New African grey owner

[Tommo]

Hi all I'm wondering if anyone can help me, about 4 weeks ago a African grey flew onto my patio,I done all the norm like take him to the vets to see if he was micro chipped ( he wasn't ) informed the police etc. After 20 days he became officially mine. So I brought him a cage,toys,food etc. too advice from the vets on what to feed him but he will only eat Afrucan grey food,apples,grapes send monkey nuts. Any suggestions on how I can intise him to try new foods. Also how can I win his trust,he says hello,whistles,regurgitate at me but when I go to stroke him he backs away and screams. I have also let him out his cage but he can't get back in quick enough. I would love to stroke him play with him. ... PS he seems content as he perches on one leg,grinds his beak.

 

[Glacier313]

Be patient! The Grey will warm up to you in a while. Just take things slow! So far it seems like your doing everything great. For getting him to try new foods, perhaps mix it with some of his favourites? Also, try all different kinds of shapes and sizes of the foods, chop it, put it in whole, etc. And try eating some of the food yourself, seeing you eat it may make him want to eat it too.
Also, ! Upload as many pictures as possible! Someone with Grey experience will come along soon, I only have small birds but these are my suggestions!

 

[Tommo]

Thank you for your reply,I have two feeding bowls and two water bowls in his cage and also a treat bowl where I put his monkey nuts and fruit In,I have tried mixing his food etc. he takes food from my mouth but only eats his favourites . The vet told me to give him a chicken bone which I did as he said he will go mad for it, he went mad alright OMG you'd thought I was feeding him his brother/sister talk about growling lol. I will just keep talking to him,letting him out ( the only way to get him out is if I put a stick in for him to climb on which he is not crazy about ) . Hopefully he will gain my trust. Only prob is I really don't know how old he is or his history. .... Bless him x

 

[Mr Peepers]

Congrats on your new Grey and life as an owner of a bird that will own you, not the other way around.

It might help if you do some research on peanuts/monkey nuts as I've read multiple times on this forum that they can be spoiled of have fungus or rot which can be harmful to greys or any birds. There are many owners here who buy different types of nuts from various sources (listed somewhere on this board I'm sure you will get info as the thread continues.)

Its best to know what nuts are safe to help keep your bird healthy and happy.

.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! I'm sure some Grey owners will be able to give you some tips. But as was already suggested, go slow and try to work at your new bird's pace.

@vmashley03 ? @Tyrion ?

 

[Hankmacaw]

Mr. Peepers is correct about peanuts. Peanuts are one of the main sources of Aspergillosis, a deadly fungus infection. Try pistachios, pine nuts, almonds are especially good for Greys because they are high calcium and low fat.

Please don't allow your bird to take food from your mouth. We humans have some pretty nasty bacteria in our mouths that can make your bird really sick.

Take it slow with your new bird. Open his cage door and let him come out on his own. Sit by his cage and talk to him. Patience and taking it at the bird's pace are the keys to a successful relationship.

 

[Tommo]

Thank you all for your comments .... Especially about allowing my grey to take food from my mouth,who would of thought by doing this I could make him I'll. I will take on board about the nuts also..... There is just one more question I'd like to ask , when I go up to him in his cage he comes to me all puffed up whistling at me and says hello then he bites his cage,food bowl etc,my question is why is he puffing himself up and trying to bite his cage but at the same time he is greeting me by saying hello. I know this is a silly question and no one may know the answer. .....

 

[Monica]

Also, it's not a good idea to pet a bird like you would a cat or a dog. *IF* they allow it, petting should be restricted to the head region only. Anywhere else could be an invitation to mate with the bird or it could be seen as a predatory thing. Not good in either case.

It's possible the grey doesn't know that "Hello" is a greeting and he's just repeating it. If he's puffing up, feathers all over his body sticking out when he approaches you, then you may need to try approaching him differently. Maybe slower, maybe from a different angle. Maybe try talking to him as you move towards him.

If you don't *need* him to come out of the cage, it's ok to just leave the door open and leave him in there. Also, look into clicker training and target training. That way, you can learn to work with him without getting bitten and without forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do, or doesn't understand how to do.

 

[Glacier313]

Thank you for your reply,I have two feeding bowls and two water bowls in his cage and also a treat bowl where I put his monkey nuts and fruit In,I have tried mixing his food etc. he takes food from my mouth but only eats his favourites . The vet told me to give him a chicken bone which I did as he said he will go mad for it, he went mad alright OMG you'd thought I was feeding him his brother/sister talk about growling lol. I will just keep talking to him,letting him out ( the only way to get him out is if I put a stick in for him to climb on which he is not crazy about ) . Hopefully he will gain my trust. Only prob is I really don't know how old he is or his history. .... Bless him x

Does he have a leg band? If he does you might be able to find out what breeder he might be from. Also, do you have a name for him? Also, try and take some pictures!

 

[Tommo]

When I say pet I did actually mean to say scratch his head or under chin.....when I go up to him I do go slowly and talk to him at the same time as I don't want to scare him, he says hello all the time even when I'm not talking/ looking at him.... He just sits on his perch and says it.i font need him to come out his cage but it would be nice for him to come out once in a while for his sake rather than mine,being stuck in a cage all day can't be very nice. .....Glacier313 he did have a ring on but the vet took it off s there was nothing on it that he could see and he said in his opinion it should come off as he has seen rings harming birds with then on. I can take a picture but I wouldn't know how to post it on here I'm not very good on comps ..

 

[Tommo]

This is Byrd when he first came to us,he now has a proper cage etc

 

[sunnysmom]

What a pretty bird. : )

 

[Hankmacaw]

Byrd is a beauty. Just take your time with him and ask us questions whenever you have one.

@Greycloud

 

[Tyrion]

What a beauty ...just like everyone said take the time to get to know your new friend ...if you take the time and work slowly your new friend will come around

 

[Tommo]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments..... I will try and keep you posted on Byrds progress xx

 

[Greycloud]

I was wondering where you are located? There are a large number of Greys posted as missing on 9111 Parrot Alert and several groups I am in. I think every effort should be made to locate this birds' owner. Furthermore, removing the band was not neccessary and now made the bird anonimous.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

Kelly, everyday just offer Byrd a small bowl of fresh veggies. There is some invaluable information here on the forum about what types food are good and what can kill your bird. I love Avocado. however the seed is deadly to birds. Some branches are good, some bad. You might find that for 14 days straight he doesn't touch anything you give him, on the 15th day (or 5th day etc) you might walk in and he has decided to eat some of it. My Yellow Nape never ate a fresh snow pea until a month ago. She has been offered them in the past (I've had her 28yrs) but after we adopted Rowdy (Petey) who absolutely adores them. She decided she might check them out! Byrd can also have a very small portion (half teaspoon or so) of the healthier, good items of your dinner. Spaghetti is a huge favorite here. Cooked grean beans, carrots etc. NO potato chips, no junk fund of any kind really. One fry. All things In moderation, remember how tiny Byrd's tummy is. Easy on stuff like Mac & Cheese - only once or twice a month. One very important thing to remember is never give Byrd anything hot. He doesn't have the ability to know that and it can burn his crop.

There are many veterinarians around. Please check to make sure that your vet is familiar and sees a lot of birds. If he is, great. Besides, if a veterinarian told me I needed to remove a band from a bird, I'm sure I would comply.

Good luck with Byrd and look forward to hearing more about him.

 

[Lady Jane]

I know someone is really missing this bird. As said, please continue to make every effort to find his owner. Mr. Byrd is missing his flock too!

 

[Lady Jane]

911 Parrot Alert (Official) | Facebook He is still lost and wanting to go back home. Will never be officially your bird.

View A Lost Bird - Bird HotLine

 

[Doris M]

Thank you all for your comments .... Especially about allowing my grey to take food from my mouth,who would of thought by doing this I could make him I'll. I will take on board about the nuts also..... There is just one more question I'd like to ask , when I go up to him in his cage he comes to me all puffed up whistling at me and says hello then he bites his cage,food bowl etc,my question is why is he puffing himself up and trying to bite his cage but at the same time he is greeting me by saying hello. I know this is a silly question and no one may know the answer. .....

I am not a fan of the mouth-to-mouth feeding. 1) You can't be sure that you will keep your lip. I would be cautious because you are just now getting acquainted with each other. He might get startled and latch out (or on) and your relationship would need mended right away. 2) Human mouths are pretty dirty. Birds' mouths are dry, and I'd be worried about bacteria. But there are so many tings you can do: be patient and make him part of your family and routine. Don't overindulge though because when routine sets in and attention tapers off, you might find yourself with problem behaviors. Trying to establish a routine right away would be beneficial. It also helps with enhancing trust. Your parrot will come to rely on you. We also have a rehomed African Grey (since July 2014). The food adjustment is something we will always work on, but it has gotten much better. He was a seed/pellet guy. Now he is a home-cook guy I cook most mornings for the birds, and he has gotten used to it. Some new foods will make him mad: I'll take a piece of banana to him and he'll attack it, but at least he's tasting it. He loves peanut butter, so I'll take a carrot or some celery and make holes and cuts in it and smear little bit of peanut butter (almond butter is better) into the grooves/ holes.