Halloooo from Iowa :)

[Luvss2ride]

Hello!
After a 9 year absence from having an avian buddy, I now have an African Grey Congo!
Oh my... we are just in love!
It was a spontaneous move (owner was desperate to rehome immediately) and we are learning as we go.
I joined because I read a few forum posts and found member's answers to be helpful and not belittling. ... so, thank you, in advance, for that!
His name is Bird and is about 12 or 13 years old. (We are attempting a name change to Louis).
He was biting when we got him (owner afraid)...that was 5 days ago ... and he, now, rarely bites and is adjusting to us really well.
♡

[Wolf]

Although it is common knowledge, at least with those who have them, that parrots bite. it is just a fact of life. But as far as I am concerned Greys are among the most gentle of parrots as they much prefer to move your finger or hand away rather than to bite, that is provided that you will listen to them when they do this. Parrots generally only bite when we push our will on them and they are not yet ready for what you want of them, the biggest exception to this is the hormonal bird or the bird that has learned that humans don't listen and therefor are not trustworthy. But if you are patient and gentle and provided that you will listen to the bird the vast majority of their biting ceases. Parrots also bite when they are afraid so you really need to look at this type of biting as self defense, it fits right in with the fact that a bird will defend itself, its mate, its young and its nesting area, which is in most cases the birds cage. I never violate the security of my birds cage, I open their door and wait for them to come out and signify that they are ready to step up for play time and other interaction and I clean the cage when the bird is out of the cage. I don't know how much you know about parrots and in particular about Greys, but if you are not doing any of the things that I have mentioned this time, change what you are doing to respect your bird and watch the biting reduce in both frequency and severity. I do hope that you will find this to be helpful to you and your relationship with your Grey.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new family member! He looks a bit ratty so I hope you have changed his diet for the better and are keeping him to a strict solar schedule so his endocrine system goes back to where it's supposed to be.

Now, as to the name change... I have to tell you (and I hope you don't take it the wrong way) that I don't agree with this practice. The thing is that parrots understand the concept of proper names. The parents name them while still in the nest and they either use the identical sound or tweak it a bit (the way one would say the name is Mike when the actual one is Michael sort of thing) during their entire lives to identify themselves so changing their name is confusing and stressful to them and the reason why lots and lots of parrots don't identify with their names -a shame because it's a HUGE part of cognitive speech! It also smacks me a bit of disrespect because I certainly would not take it kindly to anybody deciding they don't like my name and changing it! Now, I have gotten parrots which have names that are not gender appropriate (by the way, do you know for a fact that this bird is a male?) and, although I continue to use the "Good boy!" even if it's a female, I do try to change the name to one that it is gender appropriate but sounds almost identical to the old one (so Elliot became Ellie, Nathan became Naida, etc) I actually think that Bird is a FABULOUS name but, if you really hate it, why don't you try changing it one that sounds similar -like, say, Bert, for example. Think about it...

[Wolf]

I have a parrotlet whose name is Paquita, it is actually a pretty good name although I have no idea of what it means. For a while, I was not sure if Paquita was a male or female so I started calling her Skeeter. She DNA tested as a female but I still call her Keeta as it fits me better, but both names were close enough that she accepted them and responds to them.
You should see me trying to name a dog, I keep trying to find one that I am comfortable with and that the dog responds to as well. All of my animals know their names and respond to them the same as a human would, so I think names are very important and like Pajarita, I try to keep the name the same or very close to what it was when it came to me, if I know what it was.
My Grey's name is Kookooloo, at least that is how it sounds as I have no idea as to how it should be spelled. I don't like the name but she uses it for herself so I can't change it.

[Luvss2ride]

Thank you for the input.
We've only had him since Monday and he's not bitten at all in the last 2 days... he's adjusted really well. Hangs out on the couch with us and chats up a storm.
He's in a molt ... which I suppose is what you're calling a ratty appearance.
And I understand the concern over the name change .... but, I assure you we're careful with our attempt and he won't be confused.

[Pajarita]

Well, the behavior you see here is not adjustment and it won't continue. This is what we call the honeymoon stage where all parrots, including the aggressive ones, behave. It's a normal and wise behavior for prey as the situation, people, environment is all new to them and, as such, potentially dangerous so what he is doing is not really adjusting (although, I guess, you could say that in a roundabout sort of way) but assessing you and his new home. Ergo, this is, by far, the MOST important time in your relationship as it's establishing its foundation -which, for a good long term relationship with a parrot, should be based solely on respect and trust so be very, very careful not to give him the impression that you don't respect him because parrots are not dogs, they are highly intelligent animals, capable of making their own conclusions, as well as independent creatures which do not have a social structure where there are bosses and they don't take kindly to impositions or discipline. The trick (and, basically, there is only one) is to get them to love you. Once you achieve that and as long as the parrot is not overly hormonal, you'll have no problems.

But, no, it's not because he is molting. His feathers look overpreened and lack integrity so it's not just the normal molting, it's a dietary, emotional and/or endocrinal problem - but no problem, it's easily fixed with a strict solar schedule, good full spectrum lights, a good, fresh food diet and lots of company and love.

As to the name, it's your decision but I don't know of a single parrot that has changed its name on its own. In most cases, when you do, they think the name you give them is your own and not theirs.

[Luvss2ride]

Well .... this has been such a warm welcome ... that I question my desire to stay.

He most definitely is in molt. I took him to the vet on Wednesday (again, we just got him Monday night) for a basic health check (as I do with all my animals when I first get them)... and she verified he was doing well.

And... he is getting a great deal of love from us and it seems he is returning that affection.

But I suppose those who want to think the worst .... always will.

Enjoy your day.

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't know how it started but all my animals have nick names. Rambo is Big Bird and Myrtle is Brat Bird. I don't know why they accepted the nick names. Rambo is 30 and I just figured out that he is a she. I tried to change his name to Rainbow but in his own way he informed me that I mispronounced is name and he did not like it.

You can add another name in front of Bird, such as Lola Bird or Pretty Bird.

[Wolf]

No one is saying that you can't change the birds name just that we have seen many attempts at doing this with not only our own birds but many birds in the care of others and were trying to share with you what we have learned.
Pajarita is not saying that your bird may not be going through a molt, but when looking at the feather condition she noticed that there was something going on that is just as important as the bird molting and was trying to bring it to your attention along with her take on what had occurred after working with parrots for around 30 years.
Perhaps the most difficult time when confronted with new people and their differences in how they speak with each other without the added benefit of hearing their emotional content is the very beginning of the possible relationship. It is so easy to misinterpret what is being said precisely because we can't hear what is being said, you can't actually write the tones that a person uses when they speak. This can be even more pronounced when you have a group of people trying to share factual information instead of concentrating on each others personal feelings or opinions, there is time to learn these from the individuals as you progress through time. You would not expect a book on parrot training to get bogged down with try to praise people, you would expect that the book would be about the training of the parrot in the most positive and beneficial ways for the human and the parrot. This is a forum and we try very hard to be nice to people but our first thing is to give accurate factual information. Yes we could praise you for joining the forum and we are trying to do this but when we read about your bird we are going to share what we know about birds to help improve conditions for the bird after all this is a site that is all about your bird and your relationship with it not a site about your relationship with us that just happens to include the fact that we have birds. Here the birds well being is the most important thing and that makes this forum a little different than many of the others. If you are looking for information about your bird from people who care very deeply about them then this can be a very good place to come to learn more about your bird, if however you are more concerned about receiving praise and recognition then perhaps another site is more to your liking. You will never find a site any more dedicated to your birds well being than right here.

[liz]

When I came on the forum and posted how I take care of my birds, I expected "good job". My reply was "your doing it wrong and if you don't change they will have liver damage". Ha Ha surprised me. I have had to change almost everything but my birdie babies are happy.

20 years with cockatiels and 15 with amazons and I am still learning every day.