My New African Grey

[aaronsv]

Hello, I just found this forum and I hope that someone is able to help me.

I adopted an 8 year old African Grey about two weeks ago. He has a huge cage, and lots of toys. I am really enjoying him, however, I have some concerns.

He will most of the time get on my finger when I put it in the cage and say "step up". He will sit on my finger and go from hand to hand and just stares at me. He will most of the time eat food I hand him or eat from my hand. He will even give me a little peck on the lip when I say "Give me a kiss". But, he is confusing me. He will only let out a chirp a few times a day. And, when I turn off the lights to go to bed, sometimes, he will squawk once or twice. But, overall, he is extremely quiet. I work at home and his cage is in my home office, and he seems to enjoy just sitting in his cage and staring at me.

The other day my cousin came over to see him. She is female and I am male. When she walked in my home office, he immediately fluffed up and started bobbing his head up and down in an excited way. She was able to have him step up and he seemed to love being on her finger. The kicker is, she started laughing and he started mimicking her laugh. It was the cutest thing. He also said a few words and would bob up and down and sway when she started singing. He was like a different bird. He took to her immediately.

I am wondering if this could be due to the fact that his previous owner of eight years was female (she got rid of him because she had very young grandkids and he seems to be very well taken care of).

Do I have any hopes of him warming up to me and being comfortable enough to play around and talk and mimic? Any advice on what to do and not to do?

I appreciate any advice.

 

[Safira]

Sometimes birds just take to a person.

You have hope though! Don't give up. It will just take longer, keep giving him treats and talking to him, don't push him to try too much too fast though. The fact he steps up is a good thing!

He may just like girls better, but that doesn't mean that you can't win him over!

 

[Joeyx]

my african grey Klaus is somewhat quiet too, and i've had him since he was a baby.. so
it could just be the bird. then again, yours is an adopted bird and you just got him two
weeks ago. he could just be warming up to you still and getting used to his surroundings.
adopted birds can take up years just to open up to their new owners and their new home.

as for your friend.. it could be that he's used to a female human being around and playing
with him. or he could just be happy seeing a friend of yours lol. but yeah, don't give up
on him.

 

[oled]

14 days is a really short time to make any conclusion. Just now she is adapting to you and the new home so just take it easy. A bird is normaly quiert when not total conftebel

 

[BillsBirds]

They're right...2 weeks is a very short time for a bird. Plus, coming from a female owner to male is often a bit of a change for these guys. I have taken in several "female oriented" birds. I'm male. They took a while, but, all eventually loved me. You have to proceed at the birds' own pace. You are the flock leader, and your bird is still sorting that out. Have patience, and give plenty of love & treats.

 

[Spiritbird]

Greys as most birds bond very tightly with their guardians. Of course he would give a female a warm greeting if that is what he is used to. Is he a CAG or TAG? They are such wonderful pets and not noisy as you have found out. I am giving you a link to some good info. on greys. http://www.africangreys.com/

We love photos when you get to them. Do not push the bird please. He will bond with you at his comfort level. Could take a while. Good luck and we are here to help.

 

[aaronsv]

Thanks so much for all your replies. I have attached a picture of my 8 year old African Grey, Louie.

He's very mellow. Just vacuumed around his cage today and he didn't even care about the noise. He's a very curious guy and watches everybody intently.

 

[roxynoodle]

I adopted a now 29 year old amazon who had always had a male owner. I think it was a change for him, especially the first time I took him to the shower with me, lol! I got undressed and his eyes almost popped out of his head with surprise. It was actually pretty comical. He did warm up to me and now seems to warm up to women faster. So just give him time.

 

[Joeyx]

i've always wanted a timneh. he's so cute.
looks very curious indeed.

 

[renrat]

Give it time. Grey's are wonderful parrots, and they do form tight bonds with their parents ( I don't like the word "owner" because I don't feel we "own" these little guys, we are blessed with their presence) But Grey's are funny, they take time and are emotional little fids. And they do sometimes meet someone they instantly like. Just like we do as humans. Can't take it personally. In time, your grey will bond with you, but it will be on his terms, and in his time. Just keep doing what you're doing, don't push, and it will happen. Congrats on youir adoption! I'm hoping to adopt a Congo myself, just working through the process right now.

 

[mtdoramike]

I agree with everything said here. BUT, I'm also a realist. Yes, two weeks is a short time for a bird to bond with you if he or she will completely bond with you. Unfortunately his previous owner was a woman. I maybe in the manority here, but I believe that a bird picks his owner as well as his mate or partner. Although I believe this to be the case in most instances, if that bird belonged to someone else and gets adopted, it will take to what ever sex owned him previously such as a man or woman.

I have found this to be true with most birds that I have been around that were previously owned. I had the opportunity to adopt a Blue Fronted Amazon, but when I learned that his previous owner was a woman who owned him for 9 years and the person currently caretaking himwas also a woman, I shyed away from that quickly.

Good luck with your efforts. At best you can hope that he will warm up to you enough that you can care for him and be able to interact with him without having a female person around. But best case is that if there is no female currently residing with you that the bird will in time look at you as his mate or flock leader.

 

[Enjru]

You should invite your cousin to come over some more! Keeping a parrot should not mean that you need your parrot to love you the most of all. In fact, many problems can arise when a parrot sees you as the be-all and end-all of his/her existence. As long as the relationship you have with your parrot is not warped and twisted, enjoy it however far it goes! Respect where the parrot wants to draw the line. Not every parrot and his/her parrot-keeper has to be best buddies. If you hired a maid to clean your house, you might not want her to follow you around and clean whichever chair you've chosen to sit on, just so she can touch your elbow. Especially not if you've been watching American Horror Story.

 

[GandolftheGrey]

Hello all, this is my first time posting a message.
I also have a CAG and my situation is almost the same. I adopted a 2 year old African Grey a week ago and spend most of the day with him since I work from home. I talk to him a lot and I'm the one how takes care of him, feeding him,
cleaning after him and letting him out.
He has taken food from my hand and I also spoon feed him at times. The thing is that when my wife gets home from work he gets all excited and talks up a storm and starts dancing.
I have to admit, I got jealous when I saw it because I'm the one that cares for him.
My wife only interacts with him in the late afternoon when she gets home from work and never handles him because she is scared of parrots.
Will he warm up to me or is he stuck on my wife?
Any thoughts?
Thank you.