Cag growled

[tkirsch9368]

My grey flew to me, for the first time, and I believe wanted to be played with so I cleard the coffee table and put an old sheet on it. I put some food down but he didnt want anything to do with it. He just wanted to walk around. So anyway I thought this is the only time that i get to handle him so I wonder what he will do in the shower. So I went tuned it on and took him in there. Well, he went nutso! Scratched me all up to where he drew blood, I tried to get him wet and he growled and screamed so loud my neighbors didnt know what was going on, they heard everything. I quit right away and took him back out to the coffee table and gave him lots and lots of his fav treat! He ate so gently out of my hand. I let him walk around a little more until he kept reaching for me so then i knew he was ready to go back to his cage and has been very quiet. He hasnt talked or even really moved. Is he in shock? I hope I didnt tramatize him too bad

[Congobongo]

Well, sounds like he trusted you enough to come over to play and have a visit but not be put into a shower situation. Don't forget...baby steps...baby steps. You should have just enjoyed that he came over for a visit and not pushed a shower on him. But, what is done is done. Just work back and regain his trust again. And do not push to much too fast. You will be able to sense when you can try something new. Like I walk mine into the bathroom so that they see it and get comfortable in there.

In the interim I use a mister to give them the shower they need and they enjoy having that.

[Jag]

Oh no! Does he react badly to being misted? The day I had to take Ziva to the vet she wasn't nearly as vocal as normal. She was clearly ticked off at me. I know I'm treading unfamiliar waters here...but so far I've only gotten Ziva off her cage one time (other than the vet) which was to try to 'play' on the table. I had her over there for less than 10 minutes. I haven't tried again, although we will again soon. It probably won't be any longer of a time, though...and will most likely be back to that same area.

I know that there is a huge difference... but my oldest human child is a 'special needs' kid. I didn't know 'why or what' until he was 8. Changes, new places, and introducing new things was sometimes very sticky. So, I'd bring in one thing/concept at a time. It was a balancing act between letting him have a little stress over it... and realizing when to 'call it quits' because it was getting to be too much. It had to be short, then repeated after enough time to take the 'shock' off it. So far, that same kind of thing has worked with the boys, and hopefully it will work with Ziva.

Every bird is different.. and I don't profess to know anything! However.. if this does (by some chance) help you out any... well, then it wasn't just wasted time! I hope introducing new things goes better for you as time goes on!

[tkirsch9368]

he didnt like the mister either, until I brought his buddy Patches home. He seemed to like at that point. After a few other times misting him he was right back to not liking it. I dont know whether I am coming or going with this bird. I guess I will just let him tell me when he wants to have a bath :(

[MichelATL]

My timneh doesn't like to get misted either and I had to take baby steps to get her to go into the shower. Realize the bathroom has many foreign looking items in it, one of the worst being the shower head which is higher than the bird and if you have a showerhead that is a handle with a hose attached, the bird may think it is a snake or predator.
My timneh likes getting some misting every now and then, but prefers to bath in her water bowl.
If I ever pull down the shower head to use, my timneh starts growling which is her way of saying she's not comfortable.
My best suggestion is if you get your CAG a shower perch to keep it around the cage or some other part of the birds play area until it gets used to it. Get the CAG used to the perch and then put the perch in the bathroom/shower and remove us much other items from the bathroom for the first introduction to the bathroom area. Hopefully having a *safe* area -- perch in the shower might be enough to offset the fright/flight response.