Help with a nasty mean grey

[Salsa]

Hello. Long story short... I have a CAG (Gio) that I have been rehabilitating for a couple of years now. Its a long story. Trust has been a big issue and he is coming around slowly. Since I got my GW macaw a couple of weeks ago he has been becoming jealous of the attention she gets and has been more willing to be messed with. Anyway, today I let him out of his cage because he likes to come out and walk around on the floor. I have never been able to step him up on my hand because he lunges and tears me to shreds. I have gotten him on a stick but only a couple of times. So today I got him on the t-stand and went to clean his cage at which point he flew to attack me. So with him being back down on the floor and chasing me around to try to kill my shoes and pants (not funny) I sat down armed with a perch to have some one on one time with him. I got to the point that I could scritch his head but shortly there after he proceeded to literally jump on my hand and try to bite the crap out of me. I backed him down by picking up the perch and trying to step him up on it. After the third attack and a huge hunk of my flesh missing and blood going everywhere I toweled him and put him away.

So my question is... What do I do next and how do I handle his aggression. I have a vet appointment next week for a check up and wing trim which I hope will help until we can make a little more progress (at least he won't be able to fly and attack me) but I'm kind of at a loss with where to go from here. I read on one post about ace bandaging my arm and wearing a sweat shirt to get the step up done but that was for a macaw with much larger feet. I don't know if I can get an ace bandage around each of my fingers to protect them and then step him up. I know he has potential to be more agreeable to get along with, but I just don't know how to get there. He was wild caught and is approximately 30 years old (as near as I can figure).

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Vilas]

I can only envision your pain.... and I thought my tiel was a handful. I was joking with a friend of mine, who suggested getting thick, leather gloves like they use for falcons. I really feel your pain. Many years ago, my Orangewing Amazon bit me but it wasn't his fault. He had fallen off the shower door and broke the end of his beak off. I remember the pain. I wish you a lot of luck.

[Lori~D]

Im going to sit here and Listen intently as I have the same story with Charlie. He WONT step up at all. He ducks his head down to the floor and says "UH OH Where ya goin" and when you try to push your arm or even a perch under him he snaps at it. Charlie is a rescue Cag about 9.

[Salsa]

Huntress - sounds like about the same deal. I am hoping that somebody can give me (us) input.

I know that gloves won't work either. He has been handled by them before and gets even more aggressive. It is kind of a tricky situation. Like I said, I just hope somebody can help

[jenseits]

The trick is not to get your bird to do what you want him to do. The trick is to get him to want what you want

And don't give him opportunities to bite you.

Enter: Clicker Training!!! I think it's become my mission in life to get everyone with even a passing interest in birds to sign up for Melinda Johnson's clicker training group on Yahoo: Bird-Click : Bird-Click

Clicker training has been really great for my relationship with Stewie (aka the Stu-monster) and got him to stop biting. I won't tell my story again, but you can probably find some of my previous posts.

I think clicker training will be especially good for Greys because they are so cerebral and this gives them a chance to use those brains of theirs.

The list is free -- it's more of a discussion forum, not a paid subscription service.

Go to: Bird-Click : Bird-Click

[Salsa]

Jenseits - I will definitely look into it. I am desperate for something that helps!! Thank you!

[Syaoransbear]

When I was taming a very scared parent-fed gold capped conure, I just put a towel on my hand and got him to step up onto that. After he got used to stepping onto a towel, I would slowly pull the towel downwards off my hand. He'd start shuffling off the towel and finally onto my bare hand once the towel was off, then I'd praise him and put him back in the cage. I never got bit once doing this.

[Lori~D]

Charlie will not take anything to eat from my hand save for a peanut and then only when he has been deprived of food for most of the day and then only if he reaaaally feels like it - so I dont feel clicker training will work because it depends on food reward. He will not step up on anything. Weve gotten to the point of him being "directed" back into his cage by his moving away from the hand held perch so i dont have to towel him to put him back. So coming out is more pleasant and he comes outon his own now everyday whereas he wouldnt before. He also comes down to "visit" when Im on the computer but if he can reach he will grab my hair and strike at my ponytail in a not so nice way. Im not sure if we are progessing or not,LOL!
Salsa, Im in on your thread but not trying to Hijack it....I hope we can both learn stuff here? My birds are clipped - I would think that would help you as well, I dont think you could tame yours if he can fly at you.

[Lisa B]

hi guys. Sorry I didnt get on this last night....darn migraine.

I dont think that clicker training is going to work with an older grey who is set in their ways. What we have to remember, if its an older grey, we dont know if its was imported and what trama's that bird went through. We also dont know the back round. We dont know how many loves have been lost or how many hands might have hit.

It takes special people to take in an older bird, who is willing to work with them and sometimes we have to just hope for the best and that is to co exist with eachother in the same house.

You are doing all the right things. time and patience is the KEY with a grey.
I know you are going to say, 4 years? but yes. You have seen improvement with him in that time, and the little he has shown, whether it be, better feathering, better health, more vocal, more playful...those are signs of success on your behalf. that means a happier grey.
Now, a happy touchy grey? doesnt always happen.
I suggest if he is flying at your face, to clip. they always grow back, they dont feel it and it is NOT PERMINENT. With him flying at you, one of you is going to loose...you with stiches, or him with no home.
Take him on that stick in an unfamiliar area(bedroom or such) and have a place for him sit. make him more of a companion. Let him see that your not really a bad person. Explain things to him as you are doing them.
If you get him up on the stick to go into the other room, let him know you are "going to play"....he will start to look forward to these times.
offer him treats in there, and make him the center of attention, but do this ONLY in that area. he will react differently there, then in his "familiar" area. You must always remain calm too when doing this. Greys will read your body language and will act accordingly. A high strung person, that is short and rushed with movements, will have a grey the same way. A person calm, reassuring, and tender, will have a grey the same way.


If in the end, you dont have that touchy grey, that still has a tude, just remember, it was not because of your efforts. It simply means the bird has had such life tramas that it has effected them horribly. We can only wonder what the human race has done to them. We have to accept this, and either learn the stick is going to be the closest we can come, or we need to find a person the bird connects with for a happy life.

Thank you for working with him and showing him love. It might be the first time he ever experienced this before.

[Lori~D]

Ok, I need to at least be able to get him to step up on something.