Hi ..I’m Kathy and this is Rio ..I recently adopted/rescued this little older Grey…not sure of her age or really of her sex…poor baby was living mostly alone in a spare bedroom and her owner was moving…she is very sweet and talks up a storm so she must have had love and attention from a previous owner …I believe I am her third and the man didn’t know a lot about her…he said he had taken her to a vet at one point and due to her worn out little open band on left foot they assumed her to possibly be around 20 and a female..I have only had her for 2 weeks and have been taking time to bond with her slowly…I am letting her out of her cage for short periods ..was told she didn’t fly but she does..very well..my problem is she won’t step up from her cage..or go back in..the only time she will step up to my hand is from the floor if she happens to land there. She will bow her little head for scratches but when I attempt to get her to step up she will attempt a bite ..I must admit I am alittle afraid of that and I think she knows it..I’m trying and maybe it’s just a matter of time but I would like to be able to get her to the vet and a nail/beak trim..I tried putting a carrier inside the cage w a treat but she’s not having that at all ..just climbed on the back and hung on..I would love to have advice on climbing this hurdle !
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Pictures Little Grey Rio
- Thread starter Katl1957
- Start date
Two weeks is a short time. Many take weeks to settle in & learn to trust you. CAG's tend to be hands off birds. They like life to move slowly & are always on the defensive. They are super intelligent & like to know the why/what/how of everything. Why you want them to step up, where you are taking them & why. They often fear anything new including toys, perches, foods. Placing them close by for several days, touchig them often can help. As for food I often have to eat or fake eat a new food before our CAG Jengo will touch it.
The bow head pretending to want a scratch is a trick to lure you in & then you get nailed. Our CAG does this too.
Our CAG is 25 years old. We got her at 6 months of age. She has never stepped up from inside or on top of her cage or the door. She will climb down onto the seed skirt & step up for me there. I wave my hand, ask her to climb down & tell her why & where I will take her. Jengo will go in her cage on command. Their cage is their safe place, their home/nest.
Our CAG (Jengo) likes to move slowly. We call it "Jengo time", LOL. She waddles & walks at her speed, which is never fast. She loves foot toys, like baby stacking cups, small balls, etc. Jengo has never been big on wood toys. She prefers plastic/acrylic & paper toys. She loves to rip up junk mail.
I'd suggest you try relating words, commands, with items or actions. Example: step up is an action command, as is step down. An item would be a toy, food, etc. Use the same words, commands, being consistent, so as not to confuse her. Always reward good behaviour with phrase or a treat. Ignore negative behaviour. Perhaps you can contain your dogs in one room & let Rio get on the floor. Then work on step up. Once you get her to step up, take a slow walk around the room, then place her/step down on say the back of a chair. If she does it then phrase her. Then try to get her to step up off the chair, do another slow walk, then back to her cage. Ask her to go in. Reward her with phrase or a treat if she goes in without trying to bite you. Keep doing training a little each day.
From the photos you posted it doesn't look like she needs a beak or nail trim. It looks like she's in perfect feather as well. Diet should be pellets, veggies, a little fruit. A daily in shell nut like a small almond. Water in cage 24/7, also pellets. CAG's require a higher calcium diet than other species of parrots.
I'm guessing the cage you have is a California Cage. All 3 of my parrots have these cages. Sadly they quit making them years ago. If you need in cage crocks, which they no longer make, you can get plastic ones. The size is #0, 8 ounce. You can find them here: Plastic Bird Crock, White, 8oz I'd go with white, as it's closest to the original color of light grey.
The bow head pretending to want a scratch is a trick to lure you in & then you get nailed. Our CAG does this too.
Our CAG is 25 years old. We got her at 6 months of age. She has never stepped up from inside or on top of her cage or the door. She will climb down onto the seed skirt & step up for me there. I wave my hand, ask her to climb down & tell her why & where I will take her. Jengo will go in her cage on command. Their cage is their safe place, their home/nest.
Our CAG (Jengo) likes to move slowly. We call it "Jengo time", LOL. She waddles & walks at her speed, which is never fast. She loves foot toys, like baby stacking cups, small balls, etc. Jengo has never been big on wood toys. She prefers plastic/acrylic & paper toys. She loves to rip up junk mail.
I'd suggest you try relating words, commands, with items or actions. Example: step up is an action command, as is step down. An item would be a toy, food, etc. Use the same words, commands, being consistent, so as not to confuse her. Always reward good behaviour with phrase or a treat. Ignore negative behaviour. Perhaps you can contain your dogs in one room & let Rio get on the floor. Then work on step up. Once you get her to step up, take a slow walk around the room, then place her/step down on say the back of a chair. If she does it then phrase her. Then try to get her to step up off the chair, do another slow walk, then back to her cage. Ask her to go in. Reward her with phrase or a treat if she goes in without trying to bite you. Keep doing training a little each day.
From the photos you posted it doesn't look like she needs a beak or nail trim. It looks like she's in perfect feather as well. Diet should be pellets, veggies, a little fruit. A daily in shell nut like a small almond. Water in cage 24/7, also pellets. CAG's require a higher calcium diet than other species of parrots.
I'm guessing the cage you have is a California Cage. All 3 of my parrots have these cages. Sadly they quit making them years ago. If you need in cage crocks, which they no longer make, you can get plastic ones. The size is #0, 8 ounce. You can find them here: Plastic Bird Crock, White, 8oz I'd go with white, as it's closest to the original color of light grey.
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Hi!
Congratulations on your new addition!
Definitely can't take a chance with the puppers, my puppers have been with me and birds since puppies, and I'm always cautious.
One nice thing about older puppers is they nap a lot ..maybe a they would be ok hanging out In a large dog crate a few hours a day to allow parrot out time ? I used to have one of those large adjustable metal fence like things and put a top on it on it when mine were young . So they could hang out with us , but keep all safe . Anyway I'm sure you will find your way .
This is a great community to be part of , glad you joined
Congratulations on your new addition!
Definitely can't take a chance with the puppers, my puppers have been with me and birds since puppies, and I'm always cautious.
One nice thing about older puppers is they nap a lot ..maybe a they would be ok hanging out In a large dog crate a few hours a day to allow parrot out time ? I used to have one of those large adjustable metal fence like things and put a top on it on it when mine were young . So they could hang out with us , but keep all safe . Anyway I'm sure you will find your way .
This is a great community to be part of , glad you joined
Thank you so much for all of your detailed suggestions ! She doesn’t nail me when I am petting her head she loves it and bows her head for me all the time even when she is out of her cage ..its when I then move to her belly that she will either try a bite or fly away ..when she hits the floor she will step up right away ..its just the cage that she seems a little territorial over maybe ? Poor thing has been caged so long that I imagine she would be protective over it ..I do have some crocks for the cage ..I put fresh veggies and fruit in one and her pellets in the other along with one for water…she is now using the water bowl she had been using a bottle when she came but seems to now be drinking from the bowl more so I have removed the bottle ..when I first met her she had a huge box with tons of pellets in it and the water bottle which leads me to believe she had no fresh food or interaction..even so her spirit is so sweet ..the first thing she says is good morning sweetheart ..then bird bird bird is the word she has already stolen my heart …
I have a big cage outside on patio I would love to bring her in and out of on nice days but for now I am really fearful she will fly as I bring her out ..have you had any experience with a harness for this purpose ? Again thank you so much for your reply !!!
I have a big cage outside on patio I would love to bring her in and out of on nice days but for now I am really fearful she will fly as I bring her out ..have you had any experience with a harness for this purpose ? Again thank you so much for your reply !!!
Thank you for your suggestions ..fortunately I have a multigenerational home with my daughter son in law and their little ones ..it’s almost set up like a duplex where I have my own side so I am able to put the dogs over there when Rio is out of her cage ..right now because the kids are crazy about her they will run over to visit us and forget to shut door which would allow dogs in …I’m working on that The best part of our situation is Rio will be part of our family for keeps she will always have a home
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Congratulations on your new bird. 2 weeks is a super short period of time. I would perhaps look into target training and teaching her to step up on a perch for now.
I have a Grey named Tyrion that is almost 12 yrs old that I have had the pleasure of keeping since he was 4 months old. Stepping up is a learned behavior that should be done every chance you get . There are videos of how to do this on the web but I found treats was the way to go with him . I treated every time he did something I wanted him to do like step up or down. I also treated when I passed by his cage and talked and explained everything to him. Even now I explain when Im vacuuming or sweeping to him and the others ( 2 Amazons) He learned quickly and is very smart. I sing to him and he has learned 4 songs and sings them all the time. Keeping your dogs away is very important as Greys think they own the house so the dogs no matter how long they have lived together are second class citizens to your bird . Be careful with lil ones and your Grey as they can be really one person birds and dont really like others for the most part. If you run into issues with this make sure the kids are treating when they interact with your Grey and dont push everything in moderation. Feeding good whole foods is very important lots of green veggies and fruit . I feed mainly whole foods with a seed nut mixture I make for my birds with some TOPs pellets in there for good measure . Making sure your Grey has a diverse food stuffs with a wide mixture every day . The book Good Bird is a great read .
Still getting hang of this thread I didn't mean to post ..anyway she dances and talks when the girls are in the room but not when my son in law or grandson are here…is that odd? I will get the recommended books ..I want to give her the best life ever !
Petting should only be head, beak, feet. Any place else can trigger sexual desire.
Getting a harness on a CAG is doubtful. As they don't usually like be handled. I'd wait a bit until she learns to trust you more to try a harness.
Parrots can sense adrenaline levels. Kids levels are high, so yep it gets parrots excited when kids are close. Parrots also tend to prefer one sex, which is often what the original breeder was. So if the breeder was female it could be that's why Rio seems to like females more than males. It's not a given tho.
Getting a harness on a CAG is doubtful. As they don't usually like be handled. I'd wait a bit until she learns to trust you more to try a harness.
Parrots can sense adrenaline levels. Kids levels are high, so yep it gets parrots excited when kids are close. Parrots also tend to prefer one sex, which is often what the original breeder was. So if the breeder was female it could be that's why Rio seems to like females more than males. It's not a given tho.
Yes I don’t scratch her anywhere but her head and I hold her feet when she steps up from the floor…she does love having her head scratched by me but not sure she would be ready for anyone else in the family to do it. She also seems to be ok with me misting her with water and splashing around in her water bowl..I’m not sure of any of her background as in breeder and I can’t really see anything to read on her open band ..it looks very old …I am in search of an avian vet here in NJ but haven’t found one yet ..not in a huge rush because she clearly has no interest in the carrier ..I tried putting some brown paper in the cage to see if she wanted to play with it but she got very frightened and flew around the room 3 times till I got it out ..I’m learning something new about her daily
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