My grey parrot closed his left eye while eating

[Pajarita]

He doesn't need any vaccines but he needs a complete physical and to be checked for diseases (he is a wild-caught and poachers don't quarantine).

He might never talk so, if I were you, I would not expect him to.

Wolf's suggestions are good as to what to do when they bite you but he is a wild-caught, meaning he KNOWS you are not part of his family AND a predator (his experience with humans is 100% negative) so his bonding with you will take much, much, much longer than with a hand-fed, if it happens at all. He won't 'beak', only hand-fed babies do it and he is either an adult or a juvenile wild-caught.

Please stop feeding him sunflowers, they are not good for him. You need to feed him cooked whole grains mixed with veggies for breakfast (plus fruit and a leafy green) and nuts for dinner (not peanuts, tree nuts).

[Mina]

Thanx Wolf

I will try ur advices and hope that Smoky will live happy and in peace with us.

By the way, i don't know if my Smoky is boy or girl and they told me that the only way to know is by making DNA TEST. Is it right?

How old was kookooloo when u bought! Is it long time she is living with u?

Best regards from Amman to u and kookooloo

[Mina]

Thanks Pajarita, but why u r so negative with me

Why u think that he will never talk? they are all supposed to be smart whether they are a wild one or not. Is this right! And i am trying my best to make him feel like he is one of the family. Actully he is one of the family i just need help and support.

I will stop feeding him the sunflower seeds and start to give him a good and healthy food.

Regards to u

[Wolf]

Pajarita is not trying to be negative to you or anyone, she just has a more rough style than you are accustomed to, try reading her words without attaching any emotion to them as if they were just a collection of facts until you get used to her delivery. She has a wealth of knowledge to share and does not wish anything but the best for you and Smoky.
There are some small differences between the sexes and some people can tell the difference by looking at them. Try posting some pictures of him, we might be able to tell you if it is male or female. The only other way is to DNA test for sex of the bird.
Kookooloo has been with me for three years, I think. I did not buy her, she was given to me because she was plucked naked, had three holes from self mutilation and would not allow anyone to touch her. Then she saw me and bonded to me instantly. She has been with me since our first meeting. Kookooloo is about 15 or 16 years old.
Unfortunately it is more common for the wild caught Greys to not talk than for them to talk. It may have something to do with the imprinting which in the wild caught birds is such that they are not imprinted on humans although they may bond with a person there is a difference in them. This does not mean that it won't talk but it is less likely to do so.

[Pajarita]

Thanks Pajarita, but why u r so negative with me

Why u think that he will never talk? they are all supposed to be smart whether they are a wild one or not. Is this right! And i am trying my best to make him feel like he is one of the family. Actully he is one of the family i just need help and support.

I will stop feeding him the sunflower seeds and start to give him a good and healthy food.

Regards to u

I am not been negative, I am simply giving you the facts as I know them. Intelligence has nothing to do with the ability to learn human language, it has to do with need to communicate and wild caught birds don't have the 'need' as strong as birds that have imprinted to humans. And it's not whether you feel him to be already part of your family, it's how he feels and a bird that has imprinted to parent birds simply cannot see any human as part of his family even if he never sees another bird in his life and even if you are super kind and loving to him because the window of opportunity to make him imprint to humans is long gone. And this is the reason why people take the babies out of the nests when they are very, very young and handfeed them, so they 'think' humans are family. But he can learn to trust you and that's a HUGE thing when it comes to parrots!

[Mina]

@ Wolf
I am trying to upload photos from iphone, but the "choose file" icon is not working.
So tomorrow i will upload them from laptop.
Wish Kookoola gets better and hope she will havea happy and healthy life with u

@ Pajarita
Thank u Pajarita.
I will try my best to make him trust me and this is enough for me for now.
I just want him to feel comfortable here.

One more question:

Do u think it's a good idea to open wild parrots sounds youtube vidoes for koko to listen to them!
I tried to open one youtube video called grey parrot bedtime noises for him and he got excited and started to make sounds also, but i don't know if he was happy or mad!

[Pajarita]

Most likely, he was vocalizing, identifying himself to see if anybirdy from his family would respond to his calls. I am not sure but I don't think it's a good idea to play these things to him... I would assume they would make him anxious and depressed because he must be missing them something terrible! Don't forget this is an animal that was wrenched from his family and home, trapped by cruel people, transported most likely for days in crowded conditions and put in a cage in a human home. He is not what one would call a 'happy camper' and it will take a long time for him to feel good about his living conditions so, if I were you, I would not remind him of what he lost, it can only depress him even more than he already is.

[Mina]

Most likely, he was vocalizing, identifying himself to see if anybirdy from his family would respond to his calls. I am not sure but I don't think it's a good idea to play these things to him... I would assume they would make him anxious and depressed because he must be missing them something terrible! Don't forget this is an animal that was wrenched from his family and home, trapped by cruel people, transported most likely for days in crowded conditions and put in a cage in a human home. He is not what one would call a 'happy camper' and it will take a long time for him to feel good about his living conditions so, if I were you, I would not remind him of what he lost, it can only depress him even more than he already is.

[Wolf]

This is how we would feel and react if this were done to us and it is likely that the bird would feel exactly the same way. Sometimes the things that we learn that are intended to help us and in this case to help the bird are not always easy or pleasant to learn. The thing is that even this type of information will help you to understand your bird and that helps you to build a stronger bond with your bird.