What is wrong with my African Grey parrot?

Question

Tony is around 2 years old and latly he has been mean. He will bend his head down for you to pet him and then try to bite you and he will squeeze you hand as hard as he can with his claws when we get him out of his cage. And sometimes he will throw up. He has never acted like this until recently. Its like he is not the same bird, but i don't think he is sick because he acts normal when he plays and swings from his toys. Tony only seems different when he is in contact with people.

Answer 1

Hi,

Some of these replies need to be ignored! As mentioned by two long-term owners, he's definitely in his terrible twos. I remember going through the same thing with Albert. The puking is definitely a sign of affection. The biting is him trying to assert his position in the pecking order. Make sure you keep him below shoulder height until he gets through this otherwise he will believe he is number one.

Albert has never bonded with anybody other than myself and can still get quite jealous of any other creature in my vacinity - even the cats get it, if they're too close!

If he tries this bite action in the future, wobbling the hand so he has to hold on properly is the best way to solve the problem - otherwise you'll find yourself either shouting, screaming from pain or whacking his beak! ;-)

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well if you think any animal is sick, time for a vet !! One thing about African Greys is they NEED & REQUIRE lots n lots of attention or they can get mean, loud..even depressed..not good to have a biting African Grey, they can easily break a finger.. could be too @ 2 years old, he's wanting to mate...I'd say do a internet search on African Greys, try to find a club or owners of African Greys..tho great parrots, highly intelligent...etc they are sometimes more then one person or family can handle if you're not ready to spend ALOT of time with them, they do not like being cooped in a cage, can't be ignored & NEED lots of attention & activity...TC & Peace

Answer 3

Between the ages of 2-4 most parrots go through a terrible two stage. You would know about this if you researched parrots a bit--but that's okay.

Sally Blanchard has a parrot book that goes in-depth about how to handle this. If you don't handle your birds change in personality right it would be very bad (and could ruin your relationship with him later on)

BTW>> throwing up for parrot (if they bob their head) is a sign of love.

So, I suggest you get some of those books, even reading BirdTalkMagazine would benefit your situation.

Answer 4

Tony is in his "terrible twos" and I'm not kidding. It sounds like he is sexually maturing and frustrated. The "throwing up" may be regurgitating, which is usually done for someone he loves. In the wild, this would be his mate. As a pet, it might be you or someone else in the house. Is there someone he especially likes over others?

As long as he passes a vet check, Tony may just need some time to finish growing up. Short of getting him a girlfriend (which could make it worse), you may just need to give him some space for awhile.

Answer 5

It takes a whilst for a parrot to heat as much as an environment/person. Take staying power and small quarters to start with. learn what handle the gray somewhat loves and use it as a handle to charm to the chook to stay with you. Bobbing head is definitely jusst an acknowlidgment on your presence.

Answer 6

I've lived with three of them at different times (my sister's or parents'). They act like that sometimes. These birds only like having ONE 'human friend'. I think you should try to bond with him more before letting anyone else touch him.

Answer 7

maybe tony is broody and wants a mate