Second thoughts?

[brfussne]

I have recently put a deposit on a Congo African Grey and am wondering if I’m getting second thoughts. I've been to several bird store and have played with all different birds from Ekkies, Cockatoos, Macaws, Greys, Senegals, etc., etc. and am still somewhat "intimidated" by their bites. I know I'm not supposed to be afraid of the bird or the bite but when it comes to the medium to larger birds it's hard for me to not be. I'm working on it. The breeder who I have purchased my Grey from has Red Bellied parrots still on eggs. I was wondering if I should move my deposit over to a Red Bellied parrot and slowly practice becoming more comfortable with larger birds. I love the smaller birds and have no problem handling them. Today I played with an adorable Lorie! He/she was very playful & very nippy. It was obsessed with chewing on fingers the moment it stepped up! haha! I was not intimidated one iota and gently but firmly told it no and pushed its beak away from my finger every time it tried to bite. I've played with Grey's before but have not been bitten before by one, I guess that may be part of the reason I'm nervous around one. I don't know the strength of its beak. I go practically once a week to the bird store and try to handle different size birds to become more confident. I guess I'm not very assertive. I walk up to the larger birds, hold out my hand and say "step up" and wait for the bird to come to me instead of me just sliding my hand near their feet telling them to step up. Probably not supposed to wait on the bird, right? Any suggestions?

Thanks for the help!

[Michael]

If you get a very young hand fed socialized Grey Parrot from a good breeder, you shouldn't worry about biting. When I got Truman, I had never seen a Cape Parrot in person before. And even though he's a little smaller than a Grey Parrot, his beak is like 3 times bigger. He came out of the carrier and was just thrilled to be around people and never bit anyone on purpose. So my point is that if the bird is raised very well, even though you'll be a novice and a little edgy, so will the bird. And if you follow proper training methods and take it easy, you will learn together and grow together. This is the point of buying a parrot from a breeder. If you were talking about adopting an older Grey, I'd say fughetaboutit.

Now don't get complacent or think you'll never get bit either just cause it's a baby. It's just giving you a window of opportunity to learn and get yourself up to that level. You may get bit some time down the line but you'll have so much experience with a baby grey that does nothing more than gently nibble (doesn't hurt), that you won't be scared of a real bite if it were to occur.

[RedDragon1288]

You really don't have much to worry. Ruby bit my thumb before I bought him, which was what seal the deal for me with him. Now I trust him not to bite anyone...well with the exception of another parrot. It will hurt when you get bitten but that's just weakness leaving your body. LOL

[brfussne]

If you get a very young hand fed socialized Grey Parrot from a good breeder, you shouldn't worry about biting. When I got Truman, I had never seen a Cape Parrot in person before. And even though he's a little smaller than a Grey Parrot, his beak is like 3 times bigger. He came out of the carrier and was just thrilled to be around people and never bit anyone on purpose. So my point is that if the bird is raised very well, even though you'll be a novice and a little edgy, so will the bird. And if you follow proper training methods and take it easy, you will learn together and grow together. This is the point of buying a parrot from a breeder. If you were talking about adopting an older Grey, I'd say fughetaboutit.

Now don't get complacent or think you'll never get bit either just cause it's a baby. It's just giving you a window of opportunity to learn and get yourself up to that level. You may get bit some time down the line but you'll have so much experience with a baby grey that does nothing more than gently nibble (doesn't hurt), that you won't be scared of a real bite if it were to occur.

Thank you for the advice Michael! When going to the bird store I expect to get bitten, in fact, I almost want to get bitten, just so I know what it feels like & that I can handle it. I know with owning a bird you must always assume there will be bites here and there. I also know that Greys are sensitive birds so I was a bit worried my Grey would pick up on me being nervous and soon use my fear against me. I have about 10-12 weeks till my baby CAG comes home. I feel that if I keep going to the bird store regularly I will (hopefully) be completely comfortable around larger birds or at least birds close to my CAG's size. The breeder I chose is Suzanne Jackson at Grey Feather Aviary. Maybe you've heard of her? I chose her for several reasons. She was very friendly, polite and answered a lot of my questions. She ships, and she has competitive prices. I feel very comfortable & confident with her as a breeder. I will continue to go over your training articles and many others to prepare myself for when my baby comes. Thank you again Michael for the advice and reassurance, its greatly appreciated.

[brfussne]

You really don't have much to worry. Ruby bit my thumb before I bought him, which was what seal the deal for me with him. Now I trust him not to bite anyone...well with the exception of another parrot. It will hurt when you get bitten but that's just weakness leaving your body. LOL

It's not so much the pain I worry about. It's my reflexes. I know when a bird tries to bite you never pull your finger away or the parrot will learn to bite to keep you away because you're afraid of the bite. The best thing to do is to avoid bites by not forcing the bird to do things it doesn't want to do. I have a very hard time not pulling my finger away when larger parrots get snippy with me.

[GlassOnion]

It's not so much the pain I worry about. It's my reflexes. I know when a bird tries to bite you never pull your finger away or the parrot will learn to bite to keep you away because you're afraid of the bite. [/quote]

Not true, this doesn't work for many people because parrots bite for a reason. When mine bite, I firmly grab their beaks or heads and say 'no' before letting go. Parrots in the wild don't ever just sit there when they get bitten by their flockmates.

[brfussne]

It's not so much the pain I worry about. It's my reflexes. I know when a bird tries to bite you never pull your finger away or the parrot will learn to bite to keep you away because you're afraid of the bite.

Not true, this doesn't work for many people because parrots bite for a reason. When mine bite, I firmly grab their beaks or heads and say 'no' before letting go. Parrots in the wild don't ever just sit there when they get bitten by their flockmates.[/quote]

GlassOnion, I'm not sure I follow you? Correcting the bird and reasurring the bird are 2 different things. I know I'm suppose to correct the bird when it latches on me. Im not talking about correcting the parrot. Im talking about flinching or pulling my finger away when the parrot opens it's beak and tries to bite, I draw my finger back before it reaches me which is positive reinforcement teaching the bird that when it doesn't like/want attention from someone it knows its bite will keep you at bay.

[GlassOnion]

Oh yeah, you're right. I misunderstood. I was talking about correcting when it actually bites.

[Michael]

I went and got myself bit by an African Grey when I was debating between one and a Cape Parrot. I was playing with a baby at the store which was pretty mild so I was testing boundaries, nothing too crazy. I was able to grab and hold it but when I started turning it on its back and upside down it gave me a good one on the thumb. Needed a bandaid and had a scab for like 3 weeks. It was pretty bad and one of the worse bites I've gotten but manageable. But my point is that when you're a bit scared, careful, and working with a baby parrot, you probably won't get bit. You won't push the bird too hard and will slowly tame it and get used to it and it will get used to you. So you'll develop trust together and you'll shed your fear of getting bit. Mostly just focus on preventing and not provoking biting in the first place.

[pennyandrocky]

hi, the worst bite i ever got was from a lorikeet the bird loved drawing blood from me.the amazon and cockatoo bites i've had were kisses compared her bite.