Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby mustafarangoon » Wed Aug 03, 2016 11:46 pm

Yesterday i took 1 african :gray: , When we reached home he was not moving to his big cage and not even ready to leave transport cage. Tried everything but after sometime when i wore gloves and tried to pick him , he moved one leg on my hand but then suddenly bited. I called store people to get him into his cage. he is not allowing anybody to even passby from his side. whenever anyone try to talk to him he just start screaming and shows biting signals. He watches me continuously and starts moving he head up and down then he starts screaming while his head is slight down from his body.

I see many videos on youtube but i thing my Grey is more aggressive then those.

I am new to bird keeping and i need your help what to do in this case.
Last edited by mustafarangoon on Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
mustafarangoon
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 38
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: African Grey Parrot
Flight: No

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Wolf » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:10 am

Your bird is scared. He is all alone and in a strange new place with a human that he neither knows or trusts, so he is terrified that he is going to be your next meal. as this is what would happen to him in the wild. Try and place the travel cage so that the open door of it is against the entrance to his cage, with both food and water in the cage. Then back off from them and just talk to him in a coaxing type of voice and keep giving him good bird type of praise, but do not watch him except from the corner of your eyes. This will help to calm him so that he might go into his cage on his own.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby mustafarangoon » Thu Aug 04, 2016 1:36 am

He got into his new cage. Store person came to my house and kept him in his new cage.
Since Yesterday night he is sacred like anything. Looks at me in anger mode, starts screaming etc. When i look into his eyes he gets more frustrated. How much time he could take to settle down ?
Is this a normal situation? Is it happens to every new bird or its just mine one? What should be my next move?
mustafarangoon
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 38
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: African Grey Parrot
Flight: No

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Wolf » Thu Aug 04, 2016 8:12 am

This is a very normal situation. Don't look the bird directly in the eye or full face on as this is the way that a predator looks at them when they are going to attack them. It only scares the bird more.

Greys require a lot of time and one on one interaction, so I would begin by spending up to 4 or 5 hours each day or as much time as you can just hanging out in the same room as the bird, talking to it in soothing tones and except for going over and dropping the occasional treat in its food dish I would remain at distance from the cage until the bird begins to relax and not be afraid. If you have chosen a name for your bird use it every time that you speak to him The obvious reason for this is so that he will learn his name, but it is so much more than this as the parrots parents give their babies a name when they hatch that they will use for that bird for its entire life, just the same as we do with our babies. A parrots name is very important to it.

Almost every predator on this planet has their eyes in the front of their head, while most prey animals have their eyes on the sides, there are some exceptions to this, but generally this is how it is. A predator looks straight on at the bird with both eyes when it is looking to attack the bird, so when you do this or look the bird in the eye you scare the bird as it thinks that you are looking at it as your next meal. For this reason you should observe the bird from the corners of your eyes and/ or with short glances. This will help to calm the bird.

Use a calm, soothing tone of voice when speaking to your new bird, this will help to calm it and help it to relax. Parrots are flock animals so they are highly social creatures and they derive much of their sense of security and well being from the presence of their flock. With this young of a Grey you are not only its flock but you have taken on the role of its parents and as such it will come to depend on you to teach it everything that it is going to need to know to survive in a human environment including what foods to eat.

The bird is going to call for it parent(s), in this situation it is calling for the people that it knew and trusted, but you are now in that role so take the time to answer the bird whenever it screams and calls for you. This does not mean to rush over to the cage, it means to answer the birds calling to you.

Signs that the bird is beginning to relax in your presence are not moving away from you when you approach the cage or standing on one foot as well as some vocalisations other than the screaming.

There is no way of knowing how long this will take, it depends on both you and the bird, but it is likely to take a few days before the bird begins to relax and look forward to your presence. Except for food and water try to remain out of the birds cage for the first few days, it is better to have a dirtier cage for a few days than it is to scare the bird more.

Once your bird begins to accept you and begins to relax in your presence then you can start by slowly approaching the cage, moving towards it when the bird relaxes and taking a step back away when the bird get nervous, until you reach the cage. During this time you should be speaking to the bird with lots of praise in a soothing tone and using its name often and then offer the bird something like a nut for a treat, almonds work well for me. Offer this treat through the bars of the cage and at the perch that he is on. He will either come over for the treat or not if you will hold it there to give him the chance to come to get it. If he does not come for the treat place it in his food dish and leave come back later and try again. This should only take about 3 or 4 minutes and only do it 3 to 4 times a day. It is very important to leave the treat for the bird.

It is not unusual for the initial period of acclimating to its new environment to take up to 30 days of more.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Pajarita » Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:25 pm

This bird doesn't sound as if he is captive-bred... is it, by any chance, a wild-caught bird? Because, if it is, it's going to take a loooooooong time and a lot of patience, expertise and love to get him to trust you? Do you have any experience whatsoever with parrots or is this your first one? I am asking because the proper recommendations/techniques depend on your answer. Wolf suggestions are all good but I think that he is thinking this is a hand-fed bird and, going by his reactions, it doesn't sound as if he is to me.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Navre » Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:26 pm

If the bird is one year old, is shouldn't be wild caught. What country are you in?

What does the bird's tail look like? Bright red all the way to the end, or trimmed in a brownish? What color are his eyes? Black, grey, or yellowish?

I guess a parent raised one-year-old who has had no human contact might react like a wild caught.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby mustafarangoon » Thu Aug 04, 2016 11:07 pm

My :gray: is having black eyes, Red short tail. I am from India (Mumbai) Yesterday when i was talking to him, he suddenly started to eat, i started praising him like good boy etc. Then he started moving around cage round and round like if he is asking me to get him out but whenever i try to reach cage he started screaming, Started to spread left and right wings turn-wise. Then i asked him to drink water using my right hand first finger...He looked at me like crazy and then went to that side and started drinking water and again i started praising him and it happened for approx 6 times. Again after 2 to 3 mints he started roaming round and round around cage and biting cage like if he want to go out. I am a newbie in this field. I called up store people and they said he will take time approx 6 months to tame.
mustafarangoon
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 38
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: African Grey Parrot
Flight: No

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby liz » Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:11 am

I understand that he is not a cuddly little bird like some we have seen in the forum. He may never be but you don't know until he stops being afraid.

The method I use is to basically ignore them except for talking to him or around him. Put a perch as close to eye level as you can but don't look right at him. Caring for him but not asking anything of him will calm his fears. Parrot proof a room and let him out to investigate the new home and people in it.

When my kids were little and I took them to a museum with their friends we had a little problem with on of the kids. He had never been in an elevator and was scared when the door opened and he was in a different and strange room. I had to get back on the elevator with him and travel a few floors to make him understand and not be afraid.

You took your bird from his home and friends and put him in a strange place with strange people. He does not understand why his surroundings are so strange. He will recover with love and care.
User avatar
liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Wolf » Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:44 am

I never put time limits on how long it will take to do anything with a parrot and for me this is even more so when it comes to my Grey. Things that I think might take a long time she may learn after just a very few attempts and other times it will take even longer than I thought it would.

It sounds to me as if your Grey is not yet ready for you to reach into its cage, be patient with him and respect his point of view in this matter and don't reach into his cage any more than you need to. I did some extra looking at your profile and although you have not told us his name, I think that I saw that his name is Alex, is this right? I am asking as I would prefer calling him by his name when speaking of him, rather than saying the Grey, your bird and such as that.

With any bird, trust is the most important thing that you can establish as it is the basis for your relationship with your bird and for every interaction that you will have with him. The more that he trusts in you the better the bonding will be and the quicker he will learn new things from you. Without trust the only thing that we usually end up with is a screaming, biting mass of feathers that wants nothing to do with us. The method that I shared with you earlier is based upon building this trust from the bird towards you. As Pajarita said, I was assuming that your bird was probably not a wild caught bird, but except for the amount of time involved in establishing the trust in you, I think that this method will still work better in the long run than any other way that you may find, but this is only my opinion.

Grey's have a tendency to need more calcium in their diet than many other parrots so it might be a good idea to include some raw broccoli in his diet. He may not recognize it as food, but if while you are in the room with him, you should have some small pieces of broccoli on hand that you could nibble on, or make it look like you are eating it. Parrots tend to want some of everything that we eat, so it is a very good way to teach them to eat the fruits and vegetables that we want them to eat. He may only taste it and spit it out right at first but don't give up on this as broccoli is very good for them. You can do this with any fruit, vegetable or nut that you want them to learn to eat, but is may take some time to work.

Is there anything else that we can help you with at this time?
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

Postby Pajarita » Fri Aug 05, 2016 12:18 pm

Black eyes? Are you sure? Because African grays only have dark grey or black eyes when they are VERY young (usually up to 4 months of age, only) and, by the time they are one year old, their eyes are a light grey which turns to yellow and gets lighter and lighter as they age. Please double check your bird's eyes because if they are truly black or dark grey, you are dealing with a baby and not a juvenile as you though and you would have to provide two kinds of soft food, served fresh and warm twice a day -and, if you can handfeed it some formula every day, it will be even better. If the store people told you it was going to take six months to tame it and this is, indeed, a baby, your bird was not handfed or imprinted to humans.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Next

Return to Taming & Basic Training

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store