First time CAG owner

Welcome to the forum.

Greys are incredibly intelligent and tend to learn the way children do. Let him set the pace.

The breeder will guide you regarding which type of food your baby is used to eating. You can add new fruit and vegetables to his usual pellets.

Most of us house our greys in a large cage even though, as in the case with my girl, the cage door is always open when we are home. Toys are a must, preferably some he can destroy.

We are here if you have other questions.

Haz

Thanks Jane, Haz and Jenke.

The breeder sent some pics to my mobile phone but I'm not sure how to download it onto this forum. From the Indian Ringneck forum I am on I know bird-lovers love pictures. As soon as I figure that out I will download it.

Jenke, your house sounds a bit like mine with all those animals. We have 3 dogs: an Alsation/Collie cross called Chika that is a big bully with the postal workers and other intruders but an absolute giant teddybear with her family, a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher cross called Nonna that think she's a Great Dane and a Maltese cross called Meghan that I rescued off the streets. Then there's also Angel the cat, Queen of everything she does and doesn't see, and the cat Jackal nicknamed The Terrorist (the fact that Carlos the Jackal was an actual terrorist is merely coincidental...not). And of course there is the flock of 6 IRN's.

It could take me ages to relate stories on how the different animals co-habitate peacefully (or not) but I'll try a quick summary.

Chika (Alsation/Collie) is the most gentle soul of them all and is friends with all the animals, especially The Jackal. They like to walk up to each other and rub against each other before playing but sometimes Chika gets a bit over-enthusiastic playing and have to be verbally reminded that she's getting a bit rough. However, she is sensitive to the point that if a raised voice is used she'll cower down in a corner or find somewhere "safer" for the time being.

Nonna (Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher) has a serious case of Napoleon-syndrome as in thinking she's a lot larger than she actually is. She tolerates all the other pack members (of all species) but she has brother/sister kind of relationship with Angel, my mom's cat...can't live with each other but can't live without each other especially when it comes to picking a sleeping spot.

Meghan (Maltese crossbreed) is the odd one out as she is very introverted and usually somewhere on her own. She is also the only dog that will actively ambush the cats when they come into the house at night.

The Jackal has quite a personality with absolutely no fear of anything and on a few occasions he actually took it on himself to discipline any dog that didn't behave according to his rules.

Angel (cat) is the Queen/Empress of the entire household and absolutely insists on being given fresh water when and where-ever she demands it.  

All of the cats and dogs virtually ignore the Indian Ringnecks I have, although The Jackal has a peculiar habit of snoozing on top of a birdcage every now and then. The birds have come to accept it and I never had any problems with either him trying to "hunt" them or them feeling they have to defend themselves against him by biting. I recently saw a sign reading "Attack Cat on Duty" that will fit perfectly against my birdcages, lol.

The new member of the household has arrived!. I picked him/her up on Saturday morning and then stayed at my sister's house till Sunday afternoon since there was some school function of my niece that my mom promised to attend.

"Banana" (his name for now) is a real character. When the breeder handed him to me in the car he immediately tried to intimidate me by growling and hissing but that lasted only a few minutes. I have to admit I was terrified at the prospect of handling a bird that's much bigger than I'm used to but about 8 hours after we picked him up I could scratch his head and body without him showing any negative reaction. He actually fell asleep while I scratched. Being a mere baby he is using his beak to test everything, including my fingers (it boggles his mind that my fingernail doesn't want to detach from my finger). He tried his limits a few times by taking a finger in his beak and using some force to clamp down on it but luckily a sharp "No!" and removing the finger discouraged him from using more force. I don't mind him nibbling or biting gently but he has to know when he's going too far.

My worries about introducing him to the rest of the zoo was unfounded. They all came around to say "hello" and left to go do whatever it is they were doing.

Sorry for this long post but I am really thrilled with him right now.

If I can figure out how to post pics onto this forum I will post a few.

Thanks,
Wessel

Thanks sans

I am enjoying him/her immensely. Since it's a bird with a "disability" breeding isn't an option and thus knowing if it's male or female is actually a non-issue.

Since I am disabled as well (wheelchair bound for life due to a birth defect) it seems like the two of us are a perfect match.

We aren't completely comfortable with each other yet but from my experience with Indian Ringnecks I know that building a strong bond with a bird is a very time-consuming undertaking and definitely not for someone looking for instant results. I did however coax him into resting both feet on my hand for a few seconds this morning..the difference in weight between him and a fully grown ringneck is astonishing.

It does help to know the gender of your bird. Stroking a bird on its back can initiate a breeding urge which can lead to a female laying eggs. Now you can avoid that.

I have always found my female birds to be sweeter than the male. I loved my male CAG unconditionally but he did go through a nippy stage when he was two. Chyloe never changed from her sweet self.

Haz