50ShadesOfAfricanGrey
New member
- Feb 15, 2025
- 4
- 2
- Parrots
- Green-Cheek conure and Congo african grey
It’s been a little over a week since I brought home my 8-month-old African Grey, and while there’s been some progress, he’s still really shy and cautious. At first, he was scared of everything. any sudden movement would make him scream or fly around in a panic. I noticed right away that toys stressed him out; he’d completely avoid any part of the cage that had them. To help him feel more comfortable, I took out all the toys and perches, leaving only a few small ones, but he hasn’t shown any interest in them.
Building trust has been slow, but we’re making little steps forward. He now follows the target stick, unless it moves toward the toys, then he avoids it. He’s also started responding when I say “kiss” touching my lips with his beak for a treat, and he sometimes asks me to pet his head. But even with these small wins, he’s still afraid of me at times and doesn’t trust me or the toys. Most of the time, he just sits in the corner of his big cage, not doing much, or climbs to the highest spot (about two meters up), where he spends time hanging and doing his own version of gymnastics. I’m worried that if he keeps avoiding toys and staying inactive, he might develop destructive habits.
One of the biggest breakthroughs so far has been wooden spoons. I trained him to accept them, and now he absolutely loves them. He only chews the wooden spoon when I hold it, but ignores it if I leave it in the cage. So I always stay with him while he chews and plays with them. It’s the first time he’s really interacted with an object, which makes me hopeful that he might eventually accept real toys.
That said, he still completely avoids bird toys. I set up a camera to check on him while I’m at work, but he was scared of it, so I had to move it farther away. Some family members interact with him during the day, but I want him to have more ways to stay engaged and mentally stimulated.
Since he’s doing well with wooden spoons, do you have any tips on how I can slowly get him comfortable with actual toys? I really want to make sure he stays happy and doesn’t develop bad habits from boredom.
Building trust has been slow, but we’re making little steps forward. He now follows the target stick, unless it moves toward the toys, then he avoids it. He’s also started responding when I say “kiss” touching my lips with his beak for a treat, and he sometimes asks me to pet his head. But even with these small wins, he’s still afraid of me at times and doesn’t trust me or the toys. Most of the time, he just sits in the corner of his big cage, not doing much, or climbs to the highest spot (about two meters up), where he spends time hanging and doing his own version of gymnastics. I’m worried that if he keeps avoiding toys and staying inactive, he might develop destructive habits.
One of the biggest breakthroughs so far has been wooden spoons. I trained him to accept them, and now he absolutely loves them. He only chews the wooden spoon when I hold it, but ignores it if I leave it in the cage. So I always stay with him while he chews and plays with them. It’s the first time he’s really interacted with an object, which makes me hopeful that he might eventually accept real toys.
That said, he still completely avoids bird toys. I set up a camera to check on him while I’m at work, but he was scared of it, so I had to move it farther away. Some family members interact with him during the day, but I want him to have more ways to stay engaged and mentally stimulated.
Since he’s doing well with wooden spoons, do you have any tips on how I can slowly get him comfortable with actual toys? I really want to make sure he stays happy and doesn’t develop bad habits from boredom.
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