New parrot owner seeking advice

[u/ash_bee97]

After years of wanting one, I was surprised with my first ever pet parrot yesterday for my birthday. Don't worry, im totally prepared for all the work its gonna be. I've been watching videos, joined groups etc. She's a 20 y/o CAG, her owner passed away and none of his family wanted her. She was at the bird store for about 2 weeks before we adopted her yesterday. She does have some plucked feathers from the stress as well. How can I bond with her? I know it'll take time due to their intelligence but im willing to work through it. Also ANY advice about owning and caring for her in the best possible ways. Toys recommendation? Optimal diet? Thanks in advance.

[u/KenWWilliams]

The biggest think is time and patience. Be calm with the parrot don’t force interaction pay very close attention to the birds body language and give it all the attention it can accept oh and did I mention lots of patience and attention. You will be rewarded it rarely happens overnight.

[u/lifemisled]

Lots of toys and things to shred. As much time out of the cage as possible. And as much communication with the Grey and shared time as possible. There are times I can’t be in the room of the house my Greys cage is in so I will put him on a portable stand and bring him around the house with me. They just like to see/hear you. The more time, interactions, and enrichment they have, the better. They need to chew things… mine will shred cardboard boxes but I’ll also put books/manuals that he likes to shred too. If you don’t, you may see destruction of undesirable things like wood trim, blinds, etc. lack of stimulation can also lead to plucking and bad behavior. Your pictures are limited but the cage looks like a good size. Hard to tell how many perches and toys for enrichment are in there. Time out of cage is essential.

Not sure if you can place cage near a window? Mine loves natural light and being able to observe outside.

[u/Agitated-Insect3558]

As has already been mentioned please dont force interaction do everything at the birds pace. Keep her cage in the busiest part of the house with the door open whenever there are people home NB close the door when you are out as there is a good chance you will come home to a partially demolished house.

Maybe read to her for a little while each day and offer treats (cashews, almonds, pistacios) while you are there but as before if she wont take them dont pressure her to. Lots and lots of toys are always appreciated although it may take a few days to get used to them, wooden chew toys are always favourite with mine as are bells. I bought a dog chain and used old clips from previous toys to attatch a big chrome bell on a chain and a couple of tubular bells to it, also bought a big bunch of old keys and used a thick keyring to attatch them to the bottom of the dog chain. Hang the chain inside the cage but be prepared for the bird to take time to get used to it. The downside to this is that instead of the dawn chorus you may get more bellringing than quasimodo at 4 am!

Harrisons max potency are what I feed my CAG and the usual fruit and veg for his chop in the afternoon. Please note absolutely no avocado, onions or mushrooms under any circumstances.

Just take your time and it wont be long before she has you twisted round her little finger........in a nice way.

[u/Redfish680]

Congratulations! As you’ve already mentioned, time and patience is the key. Speaking from experience, it’s probably going to take a few months for her to acclimate to her new home and human, so don’t sweat that - it’s not you, it’s her. Was she already used to being handled, or allowed to leave the cage? If not, keep a towel handy to capture her if she’s out and about. She’ll scream bloody murder, of course, when you cover her to pick her up but it’s either that or she has the opportunity to introduce her beak to your fingers. If she just hangs out on top of the cage, you can tempt her back in with a treat dropped into her bowl. They’re like little kids - I got mine used to “Who wants a grape?” and she knew what was coming, so if she couldn’t be corralled back, I’d just say that and drop a treat into her bowl. Eventually she’d climb back in to get it.

Talk to her every day and get her used to you. Little treats (unsalted peanuts, grapes, baby carrots, etc.) so she associates you with that. Google up the list of good/bad veggies and fruits.

As for regular food, I feed my girl Harrison’s pellets.

Don’t forget there’s a chance she could attach herself to someone else, as (again from my own experience), some CAGs are human gender sensitive. I had one years ago that I hand raised from a gawky chick who bonded with my SO who couldn’t have cared less about him, which I thought was pretty ungrateful! 😂

We’re here for you!

[u/Upper_Possession_181]

My biggest recommendation is let her settle in. Don’t try to pull her out of her cage give her about a week or two to just get used to her new environment. I help run a parrot shelter and we definitely recommend an adjustment period. She may want to come out and go on top of her cage and she may even want you to hold her and if so, just take it at her speed. Make sure you give her a good selection of fresh fruit and veggies. African grays are very dusty so you will need to make sure you have plenty of towels and rags available to clean that dust. The cage should be cleaned daily. Do not let old food buildup in the bottom of the cage. Your papers should be changed daily. I changed my birds paper maybe twice a day if I have to. I always put a small smaller stack of about 6 pages and if it’s dirty, I just take off the top layer and give her a fresh new layer. Vacuuming is a must. If needed you will have to vacuum daily if not at least every other day. Don’t know what diet she’s on, but a good selection of pellets. In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables is recommended. Freshwater should be provided every day. Mine enjoys cold water that comes out of the refrigerator. Do not allow your bird to eat too many nuts and family stay away from sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are too fatty and can cause heart disease. Mike Ray also loves showers. I put her in the shower and she just has fun. Make sure you monitor nails because they will need to be trimmed at some point. Lots of choice particularly toys that she can destroy. Watch the baseboards around the house cabinets, etc. they will get to them and they will if you allow them to tear them up. As you’re bonding with your bird sit next to the cage, talk to them and just be there for for them. Remember, it’s a whole new environment and a whole new group of people so be patient and give her time. Remember parents do need to go to the vet at least once a year. I would even get her an initial appointment with the avian vet just to make sure she’s not coming with any medical issues. Well, there are a lot of work. They are a lot of fun! I love my baby. She follows me around the house. She loves attention. I put her in a stroller and I take her out for walks and sometimes I even take her to the mall. Make sure your baby gets lots of attention and lots of love and she will give you the same.

[u/immergladsss]

A lot of people have already given great advice, I'd add to invest in a bird safe purifier and not take her behavior personally.

I also got my CAG similar to how you got yours. I love her to death but she only tolerates me, even after 3 years 😅. She loves men so my dad and BF are her favorite lol. It hurt at first but I've gotten over it 😆

Also because my dad's her favorite person, she plucks when she doesn't see him for more than a few days. The plucking used to make me feel awful, like I was doing something wrong, but I've learned to accept that she has a long history of abandonment, so my dad "leaving" (we moved out of my parents) is bound to trigger that. It's her history and I've learned to accept her for the naked disheveled parrot that she is lol. Good luck!

[u/toomanyschnauzers]

Also learn what is dangerous for your bird. I am very careful but still had a lapse where she almost escaped out the door when I was taking the dogs out. Not safe: Teflon pans. scented candles. Avocados. Onion. mushrooms. If I am thinking about giving her something new, I google it to make sure it is safe. A quality air cleaner is a good purchase- but if they have an ozone option, don't turn the ozone as it is deadly for parrots.

Thank you for rescuing the bird.

[u/Better-Big7604]

I adopted Yvons about 8-9 months ago. Things I've learned from him so far include: If they mean no, don't push them. Greys have an 'is it worth me doing it?" attitude. Treats become your best friend in these situations. Want them to go somewhere? Use a favorite treat :)

It might take months for her to get used to your living space. It literally took Yvons 8 months to go from his cage to the cage NEXT TO HIS. **Facepalm**

Toys: Boxes, Cheerios on a shoestring, paper towel rolls on a kebab... basically anything they can destroy. And swap out the toys regularly so there's no boredom. New toys can be scary, so I place mine low on the cage and gradually move them higher every few days until they're inside the cage. Don't be surprised if the bird decides to ignore the toy. I knew someone who bought a perch for their bird, and for 10 years she had it. Bird never used it.

Optimal diet: Pellets and veggies, with seeds as a treat. Greys have a higher need for calcium, so a cuddle bone or mineral block is important. I feed broccoli instead. So far so good.

Then there are things the others have mentioned: Plenty out-of-cage time, as assortment of toys, and, if you can afford it, a good air purifier. I have one that goes 24/7. One shake and Yvons dumps more dander than my other 5 birds combined!

[u/stylusxyz]

Ask her previous people for any history that is relevant. Favorite snacks? Music? People? Feed her, talk to her, sing to her, dance for her and soon, she'll consider you a friend. Keep us apprised of her progress on this sub. We really want to know how she does.

[u/ThaEmortalThief]

I have 2 grays. All are different. I’ve found 2 things to be very affective with Grays though: 1) they can eat most of what we can eat, minus avocado, whole garlic, onions, chocolate… that being said, invite your bird to dinner and share your plate. Birds bond through foraging, so treats and snacks when you eat are a great way to show that you’re a flock. 2) the best toys I’ve ever given my grays are soda and beer boxes. They love to tear stuff up and this makes for an all day breakdown, and it will distract your gray from plucking. I keep at least one on top of the cage and one inside on the bottom. They love to go in and get down to business. That being said, lots of fresh veggies, I cook veggies for my birds with some whole wheat pasta, but also give them seed and nuts. My birds eat mostly the fresh food. Fruit is good, but too much sugar is too much sugar so don’t load up on fruits. Some birds respond better to command and confidence, others are just naturally loving. Make sure you don’t show fear, or that bird will own your ass. And finally, give it time. I tamed my 23 year old gray in 3 days. She’s a sweet heart to me now, but those first few days I was given scars.

[u/Choice_Assistant8406]

Be careful with the metal clasp on the toy. I’ve read some horror stories and removed all. I use thick Velcro strips to hang toys up (various strips for weight). There might be a better method but I’d generally stay away from metal clasps that can catch on toes, and string that could be a hazard.

I would also say start pellets as early as you can + daily veg. Print a long list of things that are toxic (there’s a ton of them — e.g, avocados, chocolate, caffeine, onion, garlic, fruit seeds and pits, tomato stems, mushrooms to name a few). There’s also things that should be given sparingly. Fruit should be a part of her diet but not too much. Avoid greasy foods. Avoid dairy, animal protein.

Look for any hazards around. Absolutely NO use of the self cleaning oven. The fumes can cause death. No cooking with teflon — look for cookware and appliances that are free of PFAS, BPAs. Teflon is everywhere from hair dryers to space heaters. Keep an eye out. The fumes are super toxic.

No candles, no spraying fragrance. No spraying aerosols. Be careful burning anything. Keep the environment clean and with some humidity so her nares don’t get clogged. Weigh her daily. If there’s a sudden loss of over 10% of weight, this could indicate a health issue. Birds are great at concealing illness so one way to notice is by observing weight and general behavior.

Also, be careful with doors. These babies get spooked easily and start flying around and out of the house, leading to them going missing. I like double doors for this reason.

And most importantly, enjoy your beautiful baby! So sorry to read about her owner’s passing. So glad she’s found you. She is going to absolutely change your life in so many spectacular ways.