ahmed
Baby Bird
New African Grey Owner
Joined: March 2013
Posts: 13
Pets: AZZAM!!
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Post by ahmed on Feb 28, 2013 22:21:50 GMT -7
Hey all .. I'm probably the newest African grey owner here .. I fell in love with greys a week ago and decided to get one as soon as i saw my friend's timneh.. I searched around and read some articles about getting the best breed to suit you, most intelligent, most fun to be with, and i ended up getting myself a rescued amazing 8 month old African grey.. i named him "azzam" (Arabic for enchanter).He seemed fine in the shop.. trained to step up by his keepers, friendly, whistles, i picked him up and petted him on his head, his back, everything was amazing.. so long story short.. i fell in love with the guy.. Anyways, i brought him home 2 days ago .. discovering that he became hostile.. refuses to step up in the beginning, stepping up but holding on to the cage from the inside, so i thought he should get used to the place. I youTubed the problem with no use, (a bunch of people trying to sell videos) got him to trust me enough to let me carry him outside the cage, set him down on top of it.. but wont let me pet him anymore, he screams and bites really hard if i do as much as get my hand up to his eye level. i put on some leather gloves and tried again.. with the same outcome.. i tried a method getting my hand as close as possible and then stopping for ten seconds and trying again .. after 2 hours of trying .. NO USE.. still biting and screaming (dunno the right word for that). Please help me out .. i really like this bird but im getting more and more scared i'd do something wrong and ruin this poor guy's life. HELPthanks .. i tried posting a photo.. i hope you guys can see it..ps. i thought he wasn't eating but i discovered this morning that he is eating his sunflower seeds.. but leaving the peel in the same place.. sneaky fella..
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Post by beakertrout on Feb 28, 2013 23:04:54 GMT -7
Ditch the gloves.
Your bird is just gonna have to have time to adjust to you and the new surroundings.
That can take weeks, months or even years.
Don't try and hurry it as it will only set you back.
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Post by Jane on Mar 1, 2013 7:48:31 GMT -7
Yes, it will take time because he needs to settle in. He was used to being in the shop and now he is in a totally new environment. He is frightened so go at his pace. Try just talking to him for a while and just sitting near him, then try offering him treats.
Jane
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Post by lenke on Mar 1, 2013 8:41:55 GMT -7
definitely take time. you need to slow your whole approach down. don't force the poor guy. allow him to show you when he's ready for you to interact more closely with him. let him set the pace.
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Post by DF on Mar 1, 2013 9:20:55 GMT -7
as above. Maybe try a healthy offering like an almond. Try to offer a pellet, piece of safe fruit/veggie to win over. It's just going to take time.
Cool name, good picture
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Post by dorothydot on Mar 1, 2013 11:22:11 GMT -7
Pet birds will tell you what they are ready for. Move slowly, stockpile a HUGE pile of patience and love. Your darling needs to feel safe with you. This is your absolute priority now. Some parrots trust easily; yours is likely one, especially given its young age.
Push too hard and it may well never forgive you! Offer things and treats often, using your hands. Move slowly around it. Talk to it constantly. If Azzam stops and stares fixedly at you, repeat your last phrase over and over - Azzam is in "sponge mode" and trying to absorb your words. Note that most African Greys don't start talking until they are about two years old or so.
Each bird has its own personality, likes and dislikes. One may like veggies raw; another may want those veggies squishy-soft. My new Koba won't take any food from myhand - yet. I just keep trying. Something'll catch his tastebuds sooner or later. One of my birds would panic when I put a new toy in the cage. Only after she slept with it overnight would she be convinced it didn't eat little grey parrots. Koba is much braver, loves to explore. If he doesn't like it, he just ignores it.
Hope this helps! Just please go slowly and gently with lots of loving attention.
Dot
P.S., parrots love drama - so yell at your parrot once a day: Hey Azzam! What'cha doin' now? Wayyy to go! or, Help! Let me out! And so on.
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Post by Haz on Mar 1, 2013 12:57:33 GMT -7
As others have said, go slowly. Also, as Beakertrout advised, don't use gloves as they will scare him.
Greys are wonderful. Your patience will be well worth it.
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ahmed
Baby Bird
New African Grey Owner
Joined: March 2013
Posts: 13
Pets: AZZAM!!
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Post by ahmed on Mar 1, 2013 18:07:28 GMT -7
as above. Maybe try a healthy offering like an almond. Try to offer a pellet, piece of safe fruit/veggie to win over. It's just going to take time. Cool name, good picture tried offering treats, but he takes them from my hand and spits them out .. anything i give.. tried almonds, banana, strawberry, sunflower seed, PEELED sunflower seed.. no use .. spits them out .. he waits for me to leave the room and then munches on whatever is in his bowl.. |
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ahmed
Baby Bird
New African Grey Owner
Joined: March 2013
Posts: 13
Pets: AZZAM!!
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Post by ahmed on Mar 1, 2013 18:10:20 GMT -7
Thanks all for your replies.. ditched the gloves already.. but i stopped trying to pet him .. scared i'd loose a finger.. He craps allot ... lol sometimes on me.. im slowly getting the hang of this .. started habit training him .. turning off the light at night saying "night night" .. "Waky waky" in the morning ..
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Post by dorothydot on Mar 1, 2013 19:19:48 GMT -7
Now you're getting the idea! Keep giving him treats; can't hurt, and it may well build trust. Talk to him a LOT, let his character develop. Sing to him. Give him toys - what kind does he likke? Chewing? Ding-a-lings? Mirrors? Colorss? And cheer him on whenever he shows you something you like.
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Post by lenke on Mar 2, 2013 0:45:00 GMT -7
something you could try is to just sit quietly reading a book next to his cage, virtually ignoring azzam. just to let him get used to your presence. i had to sit for almost 2 weeks with my boy Lucky for him to finally accept me and allow me to handle him, and now, 6 years later, i am the only person allowed to physically touch him.
i also found singing to him, or playing music to him (it took a while to work out what kind of music he likes) also worked in getting him to relax more with me, and now, if i am not home, i leave the radio on for him all day long.
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Post by DF on Mar 2, 2013 6:37:52 GMT -7
You'll find by trial and error what he likes. It's just going to take time. Others' birds can be shy too, eating or talking w/o them in the room. Some days Auggie is all orange, mango, squash, sweet potato, oranges...
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Post by Adele on Mar 2, 2013 7:36:52 GMT -7
Lenks, that is a great idea. Just sit near him and do your own thing.
That is how it went with Maui. She was terrified when she came to me. She wouldn't talk, move and barely ate. She also screamed quite a bit. I just went about my business and would talk directly to her every so often. She didn't take treats from me either. It took her three days to began to chat/whistle. Then she finally came out of her cage. Within a week, she was happy as could be and wandered all around my place. It took her quite a bit longer to let me scratch her head, but I just let her move at her own pace, while giving her lots of encouragement.
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Post by dorothydot on Mar 6, 2013 19:48:45 GMT -7
I just had another thought (painful, it was, lol). You do cover your bird at night? This is a very good practise; cuts down on drafts in the cooler temps and other good stuff. An old blanket will do.
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mazambo
Weaned Todd
Joined: November 2012
Posts: 28
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Post by mazambo on Mar 29, 2013 6:38:51 GMT -7
Hi ahmed
Don’t get discouraged , I’ve had my Poppy for 4 months or so , the odd time I wondered if I’d made the right decision, but she’s an individual, I’ve given her loads of tlc, let her go at her own pace and most importantly tried to learn her body language, and she really is becoming a joy to live with.
Neil
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