Care taker of grey in icu

[Wordsmith]

My gf of 14 yrs suffered a hemophoragic stroke, and then 11 seizures this last Saturday. She is in ICU, with complications popping up left and right. I highly doubt she is ever coming home. She was the main care taker of the bird, whosename is Cloee. Clo has bonded with me. So my question is how do i care for her?

Before going work, i give her fresh food and water and interact with her for 15 mins. Once home i will visit her cage and spend 30 mins talking to her and petting her. Still she may bit a finger off. But beyond this, is there anything else i can do?

I'm so sad and devistated, and desperately need advice thank you all in advance.

 

[Sparkles99]

I'm very sorry to hear about your girlfriend. I hope she gets better!

It might help to know what kind of bird Clo is. Meanwhile, I'm tagging some moderators who're online. @Zara @Mizzely @Macawnutz

 

[Sparkles99]

I would try to help, but I don't have a bird yet...

 

[Zara]

Hi Michael,

I´m very sorry about your girlfriend, I wish hjer a steady recovery.

As for her Grey, feeding her is the obvious. Pellets and fresh vegetables. Clean water at least once per day, more if ¨soup¨is made (Pellets tossed in).

As for interaction, They need a lot more time than that. I will leave that up to the Grey owners here to answer.
Are you allowing some out of cage time for this bird?

 

[Mizzely]

I'm very sorry to hear about your girlfriend. Birds need a few things: food, water, toys, a safe place (cage), out of cage time, and to know they aren't alone.

The last bit is where you come in. The easiest thing you can do is just open the cage while you are nearby, talk to her, offer treats, etc.

 

[Wordsmith]

I'm very sorry to hear about your girlfriend. I hope she gets better!

It might help to know what kind of bird Clo is. Meanwhile, I'm tagging some moderators who're online. @Zara @Mizzely @Macawnutz

she is an african grey... this is the african grey forums right or did i post in the wrong spot?

 

[Wordsmith]

Hi Michael,

I´m very sorry about your girlfriend, I wish hjer a steady recovery.

As for her Grey, feeding her is the obvious. Pellets and fresh vegetables. Clean water at least once per day, more if ¨soup¨is made (Pellets tossed in).

As for interaction, They need a lot more time than that. I will leave that up to the Grey owners here to answer.
Are you allowing some out of cage time for this bird?

well not at this time. I had to do this once before and once out of the cage it took me well 8 hours to get her back into the cage and it was the bird laughing each time. she bit me good last time...

 

[Wordsmith]

curious if there is a flesh colored glove i can wear?

 

[Sparkles99]

Sorry, Wordsmith, I just saw it in the new posts section & wondered how everyone else knew what kind of bird Clo is.

 

[Monaco]

I'm so sorry about your girlfriend.

Maybe some target training is a good place to start? It can be done through cage bars at first. Getting some trust built up and experience avoiding bites will take some time. Plan on out of cage time for your days off or evenings so you can avoid the drama of getting her back in.

I'm sure the grey folks will be along to help soon.

 

[Nikomania]

In all honesty, your grey needs out of cage time. If you have concerns she will bite you, what you can do is wear a long sleeved sweatshirt or something that has a little bit of thickness, and then pass a stick or, what I've used with my macaw before was a long vacuum attachment passed up inside your sleeve. With your hand facing the sky, put the stick on the upper arm, hold in place with your fingers, and then offer your arm to 'step up'. If she bites, she will hit the stick and not your flesh. She will be surprised at striking hardness, and over time she won't even bother trying to chomp down on you. Helps towards building your own confidence and lesson your fear, which your grey will absolutely pick up on.

Is she flighted? If so, you might want to initially roll the cage into a smaller area, ie: laundry room, so she won't have very far to go.

This worked for my macaw 100% over a very short period of time. Eventually I could get rid of the 'stick'.

I'm so deeply sorry to hear about your lady and pray for her complete recovery.

 

[Wordsmith]

In all honesty, your grey needs out of cage time. If you have concerns she will bite you, what you can do is wear a long sleeved sweatshirt or something that has a little bit of thickness, and then pass a stick or, what I've used with my macaw before was a long vacuum attachment passed up inside your sleeve. With your hand facing the sky, put the stick on the upper arm, hold in place with your fingers, and then offer your arm to 'step up'. If she bites, she will hit the stick and not your flesh. She will be surprised at striking hardness, and over time she won't even bother trying to chomp down on you. Helps towards building your own confidence and lesson your fear, which your grey will absolutely pick up on.

Is she flighted? If so, you might want to initially roll the cage into a smaller area, ie: laundry room, so she won't have very far to go.

This worked for my macaw 100% over a very short period of time. Eventually I could get rid of the 'stick'.

I'm so deeply sorry to hear about your lady and pray for her complete recovery.

thanks i will try that....

 

[EagleClem]

I am so very sorry, there are no words. I am sure you love your gf very much by being so concerned and wanting to take such good care of her beloved grey. Sending you prayers and hugs

 

[macawpower58]

I also was going to suggest long sleeves that could also cover fingers.
The dowel/perch inside is a good idea!

Aside from that, you will be her only comfort and contact now that your girlfriend is in the hospital.
You need to show her you are good, friendly, understanding and enjoyable to have around.
This comes overtime so don't stress if it doesn't happen right away.

She may be missing your girlfriend (what is her name?) so take that into consideration also.

I have an Amazon that would hang out on his cage 24/7. He also does not like 'going home'.
Bribery usually works, I place his favorite treat in his empty dish and sit reading while waiting for him to check it out.
Works 90% of the time. Silly bird does keep me on my toes.
I've even herded him a few times, pushing lightly with my sleeved arms to get him to move. He is a stubborn guy that can nip.

I'm sorry to hear about your girlfriend, and hope for the best for all 3 of you.

 

[dollfish]

I'm very sorry to hear that. I think you need to keep Clo occupied during this time as much as you can. If she accepts new toys easily, now is the time to get a couple of new ones. Try to look for toys where you can hide goodies in. Anything with nooks and crannies will help. Stuff these with seeds and other treats. Grays are very intelligent and like to be challenged. A very simple toy to make is a parrot-safe wooden block with holes drilled in to hide seeds, or a whole red cabbage on a parrot skewer for her to shread. You can hide treats inbetween layers or poke holes in it to do this.

As for going back in the cage, make sure you let her out before her breakfast or nighttime feeding so she is at her hungriest. Then you can follow other peoplezs advice and drop a little piece of banana or something in her bowl in the cage and wait for her to go. Do this let's say an hour or two prior to the time you want her in so that there's no rush and stress. Make sure the cage is the only place she has food and water, unless it goes out of hand and she hasn't had water for a day.

Working on touch training is a very good idea and you can interact through the cage bars as well.

 

[Zara]

I just saw it in the new posts section & wondered how everyone else knew what kind of bird Clo is

It was written in the thread title.

 

[Sparkles99]

Clearly missed that; I'm not yet used to the bird species acronyms, nicknames, abbreviations, etc. There's this whole secret lingo bird people seem to use.

 

[BrianB]

Sorry to hear about your girlfriend. I think spending time together just you and the bird could be a good bonding experience for you both. Training, and treats are always good, but sometimes just hanging out doing nothing important is good as well. Put her on the back of a chair or sofa while you watch tv. Greys aren't huge on being handled, but just being included can do wonders for them. Stepping up on a stick is a good start for coming in and out of the cage. I did find a pair of gloves on Amazon that I wear once in a while when one of the conures gets a little nippy with me. It may not be thick enough to prevent a bite, but the more fabric a bird can get in their mouth means far less flesh to fit in there. Just be slow with it since it would be something new and strange for the bird.

Best wishes to you both.

 

[Ulis_Beast]

@Wordsmith
I am so sorry you are going through this.

Make sure the cage is the only place she has food and water,

I disagree on the water part. Loki, my AG isn't indepandant enough to go to his cage, have a sip and come back out again (but he isn't flighted yet). I have water easily available to him all around the house.

Here's my day with him:
After waking him up at 6.30 am I take him out of the cage, we spend time together and after a good an hour (7.45ish) I put him back in for breakfast. After breakfast I leave for work or take him out again when I'm free or work afternoons. At 1.30pm I put him back in for lunch and leave for fork or we have a siesta if I'm free and I take him out at 3.30pm (same time I come from work). When I work afternoons my boyfriend lets him out 6pm. At 7.30 he goes back in for dinner.
We train and hang out when he's out. He's my supervisor when I do my chores .
When the boyfriend lets him out he just hangs out on top of the cage... It is enough for now, Loki likes my boyfriend from a safe distance, they do have this good conversations though.
Sometimes we train in and around the cage so he gets it that being in the cage isn't the end of the world.
It took 9 months for Loki to get used to the schedule, but now the entire process is just natural, I believe it gives him a sense of security.
I also firmly believe it's only fair that the bird gets out of cage time twice a day, even if one of those is a quicky, as little as 15, 20 min, but ideally quantity and quality.
Maybe you could work out a schedule that will work out for you aswell.

Again I am sorry for what you're going through...
As hard as it is on you it's even harder for the bird sadly. You still have your family, friends, job, this forum even... The bird has lost everything.. Your girlfriend was a big part of your world, but his ENTIRE world.. Please understand he's likely more confused and scared than you are...
Try to be a friend for him if you can, let him grieve, support him and be understanding.
Who knows.. you might find solace in each others company.

I really, really hope your girlfriend will recover.

If you ever need support, a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on or advice.. know that I am here.. as are other members who are more than willing to help.

 

[dollfish]

@Wordsmith
I am so sorry you are going through this.


I disagree on the water part. Loki, my AG isn't indepandant enough to go to his cage, have a sip and come back out again (but he isn't flighted yet). I have water easily available to him all around the house.

Here's my day with him:
After waking him up at 6.30 am I take him out of the cage, we spend time together and after a good an hour (7.45ish) I put him back in for breakfast. After breakfast I leave for work or take him out again when I'm free or work afternoons. At 1.30pm I put him back in for lunch and leave for fork or we have a siesta if I'm free and I take him out at 3.30pm (same time I come from work). When I work afternoons my boyfriend lets him out 6pm. At 7.30 he goes back in for dinner.
We train and hang out when he's out. He's my supervisor when I do my chores .
When the boyfriend lets him out he just hangs out on top of the cage... It is enough for now, Loki likes my boyfriend from a safe distance, they do have this good conversations though.
Sometimes we train in and around the cage so he gets it that being in the cage isn't the end of the world.
It took 9 months for Loki to get used to the schedule, but now the entire process is just natural, I believe it gives him a sense of security.
I also firmly believe it's only fair that the bird gets out of cage time twice a day, even if one of those is a quicky, as little as 15, 20 min, but ideally quantity and quality.
Maybe you could work out a schedule that will work out for you aswell.

Again I am sorry for what you're going through...
As hard as it is on you it's even harder for the bird sadly. You still have your family, friends, job, this forum even... The bird has lost everything.. Your girlfriend was a big part of your world, but his ENTIRE world.. Please understand he's likely more confused and scared than you are...
Try to be a friend for him if you can, let him grieve, support him and be understanding.
Who knows.. you might find solace in each others company.

I really, really hope your girlfriend will recover.

If you ever need support, a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on or advice.. know that I am here.. as are other members who are more than willing to help.

Yeah I agree, I wouldn't keep the water in the cage if the bird hasn't had any for about day, or less if you don't feel comfortable like Ulis said. Training in and around the cage is one of the best things you can do to tell your bird that going in the cage does not mean that all interaction will stop. Sit with your bird once you put her in the cage and don't leave immediately. Even if Clo is not able to train through the bars, you can feed her some treats from outside the cage. It will have a similar effect. Ulis is also very right about the situation. I know it must be very difficult on you but the bird is also going though an immense amount of stress over not having your girlfriend. Taking care of Clo will not only help your bird cope with the situation but it may also help you relieve some stress by keeping your mind occupied.