Timneh grey with wings driving us crazy.

[gerewolf]

We decided not to clip our Timneh's wings, thinking that would be traumatic for him. He came to us at two month's old with clipped wings. After the first molting a year later, he grew new wings and we left them. Now at a year and a half he is very proud he can fly and is flying all over the place. Unfortunately, he flies to tables, shelves, desks, and starts biting everything in site. One of my chairs has now been picked apart and will need to be replaced. He is bitten the fingers off a beautiful lamp. He seems to be in the terrible two's of parrot life. I keep saying "No! No! No!" and pushing him away, but he just comes right back and bites the same thing. Is this a phase? Will he come to a point where he learns not to bite certain things (like the buttons on my clothes)? Or must we clip his wings?

 

[Shayner]

Im not to sure about if he will stop biting things without being trained not to, youll most likley have to teach him that biting your chairs or lamp is not exceptable. Positive reinforcement works very well with greys. As for clipping the wings, thats a tough call i clip the wings on my budgies cause they poo none stop and if i dont it ends up all over my house so they stay clipped lol. Are there environments in your house that are potentially dangerous for your grey?
If your working on training him unclipped wings are better, and clipping can be traumatic for any bird, so your thoughts were correct on not wanting to clip!

 

[SandyBee]

Well each bird is different and so are their levels of determination.
Training and persistence is needed. With my amazon who is fully flighted I birdie proofed all the place he typically flies to, In those locations I always put things that he can chew, toys and safe things. I make it like foraging spots, one day he will find a new bell or stuffy, sometimes there will be a head of Kale or spinach to shred etc.

For the stuff you can't move constant supervision is needed for his safety and your sanity.

 

[legal_eagle]

Keep a close eye on him when he's out of his cage and don't let him bite where he's not supposed to--interrupt him and put him back in his cage, or take him to a designated place where he can be out of his cage. He'll probably get the picture eventually.

 

[Katiejayne]

I have this issue also I take my eye off her for a second and she has flown to my mobile or remotes and having a whale of a time lol! funny thing is my wings r ment to be clipped but she can fly from one room to other with a perfect landing?! I've been told to ask them to reclip but I just think she loves to fly and it gives her abit of freedom even if it does get abit on my nerves lol

 

[gerewolf]

Thanks for your replies. I'm wondering whether this is a phase. I heard that African Greys mature to about the equivalent of a 5 year old. When they get to be five, do they calm down and listen more?

 

[Katiejayne]

I certainly hope so lol

 

[lotosha]

Thanks for your replies. I'm wondering whether this is a phase. I heard that African Greys mature to about the equivalent of a 5 year old. When they get to be five, do they calm down and listen more?

Well before buying CAG I consulted with avian vet about CAG's. He strooongly advised my NOT to buy CAG, because as he put it :"You'll have a 3 year old toddler for as long as 30 or 40 years"
So my guess is that they stay as playful and as naughty during all their life.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

First, I don't know any ethical breeders that would 1) sell a bird at two months old, 2) trim the wings at that young of an age. The mental development of parrots in their first two years of life is really crucial. It's important that they not only learn to fly, but master flight completely and are left able to fly for at least the first year of their lives. I avoid bird shows because they want me to trim out baby birds. I understand their reasons, but I am not crippling the development of a bird simply so I can traumatize it by hauling it across the country to be poked at by a bunch of strangers. Now, let me go ahead and add that I am completely against trimming wings. I make exceptions rarely, but it's always on a case by case basis. Now, your Timneh is at an age where he would be learning to do the most important things in his life by "monkey see, monkey do" method. Parrots watch their parents (what they eat, how they socialize, where they fly to, what the dangers are, etc) and stay with their parents for about TWO YEARS, so the idea that a baby is ready at TWO MONTHS is terrible. What you have is a Timneh in the process of learning everything he needs to know, who is already socially crippled by a poor breeder... so guide him... make everything parrot safe and accept that for at least the next six months, he's going to destroy things and explore places... he has no other birds to show him what's acceptable, and therefor is all over the place. He will not stop doing it until he has learned what he thinks he needs to know, so if you cripple the behavior you are just making it last longer... the goal here is to make the environment safer and spend time showing him what to eat, and what to play... he has to learn from someone, so now your it. If you trim him and punish him for this curious behavior he becomes a good candidate for plucking. If you feel you can't handle the socialization needs of a young bird and go the route of trimming him, make sure he doesn't think it's a punishment for being himself (meaning don't trim him right after he does something you don't like). If you trim him, you will have to work twice as hard to meet his social and mental development needs... this is why I don't sell babies until after they have spent time in our rescue and rehab flock. I am sorry if this seems harsh, I am not upset with you, just the person who raised your bird.

 

[thekarens]

Thanks for your replies. I'm wondering whether this is a phase. I heard that African Greys mature to about the equivalent of a 5 year old. When they get to be five, do they calm down and listen more?

Well before buying CAG I consulted with avian vet about CAG's. He strooongly advised my NOT to buy CAG, because as he put it :"You'll have a 3 year old toddler for as long as 30 or 40 years"
So my guess is that they stay as playful and as naughty during all their life.

If a vet told me that I'd be finding a new avian vet. He might as well have said don't buy a parrot because that statement applies to the majority of parrots.

 

[lotosha]

[
If a vet told me that I'd be finding a new avian vet. He might as well have said don't buy a parrot because that statement applies to the majority of parrots.[/QUOTE]

I would disagree on that. He's making a good thing when explaining people that parrots will be there with us for many years and they'll constantly need our attention and that they are not easy to handle. Besides he's the best in my area. Lots of vets say they know how to treat birds, but most of them really don't.
He saved my cockatiel's life once and always took a very good care of my CAG's.

 

[thekarens]

He's not doing anyone any favors by saying that just about CAGs, if he said it about all parrots I'd agree with you, but to single out CAGs is ignorance. I know several other species more toddler like than CAGs, big Macs are one of them. Then there's caiques. They are like toddlers with ADD (which is why they are so much fun)

I'm not questioning his veterinary skills, just his knowledge of parrot behavior.

 

[lotosha]

He's not doing anyone any favors by saying that just about CAGs, .

Well I only asked him about CAG's....