Come Out, Come OUt!

[Diane S.]

I have just adopted a 1 1/2 year old African Gray. The poor baby is very scared since he is in a new home. The problem I"m having is trying to get him out of his cage. He absolutely becomes frantic and screams bloody murder. I have to use a towel to get him out.
Once he's out, we are able to comfort him, but I know he's being traumatized. I have tried to get him to "step up" inside the cage, but he just won't.
Help! I don't want to lose all trust with my little friend before he ever gets to know me.
Thanks in advance,
Diane

[FoxersArtist]

If you have one, scoot a play gym up next to his cage and open the door. Drop some almonds or other tasty treats in the food cup and let him learn to come out. You can also offer him treats when you get near him. Benny Boy was hysterical when I first tried to get him out of a cage. In his case, I don't think he ever would have come out on his own, so we did end up taking him out, even against his will but I held him close and sang to him and his fears quickly melted until he finally would step up. I think this approach can be dangerous depending on the bird as you can risk losing the little trust you may have. Try to get to know your new shy guy and make that decision for yourself. Lots of treats, kind words, and singing has never hurt any bird I have worked with.
-Anna

[too&me]

I agree with Anna, is he afraid when you work around his cage or only when you reach in for him? Poor little guy it is so hard to deal with fear. Spend time next to his cage with the door open also, eat some veggies or fruit & make yummy sounds and read stories or poetry to him they like being entertained. It might help to build those trust levels.

[Julie]

Greys are very difficult to build the trust bond relationship with. With our gal, because she does not like a lot of snuggles, we spend a lot of time sitting next to her while she is in the cage. The door is open, and she has the opportunity to come out and visit or play, but quite often she wants to sit in the cage and socialize. She does come out, especiall for meal time. We all eat our meals together in the living room, and she just loves this time to show off her talking skills...

You will get there, just give him some time. My grey seems to remember everything, and needs a much more reasoned approach than my too that seems to want a heart fealt approac. If that makes any sense..... Security is a big deal to them, when he feels he is safe he will come out....

Do you have a dome top, or a play top? My grey much prefers a play top, so she is not constantly having to look up for possible threats. If you do have a dome top, try to keep just the top covered so he is not scared from a vertical attack, at least for the first couple weeks.

Keep us posted, and good luck!

[Diane S.]

Thanks so much for the advice. We will just leave the door open and let him come out when he feels ready. We will also try and get a play gym for him to use.
I know they're not cuddly like the rest of my birds, but I just want him to feel safe and secure. It must be terrible for him to be so afraid all the time.
Wish us luck!
Diane

[Julie]

Diane,

Something else to keep in mind is that Greys are often scared of new toys. I know that our is very scare of new anything, and we normally start with the object in sight, then close to the cage, the on/in the cage. Not all are this way, but it is something else to watch out for!

Good luck...

[Diane S.]

:dancered:Wanted to let everyone know that "Harry", the african gray has made a lot of progress in the past two days! He has started coming out of his cage on his own when we leave the door open and has actually given me kisses on a couple of occassions. The turning point was buying some almonds which was advice given in the first reply. I am extremely grateful! Slow and steady seems to be the key as you guys said. I can see he is going to be happy with us after all. Thanks again for the advice. You guys are great! Diane.:bowdown:

[too&me]

Happy for both you & Harry.:balloon::dancered:

[Cheryl]

Congrats on your grey. I have a TAG. They are such wonderful birds, and so smart. They are one of my favorites.

[Larry, Baby and Me]

This is what our HappyBirdy family is all about - helping birds and the people who are owned by them.

Ahhhhh - the sweet smell of success. :)

Congrats - :hihihi: