Got my dads beloved African Grey-Louie

[sewingteacher]

My dad passed away a year ago from his cancer. The plan was always that my brother would inherit Louie as he is the one who got my dad into being a bird owner.
Fast forward to the past July 1 and my brother called me and told me that he was no longer able to give him enough time as his new job took him away often for days at a time. Wanted to give me first option to take him. I told my husband and he said you want him don’t you and I said with tears in my eyes, no. He said yes you do. I again now crying said no. (I was very bonded with Louie as I was his second closest person as I cared for him often in my dad home when he was ill and in the nursing home for 3 months I moved back home). My husband quickly said tell your brother you will take him. I had not seen Louie in 6 months. August 15 2018 I now am a bird owner. Our biggest problem to date is his plucking his feathers on his chest. Just when I think they are growing back he plucks more. This is very frustrating as he never use to do so. I am sure it will just take time. Louie is very very tame and never bites me, gets angry or runs from me. Will lay on her back on my chest and interacts with me and sits on my shoulders around the house. I spoil her intently and she talks in my dads voice. I love this bird to death and am up for the challenges and love she brings.


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[LeaKP]

Oh my heartfelt condolences at the passing of your father. Louis definitely is mourning as well, I hope the plucking sorts in time. There’s always a chance there’s a medical reason for the behavior, perhaps it would be wise to have her checked.

Others who are better qualified than I will certainly have better counsel. Greys being as sensitive as they are it’s no wonder she’s possibly acting out in grief.

All the best please keep us posted.


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[sewingteacher]

Thank you, I do believe that she is best suited to be with me. She was always very close to me at my dads house. Shortly after getting my dog in 2008 she started barking, whistling and calling my dog by name. She still does. They seem to get along as well. Even though she went with my brother for a few months she comes to me better and had only bit me on two unique times. The one time was the day after my moms funeral she was on the floor I saw her but walked by with bare feet and she latched on. Guess she wanted some attention. The last time was when I was filling out financial documents for the county to get aid for my dad. I had legal rights as power of attorney. My dad was home that week and 100% against the county involvement but we had no choice. So when he was sleeping I was quietly pulling out one file at a time to go through. The file cabinet was next to the cage when the drawer was open it was close to where the open door was and Louie perched on it. Louie must of sensed I was up to no good as after each file I went into the living room where my dad never went to look through the files. Pretty much ignoring him for only about 15 minutes. So she latched on too the top of my hand and top this day I am pretty sure she may have pierced it. I instantly scolded her, bandaged it up and went and put her on my shoulder to give the attention she was seeking. She has my even nipped at me or bit me since. She would regularly bite my brother and also my dad.


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[Scott]

Welcome to the forums. My deepest condolences for the loss of your father.

I'm guessing your initial reticence to adopting Louie was as constant reminder during the grieving process? Over time, you will likely view Louie as a beloved companion, with a soothing familiar voice.

Plucking is a complex behavior with many potential triggers. Some are health related (many birds pluck the chest with internal infections, etc) or strictly behavioral. (stress, loneliness, hormonal, etc) One of our former moderators wrote a wonderful summary of plucking, causes, and methods to manage: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

 

[EllenD]

Welcome to the forum, and I'm so sorry about the passing of your father...On a good note though, you've found the most knowledgeable, educated, experienced parrot-forum on the internet, and we are all here to help you with anything we can regarding Louie...It sounds like Louie is a sweetheart, and he's just gone through/continues to go through the same heartbreaking, stressful changes that you and the rest of your family has been going through for the past year or so. The more time that passes, the more a sense of "normalcy" Louie will feel, the more safe, secure, and "at home" he will feel...I grew-up with a Congo African Gray, and they are just so intelligent (the level of a 4-5 year-old human child), but even more than just being intelligent, as all parrots are extremely intelligent, from Budgies and Cockatiels to Macaws and Cockatoos, but CAG's have an extraordinary sense of awareness of what is really going-on with the people around them, and of what is happening in their lives in-general. They can sense every emotion that you are feeling, and they can express how they are feeling outwardly in a way that is so "human-like", they really are just like having another child.

It sounds like you know what you're doing as far as raising and caring for Louie, although I will mention that "scolding" any parrot will get you nowhere, lol, and usually only makes things worse. Most parrots respond best to "positive-reinforcement" training, as well as a firm "No!", followed by an immediate and total "shunning" that lasts about 5 minutes, no longer. They hate being ignored, and if Louie does something he shouldn't be doing, let's say he nips at your hand for whatever reason (hormones, no doubt, lol), all you need to do is firmly and strongly, but not yelling or in a "scolding" tone, say a phrase that you will choose and say immediately every time he nips/bites, something simple such as "No Bites!", then after you say the phrase to him firmly, you immediately put him right down on the floor (they hate being on the floor, lower than everyone and everything) and then immediately and very purposefully and literally turn your back to him. And then for a full 5-minutes you very purposefully keep your back turned to him, while at the same time totally and completely ignoring anything and everything that he says or does. Never make eye-contact with him during the 5 minute "shunning" period, never acknowledge that he is saying anything, or that he's even in the room. And if he starts to try to crawl up your leg or he flies to your shoulder, you don't say anything, not a word, don't make eye contact with him, just put your hand out for him to step-up, then put him right back down on the floor and immediately turn your back to him...If he walks or flies in front of you, then you immediately and purposefully turn your back to him, and keep your back to him for the full 5-minutes. This usually gets the point across very quickly, and with extremely intelligent and aware parrots it usually only takes a few times of doing this before they say "Well I'm not doing that again be she's really mean to me when I do it!"...

***As far as the plucking goes, when did it first start? Did he ever do it while your father was alive or before he moved out of his long-time home and into your brother's home? And if it started after he moved into your brother's home, did he start doing it before or after your brother started spending very little time with him due to the job? Also, how old is Louie, and what has Louie's regular, daily diet been/is it still?

Louie's plucking is most likely do to a psychological/mental/behavioral issue, could be due to your father passing-away and not being with him anymore, could be due to your brother being his new caretaker, could be due to your brother suddenly not spending much time with him at all, could be due to the move to your house, etc. However, it could also be due to a physical illness, disease-process, bacterial, fungal, or viral infection, an allergy to either a food or more-likely something in one of his new environments (depending on when and where the plucking started), or due to his regular, daily diet not being adequate and/or causing malnutrition and/or a nutritional deficiency of some sort. When is the last time Louie had a wellness-exam with his Certified Avian Vet or Avian Specialist Vet? When is the last time he had routine, baseline blood-work and a fecal-culture done? When a feather-destructive behavior is being caused by a physical issue, it is very often a bacterial or more-often a fungal/yeast infection, either throughout the GI Tract/Crop or even of an external, topical nature. Plucking can also be a natural response to physical pain. No matter what the cause, the first step to identifying the cause of Feather-Destructive Behavior and then treating it/stopping it is always a complete Wellness-Exam by either a Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Specialist Vet, which includes both blood-work and a Fecal Culture to start out with, and if possible a plain-film x-ray is also a very good idea to start with.

 

[Inger]

I’m so sorry about your dad’s passing. It sounds like you have a wonderful, caring husband and also like Louie has landed where he belongs.


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[texsize]

My Grey has the same plucking behavior.
She does not pluck her chest bare but just when it's starting to look "full" she will pluck some of them out.

Still and all she looks worlds better that she did when I got her.

texsize

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wow! Welcome!

I am so thrilled to "meet" you and hear this story. I extend my sympathy concerning your dad, and also add my congratulations on your new darling. My Mexican relatives used to have a term for "inherited" animals who are living links with lost loved ones. They would term the animal "enlace de la vida, or "link of life".

That's your Louie, voice and all.

 

[ChristaNL]

So sorry for your loss and very gratefull the little grey is with some of its flock.


I got my first grey more or less the same way: the owner/bonded person passed away and his girlfriend could not cope (she is a lovely lady but not an animal person), initially she hung on to the parrot because of the voice of her beloved, but her job etc. just would not combine to the care he needed.
Rico came to me a plucker, and died decades later still a plucker.
We were bonded like crazy, and over the years I've tried everything (apart from a collar) to make him stop.

Anyway- if your Louie never stops picking his feathers: do not blame yourself, sometimes it's just something they start and will not stop.
(I hope he will 'get over it' of course.)



I wish you all the best with this lovely parrot and lots of strenght to deal with the grief about your father for all of you.
(Lost mine roughly 16 years ago, and it took/takes some getting used to.)

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you! Such pain and joy all mixed together!