Young african grey bites me

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Young african grey bites me

Postby albiesmum » Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:52 pm

Hi my name is Liz and i live in Australia,and i am a new mum of a Congo african grey we have named Albie.
The problem im having with Albie is that i cant get him to step up without him taking a bite out of me.
He will do on the floor and cant get on his stand again and its darn hard to get him up and in again...
This isnt a nibble with is a chomp.
I have tryed using somthing for him to step up onto but he is terrorfied.
I was told he was younger than 6 months but now i look at all these picture on the net and read up about eye colour change i think he is older as he has the double ringed eyes :?:
In Australia these birds are only available from breeders as they are knowen as exotic parrot and cost over $4,000 each(see how luck you all are in the u.s.a and u.k :roll: )
I would really love to work with him rather than rehome him,i have the time if someone can help me.
He will come to me for a walnut,he will let me pat him ....until he's had enough,but as soon as the hand goes below the head BITE
please help
thankyou so much
albiesmum
 

Postby Maggie » Wed Aug 09, 2006 11:10 pm

Hi Liz,

We had a brief email discussion before you signed up. It should be noted that Albie is this way with you but he behaves most of the time for your husband. As I noted, many Greys tend to choose one person as the favorite and chomp down on the other. But you can rectify lots of this.

First, as we discussed, you need to be the ONLY one who gives Albie his adored walnuts. You should no longer serve them in the cage. Break them into bits so you can give him bits more often. You are only to give him the bits when he has been a good boy. Tell him he is a "GOOD BOY" when you give the treat.

I assume you tried to use a stick or dowel to get him to get up on. It is understandable that he was afraid. You need to introduce the object to him first as a toy and let him get used to it. Then you can teach him to get on the toy. The way you introduce it is to play with it....get excited about it and keep playing with it. When you are not playing with the stick, put it in sight of Albie's cage but not too close. Keep playing with it every day. After a few days, inch it closer to the cage. If Albie seems afraid, move it back. It is natural for him to be afraid of something he is not familiar with.

I believe the best way to start is for you to read through my book, which will give you a lot of insight. I understand it is sold in Australia and you just ordered it.

Meanwhile, sit near the cage and talk to Albie. Let him know how much you love him and are happy he is there and how you look forward to getting closer to him and so on. As you talk to him, you may want to give him a treat and rub his head. But don't do it too long. Only for a short time. Babies have short attention spans. So it is natural that after a scritch for a while, the bird doesn't want it and this is the opportunity to "chomp." So, in the beginning, only give him short scritches and a treat....long enough to make it a pleasurable experience for the two of you.

Let me know when you have the book and are reading. His picture is gorgeous! By the way, he looks like a baby. His eyes do look like baby eyes.... some have very dark eyes......but the way to know they are getting older is the amount of yellow. I don't see any yellow.

Anyway, looking forward to your introduction...then I will post it and Albie's photo.

Welcome and I look forward to working with you!

GREY'T Blessings,
Maggie-
Maggie
 

great progress

Postby albiesmum » Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:54 pm

Thankyou so much maggie on your advise :D
Today for no reason Albie stepped up onto me sat on my shoulder and did a jugging movement into my mouth :shock:
He then peered into my face and i was able to give him a pat he loved this so much he actually feel asleep lent forward and fell onto my chest :D
He still will not allow the step up but thats fine baby steps!
The only problem is he loves Walnuts so much he checks my hands for them and then get a little annoyed in there isnt any in my hand and thinks about biteing i distract him with something...anything and he stops
he is chasing me about the house calling out in a beep sort of sound aswell
I cant belive the change in this bird in just a short time and i appriciate all the help im getting.
I was at pet shop yesterday and they let me read a bit of your book as mine is on order and should arrive early next week.
im still hesitant with Albie as i know he will bite if i push him to do something he doesnt want too,so i will sit and read your book to him next week and keep up the talking thanks heaps :D
albiesmum
 

Postby Maggie » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:43 pm

Hi Liz,

FIRST: We have bacteria in our mouths that can harm, even kill, our birds. So, please do not let him get his beak in your mouth.

You see how well the "Treat Thing" works? Please break the walnuts into little bits and you can reward more often when he is good. Do not serve in cage...only from your hand...as you can see it works.

Do you have hand toys? Get a few hand toys from the store. You can give him one of those in his beak to play with instead of biting your hand.

The beeping is contact calling. Please search around this Q&A at past posts because I have written about it a lot. When birds are separated in the wild, they "contact call" back and forth to let each other know they are there. Babies follow their parents around and when separated do the contact calling. When he beeps at you, make a sound back at him to let him know you are there. When you leave the room, tell him "I'll be right back." When you come back, say "I'm back" or something like that. This helps Albie know you are not abandoning him when you leave the room.

Everything will work out. Things will feel more clear once you've been able to read the book...then we can really move forward.

GREY'T Blessings,
Maggie-

PS: WOW! You really are doing a wonderful job with Albie!!!
Maggie
 

more...progress with albie

Postby albiesmum » Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:49 am

wow im stoked Albie stepped up onto my hand today i nearly cried with happyness :D
He has followed me all day and has started rubbing his face on mine and when i put my hand up and pat his head he leans to be and hugs! :wink:
I rang the breeder and told him the progress and he was happy also and he owns your book too!
cant wait to get my copy :D
albiesmum
 

Postby Maggie » Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:35 pm

Well, the treat concept certainly helped! Now, you need to make sure he is connected with both you and your husband. But just relax and enjoy the time until you've been able to read my book. Then we can really move forward.

Blessings,
Maggie-
Maggie
 

another question :)

Postby albiesmum » Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:00 pm

Hello Again,
any idea how i can get Albie to go back in his cage at night? :D
Albie has just gone leaps and bounds after i was advised to use the walnuts!
he is talking alot in his cage...alot of mumbled words,he jumps down from his cage using a special rope like ladder and follows me through the house going back to his cage unaided!
His whisltes are fantastic and he loves our marine fish and i think its only a matter of time before he says "look at the fish Albie"
He enjoys a small amount of tv especially animal planet :shock:
He also loves to watch me feed our new baby green cheeked conures.
He has only nipped me once which was on the ear in nearly a week and im shocked at how fast i have fallen in love with him!
albiesmum
 

Postby Maggie » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:02 pm

Use the walnuts! This time get a bigger piece and put it in the cage. Let him see it....and then he should want to go in there.

I'm so happy that things are going well for you! Be sure to practice the UPS and DOWNS on your hand.

Please keep us informed as to little Albie's progress!

Isn't it wonderful to be in love with a Grey??????

Blessings,
Maggie-
Maggie
 


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