Author Topic: African Gray  (Read 6609 times)

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Offline Urufu_Shinjiro

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Re: African Gray
« Reply #30 on: November 18, 2015, 10:46:07 am »
Probably close to five years and she was maybe 6-10 months old when we got her. We don't do much training sessions anymore cause she pretty well trained as well as we want her now but in the beginning we did dedicated training sessions and each sessions started with a little laddering, "step up, step up, step up, that's a very good bird!" etc., then we'd work on just some interaction, giving almonds for treats when she let us touch her, verbally scolding and laddering when she was naughty, and we'd end our training session with laddering and much praise. We tried to do every training session in a certain spot in the house to help differentiate training sessions from just hanging out. While a mustache parrot is extremely smart for a smaller parrot, I would put her on the same level as a macaw, she's nowhere near as smart as a gray so you guys will probably have more activities you can do in the training sessions, whereas with ours it was more just behavioral stuff. Are you keeping his wings clipped or letting him fly some? Ours never flew when we first got her and we kept it that way until she was behaving very well and we knew she wouldn't use flight as a way to get away from us at the first opportunity, lol, then we let her feathers grow and did training sessions to work on flying and landing (nothing funnier than a majestic bird of paradise missing the landing on her cage and unceremoniously fluttering down the wall and *thump*, lol). When she got good enough that she would start to fly places around the house on her own we let her enjoy that for a couple weeks but knew we had to put a stop to that for her safety. So now we clip her then let it grow until she starts getting adventurous and clip her again so she has cycles where she can fly enough to get to a shoulder at the dinner table (and beg, lol) and fly back to her cage but little more.

Offline Ranasp

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Re: African Gray
« Reply #31 on: November 19, 2015, 10:34:13 am »
I knew a parrot that would say "Here kitty kitty kitty..."  ;)  Congratulations on your feathered toddler, the most I ever had was parakeets as a kid (and I suppose chickens now).  From everything I've heard they're hard work but a lot of fun for the right kind of people with the right attitude. 

Offline BowEd

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Re: African Gray
« Reply #32 on: November 19, 2015, 12:43:33 pm »
Yea chickens,ducks and geese are mostly what I messed with in the past.Robin has a quaker parrot here too that says kitty kitty kitty.We are getting the Gray to step up a lot from place to place.It seems to like it.It does'nt fly around crazy or anything because I think the previous owners did'nt get it out much.It's a little unsure of itself climbing around outside it's cage.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline Urufu_Shinjiro

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Re: African Gray
« Reply #33 on: November 19, 2015, 01:23:57 pm »
My bird likes to play with the little plastic cat toy balls with the little bell inside, she picks it up in one foot and shakes it and the cat comes running thinking it's for her, lol

Offline BowEd

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Re: African Gray
« Reply #34 on: November 19, 2015, 05:36:46 pm »
Coool.Robin just put a plastic spatula with plastic measuring cups tied to it to chew on.I swear it's a living breathing can opener...lol.This bird barks like one of the dogs in the house here already.Says his name too.I keep trying to get it to say good morning and it has'nt yet.Keeps saying helloooo.
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed