Meet My First Parrot!

[FirstParrot1]

hello!

i got my very first parrot 4 days ago! she is a Congo African Grey and she is 4 months old

she will eat from my hand and will accept head and neck rubs but will not let step up in my finger from inside the cage..she will try too bite outside the cage she is fine and will step up..

i will try too video it for visualization.. if anyone can give some advice, will be helpful!

[Wolf]

Slow down you are pushing too fast. You have had the bird for four days it can live for 50 years or so, you have plenty of time.
Now the same from the birds perspective.
The bird was just removed from all it has known and placed all alone in a strange place with a person that they don't know or have any reason to trust pushing them to do thing for them and the bird is terrified. Firstly because it is all alone when it knows that it is not supposed to be alone as that is a death sentence for it . They are never alone from the time they hatch until the day that they die. Then it is afraid because it is in a totally new and unfamiliar place and parrots stay in the same area all of their lives they do not accept change easily. Then there is this strange and unfamiliar human try to get it to do thing like stepping up on its hand and the bird has not had time to learn if this strange giant can be trusted so it is once again scared and fears for its life.
Try to look at things from the bird point of reference and go nice and slow, let the bird come to you on its own. If you will be patient and just talk to the bird and even sing to it quietly and offer it a sprig of millet or a piece of apple or even a piece of almond through the bars of the cage, in time he or she will come to you and accept the treat. If at first it does not then put the treat in its food dish, never take a treat back once you offer it, always leave it and come back later and do the same thing. The bird will start to come to the side of the cage you are approaching from in anticipation of your presence and of you giving it good things to eat. Then when this bird is doing this move so you are in front of the cage and open the door and talk and sing to the bird praise it and use its name a lot and offer it a treat at the cage door, but do not reach into the cage let the bird come to you. Then when the bird is doing this step back and let the bird come out on its own and offer it a treat when it comes out. Place a perch on the inside of the cage door about halfway up it so that the bird has a perch to come out on. this is where you ask it to step up from or from the top of the cage.
almost forgot, welcome to the forum, we will do all we canto help you and your new Grey to build a wonderful relationship together.

[FirstParrot1]

when will i know its time too open the cage door and feed it from the inside?
and time when too step up? thank you!

[FirstParrot1]

she seems too want too come out of the cage sometimes because she screams and runs around the cage floor and biting the door...should i ignore her or open the door? i opened the door once when she did this and she went on top of the cage and wouldn't want too come back inside the cage

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.
She is on schedule. You need to slow down and let her go her own pace.
Think back to when you were a child. Going to a new place was scary but your Mom was usually with you. Her Mom is not. She needs more time checking you out before you make your moves.
Going to the top of the cage is the first step. I hope the top of her cage is at face level. They do much better with faces than with hands. Is she flighted or clipped?
I don't know if she is in her original cage or have you given her a new one? Either way it is the only thing she knows is hers. Respect her space and only clean and change food dishes when she is out of it.
Parrot proof her room. Change the room so there is nothing that can hurt her like you would if you had a toddler on the loose. Your toddler can get caught up in things that a normal kid would not even think of.
Spend as much time near her as possible even talking to yourself. She needs to adjust to your voice and have time to check you out without your attention on her. First of her fears is that you will eat her.

[Wolf]

I do not mean this to be rude, rather I am typing this in the dark and it is not easy to do, but the answer to your first questions are in my first reply to you, so please read it again. Yes, your Grey is asking to come out of the cage and even if you are not sure how to get her back in, I would open the door and let her come out. I am saying this based on your saying that she just went to the top of her cage. If you only provide food and water inside the cage, it may take some time but she will eventually go back in for food and water.
If you let her come out then just talk and sing to her and offer her a treat while she is on top of the cage, just like as if she were inside of the cage or at the door. Try some unsalted roasted almonds or almond slivers for a treat. This is my Greys favorite treat and you can use them to coax her back into the cage.
I hope this helps you.

[Vieve]

Hi! I am new here too and a new African Grey (Timneh) owner. Mine is older (20) but tries to bite me as well when I try to handle her. One thing that is working for me is to use a perch to pick her up and take her out of her cage. Sometimes I bring her away from the cage, and that's when she becomes much friendlier and steps onto my hand. I have read that they are much more territorial around their cages, so it makes sense that she would be better in neutral territory.

Hopefully yours comes around soon. I know how you feel. I want so badly to pick Melilah up and snuggle her, but I know that won't happen any time soon (or possibly ever).

[Wolf]

Grey's are not normally into cuddles. They do like head scratches, but it is usually only when they want it and then only for a short time period. They are the same way in the wild with each other too.

[Pajarita]

Wolf is right. I SERIOUSLY doubt you will ever get a cuddle out of her... Mine never bite me but they don't like to be touched much. They would perch on your shoulder, rub their faces against yours, kiss your cheek or lips (if they can reach them -I don't let them), cluck softly as if saying "I love you" and grab your finger with their paws as if holding hands and, occasionally and when they feel like it, ask for a head scratch although they would much rather I scratch under their beak than the top of their head but cuddle? Not likely! Right now they are been extra affectionate and making sexual displays to me and I am in seventh heaven because it's only when they are brooding that they are very affectionate to me.

[Vieve]

Yes, I know African Greys are not cuddlers, was just saying I wish I could I can settle for the head scratches!