re-homed Grey named Buddy

[merlin]

Good Afternoon,

My husband and I just purchased an African Grey Congo yesterday, Buddy is a 6 year old that had been owned by one man from the time he was a baby. We got him home and into his new environmental, he is doing well. My question is how long before we get his wings clipped as they are in need of this, we do not want to stress him out with all of the new home and owners along with wing clipping to earlier, however, we do want to attempt to start handling him as soon as possible so we can get a great bond going.

Please send me your suggestions as I am a very anxious new owner of Buddy but want to take it slow as
needed.

Thanks,
Chyrel

[merlin]

Dear Chyrel,

Congratulations and welcome to the incredible world of African greys!!! Generally, it takes a few weeks for a re-homed grey to settle into his new home.

I suggest that you give Buddy a good 2-3 or even 4 weeks of getting used to you before clipping his wings. During this time, you can concentrate on building trust with him. Spend lots of time talking to him and sitting near the cage to be with him. You may even want to read children's books and sing to him. You can also offer him treats through the cage bars so that he gets comfortable with you and your hands. When he bows his head for a "scritch," you can tickle his head thru the cage bars with your fingers.

If you go the treat route, be sure to pick something he seems to love. Then break it into very small bits (such as one sunflower seed at a time or cashew bits) so that you can treat him more often. Do not serve the treats in his bowl, but only from your hands. Be sure not to overfeed the treats.

Again, the process of handling him can start now with the interaction by the cage of reading and talking and singing and playing. You will need him to become familiar and comfortable with your hands before you will be able to handle him. So, do tickle his head through the cage bars often, when he asks for it by bowing his head. When you are ready for next steps, please contact us.

Blessings,
Maggie-
www.AfricanGreys.com

[Lisa A. Bono]

Congratulations. I agree that he needs time to adjust. His entire world has changed and he doesn't understand why.
When getting to know eachother, watch his eyes. He will be constantly watching and learning.
After clipping he may go into a little depression. Some do. You may find that he may not need them clipped if you are POSITIVE that you can keep his environment safe.
I gather you already know not to use teflon products, sprays, candles and such in your home as well as the foods to avoid such as avacado, onions, chocolate etc?