*New to the website,seeking advice and tips!*

[Purplestar]

I have 2 African grey parrots.Skippy is 18 and Nugget is 23.We don't know the sex of these 2 as it's never been investigated etc.
There is a long story with these 2 so i apologise!
My partners step dad Ken was a parrot breeder, very successful too, producing lots of healthy and happy parrots!He kept 2 for himself (Skippy and Nugget). My partner remembers as a boy hand feeding these two when they were very young.
Sadly Ken passed away suddenly 8 years ago. Since his passing Skippy and Nugget had lived with my partners mother who hates birds!She cared for them minimally, ensuring they were well fed and clean.
They have FANTASTICALLY finally been rightfully given to my partner, they have lived with us now for the past 2-3 months. We have bought them a bigger cage and plenty of toys!
I think 8 years of no interaction have effected them. My partner does remember Nugget the eldest being comfortable sat on his arm. However now they are a little nippy and reluctant to be handled.
Recently I have started reading more books on African Greys and trying to interact more with them. I have started sitting next to the cage with the cage door open, handing them monkey nuts. They have improved in taking food from us, they are very gentle now. When they first moved in with us they would immediately go to nip/bite when I put my hand near/in the cage.
What can anyone advise me, I would love to see these 2 trust us more and feel confident enough to be handled and come out of the cage to come and play!

Many thanks!

 

[henpecked]

Hey Purplestar, welcome to the forum. I'm sure some CAG owners will check in and help. Sounds to me like your doing things right, It will just take a while for them to adjust. I'm happy to hear they are with someone who cares to them, congrats.

 

[eclectusmama]

I have 2 African grey parrots.Skippy is 18 and Nugget is 23.We don't know the sex of these 2 as it's never been investigated etc.
There is a long story with these 2 so i apologise!
My partners step dad Ken was a parrot breeder, very successful too, producing lots of healthy and happy parrots!He kept 2 for himself (Skippy and Nugget). My partner remembers as a boy hand feeding these two when they were very young.
Sadly Ken passed away suddenly 8 years ago. Since his passing Skippy and Nugget had lived with my partners mother who hates birds!She cared for them minimally, ensuring they were well fed and clean.
They have FANTASTICALLY finally been rightfully given to my partner, they have lived with us now for the past 2-3 months. We have bought them a bigger cage and plenty of toys!
I think 8 years of no interaction have effected them. My partner does remember Nugget the eldest being comfortable sat on his arm. However now they are a little nippy and reluctant to be handled.
Recently I have started reading more books on African Greys and trying to interact more with them. I have started sitting next to the cage with the cage door open, handing them monkey nuts. They have improved in taking food from us, they are very gentle now. When they first moved in with us they would immediately go to nip/bite when I put my hand near/in the cage.
What can anyone advise me, I would love to see these 2 trust us more and feel confident enough to be handled and come out of the cage to come and play!

Many thanks!

Just a fast note: on the male legs are closer together, females are farther apart. Bonding takes time, i suggest getting a macaw perch and place in main living areas. Birds that are cage bound fair poorly at socializing and bonding.

 

[MonicaMc]

If they are Congos, you can try to visually sex them, although this method is not 100% reliable.
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/31-visual-sexing-greys.html

I agree with henpecked in that you are going in the right direction. I would suggest clicker training/positive reinforcement. It's based on the idea of creating positive interactions between us and our animals as well as learning how to effectively communicate with them by learning to understand their body language and not pushing them. It can be a fun way to interact with your birds and gain a bond with them. African greys are pretty smart and could even learn from each other! If one parrot learns a trick and the other parrot watches, the one watching may also pick up on what to do!

 

[Sherry]

What kind of diet are the birds on and how much. It makes a big differences. Hey and welcome to the forum. I'm happy to hear that these birds are with people who care about them.

 

[MeganMango]

Welcome to the forum! I have little experience with greys, but my understanding is that they bond very strongly to their family, and rehoming is very hard for them. This is true for most birds, but I am under the impression the greys and cockatoos are the most sensitive to this. Dont get discouraged, once they bond to you everything will change for the better. Just check out Mishka and Antoinette!

 

[Purplestar]

When using a macaw perch what would be the best way to tempt them to use it?Their favourite foods are juicy orange,monkey nuts and they love grapes.
We give them a tropical food mix,there are sunflower seeds in there which i hear effect behaviour is this true?
Thank you all so much for you input!I'm looking forward to trying some clicker training.I am so looking forward to the day when I can hold my 2 and have them trust us.

 

[Purplestar]

What are people's thoughts on using gloves/protection on the hands?My 2 are quite nippy,but would this scare them or would they not get used to bare hands?

 

[MonicaMc]

I'd recommend getting skin toned wrap of some sort or perhaps wearing a sweater/long sleeved shirt.

I'm against the use of gloves since some parrots can find them scary. Even if a parrot got used to a glove, it doesn't mean that they'll get use to the site of a bare hand if they were afraid of hands to begin with.



Where is the perch that you want them to use? It is inside of the cage or outside of the cage like a stand or playgym? It may help to reward them for looking at the perch, moving towards the perch, touching the perch then finally stepping up on it.


Yes, I've heard that sunflower seeds can affect behavior, however only in a small group of parrots.

 

[Purplestar]

I think I may have to bite the bullet with the nipping as I'd be devastated if they were scared by me using a glove.
The top of their cage opens into a perch which would be great for them to learn to use because their in the kitchen where everyone goes so plenty of company. I'm thinking of getting a seperate free standing perch to try training them with so then they can come sit in another room with us.

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't recommend using the open top option as I don't trust them and have heard one bad story about them. If you are going to use the open top option, then I urge you to use something to keep it open with something other than the wooden perch that goes up there. If the cage top doesn't have a good locking system, then I would suggest extra safety precautions to keep it closed when not in use.

Having an additional perch or play gym away from the cage would be a great idea though!



Since they are in the kitchen, I assume that you are using safe products that don't give off fumes?

 

[Tro]

You may consider taking the birds to a good avian vet in your area. This would be a good way to start things off! I took my bird to the vet a couple days after I brought him home. The vet took his time telling me a ton of information about my parrots diet that really helped. He also gave my bird some tests to make sure he was healthy, clipped his nails and evened out his wing clipping.

Also like Monicamc mentioned be careful with kitchen fumes. Make sure the pans that you all are using are PTFE free I just read a sad story about a bird that died from Teflon fumes.
I'm glad that the birds made it to people who care about them. Good luck with the new additions to your family!

 

[Purplestar]

Again today I have spent some quality with my 2. Sharing some monkey nuts!Nugget the eldest has allowed me to stroke his wing,I didn't want to push him so made very breif gentle contact with him and took my hand away slowly. They are responding well I think!

 

[Purplestar]

I don't recommend using the open top option as I don't trust them and have heard one bad story about them. If you are going to use the open top option, then I urge you to use something to keep it open with something other than the wooden perch that goes up there. If the cage top doesn't have a good locking system, then I would suggest extra safety precautions to keep it closed when not in use.

Having an additional perch or play gym away from the cage would be a great idea though!



Since they are in the kitchen, I assume that you are using safe products that don't give off fumes?

I've checked our pots and pans, they are OK phew!!Did not know that!They are in the farthest corner away from the cooker,usually when we cook we open our back door a lil to get some fresh air in.
After christmas we are thinking of getting a free standing perch for them so they can join us in the lounge.Thanks again for all the advice!!

 

[wenz2712]

The stands will keep them happy They all seem to love them.