new cag owner...please help

[littlebirdnewbie]

I've never owned a bird before. My husband talked me into taking in this CAG for a 'trial run'...there is no such thing with birds like this. His name is Pippin...he's 2 years old...very pretty...seems a bit on the small side and prefers men...he might be a she. He was never sexed..owners called him a he. I feel bad because he's in a new place so he's a bit nervous and I'm completely overwhelmed because I have never taken care of a bird like this before so I'M nervous too. We got him Saturday night and my husband was home for a couple of hours with me on Sunday but, then he had to go to work...and today I get home at 6PM and he leaves for work at 3PM...so he won't be there. And he leaves for 4 days tomorrow morning...I don't know what I'm going to do. I can feed him and talk to him...I leave the tv on for him when I'm away. But I'm afraid to have him perch on my hand to get him in and out of his cage. Now, His last owners had him out in the morning and in the evening. I know he needs to be out of his cage for exercise but, I can't let him out in the morning because I can't get him back in and I obviously have to go to work on time. I really want to be a good mom!!! I know in time I'll get more comfortable but, right now...I REALLY need some advice to get me through this week. Thanks for reading
~Stephanie

[shortncrazy2]

I felt a little weird when I first got my lily. I thought she was great, but it really took me a few days to get use to her being on me and now I don't even notice.
Does the bird fly or does it have it's wings clipped?
One thing is sitting next to the cage and letting you and the bird to get to know each other will help some. If you give the bird treats (my lily loves grapes- I break it in half for her) the will love up to you and trust you more.
But birds can sence if you are scared of them....
Not sure if I helped any.. Best of luck!

[littlebirdnewbie]

That does help a bit actually. I have been talking to him...and this morning I sat next to the cage and we had breakfast together and chatted a bit. At least I know now that it's something he needs and probably looks forward to. You think we can bond OK that way?
His wings are clipped...they clipped them the day before we picked him up...I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. It makes me more nervous that he'll fall and hurt himself.
I don't mind having him on me...it's just the getting him there that I have a hard time with...I'm afraid he'll bite me. Which I know will happen at some point but, right now I can't push through that fear. I'm half afraid that he'll hurt me and half afraid that I'll hurt him...And I would feel SO terrible!
I think I just need to get to know him a little more and he needs to get to know me a little more. And I think I need to get used to his behaviors and reading his moods. Right now he makes noises and movements and I don't know what they mean. I don't know if they're happy, sad, or mad signals. Or if they mean nothing at all. I definitely feel he taunts me at times...I think he's a bit of a jokester.
Thank you for the reply!

[shortncrazy2]

Let's see if I can help anymore. After I got Lily I bought a few books that I read to help me understand birds and hopefully some tips I got from there will help you out some too.
waggine tail: happy
preening (when he would clean his feathers): comfortable, relaxed
Preening you: likes you
Facial or neck feather fluffing: please scratch my head
grinding beak: sleepy
tail feathers flat out: excited
flapping or slapping one or both wings: wants left alone
stand on one foot: resting
regurtitating when combining wht head bob, pumping neck muscles: love you
pulling healthy feathers: stress
fluffing all feathers and giving a quick shake: about to preen
yawn: sleepy

As for the wings being clipped I asked that. Because if he is out of the cage there is usually less of a chance of him getting hurt...won't fly into walls, windows and ect.
Glad that you spent some time by the cage today. He might be making noise because his reutine is different and he is use to being out of the cage. One thing is they love to be talked to and get any attention they can get- like a little puppy.
If you do get motivated to take him out. You can always hold one of his favorite treats in your hand and they would go to that. Lily didn't like my hubby much and use to try to bite him...so I always let him give her a treat (grapes) and she warmed up to him fast.
Best of luck.

[littlebirdnewbie]

You don't know HOW much better I feel reading your reply...you helped me out a great deal...can't thank you enough! I think both Pippin and I are starting to settle in a bit. And those tips about what he does and what it means...made me feel better. So, THANK YOU!

[shortncrazy2]

glad I could help!

[kensbuns]

I would not associate the pulling of healthy feathers only to stress. They really dont know why they pluck. My little girl Cleo seems to hormonal pluck. Grey's are the greatest. Just calm down and enjoy your bird.

[grandma]

You are doing the right thing. Just stay close to his cage and talk to him. After a few days, open his cage and he will most likely climb on top...keep talking to him. To get him back into his cage put a treat in it.
He may try to climb down the cage to explore.
Do not put your hand in to his cage...that is his domaine. Once out of the cage, see if he will perch on a stick or perch. He will most likely step up for you when he is on the floor more than anywhere else. Hand feed him as often as you can with special treats....fruit, almonds, chicken bone...This will make him feel closer to you.

[tielmama]

I don't have a Grey, but I have an idea since you are mostly afraid of picking him up. Get a perch that he will feel secure stepping onto, and put it right above his feet and touch his belly with it while saying Step Up! Don't act afraid, and don't act like you are going to take it away. Even if he bites the perch, don't worry. They use their beaks to test the perch to see if it will hold them. You might get lucky. He might step right on. If he does, you can get him out, and put him away without being afraid. You better try it when you don't have to go to work. If you feel nervous, he will sense it, and he will be nervous too. I hope it works.

[Zazu'sMom]

I work at a boarding kennel and a couple of years ago a lilac crowned conure came in. I hadn't had a bird in years and was really scared of this bird, but I just stayed next to his cage and talked to him everyday. I also gave him some treats through the cage. After doing this for about three days I noticed he would start to follow me through his cage. All my co-workers were telling me it looked like he really liked me and that I should try to hold him, but I was freaked out! But, I finally decided to give it a try....he loved me! It was crazy that just hanging out by his cage and talking to him was enough for him to decide I was okay. So okay in fact that he decided he hated everyone else and only liked me. now a couple years down the road I had to get a parrot of my own ; ) so now I have my CAG.

Anyway, moral of my story.......talking and treats and more talking can really go a long way. I think the key is to not try to push the bird to do anything he doesn't want to. If you spend enough time hanging out with him, he will want more from you.

good luck