Any Kinda of help for Taming wild African Grey Parrot.

[sheogorath]

Hi there.
Im kinda lost atm and couldnt find any good article or suggestion for taming a Wild african grey parrot.
here's the story :
Near two month ago i ordered timneh african grey parrot.
As i get hand on my child (i called him\her "Happy" ) it was 1 year old already and from his\her behavior i guess he\she raised in a wild.
So I cant get near his cage and the safe distant before he start to growls is like 1 meter , and if i get pass safe area then he start to scream badly and jump all over cage.
Another thing is , if i move in my room like 3-4 meter from cage or open door of room he starts to walk across the cage like its getting ready or something like that in case of attack. :02:
Im not in rush to make him get tamed just want to make him\her comfortable.
here is some photo of him\her :

Also Sorry for my Bad english :34:
Any help and suggestion will be appreciated

 

[Kiwibird]

That behavior could result from being wild caught or being parent raised (i.e. captive parent birds raised him without interference from humans until he weaned and was pulled from the enclosure) . Did the seller specify wild-caught?

Either way, the first order of business is to get Happy used to you. Try sitting in a chair as close to the cage as Happy will tolerate without freaking out to start. Talk to him or even read out loud to him in a calm, soothing voice (doesn't matter what you read, not like he cares lol). As he becomes more used to you, each session move the chair closer and closer until you are right next to his cage. Then start keeping some sliced fruit or veg with you that your eating. Food is often a good way to gain trust with a bird and as a bird who was not hand raised, he will need to learn what to eat from you. If he already eats fruit and veg, you can try more 'desirable' treats like seeds or nuts. See if you can't get him interested in the food your eating and if he shows interest, slowly while calmly speaking reach over and offer him some. Eventually, he will take some. Once he no longer freaks out when you approach the cage and takes food from your hand, it will be time to move onto training and socializing him. This process to gain his trust could take days, weeks or even months. The important thing is to let him set the pace. Here in the US, we have not allowed wild caught imports for a very long time and even aviary raised large parrots are somewhat uncommon, but back in the day wild caught was the primary source for pet birds and people managed to tame and train them It is possible, just have patience!

A few other things to note:

-Parrots need toys in captivity to keep them occupied, help them indulge in natural behaviors (such as chewing and foraging) and for overall mental health. Happy may be frightened or skittish of toys right now, but there will come a point he will need to learn (from you!) to play with them. Now might be a good time to look at the "DIY" section of the forum for ideas on homemade toys. I am not sure what is available in your country for parrot toys (I think your other post said Iran?), so you may need to make your own. It may not be a bad idea to get started now so you have a stash built up when the time comes that Happy is adjusted and wants to play Can be as simple as cutting up some 2X4's, drilling holes and tying them up on sisal rope or much more complex toys with various (bird safe) materials.

-That perch may be ok for now since he's still so skittish and rearranging his cage might upset him, but eventually he will need more perches of various diameters. Again, I am not sure what is available in your country, but keep your eyes open for rope perches and perches of a natural branch shape that are wood safe for parrots. You may want to ask the seller what local woods available are safe for birds and you can make your own perches too.

-That cage appears on the small side. Ideally, a larger cage in the future would be great, but if it's not available where you are, people can work around small cages with more out of cage time and a big play area. If larger cages are available, we can help you pick a better size one once Happy is more adjusted and starting to step up and leave his cage.

Best of luck!

 

[Allee]

Happy is a beautiful bird!

I can't add a single thing to the excellent advice given to you by Kiwibird, just want to wish you and Happy the best.

 

[sheogorath]

Thanks alot Allee , you are right , that was complete and excellent advice from Kiwibird .
Thanks a lot Kiwibird , that was a huge help for me .
I will start from your guideline asap

You are right , as i asked him , it was captive parent birds raised without humans interference.
also the seller gave me these in packages : (Toy + Mineral)
I boiled and washed Toy to sterilizing it from color and germs but didnt gave it to him. (scared of metal attached to it )

One more thing is if i walk very slowly to his cage without sudden move raise my hand and slowly open the food door on his cage , put food in his food stash he starts to growls slowly but not making any scream or jumpinh.then after i get back to safe distance (like end of the room) he cames to stash and takes pallet or fruits(carrot , cucumber or Maize).

About the cage we have all kind of cage here from small to room size . the one in the pictures comes with happy and i didnt know should i change it or not. Is bigger better ?
one of my friend that have CAG told me that big cage makes them dont like to comes out offen.
but i can switch cage asap.
this is full size of cage :

Best regard XD

 

[Kiwibird]

You are right , as i asked him , it was captive parent birds raised without humans interference.
also the seller gave me these in packages : (Toy + Mineral)
I boiled and washed Toy to sterilizing it from color and germs but didnt gave it to him. (scared of metal attached to it )

One more thing is if i walk very slowly to his cage without sudden move raise my hand and slowly open the food door on his cage , put food in his food stash he starts to growls slowly but not making any scream or jumpinh.then after i get back to safe distance (like end of the room) he cames to stash and takes pallet or fruits(carrot , cucumber or Maize).


About the cage we have all kind of cage here from small to room size . the one in the pictures comes with happy and i didnt know should i change it or not. Is bigger better ?
one of my friend that have CAG told me that big cage makes them dont like to comes out offen.
but i can switch cage asap.
this is full size of cage :

Best regard XD

For right now, I'd not give him that size toy if he's afraid of it. If you want, you can cut the bottom off and take just a few beads and put them on sisal cord (basically make him some smaller, less intimidating toys out of that one). And get rid of that bell entirely, they are dangerous as parrots can remove and potentially ingest the little piece inside that makes it ring. After he's a bit more used to you, while talking with him, you can kind of "play" with a smaller toy to pique his interest. Rule #1 of parrots is if you're playing with it, they want to play with it too! In time, he will be happily chewing up that kind of toy and bigger.

This is a good sign he's learning you are there to feed and give him water. Just keep movements slow, calm and talking to him softly may also help. Predators (which is what his instincts are warning him you may be) don't make noise when approaching prey, so softly speaking to him lets him know you aren't there to hurt him. It's also good to hear he is eating fruits and veggies. More often than not with parent raised, all they'll eat is seed and view fresh food as foreign. My rescue amazon was actually frightened of fruits and veggies when we first got him. Make sure you know what are safe fruits/veg and keep offering him fresh produce every day and as much variety as possible. Here is a thread going over all the safe fresh foods you can feed him: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

I do not necessarily agree with the concept of a smaller cage makes them want to come out more. The worst cases of cage-bound birds seem to stem from birds kept in way too small cages rather than way too big cages. Being strongly bonded to their owner and human family along with training that makes them confident and comfortable in the wider world beyond their cage makes them want to come out for the right reasons. Even my bird who is 'free roaming' still has a huge cage he comes and goes freely from. Sometimes he wants to be in his cage, but most of the day he chooses to be out of it (and even better if he can be with his people). I think getting him a larger cage right now would be traumatizing but once he's confidently stepping up and coming out of that cage would probably be a good time to upgrade to something bigger.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed, Sheograth. You are getting some of the best advise on your questions I have ever read, if you are wise ( and from your posts I think yes, here is someone who has investigated some) you will take the advise. Happy looks like he is in great condition. Now the rest is up to you.

as-salamu alaykum

 

[sheogorath]

[FONT=&quot]Thanks You Very Much, I appreciate your time and effort to help me out.
[/FONT]

 

[sheogorath]

Welcome and be welcomed, Sheograth. You are getting some of the best advise on your questions I have ever read, if you are wise ( and from your posts I think yes, here is someone who has investigated some) you will take the advise. Happy looks like he is in great condition. Now the rest is up to you.

as-salamu alaykum

Thank you , he is my feathery child. :09:
one day he will learn to start coding like me :51::21:

 

[SailBoat]

Thank-you for bring home this wonderful CAG. Yes, you have gotten great advise and I have very little to add to it.

Toys: Your Gray is young and it is better to start them with a softer wood that is easy to chew. If you can dent the surface of the wood with your finger nail, that is a good test for a younger parrot. Once your parrot can easily chew that 'softer' /thinner wood, it is time to move him or her to little harder /thicker wood.

In the US, Pine lumber (wood) is very common. Regarding hardness we have several levels, but the two most common are: Pine Trim Lumber and Pine Structural Lumber. I would recommend that you visit a Shop that sells wood for building. Your younger parrot will be much happier with Pine Trim Lumber, which is common sold in thicknesses up to 38 mm. Tell the Shop owner that it is for your Parrot and you are interested in scrap (short) pieces and/or edge cuts that they may have left from larger projects. NOTE: For the first toys, I would look for pieces that are not thicker than 12 - 15 mm, and thinner if possible. What width and length you get will depend on your skills and available tools you may have to make smaller pieces. The best starter toys would be thin 'edge cuts' pieces of wood like 3 - 5 mm and maybe a little thicker. Since they have very little use for 'edge cuts' it is likely that they 'may' give them to you. Be very kind to the Shop owner and Staff since you will likely be a common customer and they will likely save those 'edge cuts' for you.

NOTE: Pine Structural Lumber comes in many sizes, in North America the most common is a 2 x 4 x length (38 mm x 90 mm x length). If your CAG gets to a point that this harder and larger wood is of interest (some large parrots never develop an interest in this size or hardness) you can simply transition to this type of wood. NOTE: Structural Lumber comes in two very different types: Non-treated (Pine, Yellow Wood) and treated (Pine, Green Wood). Never provide your Parrot with Treated Lumber! The colors stated; Yellow and Green are North America builder trade terms, but your Wood supplier will likely know the difference between them, Treated Lumber is always more expensive and heavier.

Most all large parrots will use a Growl as a way of saying - I'm watching you, or I'm not fully comfortable with what you are doing, etc...

Bigger is always better with cages. A good general size would be 'near' 585 mm from the front door to the back of the cage with a length (side to side) 'near' 965 mm. Heights vary greatly depending on whether the top has a play area and the height from the floor to the bottom of the cage. NOTE: Target a cage with a tall front door, I like the doors that are the full height of the body of the cage. This will make it much easier to clean, set toys and food in the cage and move your Gray in and out of the cage. Also, the front door to the back of the cage becomes important based on the opening of the doors in your home. You really want a cage that can be moved from one room to another. So measure your door openings! NOTE: The sizes I provided are 'general' sizes and a cage a little larger or small is good. The first goal is, can the cage fit in the home's door opening.

Cage dominance can be a problem, but it is rarely the size of the cage and more an issue of developing a 'Bond' /a relationship with your parrot. Start working on reading to your parrot! This is true for anyone in your home! As stated above, smaller cages are more a problem than larger cages.

Perches, as stated above, target natural branches from safe trees. I like 25 to 50 mm diameter branches that vary in thickness and general shape. With care, you can remove the metal attachments on your dowel branches and set them into your natural branches. Always remove the bark (cover) from the branch prior to using it for a perch!

DIY 'Do It Yourself' is the standard for parrot owners World Wide, since we commonly customize toys, perches, etc... for our Parrots.

Again Thank-up, for bring your Gray into your home.

 

[MonicaMc]

Happy is a Congo, not a Timneh. (CAG, not TAG)


I don't believe in cage dominance, but I do believe in birds who have had issues being removed from their cages and become aggressive around their cages.


I find that Hillary Hankey has some great advice when it comes to working with scared birds.

Blog | Learning Parrots



My conures have a cage much larger than that, and neither one has any issue coming out. I have cockatiels and an african ringneck in a walk in aviary. Only one is truly tame, but 3 of those birds have come out on their own.


So I agree, Happy needs a *much* larger cage! He may do better in a cage that has some way to "hide" in so he can feel more comfortable.

 

[snowflake311]

I would love to hear about your adventures with this bird. I know 2 African greys that have not been touched in god knows how many years. I thought about taking them in. But I don't have the time.

Just let the bird get use to you being around. Do not rush anything ! Do all taming on her time. Let hr tell you when she is ready never push the bird. I Agee that the bird needs a larger cage eventually for shirt term it is ok.

Good luck I hope you can work with this bird and give it the life he deserves. How exciting. Only a year old I don't think it is wild caught I hope it is not in this day and age. There is not need to get wild caught unless you are a breeder and want to add new blood to your line.

 

[GraciesMom]

Thank you , he is my feathery child. :09:
one day he will learn to start coding like me :51::21:

I love this! I think you'll do great especially with that goal motivating you. some awesome advice and lots for you to work with. Just take things slow and steady and remember there's no rush, try not to take any reactions from him to you personal

Keep us posted