Got new African Grey Approx 1 year old

[Wolf]

Well I do not know a lot about India, but although it may be illegal to import wild caught birds, I do know that it does happen quite a bit there. It could also be that the first bird was parent raised and not socialized.

I am sorry that you felt the need to exchange him, but I hope that this works out for the best. Please keep us informed and know that we will be here to help you and your bird any time you need it. Also that we do like to hear about you and your bird even when there is no problems.

[mustafarangoon]

he is not afraid of me when i am close to him and when cage is open but he tries to comeout with his own which i didnt allowed him to....i tried to raise my hand to his chest to step-up but he showed a sign of biting and went inside. I am worried about getting him out on his own because what if he doesnt want to go inside? or dont allow me to get him inside? so, i just wahted to give him msg that if u want to come out then u have to learn to step up...is it right?
Also he is calm and quite..why? i can see him playing around, sometimes he fluffs up his whole body when my hands are on cage and watches me carefully. Please suggest me what to do next?

[Wolf]

Keep hands off of cage for now as you are scaring him which is why he is puffing up. He is trying to look bigger. Sit and talk to him and offer a treat now and then. Give him time to get used to having you around and talking to him.

Everything that we suggested that you do when you first got the other Grey, is what you need to do with this one. Because this one has been socialized it should respond to you quicker than the other one would have.

[Pajarita]

Yep, what Wolf said is correct, you have to follow exactly the same advice that was previously given. But (and I don't mean to offend you in any way), it seems to me that no bird is going to work out unless you change your perspective and expectations. Parrots are not like dogs, they won't accept you just because you own them or even because you feed them (they are not predators, they are prey animals so, to them, getting food is not something they need to be grateful for). You need to put a lot of work, a lot of thought, a lot of time and a lot of patience into it and, then and only then and if you have done EVERYTHING right, they will bond with you. And I am talking months of you putting work into it without really getting much in return so, if you think that this bird is going to be a great pet in a matter of a few days or weeks, you have, like Americans say, another think coming...

[mustafarangoon]

Fine no issues. I was worried about bath, I have read somewhere that bird need to get bath twice a week right? then if he will take that long then how will i be able to bath him and clean his cage? even somebody suggested me to give him pellets because its full nutrition is it true?

[Wolf]

If you keep a shallow wide dish full of clean water where he can get to it he will normally bathe himself. I do mist my Grey once a week or more if she indicates that it is time for a bath. Some birds like being misted, you need to do it from above them kind of like rain. and some prefer baths.

The Pellet vs Seeds is a long standing controversy, it has been going on for many years without resolution. The pellet manufacturers want you to believe that it is a complete diet for your bird, but we have learned that with either pellets or seeds they should not make up more than 30% of their daily diet. If you look in the health, diet and nutrition section of the forum, you will be able to find all you need to know to make an informed choice. I will also provide you with this link http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nu ... ellets.htm

Just so that you know, I do not feed pellets to any of my birds.

[mustafarangoon]

Right now i am giving this : http://www.amazon.in/Vitapol-Bird-Food- ... arrot+food

I have also bought
1) versele Exotic nuts : http://www.amazon.in/VERSELE-LAGA-Verse ... rsele+laga
2) Versele Fruit : http://www.amazon.in/Versele-Laga-Exoti ... YCCD6KS08J

Right now i am only giving Vitapol Food twice a day with 2 tomatoes.

Should i change something or its fine ?

This is my new Alex just have a look:

[Pajarita]

Well, that is also an adult (see the light eyes?). And the cage looks too small (see the bar separation? It's for a much smaller bird)... and you need to change the perches for natural branches or sweetfeet perches (you have dowels and they are not recommended as they end up hurting their feet and atrophying their muscles and tendons).

My grays don't like to be misted (they hate it hate it hate it!) and hardly ever take a bath and, when they do, they don't really do a good job of it but I let them be because they are never dirty and I don't like to force anything on them.

[Navre]

I don't know, Paj, the tail looks like it might be dark edged. Those grey eyes look like the eyes of our 18-month-old.

[mustafarangoon]

you need to change the perches for natural branches or sweetfeet perches (you have dowels and they are not recommended as they end up hurting their feet and atrophying their muscles and tendons).

Can you please eleborate? What is dowels?