CAG-9 years old

[kannon]

I bought my first parrot six weeks ago.She is 9 years old and has a DNA certificate.She shows a lot of hand fear but I am following advice from members not to rush her and let the bird come to me.Her fear is lessening and I can get close her but she still will not take food from my hand so some progress is coming.She will not let me take her out of her cage but comes out and goes in by herself.I work from home so she is with me all day out of her cage when she wants.Her wings have been clipped but I plan on letting them grow out.
But I am curious what could a 9 year old bird who does not speak and has hand fear have been doing all this time?She does not seem interested in toys but can reduce a string of old wine corks to little pieces in no time and enjoys pealing the bark of a tree stand I made for her.
Kannon

[Wolf]

I have no idea as to what the last 9 years of her life have been like but if she is afraid of hands then it could not have been the best life that who ever she was with could have given her. Although Greys are among the best talkers in the parrot world not all of them care to do this, some much prefer other sounds, some are closet talkers. Your statement about her not talking and being afraid of hands implies that you think that the birds has nothing to do but to amuse you with talking and this shows a huge gap in understanding what a wonderous creature you are blessed to have with you. Hopefully time will help you to see.
At this point in your relationship you are doing well by not trying to force her to do anything and in allowing her the time and space to come to you on her own. The more time that you can spend just hanging out with her and talking to her the better also offer her the occasional treat and even if she doesn't take it from you for now leave it where she can get it easily. Please note that any toy that she likes to shred or play with will also work just like a treat for her. Please take the time to do some research on photoperiodism as light plays a very important role in their lives as does the type of diet that they receive.
I am glad to hear that you will allow here to regain her wings, it should help her confidence level.

[kannon]

Thanks for your reply, Wolf.I live in Arizona and the bird is in a huge room surrounded by glass overlooking a garden where she can see and hear other birds.When she can fly there is plenty of room to set up perches for her to fly about the room. I open her cage when it gets light in the morning and she goes back into the cage by herself when it starts to get dark.I am working on improving her eating which seems to have been on pellets.I have tried fruits and vegetables with not much success and am going to try your glop.
I am not disturbed about the bird not speaking but wonder what her background may have been.She came from an outdoor breeding operation and I have seen them use towels to move their birds around.I can understand her hand fear.She seem less fearful of my Yellow Lab.He has put his nose up to her,as dogs will do,but I think he may have gotten a nip for it.He is a smart dog and will not try that again.
I find this site very good and try to read everything.
Again thanks for all the commentary which is so helpful.

[Wolf]

That really explains a lot about her life up to now as well as why she is fearful of hands. Most breeders are not much on socializing their birds as they are mostly interested in making the produce as many viable eggs as possible. They arrange the lighting and feed them high protein diets to help keep them in their breeding cycle as much as possible and then they have to leave them alone so that they will sit on the eggs and help raise the young until they are removed by the breeder. This is a very stressful life for these birds emotionally as well as physically. I am glad that this part of her life is over as it really uses them up.
Are you able to open the windows? The reason that I ask is that they need the uv light that we do not and the glass filters this out, so if you have screens on the windows and can open them up so that she can get the uv light it would help her a lot. If not then you may want to get a full spectrum light for her, the correct bulb for it is one with a CRI of 94+ and a K Temp range of 5000 to 5500. She should also be exposed to the twilight periods of both dawn and dusk to help reset her internal clock to be in tune with the seasons.
Diet issues can be quite interesting especially when dealing with a Grey as they tend to be harder to get onto a good diet than other species of parrots. You may have to get creative as well as persistent when trying to improve their diet. Take carrots for instance your Grey may have never had them before so you are going to have to show her that they are food and that they are good as well and you can only do this by eating them in front of her until she gets curious enough to want to try them. When she does try them she may very well spit them out. This only means that at this time there is something about them that she doesn't care for. You may have been eating the carrot raw and given her a small chunk so she may not like them chopped but she may eat them cut into spears or julienned, or grated or she may prefer them cooked in one of these forms or even in large pieces that she can hold and bite off pieces. And then again she may not eat them in any of these ways right at first so you may have to try all of these ways many times over before she will eat them. It will be this way with many foods that she needs to have in her diet.
May I ask what part of Arizona you live in? I have spent a few years in Arizona myself primarily around Tucson, Prescott and Bisbee with a small amount of time in Flagstaff and Sedona. I tried to live in Phoenix but really didn't like it there so I didn't stay there much.

[kannon]

Hello
Yes,I open the sliding door/w screen and she gets early eastern sunlight.She steps up well on a stick and I can take her into the yard(clipped wings which will grow out).
She enjoys tearing wooden blocks and old wine corks threaded through by a chain.Working on that I thread corn on the cob which she also reduces to nothing.I am going to do the same with carrots and other veggies.
We live in Oro Valley which is 14 miles north of Tucson.Used to be country where occasionally you could see a cattle drive down one of the through fares but it is filling up fast with new development.
Thank you.
Kannon

[Wolf]

I have been there, or at least through it on my way out to the national park. If I remember correctly I went out on Oracle Rd. to get there, but it has been close to 20 years since my last visit out that way.
Please exercise extreme caution taking your Grey outside without it wearing a harness or being in a cage. Being clipped is no guarantee that your precious bird can't and/ or won't fly away if the circumstances occur. All it takes is a gust of wind at the wrong time or the bird getting scared and it will be gone and at that point it is too late to do anything except to try and follow it far enough to recover it or start a serious hunt for it and hope that you can get it before a hawk, bobcat or other predator gets to it. I know because I am speaking from experience.