I am not a first time parrot mom but it's been a very long time since I had a youngster.
I have a 5 month old CAG. He's been home for 2 weeks. He had not been "up" trained. He has been doing alright with this, but this may be the root of my problem.
When I want him, we often play chase... Sometimes he will step up but fly away. He goes from here to there.
I'm guessing that this is not the best approach but when I need him, I need him. I am not aggressive or angry, but also not playful.
Let me add that he is not agreeable to being held either. He was handfed but I suspect it was assembly line style. I would appreciate advice here too in getting him comfortable with being held.
Thanks in advance!
2 wks. is like nothing, so I can tell you from experience that with a baby, it will def. take time & major patience on your part. Your bird will also go through a few stages of behavior as it gets older. I have a TAG baby right now, which is 7mo. & I had it since it was 3 1/2mo. old & just weaned. First off, all new birds should be quarantined for 90days in a separate, low traffic room if you have other birds due to possible infectious diseases. You should also take it to an avian vet if you haven't already for a full physical & full blood panel & fecal testing to rule out parasites & diseases like Chlamydia & Polyoma, yeast overgrowth & bacterial overload (the last 2 being VERY common in the babies no matter where you get it from-even if it's a reputable breeder). That was what happened to me. My bird seemed perfectly healthy, & came from a very highly recommended breeder & member of the AFA. She had bacterial overload & too much yeast & I ended up having to give her antibiotics & yeast medication & I was not pleased to say the least! You would never have known anything was wrong w/her, so it's super important to get that vet. visit! My bird was not hand shy, as she was well socialized early on by the breeder, BUT there were def. stages that she is still going through. First, you're right at the age of fledging, so your bird will be experimenting flying all over the place, learning how to land, perch properly, etc. DON"T clip it's wings right now (per my avian specialist vet). Esp. w/a grey! It can lead to behavioral problems, so it's a bad idea. They need to learn how to fly properly, how to land, etc. for their own safety & it's also a huge deal w/their mental health. This is one reason why a separate room at this stage is also very important. Your bird will not be so interested in staying on your hand or stepping up during this time & that's normal. This stage will last a good couple 2-3 months until flying skills get better. Mine had various falls & crash landings, & for that reason I have rope perches right now & started w/the lower perch not too high up. I would sit in the room w/the door closed & let her out daily for 1-2hrs. letting her fly around as she pleased. She likes to fly laps & land back on top of her cage. She would also start flying down to my lap & play w/foot toys. Your presence will start the bonding & trust. Mine steps up, but it's still not always consistent & she sometimes will just ignore the words. One thing she did that my other birds never did as babies was go through a total beaking/biting stage. Like a baby who puts everything in their mouth, she was beaking everything & biting my fingers, clothes, etc. sometimes hard. It was super annoying, but she grew out of it at around 6mo. I also reinforced that the behavior was not acceptable by the shunning method & also the method of imitating a disapproval squawk of pain when she squeezed too hard. This will only work if the bird is bonded to you. She learned quickly that her pressure was too much & causing pain (remember, babies have no idea how hard they squeeze), so she stops when I do this. I am still reinforcing that now when she goes too far in her preening of my hand etc., which still happens sometimes. She's much, much better w/this though & she's growing out of this stage now thank goodness. Once flying skills get good, & your bird has a clean bill of health, you can start to expand its flying range. My vet said it's best not to clip wings UNLESS your bird too often gets into dangerous situations w/flying, such as hitting windows, flying up to unwanted places all the time, or flying to go cause destruction to furniture or framed pics on the wall, etc. In other words, only if the flying becomes really problematic because of the possible mental health issues that can go along w/not being able to fly. For now, the bird needs a routine as mentioned here that stays consistent, 12hrs. uninterrupted sleep a night, proper diet & TIME to truly get used to it's new surroundings, new sights, new sounds, new people, etc. All birds are different & will go at different paces as to how quickly they feel comfortable in their new home. Be patient, be understanding & don't take unwanted behaviors personally. Babies literally have no idea how to behave & need guidance & supervision. They don't know WHO the alpha flock member is or where any other family member ranks in their new flock. It all needs to be established & your bird as it gets older will also be figuring out where it fits in the flock hierarchy. It will start testing what it can get away with & who's really the boss. It's important for the alpha to always stay the alpha by your actions, especially when the bird gets sexually mature. All flock & pack animals will challenge the position at some point after they become mature, as it's the way of nature to do so. It's not personal, but very easy for us humans to take it that way. Just be prepared to get fully annoyed at some unwanted behaviors, but realize it's not a sign that your bird doesn't like you or is mad at you. It's just the nature of nature, as parrots aren't domesticated animals. We see things through human eyes, but we need to adopt bird mentality in an attempt to relate to them in the way they need us to. Feel free to message me w/questions. Since I'm going through the same thing right now (though mine is a couple months older than yours), I can share w/you my observations & experience & if I have any advice w/what I did that worked or didn't, I'd be happy to share it w/you. Like you, I've not inexperienced & have 3 other birds now & have had 5 total + 2 fosters as well in the past. This current TAG baby though is a handful compared to the 3 other babies I've raised & is taking much more supervision & work on my part. Haha. She's the first baby I've had that has had these behaviors, as the other 3 were easy peasy. Maybe I just got lucky w/them, but she's definitely proving that all are different no matter what! Good luck!
