Thinking About Adopting 18 Year Old CAG

[Coo Coo]

OK, just got her home. A lot to write, but it will have to be brief for now.

The owner was able to handle her and the bird seemed to really like them. Although the owner did have a recent bite from her.

The cage she was in was tiny and only had two perches with no toys and her food bowl is mostly sunflower seeds. They also gave her grit.

She traveled well and didn't make a peep. I got her home and put the carrier in the cage, but she didn't get out. I left her in there for awhile, she acted like she wanted to get out but couldn't, so I put a perch in for her to step up on. The perch scared her and she jumped/flew out of carrier.

For the past hour she has been on the floor of her cage. She seemed very very fearful at first and repeatedly said want to go in or want to go back (it was hard to tell). Thinking I was scaring her I left her alone in the room. I few minutes later I heard her doing what I assume to be grey contact calls? They kinda sound like short whistles, so I came back into the room. She seems less fearful now with me sitting next to her cage. She seems to have some sort of tick (not surprising) she rocks back and forth and then shakes her wings.

OK sorry this is in pieces, but a lot of stuff is happening with her and I am writing this on my phone while I'm with her. She climbed up the side of the cage and hung from the top like a bat for a while. Then she played with her toy before she fell back down to the bottom. She hasn't used the perches yet. She was acting like she wanted to get out and sit on the cage so I opened the door and before I even had it open she was pushing it open with her head and she promptly crawled down the stand of the cage and onto the floor. She began to calmly cruse around my bedroom. She then came up to my feet and said want to step up (aww) and I did. I put her back on the cage and after one more lap around my room she climbed back up the cage and is currently sitting on the top.

Again sorry if this isn't the best written post, but I was dealing with her while writing it and a lot has changed in a short period of time. And I know this isn't brief haha. Wow she is way more bird than a quaker! I can see why people say they are like 3 year old children. I'm going to have my hands full.

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[Ziggymon]

Oh, you're going to love her.

Tara, my CAG, also tends to fall off her perch when she startles about something, so I have the bottom of her cage padded: I cut a foam mattress topper to size, then put a piece o fleece over it and tuck it under at the edges. Then I put newspaper on top of that.

I learned the hard way with Ziggy, my B&G, that birds can hurt themselves very seriously if they fall in their cages.

ETA: One of my nicknames for Tara is "Batgirl."

 

[alnoble89]

Aww sweet baby sounds like she likes you.

 

[Danita]

Cute update.
The rocking side to side with wings a little open is them anxious/wanting something, doesn't always mean step up, so don't misread that one
It is really hard on her right now, so keep the stimulation low, TV, lighting, etc.
See if you can spoon feed her something warm and mushy,

 

[Coo Coo]

She seems to be afraid of her perches and is hanging from the side of the cage instead. She is right now actually sleeping hanging upside down on the side of the cage. I am a little concerned she hasn't eaten or gotten a drink yet. I have her old food and a bowl of fresh water in her cage, but she hasn't touched them. She did multiple good poops in the evening, so she must have been well fed and hydrated earlier in the day.

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[kcbee]

I'm sure as she starts to feel more comfortable she will eat and drink, but definitely keep a good eye on her - like you are!

Thank you for bringing her home. You two are going to have so much fun!

 

[LuvMyAlex]

Congratulations It sounds like you both are going to get along just fine!

 

[Anne & Gang]

congratulations..just give her time to settle in...you and she will be fine together!!!

 

[birdlvr466]

Congratulations on getting your baby home! This was all a big change for her so it will take time. Just some thoughts I had about her perches. What kind of perches are in there? Birds need a variety of things to perch on, such as boings, wood, platforms etc. I have had Carlos be afraid of a new perch so I had to take it out and leave it next to his cage. Everything is new to her so she will be a little afraid. I would put some perches lower in the cage as well so she doesnt have to be up high if she doesnt want to be. I would also pad the bottom of the cage with several layers of newspaper in the event she falls, she wont get hurt. I think you mentioned she was clipped. If your household can accomodate a fully flighted bird I would let her be fully flighted. Grey's are heavy bodied birds and their ability to fly has so much to do with their balance and confidence. If she cant be fully flighted then I would opt for a long clip, which will allow her to glide to the floor, not drop like a lead balloon. The fact that she is already letting you know what she wants is amazing! I think she will settle in with you beautifully. Cant wait for an update this morning.

 

[roxynoodle]

She needs some time. New things can be scary, especially for a bird that never really had anything. Be calm, kind, patient and talk softly. Talk as you are approaching her.

Merlin didn't eat the first night she was here, but she did eat like a piggy in the morning.

My amazon didn't have toys and only had one perch and it takes time to introduce him to things. I begin by hanging the toy on the outside of the cage at the bottom. Every couple of days I move it up a little. Once it's been at the top for a few days, then I put it in. And I only do one toy at a time and let him adjust to that one before I begin the slow process with the next one.

She sounds like quite a talker and very smart! As for contact calls, well, Greys come up with whatever ones they want to I might get whistles, kisses, farts, video game laser guns, lol! Or all of those! If she's really upset she might growl at you, and it sounds like a big dog when they do. She will also poof up (and look angry). There are angry/aggressive poofs and happy poofs. You probably can tell the difference even if you aren't used to them.

 

[birdlvr466]

Speaking of sounds Carlos makes the sound of the smoke alarm to let me know he wants to get up!
Not amusing when it is 5:30 or 6am
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[Coo Coo]

When I woke up she was still hanging on the side, now 45 minutes later she is sitting on the edge of her food bowl eating a peanut. As I am writing this she is falling asleep with the peanut in her foot, so I doubt she got much sleep hanging from the side. She seems to be adjusting pretty fast considering she was in the same cage for 18 years.

Last night I realized her "contact call" is that beep a smoke alarm makes when it's running out of batteries haha.

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[sodakat]

When I woke up she was still hanging on the side, now 45 minutes later she is sitting on the edge of her food bowl eating a peanut. As I am writing this she is falling asleep with the peanut in her foot, so I doubt she got much sleep hanging from the side. She seems to be adjusting pretty fast considering she was in the same cage for 18 years.

Last night I realized her "contact call" is that beep a smoke alarm makes when it's running out of batteries haha.

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Such good news! You know, Grey's do have a natural sound that to me anyway, sounds like beeping. But of course she may be copying a smoke alarm beep.

 

[Tangle Elf]

Depending on what types of perches she had before and how many, it could take her a while to trust the new ones. Do you have the old perch in there? If not, can you get one very similar? If it's something you want to get her away from using, have other perches that are higher. Let her get use to the other perches, then remove it. Does she have some light at night? The last time I touched Korbin Dallas's perch and it became diseased so he could no longer touch the evil tainted thing, he went back to it as soon as the lights went out. He won't go anywhere if it's too dark though. Korbin Dallas gets scared or loses his balance sometimes and falls. I keep a fleece blanket folded at the bottom of his cage under the paper. It's good to hear she's doing well.

 

[roxynoodle]

Merlin has quite the library of beeps and also does a spot on imitation of the fire alarm going off. She was here for 10 minutes and had me running all over like a maniac thinking the house was on fire Guests have also gone running out the door for the same reason

Continue repeating her sounds and words back to her. They want to be friends with those who speak their language.

 

[Danita]

I am excited to hear the next update!
Has she stopped hanging off the cage bars?

 

[Katy]

Your post was wonderfully written and given the trauma she's been through, things sound like a sorta ok place to start! I'm so very excited for you and grateful you could save her. Good luck and keep us posted so we can all vicariously enjoy your adventure with you two!

 

[Coo Coo]

She has stopped hanging from the side for the most part. She now mostly uses the bars for moving around.

She is becoming louder and more persistent with her calls to me when I leave the room, so I've been waiting for her to quiet down before entering the room and spending time with her. She quiets down the minute I come in the room and just uses her human voice when I am around.

She gained the courage to sit on one of the perches, so now she is spending most of her time sitting on the side of her food dish or on her new favorite perch. I also saw her get a little sip of water.

Right now she is having her out of cage time, while I am writing this and working on my homework. She has stayed on her cage tonight and seems a lot more calm and relaxed than last night. She's been doing a lot of preening, but I haven't seen any feather pulling or her focusing on any one spot.

She hasn't bit me or shown me any aggression yet, but I haven't pushed her and I let her have her space. I've only handled her twice so far. Once when she asked to step up and then later on last night when she was running around on the floor and it was time for her to go back into her cage so we could go to sleep. I'll probably have to pick her up again tonight to get her back in the cage.

I've read that you might be able to tell the sex by looking at the underside of their tail feathers, so I snapped a picture while she was on the side of the cage. I don't know if that is true or if this picture helps at all, but here it is:

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[Coo Coo]

OK pretty cool! She just sneezed and I told her bless you and not less than 5 seconds later she said bless you, in my voice no less. Wow!

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[birdlvr466]

Sounds like she is going to settle in fine. I would be careful about allowing her on the floor though. It really is a dangerous place for them. They could get stepped on. Tequila is the only one of my three that will get on the floor. When he does, I tell him "off the floor" and go pick him up and put him on a playstand or on his cage porch. If he persists, then he goes back in his cage for a time out. Just a suggestion.