Getting a new family member

[labnjab]

My mom is getting out of a bad relationship and moving in with her sister. My Aunt has a small child so my mom can't take her bird, so we volunteered to take him until she can get into her own place again, but she says if it works out and we like him, we could keep him.

His name is Gonzo and he is an African Grey and he will be moving in tomorrow afternoon. He was originally my Aunts who gave him to my mom 3 years ago shortly after having my cousin. He grew up with our Sun Conure, Indie, who was also my Aunts before having the baby.

My mom hasn't been able to spend as much time with Gonzo as he needs because she's been working late, so we were perfect for him because we are home at 5 most nights. Plus Indie and Gonzo get a long great so they will keep each other company while we are at work. Gonzo says dozens of things and makes dozens of sound, so he should be just as entertaining as Indie, lol, and will hopefully warm up to us in short time.

Here is a picture of gonzo taken from my moms website. I'll get a better one of him once he's settled in and will keep you updated on how he settles in with us. Our biggest issue is just finding a place for his huge cage next to our other 2 bird cages, lol
http://www.birdtoysandtreats.com/images/gonzo_talk.jpg

[Ramsarecool]

Birds are very difficult pets, know what your taking on.African grays can live for a long time. I myself don't know much about them expect that they are like 2 years old's for life. You might want a bird book.

Anyway I hope all is well.

[Rue]

Congrats on taking on Gonzo. At least your AG has feathers...

Mine will not leave hers be...I've given up hoping she would...so now I just try and keep her happy and occupied...

...she came to us plucked...

[gm72]

Gonzo is a handsome boy. I don't know anything about them but make sure you research the heck out of the animal so you do what is right for the bird!

[labnjab]

Thank you. Luckily we have a good amount of experience with parrots, weve had our sun conure going on 2 years and hes happy as a bird can be lol. We did alot of research b4 taking him on. Before that my mom had a blue and gold macaw that I helped care for, but she lost to her ex in her last breakup.

Congrats on taking on Gonzo. At least your AG has feathers...

Mine will not leave hers be...I've given up hoping she would...so now I just try and keep her happy and occupied...

...she came to us plucked...
Thank you. Your grey sounds like our conure. Hes plucked all his life and nothing stops it, and hes always been happy. He went 3 months without plucking once but now he plucks, lets it grow and plucks again.

Ill keep you updated on how he settles in and maybe post a video of him cause hes pretty funny

[Cliff]

Nice looking addition to the family

I've always thought about getting a bird, mostly from how much fun it was to bird-sit for a friend of mine.

[labnjab]

Nice looking addition to the family

I've always thought about getting a bird, mostly from how much fun it was to bird-sit for a friend of mine.

Thank you. Birds are fun but they are a big commitment. Most parrots need a lot of attention but if you can give them the time they need they will give you decades of joy. Our conure should live another 15-20 years and the grey probably has a good 50+ years to live.

[cardiocentric]

I am so jealous!

[Cliff]

Thank you. Birds are fun but they are a big commitment. Most parrots need a lot of attention but if you can give them the time they need they will give you decades of joy. Our conure should live another 15-20 years and the grey probably has a good 50+ years to live.

If I thought we could give a bird the full attention they need, I would get one in a heart beat. Hopefully that will change some day soon

[labnjab]

Gonzo arrived last night. We haven't been able to handle him yet, but he's been talking up a storm, which is a good sign, so hopefully we will be able to handle him soon. He seems most talkative when we leave the room. He must be shy, lol. Our conure is very jealous as I expected, but that should subside once the newness goes away.

[Rue]

Nickel won't talk if we look at her...

...and she also talks up a storm...or talks to me, if she's alone in the room.

Sometimes I can get her to talk with me if I'm not facing her...lol...so it's improving...

Keep us updated!

I always give a bird a good 3 weeks to settle in...I only give them as much attention as I think they want/need. Otherwise I just talk to them from a 'safe' distance...

After that I will get more 'hands on' if I think they're ready...

[Old Marine]

Thats a Good looking African Grey, Great Birds, very Intellegent and there only Limitations are there Owners! The more time spent with them the more you can teach them, My wifes African Gray Sits on her shoulder at night and kisses her, Nuzzels up on her neck, Will walk down her arm to get a Peanut and then walk back up and sit on her shoulder to eat it, Talks to her and will actually be Quiet {For a while} when she tells him to Hush. He loves Mashed Potatos she feeds him once in a while on her finger, He likes shrimp, and Chicken. And NO i am not Drunk as i type this:hmm3grin2orange: She has had him for 12 years and never had a Health issue at allthumbs2:

[labnjab]

Thats a Good looking African Grey, Great Birds, very Intellegent and there only Limitations are there Owners!

Thank you. He came out for a few minutes yesterday and hung out on top of his cage and even took a peanut from me. Hopefully its only a matter of time before he will sit with us. We left his cage open while we had the conure out and the conure didn't bother him, so hopefully he's starting to remember him.

My Aunt said the #1 thing to remember is never have Indie (the sun conure) out when handling Gonzo, as Indie gets very jealous and will attack Gonzo (who's 5x bigger then him, brave bird, lol) They can both be out at the same time no problem, we just have to make sure to put Indie away before handling Gonzo. Of course the 1st thing my mom did when she dropped Gonzo off was open Indies cage when she was holding Gonzo and Indie dive bombed Gonzo. I quickly grabbed indie and placed him back in the cage.

I can tell he's very smart, and it doesn't take him long to pick up a sound. He's been keeping us entertained. I know its only a matter of time before he starts making the Tivo sounds. He also does the Nextel 2 way beep and carries on a conversation like he's both parties on the Nextel. One thing he does a lot is make a soft "Woof", I about died laughing the 1st time I heard it.

According to my mom, he loves doritos, chicken, and pasta, which he will not eat without a small amount of pasta sauce (I don't blame him, lol)

I'll keep you updated and let you know when he lets us handle him. Part of the problem is probably me, his very large beak is intimidating and I'm a little nervous around him, which I know he can sense. We didn't have a problem with the Conure because he immediately let us handle him when we got him, plus he bite isn't all that bad, lol

[William]

I agree they are great birds. The one thing is that they seem to get more jealous than other parrots i have worked with and they seem to take that jelalouses out on their owners in a vicious way if given the chance. I had one that wouldnt let me handle her for a week after i have fed the other birds before her one day ;-)

[William]

It is common for AG and Yellownaped amazons to learn a word after hearing it only one time. Mine yellownaped say some reallt weird stuff. And knows a few hundred words. They are still yound so it will be interesting to see how they sound on 5, 10 or 20 years.

[Old Marine]

The only thing my wife says, is that when you do decide it is time to hold him on your finger, if he does try to nip you try not to pull back, stand your ground, he might try to intimidate you and act like he is going to nip you and only give you a little pressure and not a real bite, Just a thought. Again Congratulations on a Great Addition to your Familythumbs2:

[Rue]

LOL...someone tell my Grey that...

...her beak is like a bottle cap opener, and then she grinds into the bite...

...then after the pain wears off (a couple of hours), and the wound heals (a couple of weeks)...I'm left with a life-long scar...

:hmm3grin2orange:

[Old Marine]

Just Suck it up, Grin and Bear it:hmm3grin2orange:

[Old Marine]

Honestly I do not even get near her African Gray! They do have a Nasty Bite!

[labnjab]

He seems to be settling in great. He took a 30 minute bath in his water dish last night. I changed the water 4 times thinking he was done each time and he dove back in. I thought it was funny when our conure took a bath in a few cups of water, but it was hilarious watching a grey take a bath in a few cups of water.

Hes talking a lot more and stays out of his cage longer. He was whistling for a while this afternoon and I dont think it will be long before he sits with us like our conure does. The conure is still extremely jealous but we just make sure all birds get equal attention so hopefully he will calm down soon.

[Rue]

That's excellent that he's settling in so well...and quickly! Less likely to have issues that way...(unlike some greys whose name I won't mention...)...

[labnjab]

His personality is showing more and more each day and he's really perking up too. He is very entertaining too. I got bit by him today for the first time cause he tricked me, lol. He kept saying step-up over and over and was looking at me like he wanted to go to me, so I slowly walked over and offered my arm, and he bit me and started laughing hysterically. Then he said step-up again and laughed again. I think he's testing his boundaries, lol. He wanted to make me think he wanted to come to me so he could bite me and laugh at me.:ssuprised:

I read greys are the most intelligent birds in the world. They can reason and problem solve and some know what words mean instead of just mimicking what they hear and will even form sentences. They are as intelligent as a 4 year old human, which is really smart for a bird or any animal for that matter

[Rue]

Nickel talks in context...

She'll never ask for cheese at breakfast for example, but she will if I'm making a sandwich at lunch or dinner (but never if I'm making a salad).

When the phone rings, she'll call the kids' names...not ours (because we always call for the kids).

She'll only call the kids for supper at supper time, never at breakfast...etc...

[labnjab]

Nickel talks in context...

She'll never ask for cheese at breakfast for example, but she will if I'm making a sandwich at lunch or dinner (but never if I'm making a salad).

When the phone rings, she'll call the kids' names...not ours (because we always call for the kids).

She'll only call the kids for supper at supper time, never at breakfast...etc...

Your sounds like a smart bird too :ssmile:

Gonzo hasn't asked for anything yet, but he said a lot of stuff we haven't heard yesterday. Hes becoming more and more talkative. Now is carrying on a conversation with himself with nextels. He will go beep beep, talk, wait a second beep beep and talk again. Its awesome, lol. He still is most talkative when we are out of the room, and only says a few things when we are in the room

He is a more recent picture of him
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p480x480/523706_10151526089705183_731720182_300101604_23580 7700_n.jpg

I also found out he is only 15 years old so he will be around a long time:ssmile:

[Rue]

You're so lucky he's in such good feather...I'll show Nickel his picture, maybe she'll smarten up...:hmm3grin2orange:

Nickel is about 7 years old. Our Amazon (Ever) is 17 or so...

Our Pionus is also 7. And the 2 'tiels and the 2 budgies are roughly that old too (tells you when we got most of 'em)...:hmm3grin2orange:

[gadget228]

Hes plucked all his life and nothing stops it, and hes always been happy. He went 3 months without plucking once but now he plucks, lets it grow and plucks again.

Not sure if it is true or not but doesn't a bird plucking itself do it because it produces endorphins and the bird gets hooked on them and that most will do it the rest of their lives.

I used to have a cockatiel that would hang on the front of my shirt and had to clean my mustache hair by hair after every time I ate supper and if I didn't let her do it she would throw a fit for hours, got to the point we had to move her cage to another room before we sit down for supper.

You have a great looking Grey there... thumbs2:

[labnjab]

Not sure if it is true or not but doesn't a bird plucking itself do it because it produces endorphins and the bird gets hooked on them and that most will do it the rest of their lives.
I thought I read this somewhere, he's been doing it almost all his live and has always been in happy homes and well taken care of, some it must be the endorphins



You're so lucky he's in such good feather...I'll show Nickel his picture, maybe she'll smarten up...:hmm3grin2orange:

Nickel is about 7 years old. Our Amazon (Ever) is 17 or so...

Our Pionus is also 7. And the 2 'tiels and the 2 budgies are roughly that old too (tells you when we got most of 'em)...:hmm3grin2orange:

You can bring Nickel over any time, lol. He's howling like a wolf now:hmm3grin2orange:

I got to hold him for a little while today. I threw on my leather snap-on jacket and had him step up on it. He bit at 1st but then stepped up and stayed there for a few minutes. Luckily I had the jacket on so it didn't hurt. Hopefully a few times like this and he wont try to bite anymore and I can hold him without the jacket. Yeah I'm a chicken, lol

[ekfishlover2011]

id be too from what im reading here about how bad they bite! My neighbors just acquired a Green Cheeked Conure it looks like (they have no idea but it matches on Google pics) named... I forget. Point is, she sticks her tongue out through her beak slightly open, through the bars of her cage. The neighbors say she will lick me if she likes me, or bite me if not, i just have to give her my hand and i will see... Then they tell me she draws blood when she bites. I fear her. Im not brave enough to give her my hand.

[labnjab]

The conure has drew blood a few times. Hes got a nasty bite for a little guy

Made a big step today. He sat on my arm without the jacket on, and didnt try to bite at all. I think the jacket was the biggest help. With it on he was able to bite me a few times and not get a reaction from me, so he saw I wasnt scared and now he feels he doesnt need to bite me. He seemed happy and didnt want to go back in his cage, lol

[el-bosco-diablo]

Congrats on the new family member. That is great that the Grey is getting settled in nicely. I always wanted to get a Timneh, because I heard they were a little more friendly towards multiple people versus Greys. I heard that Greys would tend to be more one person birds. Either way, they are really smart animals. My roommate in college's parents had a rescue Grey. She would call their dogs, and when the dogs came running in, she would then laugh at them. She would do it for laughs, and do it on command too. Pretty neat stuff.

I knew a breeder that bred Goffin's. He eventually had to take all of the screws out of the cage because they would unscrew the screws and bolts to get out of the cage.

I had a Hahn's Macaw a few years back. This little guy had no fear. When I'd come home from college, he would chase my parents 195lb Great Dane around to play with his toys. They were actually pretty good friends overall, but nothing like seeing a small tiny fearless bird. He would also sharpen his beak to a point, and drew blood on many people - just to establish dominance. Most of the time he'd just put is beak on you to see how you'd react. He really was a great pet, very intelligent. You had to keep him busy to keep him out of trouble due to his curiosity.

[labnjab]

My grandfather has a pair of Hahns macaws. He loves them. My Aunt got them for him for Christmas a few years ago.

Just wanted to give you an update on Gonzo. He is doing great. He sings and talks all day and sits on my arm for half an hour or so most nights. He lets me pet his beak, belly and wings as well and even copies my whistle (I can't whistle too well, just a soft low tone, but he copies it when he wants me to come to him, lol). You would almost think he's been here for years.

He's still mad at my mom because he won't even come out of his cage when she's here, but comes out 5 minutes after she leaves

[Rue]

I'm glad he's doing so well! And yeah...they sure hold a grudge...:help:

It's kinda scary when it's obvious a bird is angry with you...:sconfused:

[el-bosco-diablo]

My grandfather has a pair of Hahns macaws. He loves them. My Aunt got them for him for Christmas a few years ago.

I loved my Hahns, he was a great bird. I'd love to have another one some day, but with all the other critters (both human and animals) at this point, I can't give it the attention s/he would need.