How to approach the trust issue with a rescued TAG

[GteddyTAG]

Hi All,

I recently adopted a 20 year old female TAG, who was apparently neglected and possibly abused. We learned that since December, when she was brought into the bird store, she was just starting to come out of her cage. We have her at home now, the past three days and she is moving around and climbing up to the top perch area of our large cage. I have even had the opportunity to get her to step-up for me when she is on top of the cage. However she will not while in the cage. Can I assume, that while she is in her cage (her safe spot) that I should not reach in and try to get her out or have her step-up. I will have more more questions I'm sure as this is my first african. i guess the question is "WHEN" should I try to get her to step-up, appropriate times and when not to the body signs. i have read lost of articles on the net, but I want to hear from owners... as it were going straight to the horses mouth. LOL

Thank you for your input!

 

[Hawk]

Hi All,

I recently adopted a 20 year old female TAG, who was apparently neglected and possibly abused. We learned that since December, when she was brought into the bird store, she was just starting to come out of her cage. We have her at home now, the past three days and she is moving around and climbing up to the top perch area of our large cage. I have even had the opportunity to get her to step-up for me when she is on top of the cage. However she will not while in the cage. Can I assume, that while she is in her cage (her safe spot) that I should not reach in and try to get her out or have her step-up. I will have more more questions I'm sure as this is my first african. i guess the question is "WHEN" should I try to get her to step-up, appropriate times and when not to the body signs. i have read lost of articles on the net, but I want to hear from owners... as it were going straight to the horses mouth. LOL

Thank you for your input!

Give it time.....Greys (and I have one), are one species that will in time, trust you regardless of their past....but it takes patience and time.
Greys can be the most loving bird at times but do pay attention to body language.

Being in his cage and in new home is and can be a bit stressful, they may need 12 or more hours sleep in a 24 hour period at first to relax and get adjusted....
Greys do things on "their Terms" once you learn their behavior at doing this, you'll have the greatest bond ever. My Grey does that, will go in his cage on a rope perch and then push my hand away with beak if I try to pick him up....he's saying not now....
later My Grey will call for me when he's ready...."Michael, Michael....Oi, Michael...come here" and he's ready to come out.
Respect for the bird goes a long ways....they notice that, but don't ignore them either....make it a balance between the two.

 

[GteddyTAG]

Thank you for the advise. I know it will take time and I look forward to gaining her trust and friendship. Reading other posts and replies are helping me understand more about this species of parrot... very insightful. I guess I just need to wait it out and read/learn all the body cues. When she is ready she'll make the moves. We, my wife and i talk to her everyday, when she makes noises, we make some to let her know she is heard. Thanks again.

 

[Birdman666]

CAGs definitely move at their own pace, and get handled on their own terms. Go at the bird's pace and don't stress him.

Doing little things like sitting down below his level in front of the cage and just talking to him, offering him treats, paying attention to him, etc. go a long way to "properly introducing yourself."

The more you tap into that natural curiousity without spooking him, the faster he will turn around. Do things that interest him, then just set it down and walk away, and let him explore.

Is he a plucker? How you approach a plucker differs from a CAG that doesn't pluck. And if he made it through an abusive/neglectful situation without plucking, then he's probably pretty hardy and resilient.

 

[robopetz]

CAGs definitely move at their own pace, and get handled on their own terms. Go at the bird's pace and don't stress him.

Doing little things like sitting down below his level in front of the cage and just talking to him, offering him treats, paying attention to him, etc. go a long way to "properly introducing yourself."

The more you tap into that natural curiousity without spooking him, the faster he will turn around. Do things that interest him, then just set it down and walk away, and let him explore.

Is he a plucker? How you approach a plucker differs from a CAG that doesn't pluck. And if he made it through an abusive/neglectful situation without plucking, then he's probably pretty hardy and resilient.

Hi Birdman666,

I love to learn about our lovely feathered friends. So, just curious to know.... it what ways is it different in approaching a plucker then a non plucker?

Thank you!

 

[GteddyTAG]

Thank you for your reply. Teddy the TAG is not a plucker, her feathers are intact and beautiful. Tonight I just placed my hand near her while she was on the top perch. She moved away initially and then moved towards my hand, but did not step up. I placed a piece of wooden stick close to her and she stepped up cautiously. Then I moved her to a higher spot on the upper cage. I recently covered a dowel with cloth rope to make a step up stick more comfy for her and less aggressive looking. I hope she takes to it and then off of it to the hand... We'll see how this works.

 

[Hawk]

Thank you for the advise. I know it will take time and I look forward to gaining her trust and friendship. Reading other posts and replies are helping me understand more about this species of parrot... very insightful. I guess I just need to wait it out and read/learn all the body cues. When she is ready she'll make the moves. We, my wife and i talk to her everyday, when she makes noises, we make some to let her know she is heard. Thanks again.

Your doing perfect!! You'll come to love having a Grey.... I wouldn't give mine up for anything in the world. The bond is just far to great now, and He's like my little boy (I call Him)....Just a great trust and understanding of one another.

I know his moods and body language and he knows and studies my body language and moods....yes, a grey will study you and involve how you react to it's testing you. It's a Grey's way of bonding and learning about you. And you know what?? It's awesome fun learning and sharing between yourself and your bird...you learn about each other together.

 

[Hawk]

Thank you for your reply. Teddy the TAG is not a plucker, her feathers are intact and beautiful. Tonight I just placed my hand near her while she was on the top perch. She moved away initially and then moved towards my hand, but did not step up. I placed a piece of wooden stick close to her and she stepped up cautiously. Then I moved her to a higher spot on the upper cage. I recently covered a dowel with cloth rope to make a step up stick more comfy for her and less aggressive looking. I hope she takes to it and then off of it to the hand... We'll see how this works.

You know what I do?... teach my Grey parts of the body...his and mine. That way I ask permission to touch him...and he understands.... I point to my nose and say my beaky....point to his beak and go " Graysons beaky"... and say this a few times...then I say can I rub your beaky...he'll come over and go " Beep" which I learned one beep is Yes...two beeps is no...then he puts his head sideways and touches my finger...so I rub his beak.

A grey will learn commands....I touch his feet and say " fingers"" ...then touch my hands and fingers and say fingers....Now we play the beep beep game...... he touches my fingers one at a time.. and beep after each finger...as if counting...then he puts his foot near my mouth...and places toe in my mouth...one at a time... after each one...I beep...counting like he did..it's a greys learning to trust and bond...and like I said...it's a true bond with my grey.

 

[Bandespresso]

Just like everyone else has said: take your time. Every thing you do has to be your grey's idea and it will all come together with time, patience, and lots of treats. My CAG had (and still has some) trust issues. I approached everything slowly and at her pace. Something I did that might work if your TAG likes boxes is, when espresso climbed into a box, I moved it off of her cage onto the floor and, when she climbed out onto the floor, she felt insecure and readily stepped up onto my hand which took her right back to her "safe zone" which was her cage. I increased the distance until we were in another room and worked on stepping up a few times before going back to her cage. Everything has to be positive and rewarding! Your new friend will definitely come around. Keep us updated!

 

[Birdman666]

Is he a plucker? How you approach a plucker differs from a CAG that doesn't pluck. And if he made it through an abusive/neglectful situation without plucking, then he's probably pretty hardy and resilient.

Hi Birdman666,

I love to learn about our lovely feathered friends. So, just curious to know.... it what ways is it different in approaching a plucker then a non plucker?

Thank you!

Just about every way is different with a plucker. An abused bird requires patience, but a plucker requires 100 times the patience... and observation skills!

And you really have to observe the bird carefully, and make sure that what you're doing doesn't make them apprehensive... because the minute they become apprehensive and skittish, the downward spiral begins. You can almost see the point where the little bird brain starts to spin out control. And the minute that happens, they grab a beak full of feathers, and start yanking them out and bleeding...

I'm not great on pluckers, but I have worked with them...

So, the first step with rehabbing a plucker is always to de-stress them, and get them really super comfortable. And you go at the bird's pace.

For example: With some, the plucking is caused by boredom, and the answer is to do things that occupy them and interest them. (That's actually one of the easier fixes. Stuffed boxes, shredders, and forraging toys work good for this.) Those birds, the sooner you work with them the better off they are.

For a great many others it's fear based/neurotic behavior. Those birds have to be slowly and carefully introduced to things over a long period of time... even the slightest change can have dire consequences if the bird hasn't adjusted to them. For example: We had a too that I removed from his crappy disgusting green cheek conure cage with one toy, and put into a deluxe oversized macaw playtop, set up like a normal too cage. HE IMMEDIATELY FREAKED OUT AND DIDN'T CALM DOWN UNTIL HE WAS PLACED BACK IN HIS BARE NOTHING GREEN CHEEK CAGE. (I cleaned it first of course.)

Then, once you figure out the trigger, you get them interested in an alternative neurotic impulsive behavior that they can substitute for the plucking...

With Casper, we made our own plucking toys from molted too feathers down at the rescue, and we also made several preening rope toys for him. While this "worked" and he did clear up his open sores, and regrew feathers, it also ultimately killed him. He was so neurotic that he obscessed on the preening toys, and ingested enough of them to cause an intestinal blockage.

He was a sweet, self-destructive, tortured soul of a bird. He became my daughter's little shadow. Then we lost him... At least in the last few months of his life, he seemed happy, and was learning to be a normal bird. He knew and finally accepted love...

Screaming and biting are easy behaviors to modify. Plucking is hard! And it's gut wrenching...

Foraging is another way to do it.

Stuffed boxes seem to be really good.

But this is why I don't offer much in the way of advice on plucking. Though I think this post offers my personal insight and opinions on it. For what it is worth.

I can't say that I've been overwhelmingly successful with pluckers. I've had some success. But the cure was worse than the disease with Casper... so there's that.

You try your best, but you still can't save them all...

 

[GteddyTAG]

Thank you all for the sound advise. last night I used an old length of dowel rod and covered it with the "Colored Rope" to make the step up stick look and feel more inviting. Have not used it yet. My wife, got Teddy to step up on her hand, and after a brief move away from the cage she "Teddy" took flight and glided down the hallway ~20'. My wife let Teddy walk on the carpet, and she eventually went back to her cage (exploration of the home), The day before I had her on my hand and took her for a slow tour of the house, the only time she tried to fly is when we approached the cage. I know we moving fast it seems, but I'm starting to slow it down a bit and let Teddy call the pace of things. Stepping up after I offer if she wants to. Offering praise and lots of talking at lower cage level. Thanks again all for your insight! Much appreciate. I will post a pic sometime soon.