11 year abandoned Grey Parrot

[vishalp]

Hi,
I have rescued a 11 year old African Grey Parrot with an absess on his left eye. The owner wants to give it away. I am treating it with an Avian vet. This parrot is caged for last 11 years and he bites if I try taking him out. His owner says that he never took it out of the cage.
Is it possible to gain his trust? Can I train him to be out of cage and sit on a perch? Its my 1st parrot. Please help.
Is it difficult to tame an 11 year old African Grey Parrot?

[Wolf]

Greys are not the easiest birds to keep, mostly because they require so much one on one time. They bond very tightly to their human and are not happy if separated from them. The biggest question is whether the bird will bond with you or not. I was very lucky when I got my Grey as she wanted me instantly, which solved some problems although it caused s few as well.
How long have you had the bird? What are you feeding the bird? What type of lighting schedule is the bird on?
If this bird were with me I would bird proof the room that it is in. Remove, cover or hide electrical cords to prevent chewing. I would make special effort to block access to getting under or behind furniture such as sofas, stuffed chairs and recliners and entertainment centers.
If the bird has been locked in its cage for ii years it is doubtful that it can or would try to fly so I would open the cage and let it come out to climb on its cage if it will. Keep any other animals away from the bird.
The hardest thing is to gain the birds trust and this can only be accomplished by hours of time just hanging out with the bird and giving it an occasional treat while talking and singing to it. Also play music for the bird as they love music.

[Pajarita]

If the bird is a wild-caught, it will be EXTREMELY difficult and, most likely, impossible because he has not imprinted to humans and all he has gotten from them is a jail and cruelty. But this doesn't mean that he cannot have a much better life with you and that he will not be grateful for it. A good, fresh food diet, good light, a solar schedule and hours and hours and hours of out of cage time and quiet company will start bringing him back from the terrible lonely and dark place he now is. Parrots NEED company and love and that works to our advantage even when things appear completely hopeless so take your time, don't force him to do anything, let him set the pace while you improve his living conditions and you might have a miracle in the working here.

Thank you so very much for taking him in and taking him to the vet, you are a good person!

[liz]

I agree with Wolf and Pajarita. Opening his cage door is not only showing him that he can have more freedom but it is also giving him the respect he has never had. Don't even try to touch him and don't look him in the eye. It may take a long time before he comes out but he will and he will know that you did it. You can also put food and water outside the cage door so you won't have to put your hand in his cage.

[vishalp]

Thank You for your wonderful reply. I am worried if I Keep the cage open and if the bird comes out. How am I suppose to put him in again. I am already talking to wolf on an other page. Thanks Pajarita and Liz for your suggestions.
Its not a wild caught. Its come from a very bad family who dont want to take care of him when he is in bad pain.
Wolf Sir, Thankyou again.

[liz]

When he is out of cage is when you clean it and put fresh food in. When you want him back in put a piece of his favorite food.

[Wolf]

Again if this bid has been kept in his cage for 11 years, it is very doubtful that he has the musculature to fly so he will be restricted to climbing and walking so he will not be fast enough to evade you. This is especially true if the cage that he was kept in is the one that you described in your other post as it is too small for this bird.
Establishing a good schedule for him will help a lot as he needs to get up at sunrise and go to sleep by full dark or he will not be getting adequate rest which will make him more aggressive and it will deplete his immune system to the point that his body cannot heal itself. This bird should be eating breakfast within the first hour of waking up in the morning and it should be about 40% whole grains either soaked or cooked, 40% of vegetables cooked or fresh or cooked and 20% white beans and lentils which need to be fully cooked and he should have enough of this to eat on all day long until dinner time about 2 hours before dark when he should be fed a quality seed mix which needs to be removed when he goes to sleep.
You should consider opening his cage and letting him come out and at least spend a couple of hours before dinnertime just hanging out with you, this will help him to gain trust in you as well as you in him and trust works in both directions. If you will do this, in addition to the feeding and sleeping schedule that I just recommended to you it will not be long before he will be ready and willing to go back into his cage at dinner time. Schedules are very important to birds as they are creatures of habit and it also give them a feeling of security in knowing what is going to happen at certain times of the day every day. it also give them the feeling of having some control over their lives. These are all good strong steps in the development of trust in you.