " , (wizard of oz) , and Rock & Roll , And Attica , Attica , Attica - when He wants out .

 

[Botsari]

Last night at 12:30 I was in Bathroom , I heard him hit the Floor I think he jumped he did it before anyhow he stepped onto my hand and I put him on the TOP of the New cage . There's a Perch and and he did it I asked him several times "up" onto my hand , He Didn't , He just was looking down into His new Cage there's a couple Parrot Chew Toys in there ( Bright Colorful), for about 5 minutes he just was looking , checking it out , then he stepped onto my hand and I put him back onto his old cage . I was Happy & Excited . The Lady also told me He wouldn't eat Pellets that He Hates them , He has eaten some for me . Probably " old hat " to you guys , But I'm Happy and He's only lived here a week . I've heard him say very plainly , Good Morning , I Love You , and What ya Doing , I don't know if the last one could have been from me , I always say to my Dogs What ya Doing Baby . I have an English Mastiff & an Anatolian Shepherd Mix , they are a little jealous of the attention he gets . He takes food from my hand constantly. Anyhow thats where we are so far.

I call that “look” they give new things the “stink eye”. The good news is they usually reserve the stink eye for things they might otherwise be interested in approaching. A few days of the stink eye and most birds will graduate to cautious exploration. If you haven’t put food and water in the cage as well, do so - to a bird, especially one that has spent too much time in his cage over the years, these may also say “home” to him.

You may be able to find some pellets he will eat. Otherwise (or until then) for the nutritional balance you could use the birdy bread trick and use blendered pellet flour in the recipe.

 

[gutterfalcon]

I call that “look” they give new things the “stink eye”. The good news is they usually reserve the stink eye for things they might otherwise be interested in approaching. A few days of the stink eye and most birds will graduate to cautious exploration. If you haven’t put food and water in the cage as well, do so - to a bird, especially one that has spent too much time in his cage over the years, these may also say “home” to him.

You may be able to find some pellets he will eat. Otherwise (or until then) for the nutritional balance you could use the birdy bread trick and use blendered pellet flour in the recipe.

I have Pellets I put them in jars , But I think they might have been "Zupreme " for Greys , I bought 4 kinds of food 2-Zupreme , 1-Mayan , and I Don't remember the other make . they were Pellets (colored) , Pellets (colored)mixed with seed & Peas , Dried Banana , etc. , and seeds with other things . I need an opinion on Diameter of Perches Some of my Books say 1 inch , some say 1 1/2" -to-2" inch . I also played a little Music Quietly I think He might have liked " Kansas " & maybe " Eric Clapton " , Maybe Beatles I played " Rocky Racoon " ( his name was Rocky) I'm thinking of changing to "Roger" , can you change his name at his age , 30-40 years old I was told . But what Diameter of perch do you think ?

 

[Botsari]

For TAGs I would say 2” is too big. Of course they will be ok with them but I’d say closer to 1” in diameter as they have much smaller feet than CAGs. This lines up with what my TAG seems to choose when he is relaxing - he has a big cage and lots of branches, but has his favorites. The rule that is sometime floated is the perches should be sized so that the bird’s feet wrap %75 around. So for example on a 2” perch this would be -by that standard - “ideal” for birds that have feet that are 0.75 * 2” * 3.14 = 4.7” long. That is way bigger than even CAG feet. But just as important is a certain amount of overall irregularity and variation. Some people even resort to wrapping rope and cords around the perches to create these irregularities, but if you are making them yourself you might be able to integrate the idea. But rough rather than smooth surface, irregular diameter rather than pure cylindrical and as varied in shape as you can manage.

My birds seem to like music that is pitched at a level they can easily imitate - my CAG that I lost to Illness a few years back loved Billie Holiday and would go crazy singing along with her. He also seem to like Clifford Brown trumpet solos, but that may say more about me and my tastes. But stuff they can easily imitate does seem to get them going. But as is true with people I have also found that it depends a lot on their mood.

 

[gutterfalcon]

For TAGs I would say 2” is too big. Of course they will be ok with them but I’d say closer to 1” in diameter as they have much smaller feet than CAGs. This lines up with what my TAG seems to choose when he is relaxing - he has a big cage and lots of branches, but has his favorites. The rule that is sometime floated is the perches should be sized so that the bird’s feet wrap %75 around. So for example on a 2” perch this would be -by that standard - “ideal” for birds that have feet that are 0.75 * 2” * 3.14 = 4.7” long. That is way bigger than even CAG feet. But just as important is a certain amount of overall irregularity and variation. Some people even resort to wrapping rope and cords around the perches to create these irregularities, but if you are making them yourself you might be able to integrate the idea. But rough rather than smooth surface, irregular diameter rather than pure cylindrical and as varied in shape as you can manage.

My birds seem to like music that is pitched at a level they can easily imitate - my CAG that I lost to Illness a few years back loved Billie Holiday and would go crazy singing along with her. He also seem to like Clifford Brown trumpet solos, but that may say more about me and my tastes. But stuff they can easily imitate does seem to get them going. But as is true with people I have also found that it depends a lot on their mood.

Perches When I had my eclectus I would take a wood Rasp to the perches to make them uneven and Manzania was too slippery so again I had to rough them up . My little Timneh is not in his new cage yet , I just want to make it RIGHT . Like I ordered a couple 24 inch perches off of Chewy(it said they were for Greys, But may be to big Diameter) , But the inside Dimension of my cage is 23 1/8 inches , luckily I used to do Carpentry / wood working when I was younger so I have tools . After I get him in the new cage I might have to adjust his perches . His ? I really Don't know if he's a boy or a girl .

 

[Botsari]

Perches When I had my eclectus I would take a wood Rasp to the perches to make them uneven and Manzania was too slippery so again I had to rough them up . My little Timneh is not in his new cage yet , I just want to make it RIGHT . Like I ordered a couple 24 inch perches off of Chewy(it said they were for Greys, But may be to big Diameter) , But the inside Dimension of my cage is 23 1/8 inches , luckily I used to do Carpentry / wood working when I was younger so I have tools . After I get him in the new cage I might have to adjust his perches . His ? I really Don't know if he's a boy or a girl .

If you are curious you can get a PCR genetic sex test the next time you go to the vet. They didn’t have this 30 years ago, and based on some morphological indicators, all of which I later learned were pretty unreliable and especially so for birds that haven’t even even gotten their adult feathers yet, I decided my CAG was a girl. So yeah, I didn’t learn that “Sophie” was actually a boy until 25 years later - way too late to try to change his name to “Sophus” or something.

 

[gutterfalcon]

If you are curious you can get a PCR genetic sex test the next time you go to the vet. They didn’t have this 30 years ago, and based on some morphological indicators, all of which I later learned were pretty unreliable and especially so for birds that haven’t even even gotten their adult feathers yet, I decided my CAG was a girl. So yeah, I didn’t learn that “Sophie” was actually a boy until 25 years later - way too late to try to change his name to “Sophus” or something.

Now I'm afraid most of my perches might be too Big , they're closer to 1 3/4 " to 2"' . More work to start over . But I might wait until He's actually in His New cage so I can really look at how his Feet grip or sit on perches . he's also Missing a Back toe nail . Seems He's better at night , I try to see if he'll step up onto my Hand , He's not mean but walks away . Both times he has stepped onto my hand have been at Night , hey Thank You for your Help & Advice !

 

[gutterfalcon]

I'm back with More Questions , When He fluffs up his Feathers , Does that mean he's Uneasy or Nervous ? I thought I might have read that somewhere .

 

[texsize]

I'm back with More Questions , When He fluffs up his Feathers , Does that mean he's Uneasy or Nervous ? I thought I might have read that somewhere .

For my Bella it means she is angry/upset about something.
Bella is pretty good at not biting even when fluffed up, for her it’s more warning/bluff than a “line of death” from an Amazon parrot.
Amazon parrots just don’t bluff.

 

[gutterfalcon]

For my Bella it means she is angry/upset about something.
Bella is pretty good at not biting even when fluffed up, for her it’s more warning/bluff than a “line of death” from an Amazon parrot.
Amazon parrots just don’t bluff.

Sometimes when I walk over to Him / Her to see if He wants to step onto my hand He'll Fluff up then I walk away . He's only stepped onto my Hand twice , and only Bit me Twice . Hell take food from my hand all day long , My furniture is moved because I have his new big cage in front so he can look at it . So while on the phone I'll be sitting on the floor and he climbs down onto floor with me .
I had a Double Yellow head I could tell by his eyes . A girl friend brought him home But let him know that she was afraid of him so he would attack her so she took him back . That's when I got a Baby Eclectus I Weaned Him and he was just TAME completely .