behaviour

[dilly]

I have just aquired reg he is a African grey my life long ambition to have this privaledge he is 3 and from the start loves my partner and bites me what can i do

[marie83]

Don't show fear, Don't react. Learn his body language so you can tell when he is about to bite or not. Work with him lots when your boyfriend isn't there to improve your bond. Lots of training and fun things so he learns you are just as fun as your boyfriend. Michael has some excellent articles on taming and training.
He will probably always favour your boyfriend over you but you should be able to train him to accept being handled by you.
If he is biting you out of fear you will need to start at the very beginning like he is a completely untame bird.

[dilly]

Don't show fear, Don't react. Learn his body language so you can tell when he is about to bite or not. Work with him lots when your boyfriend isn't there to improve your bond. Lots of training and fun things so he learns you are just as fun as your boyfriend. Michael has some excellent articles on taming and training.
He will probably always favour your boyfriend over you but you should be able to train him to accept being handled by you.
If he is biting you out of fear you will need to start at the very beginning like he is a completely untame bird.

will I ever be able to get to the stage of petting him very upset at the moment so want to bond with him he was my birthday present after a lifelong wish to have the honour of sharing my home with such a beautiful creature

[liz]

I know I am always talking about Rambo and Myrtle but that is the only education I have with the bigger parrots.

Rambo is my boy and I was first person in the house with my mother being second person. He was totally bonded to us. When my daughter moved in she became first person. Mom stayed second person and I have moved to third. He will accept things from me and hitch a ride from place to place on my shoulder but no longer wants to be petted or cuddled by me.

Myrtle is my little girl. She is so bonded to me that sometimes she hangs on me for hours while I do my house work. She listens to everything I say and knows most of what I am saying even though she can't always get her point across to me. She cuddles and kisses and wants tickles. One morning I slept in and when I woke up she was up side down under my blanket trying to wake me up.
Mom is second person. She goes to Mom for long talks and food hand outs but does not want touched except for a foot tickle. My daughter is third person. She can give her food and toys but no touch. She will sometime land on her back for a ride but won't go to her shoulder. She will sit and argue with Rachel and make her laugh. Rachel cannot touch her at all. Myrtle will bite her (not to the point of drawingh blood). Myrtle has even leaned out to snap at her as she walks by.

Still there is a strange bond between us and out Amazons. I accept Rambo treating me like third person and Rachel accepts and defends herself against Myrtle treating her like third person.

There is always a bond even if it is not all that you want it to be.

Don't show fear. Do not react.

[marie83]

I definitely think it is possible but it will take alot of work to get to that point. Unfortunately it may also be that you will never get to the point where he will go and have attention from you when your boyfriend is present which is why I suggested doing as much work with your bird as you can when you boyfriend is not there as I believe it will increase your chances.
It doesn't mean you cannot teach your bird to be sociable but it may take a long time, especially with an adult bird. I have no personal experience with greys but from what I have read about them they are more likely to become one person birds than some other species but it can be done as many people have sociable greys.

Watch Michaels videos and read his blog, his methods are very effective but remember every bird is individual so it may not be as easy as Michael makes it look, be confident that you can do this and patient but at the same time accept that you may never be favorite. Don't take it personally, it's just in a birds nature to be closely bonded with one other. I don't know if you know about your birds past but it could be he has had bad experiences with women or has only been around men.

[MikeLK]

I agree with the advice that has been given. I have an African Grey and they do tend to cater to one individual. This doesn't mean that that cannot be change. Try to get alone time with him on a regular basis. Same time of the day for the same amount of time. This will get him used to this being a normal part of his day and can bring him around on his reaction to you. Have his favorite treat with you and reward him for good behavior. Speak softly to him and maybe bring something different to your alone time with him that doesn't happen when your bf is around him. It could be a special toy, light music in the background while you are with him. You will need to use the step up approach to show him that you are his leader. Show treat to him when working on this. If he steps up he gets the treat. If he bites then you put treat out of his view and say "no bite" in a stern but non-threatening tone. When he does learn and sits on your finger, keep him below your eye level. When he is above you, in his mind he is flock leader. With this said, you may only get him to behave with you when you're alone with him. He may be difficult towards you when your bf is there. All birds are different that way. Best of luck and don't give up. Persistance can pay off.
Mike

[Eileen]

Congratulations to you on your wonderful new friend. I must also agree with the others. Michael has some great information for all types of birds. It helps me to read and re-read his blog especially when I get discouraged with how I should be training or teaching our Lady.

Best wishes.