Is your Grey a family or one person bird?

[Rickyj]

Trying to get a feel to see how many successful family tamed birds are out there, thanks. 

[ukgrey]

Blue is happy to be handled by a variety of people but makes no secret of a preference for me.  He decides in an instant whether he likes people or not and will not change his mind no matter how hard people try to convince him!

[tkessel]

Since we are Wuzzie's third set of Parronts, we are at a bit of a disadvantage.  Previous parronts rarely handled her, and I am beginning to suspect that when Wuzzie says "C'mere!" that was the previous command to step up, and when she says, "Stop it! Stop it! S#%t!" that was what the parronts said as an unexpected consequence of them trying to get her to "step up!" 

Anyhow, I am Wuzzie's favorite, and she comes with me without argument or biting 95% of the time.  Unfortunately, my wife let Wuzzie bite her a couple of times early on, while she was trying to get her to step up, and my wife wimped out.  So Wuzzie has learned to nip her, or even just act like she might, when my wife tries to get her to step up.  We are working on this, and if my wife can get past a couple of nips, I think Wuzzie will be fine with her too.  Wuzzie gladly takes food from anyone! 

Unfortunately, there are only two of us parronts here now, the rest of the "resident flock" is a cockatiel, and the CAG and cockatiel pretty much ignore eachother, much as a goldfinch and a robin would in the yard.   We do try to have other people interact with Wuzzie whenever possible, but we always arrange the handling.   When Wuzzie went to be with my daughter for a couple of days last month, they were fine together, but Wuzzie wasn't interested in being handled yet while visiting there.  Maybe she will on some future long term visit.

[Rickyj]

Do you think having different family members take part in and perform clicker training will help the bird to adapt to all members of the family a little more equally?, thanks for posts.

[feika]

I think it doesn't require the clicker training or any training for that matter. You only need willing hands and brave hearts to hold a grey. Captain easily and willingly goes to anyone who is not afraid to hold her, happily takes treats from anyone but she has the habit of checking the fingers and hands firmly by her beak initially (they all have I guess) and later on she just doesn't do anything. But that tiny pressure is enough to scare off an unexpected carrier or a weak at heart person.
I do not push my wife or children too much to hold either Captain or Jojo (who is less intimidating of the two) and ours is a low traffic household but anytime there are children or guests coming over (and my birds are a star attraction) I make it a point that they at least get to feed the birds by hand and if they desire or dare, they can hold the birds on their hands with me close by, no accidents so far.

[Janie]

There are only two people in out family, but Darwin pretty much lies us both.  I have a sneaking suspicion that he love to be with Stuart more, when we are both in the room, he seems to fly to Stuart rather than me... but saying that...  Darwin loves cuddles from me, and will let me do more things with him... like file his claws etc...  So I think on the whole it's a pretty even split...

hugs Janie xxx

[Izzo]

Rocco is a two person bird. He started out great with the family but the kids have lost intrest and Rocco is not too keen about them now. The kids are definatly missing out!

[jules]

jasper is mainly 'my' bird  he will go to sit with other family members if they let him.

i took him to my mums for the first time on friday and almost instantly flew to everyone in turn. even my uncle who is 78 and whom i thought would tell me to leave jasper in his carrier 

my brother was very brave when jasper landed on his shoulder,i took a photo of them together with my bro' looking very nervous 

he is getting more and more used to everyone all the time now,even my 5 year old neice. i think the more people the better,its good experience for any bird/animal to get to know different folks 

[kgamblin]

Ruby seems to be happy with either me or my daughter.  She has also allowed a couple of our friends to hold her both are bird people and have confidence in handling birds if that matters.  Anyway Ruby seems to prefer me but is fascinated with Katie, my daughter, as well.  Last night Ruby disappeared while I was helping Katie with her homework.  I was starting to panic calling "Ruby, where are you?" then she sort of clucked and I found her in the kitchen cabnit just exploring the top shelf

[Billcry]

Our TAG, Earle, is my wife's second (I hope only) boyfriend.  He calls to her the moment she comes home from work.  Earle is fine with me, too, but seems to prefer Cynthia. Our CAG, Sophie, is 100 percent a daddy's girl.  She tolerates Cynthia, but like a stealthy snake, never lets the opportunity to strike a too close hand pass her by-- unless, of course, it is holding a nut.  Earle is OK with visitors, but very shy and Sophie watches me.  If I'm cordial to them, she is too, but a little aloof (a princess always knows her place, even if you don't).  Workers and other strange men, however, get the mad-as-hell treatment from them both, complete with growls, barks, hisses and flapping wings.  They live with three bat-crazy cockatoos. Earle largely ignores them with a few squabbles over turf and Sophie and the female, Marley, are sisters: inseparable until one gets something the other wants, then it's whacko-smacko time, which usually lasts about ten seconds, then 10 seconds of huffing by the loser, followed by make-up head preening and all is forgiven and peace settles over 'Birdello.' 

[Squid]

  This is an interesting subject, with some good answers. It would be nice if people could say the age of their birds aswell? and if possible whether they are male or female? and also male or female relationship with owners? there is another subject i would love to explore aswell, which birds are hand reared and which are part parent reared ? ie: taken from egg and hatched in incubators, or left with parent birds for a certain period of time?
My suspicions are that very few Greys will be willing to be handled by most or all of the family, ad the few that are will be predominantly parent reared birds, they will also probably be younger birds who have not entered sexual maturity? and the very few that are sexually mature and that give there affection to more than one person will most definately be parent reared? I am hoping to do some study on this in the very near future, so any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Rickyj]

Perfect post Squid exactly what I'm thinking, I have have talked to two different breeders that say when they try partial parenting, the birds become to wild and they can't do a thing with them however when they hand rear them they become manageable birds, but both breeders say there are all different kinds of breedings and rearing, and of course young birds will except everyone till a sexually mature age. All these post have been great and funny I do appreciate the the great hearts and sincerity of the people posting.
 

[jules]

 jasper was left with his siblings\ and parents for three weeks then brought indoors to be hand reared and weaned,this i think is what makes a stable,well balanced bird who knows he is a bird. aa very young bird will go to anyone,the more people they meet at a young age the better. maybe this is why its taken jasper so long to get used to new people? i dont know

[Squid]

Jules, thats exactly my thinking, a bird reared partly by the parent birds will usually be more "adjusted" and stable in its environment, Ricky, breeders will tell you that a bird raised by a human in the first few weeks of its life will be better, (it is easier) but I honestly dont think thats the right way at all. Breeders need to to be more forward thinking and not rely on an "easy" chick, raising from an incubator is "easier" in most cases, but I think the  bird will suffer later in life. It normally results in plucking issues, and handling issues when the bird becomes 3 years plus, and in my experience its very difficult to reverse the situation.

[september]

Animals always seem to take to me, so was no surpirse there was no problem when i got Christa a few months back.  She is only one.  But for some reason, she only likes men.  She lets them pick her up, first time she meets them.  Me i still need to do a bit of coaxing.  She lets them pet her, and dang if she doesnt let out a wolf whistle, when one walks by outside.  Is almost embarrassing.  I say, I DID NOT TEACH HER THAT, LOL.  So as far as my bird is concerned, I would say, she is more than a one person bird.  I just seem to be the only women she likes.