Hi Guys , Im A New Parrot Owner And So Many Questions To Follow ( Sorry)

darren west

Banned
i have purchased a timnah african grey rescue parrot , we have been tole that he is a 4 year old male

it turns out he can talk even tho the previous owner said he can't
but my immediate issue is that the moment i go near him he tries to bite me
he won't let me clean his cage out and the cage is open all day but he won't leave it , he only walks around the top of it

any tips would be great
thanks
 
Welcome Darren, good luck with your Timneh. I'd say just be patient and remain calm around him, he is still settling in so give him time.

Andrew
 
Hello and welcome Darren. you should put yourself in your birds place and think how you may fill, I take it you have not had him long. you are new to him and he dose not know you he may look on you as the one whom took him away from a place he got used too and your home is different the light the room and the smells are a change to what he was used too. your bird will take a while to settle (greys are well known that many have anxiety when it comes to new things.) what has not most likely changed is his cage so the bird is cage protective. his only way of protecting himself is his beak. there are many reasons a bird will stay close to his cage and its normally because its the one thing he trusts. but it may be he dose not fly or he was not let out and lived in the cage most of the time previously. Allowing you bird to settle is not always about going to your bird or having it close its about your bird feeling secure and your first approaches may without you knowing scared your bird. @Roz is the forums trainer and I will let her give you advice as we both may approach the situation in a different way.
 
:welcome: Darren. How lovely you have given a home to a rescue. What's his name?

Great advice from Andrew and Michael.

Sounds maybe over simplistic, but as much as possible try to avoid doing anything that could result in a lunge or bite... the more he bites or lunges the more he is learning to do it in certain situations. That's not going to help with cleaning his cage right now. I'd clean the cage with him inside it rather than on the top where he could do you more harm. You can very slowly clean the bars from the outside, then you can pull out the tray and change the papers outside his cage.

I have an Amazon called Chico who used to chase me around the cage lunging and biting as I tried to clean. I started off cleaning one section of the cage and when he reached me I quickly walked to the opposite side and began cleaning there. However, I soon realised this made it worse... he was chasing me. So instead when he reached me I stayed there a while to allow him to catch up. Then I would slowly move away to start on another section. Keeping calm and going slow and allowing him to catch up with me was the key.

At the same time I worked on finding what I could use as reinforcement for staying put in one spot. Nowadays I reinforce his stationing to a particular place with head scratches whilst I clean his cage.

Have a look at the threads on Reinforcement in the Training section:

https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...rcers-and-how-to-identify-and-use-them.29149/
https://theparrotclub.co.uk/communi...-and-parrots-who-are-fearful-of-humans.29148/

Do the best you can - you could try avoiding eye contact for now. The steady gaze of a predator can be unsettling to a timid or aggressive bird. You may also want to experiment with crouching down when cleaning so that the bird is higher than you - birds feel safer higher up.
 
:welcome: from me too. All good advice given but slowly does it and let the dear bird get used to his new home and to you too.
Can we have a photo of birdie please as we love photos also what is his name :thumbsup: @darren west
 
Hi and :welcome: to the forum. Great advice from Roz. A rehome will always need lots of time to get used to his new flock and surroundings.

You said you purchased him...so you have the relevant CITES 1 paperwork as the grey parrots are now listed under appendix 1
 
Hello and welcome, like TomsMum said a rehome always need lots of time to get used to his new flock and surroundings. I have never owned a grey so I can't give you spersific advice on greys.
I have quite a few rehomed and rescue parrots and they have needed time and patients. Some have become cuddly tame and others just want a head scratch and then go off and play.
Gizzie my rescue cockatoo was scared to pieces of humans which would result in a lunge or bite if you went near him. I overcome this by letting him do the grafting. Firstly we just opened the cage door and stepped away (I didn't because I can't walk, but his cage was the other side of the room so there was no pressure to come near me)- . The second day he decided to fly over and sit next to me. Then a few weeks later he would take food from my hands. When I gave him foods he wasn't sure at first and he took a step back and I didn't force him to take it so I moved my hand away further from him until he came closer to take it off me. I just carried on with allowing him to go at his pace and he really thanked me for that in the long run. When sorting out his cage he would hide away so we didn't have the same problem.
Before going to the cage always talk to them as you are coming closer so he knows you are there and coming to him. Turn your back or ignor when he shows unwanted behaviours like lunging and biting (I know its easier said than done) then return to what you are doing. So he realises that he won't be achieving anything by doing that. Then praise him up when he shows positive behaviours towards you. When you learn about the foods he likes you can use them as rewards. Me and my Hubby have been doing these methods for years now. We learnt them through parrot experts from zoos, parrot events etc. All of these have worked really well on ours but all birds are different and I don't know to much on Grey's.
 
Hi and :welcome:

It is lovely you have decided to adopt a parrot in need of a home- sadly there are too many. You will get lots of great advice and support from the people on here. Have you chosen a name for him yet?
 
Hi and :welcome: to the forum. Great advice from Roz. A rehome will always need lots of time to get used to his new flock and surroundings.

You said you purchased him...so you have the relevant CITES 1 paperwork as the grey parrots are now listed under appendix 1

i have no paperwork for him at all ???
 
i just called defra and they tell me as i purchased it privately and he was rescued from a bad place as a baby i don't need the paperwork but i can pay 32 and have min chipped to obtain it if i want to
 
Hi darren west and welcome to the forum , do hope you enjoy your stay with us .Im wondering if he is a lady's boy and this could be one of the problems only a thought . Like has been said it takes time to build trust between you both and a load of patients.

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