New Grey owner & learning the basics

[joshtewing]

This last Friday after many years of deliberation have decided to pull the trigger as it were and buy an African Grey. Now I have read and heard different things from different people about how to 'bond' with your bird. So here is my situation:

-4month old African Grey - hand fed etc

The first day I got her, I forced her on my finger. Partially my fault due to my confidence level, got shaky and fell/flapped to the ground. I had to reach down and pick her up with two hands. She started holding the cage with her beak. So I stopped, since I don't want to traumatize the poor thing. She retreats into her cage, and when she does I leave her be and don't stick my hand in there. I let her come to me, before I pet her and try to hold her.

From the mixed messages I have gotten, I try to take her out of her cage at least 15min a day. To get her on my finger I coax her out with food and head scratches. I then push my finger against her chest to throw her off balance and force her to 'step up' all the while I am telling her to 'step up'. Once she does I hold her face me close to my chest and stroke her head & back. She seems to calm down, I then travel to another room where her cage is not visible while talking to her.

I was told by someone that if I let her spend too much time in her cage, she will become cage bound and never learn to be comfortable outside of it. Hence why I take her to a place where she can't see it.

I am super paranoid, and want to do right by my new Grey. She is extremely new, and I am not sure if I am pushing her too fast. She doesn't bite me, at least not hard anyway.

I am just wondering if this is the right way to go? I am also wondering if the sooner I get a playpen for her and put it in a room without her cage it might speed up the trust and confidence level. I know that she is still getting used to her new environment. So again I don't want to force anything, that may cause long term psychological effects.

She still comes to me and hangs out of her cage, eats from my hand and allows me to pet her. All advice is welcome.

[Wayne361]

Never "force" her onto your hand. Teach proper step-up procedures using positive reinforcement i.e. the bird WANTS to. Use info in Michael's blog for the "how to" If you continue to "force" bird, bird could eventually make a habit of avoiding your hands.

[Wolf]

I guess that I will start by agreeing with Wayne361. Never force or try to force your bird to do anything as it will create problems for you later on.

Moving on to cage and play gym. Yes, I would go ahead and get the play gym and place it across the room from her cage. This is so she has the opportunity to see it and get used to it. I don't think that I would worry to much about working/ playing with her away from her cage, unless it proves to be too much of a distraction for her, I would work with her in the same room as her cage, at least part of the time. Fifteen minutes is not nearly enough out of cage time, you need to consider something more like 2 to 4 hours per day out of cage time.

An African Grey is a very special bird and because of its unique mix of intelligence and emotional sensitivity can be a most difficult bird to keep happy enough to avoid some of the behavioral problems common to this bird in captivity. They also need a diet that has a bit more protein and vitamin A than other species of parrots.

I would like to be able to give you answers that are more tailored to your specific needs so I am going to ask for more information.
!) Do you have any other animals in your house? This relates to the birds environment ,and most specifically on how best to provide out of cage time safely.
2)Have you taken her to be checked out by an avian vet yet? Want to make sure that she is healthy and is not hiding an illness. They are very good at this as it is needed in the wild for survival.
3)What is her feeding schedule and what does she eat ( not what you give her, what she actually eats) At 4 months she is not fully weaned and may need additional nutrition.
4) Have you taken the time to bird proof all areas that she will have access to? By this I mean remove or cover all electric cords as she will chew them and can easily puncture them. Also make sure that she can't get into any space that she could get trapped in or behind or under.

That covers the questions that I have at present, but I have one more thing that I think you need to be aware of. your bird will need to have a way to bathe of get a shower. You can provide a shallow dish large enough for her to get into but no more than a couple of inches deep, you only need an inch or so of water in it, no more than slightly warm or just above room temperature for a bath. In the event that she doesn't want a bath you want to consider a spray bottle that you can put the same temperature of water in to mist her with. She will need a bath about once or twice a week.

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

[GreenWing]

Go easy. One, your Grey is a baby. Don't force the bird. The bird needs time to adjust to its new home and environment.

Let your bird get to know you by sitting next to the cage, sing, whistle, and feed it while you eat (this is a bonding behavior). Soon enough, as your relationship grows, you can start to teach your Grey to "step up."

[joshtewing]

Thank you all for the advice and responses. I will be more patient with her. Tomorrow I am going to pick up a playpen for her and allow her more out of cage time. We do have a couple chihuahuas, and while they are good doggies, one of them I am not too sure about. So I can't just let the birdie explore. It has to be controlled. I am hoping the playpen will help. Though, with each passing day the dogs have gotten better and better, and will probably be a non issue before long.

[Wolf]

Thank you all for the advice and responses. I will be more patient with her. Tomorrow I am going to pick up a playpen for her and allow her more out of cage time. We do have a couple chihuahuas, and while they are good doggies, one of them I am not too sure about. So I can't just let the birdie explore. It has to be controlled. I am hoping the playpen will help. Though, with each passing day the dogs have gotten better and better, and will probably be a non issue before long.

It is good that you are getting her a play pen and are giving your bird/friend more time out and I am sure that it will help, I can tell you from experience that before too long the one thing that will make her the happiest is just to hang out with and on you.

I also have other animals besides birds in my house. My dogs and cats are good and mostly give the birds a wide path, but you can never take them for granted if you want to have a live bird.
Never assume that it is safe to let them go unsupervised together because dogs are predators and birds are prey. Never let your guard down. Even though it is quite humorous to see two 100 lb. dogs cowed by a 3 oz. bird or to watch 6 ten lb. cats run from a 1 lb. bird, you must never forget that dogs are predators and that you cannot move fast enough to save your bird if your vigilance slip even one time.

Have you given your bird a name yet? Is she a CAG or is she a TAG? I for one would really love to see her, so if you ever feel like showing her off pictures of her would really be nice.