A New "family" member to arrive on Sunday...

[maryjo]

I will be getting another bird on Sunday. Lou is an African Grey that is in his 30's. A friend of mine has had him for the last 5 years - she acquired him through extended family who more or less dropped him at their doorstep and she has been searching for a "forever" home for him since then- just hadn't found the right person to take him on. While he has been at her house, he has mostly been alone in the house as she and her husband work and they have a farm to take care of , so much of their time is spent outside of the house.

The history that I know of him is that he has been passed around at least 6 times, some of his living situations have been less than ideal. He is a severe feather plucker, cannot fly because of it, and doesn't really want to associate with people.

Right now my idea is to have his cage near Coco's cage(my sun conure) in my kitchen- where I spend a lot of my time in the morning and evening and then I am in and out during the day. (Coco wants and likes to visit the other birds, but unfortunately the lovebirds don't particularly care for him to visit them. When we have bird sat another friends Malucan they were inseparable while the malucan was at our house)

I would like any suggestions on what I can do for him so he can live happily! Do you think it is a good idea for him to have Coco as a neighbor?
Do you think he would watch Coco interact with my family and learn from Coco?
I have read diet sometimes plays a part in feather picking (He currently is primarily on a parrot seed mix diet), should I offer him what I offer Coco(as far as fruit, veggies, birdie bread, etc) right from the start-along with his
current food?
If I cannot help him with his feather picking, is that a habit that Coco could pick up from him?

Basically I would like his transition to go as smoothly and stress free as possible. Any suggestions or experiences you may have had would be greatly appreciated!

I should add my friend has had him to the vet (but not in the last year)for a general checkup and to see if anything could be done about his feather picking and she doesn't think he has ever been around other domesticated birds - at least since he was hatched :o)

[Eliza]

Best of luck with Lou and bless your heart for opening your home to him!

You definitely want to quarantine Lou in a seperate part of the house from Coco for at least 30 days, during which time Lou should have a comprehensive exam with a certified avian veterinarian. Here is a link to find a board-certified avian specialist: http://www.abvp.com/finddiplomate.aspx.

I don't have any advice re: feather picking/scissoring/barbering/plucking but others here have dealt with it and will likely offer advice.

A better diet may help with the feather issues; at the very least, an improved diet will give Lou a better chance at life in general. You want to offer new foods gradually.

Coco sounds like a friendly bird; it's nice that he wanted to play with the Moluccan cockatoo. I'm not sure if a high energy sun conure will be the best playmate for a cautious African grey so I'd supervise them during individual time out (Lou in his cage while Coco is out and vice versa) for a while before allowing them to interact together.

And I feel this important to mention: parrots are not considered to be domesticated birds, like farm animals or some household pets ;)

[mjm8321]

I love Greys, but do not live with one. I'll bet Linda, Laura & Elle can give you some good advice here.

I do however, live with a Senegal that plucks as well as I know a grey that does as well. Diet may be part of the issue, but it may be hormonal and/or emotional. As he's been in at least 6 homes, that might be the issue right there and he could very well stop but then again, he may never.

Good luck with your new addition.

[Elle]

One video that is worth watching is Captive Foraging. A lot of birds will compensate their unmet needs by plucking. Even with a non plucker bigger bird, I recommend the video as it is a good behavior to stimulate in captivity.
Plucking can be caused my many factors. I am lucky that my Grey doesn't pluck however, when he is stessed, he will mutilate his feet then stop for a while.

A Grey is like a child. They need constant attention, routine, more attention, more routine and more routine. I find that my Grey is happier when we stick to a routine. I work different shift and my husband's schedule is all over the place. Our routine revolves around activities, not necessarly arond imes. Max understands that some mornings I get up later and he doesn't make a peep (or any of my other birds for that matter and they are all inthe same room) until I get up. Diet is important and Greys love to eat. If you can Lou on a good diet fromthe start it would help. But be warned! Greys loves to manipulate you into caving in and giving them what they want such as french fries, red meat, cheese chips, ice cream and all the things they cannot get. You have to be consistant and cannot cave in.

My Grey is not fond of my other birds biut will say hello to them. He will tolerate them but sometimes gets anoyed with them. You will have to gauge how it goes with your conure but be prepared to move him into a quieter area.

Don't be discouraged by biting. If Lou was left by hiself a lot, he may be protective of his new freedom. When we got Max, we were told that he is a biter and definitely not a cuddler. The biting stopped once Max figured out that when we ask him to step up, it's not always to go back in his cage. If you look at my signature, you will see my favorite picture of Max. This is what we do every night for at least an hour before bedtime. We cuddle and I play with his feathers. With time, their behavior will change.

Don't be too intimidated by the size of the beak. Yes, it hurts when they bite, but it's not as bad as you anticipate. I have scars on my hands from nasty bites but with each bites, I have learned to understand more my Grey's behavior, wants and needs. And I get smarter about it every time (or so I hope!).

I will stop at this because I thnk I could write a whole book about Greys now. :lol If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Best regards,

[maryjo]

Thank you for your info!! I am sure I will definitely have more questions once he arrives.
I am sure it will take time for him to adjust to people being an active part in his life, so my main concern right now is that his move is as stress free as possible and he gets on a good diet.

[Elle]

Thank you for your info!! I am sure I will definitely have more questions once he arrives.
I am sure it will take time for him to adjust to people being an active part in his life, so my main concern right now is that his move is as stress free as possible and he gets on a good diet.

That's what we were hoping for when Max moved in with us last year. Change his diet and make it as stress free as possible. The stress free part is a little hard. It's a whole new environment, new people, new routine. Stress is bound to happen. All I can suggest is get into a routine from day one.

We involved Max in our routine and gained his trust with food. I discovered that he loves jars of baby food. I had a jar of apple and cherries that I offered to him with a spoon. Every night, he would get excited when he'd see the spoon and the jar. We bonded that way together. :)

[michael]

Hi Maryjo. I just wanted to say hope everything works out with Lou. He sounds like he really needs a permanent home with lots of love and attention. I just met one family with an African grey who stop at a market/auction we help run and he's all they can talk about. There's times we lose customers we get so involved in conversation. But its worth it! :) And "Family member" is the best words for which they describe him. You have our prayers that over time Lou will begin to feel a whole lot better.........Take care.....Michael and Goofy lovebird

[LauraO]

Maryjo: Elle has given you some great advice. My first inclinition when people ask about large parrots is NOT to get them. However, it sounds like your home may be a great place for Lou. Just keep in mind that greys are really really smart and sensative, and can be very difficult. My Mijo is a second hand/rescue bird and you can read some of our experiences in the Grey section of the forum. Of course, we absolutely adore Mijo, but all his adjustments and phobias have been very hard on all of us. We've also learned that no matter how trivial his phobias may be we can't force things on him cause it only makes things worse (i.e., vacuuming, cleaning).

The key is patience and understanding. It will take some time for Lou to trust you especially given how many homes he's had. It could be months or years before he trusts you guys. Elle is right about learning to live with a big beak, but like Elle we've gotten to know Mijo's body language and have gotten less bites over the last couple of years.

My biggest suggestion is to make sure you're in it for the long term. Ask yourself if Lou never likes you and has a ton of behavior and health issues are you and your family still willing to give him a great life. If so, then great, but you've got a long road ahead of you. If not, Lou should stay where he's at cause while it's may not be the best life, it's one he's used to.

good luck and remember we're here if you need us

[maryjo]

I like the baby food idea! Any particular brand, or probably the organic kind- I think it is Gerber that makes an organic one? Any particular "flavors", or better yet any that I should stay away from?

As far as vetting, he has an appointment set up for this coming Thursday.

My birds currently are on a very good schedule. They know when it is their "out" time, they know when feeding time is, treat time, etc. They are not very forgiving on the few occasions that I am a bit late!!

I am not planning on Lou waltzing into my home and being my buddy, I do understand with his age and history he may never be social like Coco or the lovebirds. Im just looking at his current state right now and I feel the stability and a good diet are number one priorities. That is why I am looking for suggestions on making his move as stress free as possible and what others have done as far as acclimating him to new surroundings/schedule.
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[Elle]

Any baby food as long as there are no additive and it's not fortifiet (witamin, iron calcium etc) The more natural, the better.

Birdie bread is also a great way to provide a better diet. I add Harrison pellets in mine so my birds don't even know they are getting it. It really makes me feel good when I see Max go for his birdie bread when I feed them instead of going for his seeds and peanuts. It really puts a smile on my face that he likes it like that:)

Your expectations sounds realistic. I really hope that in time, Lou will understand that he's in a forever home and gratify you of all he has to give :)

Good luck,

[maryjo]

Well, Lou has arrived! So far he seems pretty comfortable. They told me when he is not happy or stressed he will just sit in the corner of his cage. He has been vocalizing some of his noises and mumbling some things - took some food from my hand and is looking about at everything.
The poor guy looks like a plucked chicken! Im using a different vet than the one they have used so, maybe this one will have some different advise!
I will get some pics of him up later!

[Kathryn]

Bless your heart for opening your home for Lou.

When I got my conures Max and Maggie, both were in horrible feather shape. It has taken a year and two molts to get the feathers to grow back in.
Diet definitely does make a difference. Introducing new foods slowly and consistantly has been the key.

The long haul can sometimes be frustrating. Max and Maggie also had several homes and still will not let me touch them. Hopefully as they observe interaction with their baby and me we can make some progress.

Might ask your vet about any vitamin/supplements that he/she thinks might be helpful.

Keep us posted on how Lou does.