Re: How will I handle and start to tame my new african grey

>Now my grey moves feely in my room and when he gets bored or feels
>sleepy he goes back into his cage.I think sometime later I'll start to
>teach him step up and step down.Because still now he is afraid of
>me.While he is out of his cage and if I go closer to him he starts to
>growl.But when he is inside the cage I can touch his beak.And when he
>eats from my palm I can rub my fore finger with his neck but only when
>he eats from my palm.Otherwise he doesnt allow me to touch his neck.So
>I think I'll give him some more time---Am I right???Please keep sending
>these wonderfull advices

It's sounds like you have made tremedous progress. I would say that
you should work on "set-up up/down" much sooner that later. Your bird
growls becouse he is using the only threat he knows. And the more you
back away when he does this, the more he consideres himself in control
of the situation. I'm not saying to bully him at all, I'm just saying,
get yourself a 2 footlong peice of dowl or solid branch and begin
getting him to climb on and off it. You don't even have to take him
out of hios cage. You can also use the dowl outside of the cage during
practice sessions which may only last 30 seconds at first. This
excersice is the BEST way to establish dominance. Step and Down needs
to become automatic as quickly as possible. For safety... and for
establishing dominance.

One more thing... your bird will someday bite you, probably sooner than
later. Usually not hard, just enough for a message to be sent. Let him
get used to your fingers, actually let him grasp your finger when he's
in one of his calmer moves and praise him. He will not bite it, he'll
grask it (sometimes firmly) and let his tounge do some tasting and
exploring. They are much like a baby when it comes to thier mouth,
it's how they "taste and feel" thier surroundings. IOh Yeah, 2 other
things when it comes to biting: As hard as it is at the time... don't
make a big deal out of it, don't yell, don't jump back. Your bird
loves to be entertained and you don't want your dancing around in pain
to become a form of entertainment for him. Be calm, move your other
hand near him and try to distract him. This will usually get him to
let go. Never praise him when he lets go. Also, never wear gloves, at
least not with small/medium or large parrots. While they may
eventually get used to them, They will never feel the warmth of your
fingers, which they love to have stroking thier beaks or feet.

I usually don't recommend books, but I picked up an excellent one a few
months ago to refresh up on a few things becouse I had a new youngster
coming into my home. It's very good for new owners. "Guide to
Companion Parrot Behavior" by Mattie Sue Athan. Publisher is Barrons.
I really suggest you get this, or another book ASAP. It will answer
many of the questions you are asking right now. Good Luck!

.

Relevant Pages

  • How to befriend a skittish parakeet?
    ... budgies before and usually managed to have them finger tame, ... then getting them back onto my finger or a perch. ... Oliver, on the other hand, is still very leery of my hands at the best ... If I go up close to his cage and talk to him he looks very ...
    (rec.pets)
  • My parakeets afraid of me
    ... budgies before and usually managed to have them finger tame, ... then getting them back onto my finger or a perch. ... Oliver, on the other hand, is still very leery of my hands at the best ... If I go up close to his cage and talk to him he looks very ...
    (rec.pets.birds)
  • Re: My parakeets afraid of me
    ... budgies before and usually managed to have them finger tame, ... then getting them back onto my finger or a perch. ... Oliver, on the other hand, is still very leery of my hands at the best ... If I go up close to his cage and talk to him he looks very ...
    (rec.pets.birds)
  • Re: Thanks guys!
    ... Bloggers tend to just want to give thier thoughts and seek people to read ... been home with two sick kids with the flu. ... My finger has all these poke marks in ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Thanks guys!
    ... The thing is i think the difference between bloggers and message boards ... Bloggers tend to just want to give thier thoughts and seek people to ... been home with two sick kids with the flu. ... My finger has all these poke marks in ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)