Advice required - Adopting African Grey

[atailor]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice on a current situation. My mum unfortunately passed away recently and I'm unsure what to do with her African Grey.

Ideally I would like to keep the bird, however I'm concerned about how much time I could spend with it.

Questions:
- Is it ok to leave the bird alone all day?
- How often should the bird be let out of the cage and for how long?
- What's the longest period of time an African Grey can be kept alone comfortably?
- My mum did spoil him a little and as such he's not trained and is a little disruptive. He does what he wants most of the time. He's approx. 3 years old. Can he be trained to behave still?

I've always been against caged animals, however my mum cared for the bird as if it was her own child.

If I were to look after him I would want to make sure that I gave it a comfortable home.

Thanks in advance for you advice.

Amit.

[Izzy2006]

Is it ok to leave the bird alone all day?-Not really,come home during lunch
- How often should the bird be let out of the cage and for how long?-at least once a day for 30 mins
- What's the longest period of time an African Grey can be kept alone comfortably?-Probley about,well,honostly,i dont know
- My mum did spoil him a little and as such he's not trained and is a little disruptive. He does what he wants most of the time. He's approx. 3 years old. Can he be trained to behave still?-Of course,its never to old.
Hope this helped

[StellaBlue]

I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Please understand that animals grieve, too, and expect your bird friend may take some time to settle in. Grays are a little less demanding than some other birds in terms of how much of your time they absolutely MUST have, so I would definitely try to keep the bird as long as you can provide reasonably for its needs. I think in the long run both you and the bird will be happier for it.

Originally Posted by atailor

- Is it ok to leave the bird alone all day?

Many people here work all day and leave their birds at home. Ya gotta buy birdie toys somehow, and for most of us, that means a job. The birds are fine. Leave a TV or radio playing - it will provide the bird some reassuring background noise. Of course lots of us solve this issue by having more than one bird

Originally Posted by atailor

- How often should the bird be let out of the cage and for how long?

Grays can be pretty much self entertaining, and many of them prefer interacting verbally to being really physical and touchy - although some do really enjoy petting and contact. As long as you have a reasonably safe household (no cats or dogs running around, no open cooking flames it could reach, no ceiling fans going for it to fly into) open the cage door when you get up in the morning, put the bird back before you go to work, open the cage when you get home, and put the bird up when it is bedtime. If you have a playtop on your cage, so much the better, or if you prefer, you can move your bird to a playstand for its out time. Give your bird plenty of toys and a good diet that includes lots of fresh food, a high quality seed mix, and perhaps a high quality pelleted food. Give him a little bit of what you are eating, too - just remember to stay away from chocolate, avocado, caffeine, alcohol, and anything really high in salt or sugar. Talk to him while you are home -- he'll want to know where you are and what you are doing. Sing or whistle to him - he won't care if you are offkey.

Originally Posted by atailor

- What's the longest period of time an African Grey can be kept alone comfortably?

A normal workday is fine. If you travel or spend nights away, you will need to find a birdsitter. Routine and predictibility are VERY important to grays -- he will be happier if he has the same daily routine, every day.

Originally Posted by atailor

- My mum did spoil him a little and as such he's not trained and is a little disruptive. He does what he wants most of the time. He's approx. 3 years old. Can he be trained to behave still?

What, exactly, do you mean by "spoiled" and "a little disruptive"? Can you be more specific? What was his life like with your mom? When he is disruptive, what does he DO?

Three years old is VERY young for a parrot. He is still a teenager and you will have more than ample opportunity to shape him into the bird he has the potential to be -- and the bird you want him to be. He can live to be at least 50-60 years old, and can be a rewarding companion for the rest of your life. These are really sensitive, charming birds, and if you are committed to giving him a good home, I think you will be very pleased with your bird friend. You will probably wonder how you ever managed without a bird in your life! Grays are sneaky that way

Please read on the rest of the board about feeding, cages, toys, behavior and training, etc. Ask when you have questions, take your time to get to know your new companion, and to learn how to interact with each other,

[atailor]

Thank you all so much for the replies. Very useful indeed.

My current work place is too far to come home at lunch so at best he'll be left alone all day, however he has plenty of toys and a large cage and a radio to keep him entertained. Also thinking of positioning my webcam so I can check up on him during the day. :-)

His disruptiveness is only recent. I think it may have been because my mum spent less time with him during her last months because of her illness.

He turns over his food and water pots. He destroys his toys in days and if out chews through furniture.

He does not bite at all and is very tame and extremely friendly. He loves to be petted.

I guess he like attention and he was getting bored. I'm worried that his new routine with me will be like the last months with my mum. Will he be happy to adapt to the new routine?

He also flies very well. My mum never believed in clipping his wings so he therefore has free roam in the house when he is out. He does not like to sit in one position for too long and searches for the highest landing point as his temporary base.

Is clipping safe and friendly to the bird? How can i got about training him to go back to his cage perch or stand?

Thanks again for all your help.

Amit.

[Cindy215]

Well my feeling is it's not enough time with companionship. Being all alone the entire day is very rough on any parrot let alone a Grey. Of course he's mourning your mom and it's not easy on him, she was his entire world the only person he had who loved him.

Of course IMO he's much better off with you if you can provide stability, time out of the cage FLYING, and enrichment....than with alot of other places. And many people here say they work all day and the bird is fine,,,it's just my belief that it's not what's best...but it may be in his best interest depending on YOU. Can you make a lifetime committment? Are husbands, boyfriends, kids, dogs going to supercede him?

Your instinct was right, parrots are undomesticated wild animals and wired for constant companionship 24/7. If he knows you and likes you and you are willing to be up at 6 with him and dedicate most of your free time to him, then I say try it. But you may have to try and find someone who has alot more time and is bird-knowledgable. Greys are easy to place everyone wants one....finding the perfect person is not so easy but I have a feeling he'll pick someone....hopefully that reminds him of your mom who is home all day. Be very particular. Dont give him away for free. Never trust what you hear there are alot of resellers around and some creep may put him on Craig's list or another venue.

If you pm me, I'm a member of a bird advocacy group who can give you the scoop on adoptions and if necessary perhaps help you. It's against the rules to post sites here.

PLEASE FOR A MILLION REASONS DO NOT CLIP HIM. Honor your mother's wise judgement. Clipping makes for a paranoid, needy, clingy and nippy bird. Especially NOW if you alter him you'll have a major problem. Clipping to "adjust the attutude" is etrocious. Psychological bullying and it doesnt EVEN WORK. A confident bird without missing body parts is much easier to deal with.

Also it's the best exercise cardivascular and muscles.

IF YOU LEAVE HIM FLIGHTED YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO FIND A MORE PROGRESSIVE BIRD FRIENDLY HOME. IF SOMEONE NEEDS TO CLIP HIM, THEN THEY ARE NOT REALLY IN TUNE AND UNDERSTANDING THE MODERN DAY THINKING. (sorry to yell, LOL)

They used to chain a bird's leg to a perch, too back in the 60's and 70's. I predict 10 years from now, clipping will be seen as such.

There are a ton of clipping threads here. I'll try and post previous links to my reasons why clipping is so detrimental. Not to mention it takes a year to grow back and his flight skills, physical and mental health will regress.

AND you may end up with him completely plucking. You really need to be on guard for that NOW especially. Grey's are prone to it.

Give him time. He will go back to his cage at DUSK to eat and sleep. Dim the lights not too much. So he can still see. Try and get him to get used to stepping up onto a perch. Then just say time for bed. Offer the perch under the chest, push up and he''ll step up. Always positive reinforcement. Bribes, treats, kindness.

It's all about routine. Flying high is a hardwired instict to feel secure. Let him do it. He'll get over it. He needs to get comfortable with you and his surroundings and feel safe.

If you need more detailed info on getting him back in post back. I've never clipped a bird EVER and this is over decades, and none of my rescue friends do.

Thank you for taking him and caring about his welfare. As a mom, that's what I would have hoped THE MOST from any daughter of mine. That she take care of another person that I loved.

[Cindy215]

Here's a link I just posted on about foods. How to offer them and what's good. You have to watch parrots for calcium deficiencies especially Greys. If he wasnt on the "best diet" when he was with your mom, he may already be deficient and stress can bring out underlying problems.

Check out Calcivet (if your in Au, Eu, or Canada) and Calciboost in the US if he is not eating 85% pelleted diet. If he is, then you dont supplement. A vet can explain. If he doesnt have one and you want to know about it, post back.

http://birdboard.com/forum/showthrea...996#post348996

[atailor]

Thanks again.

He's a good eater and generally has a good mixture of both seeds and fresh food. He gets plenty of fresh fruits and veg and treats on chicken bones.

I'll keep an eye out on his diet now as it may change with time.

[Cindy215]

Sure, I hope it works out. About the chicken bones...alot of protein can cause some nervous excitable behavior in my birds and some of my rescue friends report this too. Animal protein is especially hard on the kidney and liver (long term). I'm sure he loves it but if you cut back you may see him calm down alot. I'd cut out all animal protein, only give a bit of egg and I mean a BIT once or twice a month (but I only give it in molting season - fall)....and I'd raise the veggies and dark greens more instead of the protein.

And give nice long dark nights for sleeping ...matching the number of hours as outside wherever it is you live...including dusk and dawn. Sometimes sleep is the "Only" problem! No tv, radio, people talking, computers, lights flashing just a dark room and quiet in that particular room. Following a strict natural daylight schedule is a big factor in behavior and avoiding breeding behaviors or crankiness.

Good luck.