African Grey still affraid and screaming after 1 year

[Scuba]

Hello Everybody

i am new to this forum so i am wondering if anybody can help .
i have african grey i bought 1 year ago he is still affraid screaming when siotting near his cage i did all what was recomended to keep him coll with no luck.
as i can see ther eis yellow cirle arrounbd his eyes so he is old it seems ,even if i open the cage he is affraid of going out til no he dont eat from my hand and if i try to enter my hand inside the cage he start screaming very bad.
is there a way to act with that bird after 1 year with same reaction ?

thanks and regards

 

[Spiritbird]

Yellow rings on AG is not normal. This bird needs an avian vet examination.

Screaming AG is not normal for the species either. What are you feeding him? What is he eating?

 

[Scuba]

thanks for your answer

i am feeding him sunflower seeds and fresh peanuts.i have tried palmier and dry fruits with no luck he dont touch.also i brought special stick for parrot its been 1 week in the cage without even touch it

 

[Spiritbird]

He is screaming because you are really not educated in the correct diet or this bird. He is severely malnourished. Please educate yourself in the nutritional needs of an African Grey. First of all no sunflower seeds or peanuts should be in the diet. A good diet consist of fresh foods such as veggies, greens and fruits. There are some no no's which you should know about. Because of the diet you have been giving him he does neet a vet visit to check for vitamin deficiencies and fatty liver disease. He also needs nuts but not peanuts, grains such as brown rice and protein from hard cooked eggs, tofu or chicken. I am giving you a link to study their needs. Please read and take this poor bird to a vet and do not tell me you do not have one where you live. Why did you get the bird if you are not going to take proper care of him??

http://www.africangreys.com/ Suggest you read each and every article here.

You should be switching this bird to a pelleted diet in addition to the fresh foods. http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww26e.htm

The health and happiness of this bird depends upon you.

The African Greys have other needs also. They need socialization, play time in and out of the cage and mental stimulation.

One more link to read. https://companionparrotonline.com/Member_Articles.html Please do not ignore all of this information as your bird's life depends upon you.


Because of the yellow around the eye the bird may already have fatty liver disease. The vet needs to draw blood to check on that.

Good luck to you and there are others here from your country that can give you information on a very good avian vet near you.

 

[osnyder]

Listen to Spiritbird, she knows what she's talking about. It really sounds like your bird friend needs a radical and immediate change to his diet and some vet supervision.

Could you tell us a little more about yourself? Where you live, what your bird's history is? That could help people here help you more

best
O.

 

[Scuba]

let me explain all the details for you
i bought this parrot 1 year ago from a local petshop he had 2 parrots and both was screaming when we reach their cage they start screaming both of them so the pet shop owner told me this is nromal as both parrots are new and affraid they need time to get calm.
i choose one of them he was screaming a lot but day afte rday he become more calmer when i try to clean his cage feed him also i have read lot of article wha tkind of food he should eat.
unfortunatly i have tried many vegetable anything they have mention but he dont even touch he only eat sunflower just 10 days ago i passed by the pet shop and ask him about that he gave me sticks with special food for him it is been 10 days in his cage without even touch it.
i tried apple any kind of fruit he dont even look at it.i even tried to put him out of the cage he become very scrared and i had hard time to bring him back again.
even i sit near his cage evry morning talk to him ...
i am doiung my home work well with him but he is very scared and the problem he is not eating anything else than sunflower and roated nuts
i am living in beirut if you want i have a picture for him i can send it to you jus tlet me know how to send the pic

thnaks

 

[usamimi]

Our sun conure didn't touch anything but sunflower seeds. We've had a hard time weaning him off it, but he have. He won't touch fresh stuff but we have him eating dried fruits along with his pellets now and his mood has done a complete 180. It was a slow process of sitting with him and gushing over how delicious what we're eating is.

We're doing the same thing now with our baby grey and he's really curious. The more excited we get the more he eats. My grey only starts screaming when he sees the feeding syringe, and just so I am aware he wants to eat NOW.

It sounds like he's not too used to being handled. I think the first thing, if you haven't stopped already, stop grabbing him in the cage, let him choose when to come out.

 

[Lacey]

Aww poor babe. I think a check up by the vet is the very first step. The yellowing in his eyes is a sure sign that something is medically wrong. Any yellowing of the membranes in animals and humans is a top sign of liver disease. The rest will come with work, but in my opinion, it is pertinent that he receive medical treatment and fast. Please keep us updated on your baby.

 

[melinda]

What does his normal day go like?How much sleep does he get? When is he woke up? what time does he eat how much out of cage time does he get? How much one on one time does he get with you a day. What kind of toys does he have to play with?
I agree he needs to see a vet to make sure he isn't sick. Birds scream for many reasons and not feeling well is one of them. If you want us to help you you will need to be sure you are ready to do the work involved. If you need help finding a vet in your area we can help you with that as well. There is another thread on the fourm now that has to do with a cockatoo but the advise about changing a bird over to health food will be the same.

If you have tried this i will need to know how long you tried it and if you had any succes at all. Even the small details are important as to finding out what is going on with your bird.I do hope to hear from you soon.

 

[Spiritbird]

Take all sunflower seeds away from him and out of the cage. Same for any peanuts. Keep on offering the fresh foods and get a good pellet. I know there are good vets in SA. There is a thread somewhere on her with names and numbers for that. This bird's life is in your hands. I have given you all the information you need to get him better.


http://www.birdandexotic.co.za/ Vets in SA that will see your bird. You have no excuses left.

 

[Pedro]

Scuba Please take note of what Spritbird has told you & get your bird some help.

It is very likely your AG is in some kind of pain.

 

[brianlinkles]

Take all sunflower seeds away from him and out of the cage. Same for any peanuts. Keep on offering the fresh foods and get a good pellet. I know there are good vets in SA. There is a thread somewhere on her with names and numbers for that. This bird's life is in your hands. I have given you all the information you need to get him better.


Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital Vets in SA that will see your bird. You have no excuses left.

He says he is in Beirut which is in Lebanon not South Africa. Not sure how many people I have seen from this area on here. If there is anyone hopefully they will jump on and help finding a vet. I would agree that taking your bird to the vet should be the first thing you should do. You then should take away the sunflower seeds and peanuts. It almost sounds like the stick thing the store gave you might be one of the seed and honey sticks, still not a good choice of food. I'm not familiar with foods from your country, I adopted an amazon that was on a very poor diet when I got her. My vet suggested only feeding her from my hand so that she would start to trust me and eventually come out of the cage. Not sure if your bird will allow you to hand feed him. If not I would sit in front of the cage with the door open and eat in front of the bird, sometimes this stimulates the bird to want to share in what the other members of the flock are doing. I would continue to offer good, fresh foods every day. I would have a good pellet available at all times right now in the cage. I would then offer fresh vegetables and fruits, grains etc. every day. It is actually said that it many times takes two weeks to get a bird to accept a food. Sometimes they will refuse it forever but you just should not give up. Giving into your bird and just feeding seeds and nuts is giving your bird exactly what he/she wants but it is not good for them. Your bird is like a young child, it will not make the right choices all the time. You have to help guide your bird like you would your child. Please do get the bird to the vet and work with him/her to switch to a healthier diet!

 

[Scuba]

Hello Melinda

he dont go out of the cage at all i open it for hours during the day with no luck just once he went out and was so scared usualy he sleep maybe at 9.00 not more sometimes i sit with him couple of hours during the day sometimes 2 to 3 hours only but during my absence i turn him radio or tapes and he wake up at 7.00
i put a cover on his cage at 9.00 do you think he should sleep before ?
but ther eis something you should know regardign his health ,couple of monthes before when i bring it home a vet check on him and tell me that he has a good helath but it seems he is a newly capture from the wild thats why he is reacting like this he need some time to clam down but he didnt give me more details .
but now when it come more than a year and he is not approching from me and still affraid from anything even i went to the shop i bought for him some toys when i installed in his cage he become even till the next day he didnt even approach from them so i removed from the cage especilay the swing so frankly i am lost.
but there is something i have a little doughter 2 years old when she approach from the cage he start screaming on her especialy when she is with me or even if i carry her but when she approach from him alone without anybody in the room he dont scream he only look at her even when i carry her in my arms even if we are far from him he start shooting so he is jealouse this i can feel but regarding his behavior i am lost

 

[lene1949]

I'm just trying to paraphrase here...

When your daughter was 1 years old, you bought a screaming African Grey parrot from a petshop. For a year this bird was fed sunflower seeds and roasted peanuts...

He had a checkup with an avian vet, who suggested he might have been wild caught, but in good health... Wild caught In Beirut?

As others have said, you need to remove the sunflower seeds and the roasted peanuts from his cage... Even if you can't get pellet, do get a seed mix, and remove the sunflower seeds...

In the mornings he'll probably be the most hungry, so I'd give him some sprouted seeds, a chili and some spinach leaves... Fresh melon (with seeds) normally goes down well... Make sure there's nothing else to eat in the cage...

He won't starve himself, and he might actually like the change..

 

[lene1949]

Oh, and most parrots need 12 hours of sleep every night.

 

[Scuba]

Hi Lene

the pet shops told me that this parrot was shipped directly to beirut from africa he had 2 and both was shipped from the same place

 

[Scuba]

Hi Brian

i am opening the cage everyday in the morning sicne more than 3 weeks and drink my coffee in front of him i got this suggestion from the net but till now nothing when i open the cage to put food or water he start screaming i think he is maybe affraid from something but till now i dont know from what

 

[melinda]

I think maybe covering his cage a hour earlier wouldn't hurt him any. If he is a wild caught bird he will need a lot of time to adjust to your home. You are doing right by leaving the cage open. Where in your home is the cage located? If it is in a area that everyone walks by he may do better if you move it some just so everyone isn't walking by him so close. He may need to be in a corner so he feels safer.

Have you tried to put a perch on the outside of his cage near the door? He might come out if he has a place to perch. He sounds like he is afraid of anything new so try placing his toys next to his cage for a week or so. That way he can see them and get the ideal they will not hurt him. Most greys that i have met loves paper. You can start stuffing a couple of sheets in the bars of his cage. Just keep in mind he will need time to see that it isn't going to hurt him. It might be two weeks before he touches them. The same goes for his toys after he looks at them out side his cage. You will hang them but they are still new to him. Just take your time with him.

Does he whistle or talk any? If he does repeat a sound you would rather hear than his screams. Any time he starts to scream make the sound that he knows how to do. You will make a contact call this way.

When you offer new food he will not eat it as long as you give in and give him seeds. Cut his seeds down little by little everyday and add more healthy food everyday. I am sure he will turn his beak up to it for a couple of days but if you set down in front of him and eat the same thing you offer him he will be more willing to try. He will eat his seed first every day but as you take more of it away he will still be hungry and try the other things too.

When you are working with him don't look him in the eye. He feels like you are getting ready to eat him. He may like your daughter if he doesn't scream when it is just her. How does she act when she is in the room with him? Some birds are drawn to children.

Have you ever got him to eat anything from your hand? Does he stay on the far side of the cage when you set next to him?

 

[Scuba]

Hi Melinda

i will try to cover him earlier everynight but you right regarding the cage it is located in the living room so we should pass nearby to cross to this room in this case i wil lfind another corner but i move him to this place to be near us i thought it is a best way to get used wil lmove him to a corner to try .he always wisthle also he make our neighboor dog sound especilay when i put him out in the sun for a while and he also do many kind of wistlhe so jnot only screaming finaly regarding eating from my hand yes i am trying frequently he only look at my hand but go back sometimes he move on stef forward and go back without eating from my hand but he also stay in the middle of the cage he dont go to the other side

 

[melinda]

Thats great he doesn't go to the far side of the cage. You don't have to put him in another room just away from the main part of the room where everyone is walking. Just pick a sound that you can make easy. When you leave the room make the sound if he screams make the sound. We will try to ease him to making the sound instead of a scream.

As you know change with him is slow. Getting him calmer is going to be slow but worth it. I am sure you read to your daughter. When you do set next to him and read. Don't look at him just let him hear your voice. Most birds will love if you do it the same time everyday. It gives him something to look forward to. He will see you are there but not asking him for anything. In time he will be hanging on the side of the cage to see what is in your book. he will learn that you have interesting things for him to look at, but not be asked to do anything. This will encourage him to be closer to you and be calmer so he can hear what is going on.

When you have him out side put a blanket on the top of his cage so he doesn't feel like a hawk will fly down and get him. My birds love for me to set out side with them. Sometimes that ends up being my best training time too. They want to be part of your flock and look to you for protection. Some time just setting next to him out side eatting a sandwich, apple or whatever is a great way to get him to try new food. If you just tear a bite off and put it in his bowl and just look out into the yard he might climb down and try it.