my hubbys african grey

Question
QUESTION: hi there we have recently required a resue african grey bird from somebody because there landlord could keep it when he came to us just over 2 weeks ago he would let you touch his head and step-up onto you hand we have been feeding him fresh fruit and veg and a occassional treat but he has recently starting not wanting to go back into his cage and has biten myself and hubby once a peice and doesn't want to step up any longer i have been told to lightly blow into the birds face and say no firmly when he does bite should i be doing this?please help us as hubby's

ANSWER: Sorry for how long it took, my computer shut down and had to be worked on. That is not a good way to deal with bitting. He is bitting because he wants to stay out, the best way to deal with it is to ignore the bitting even if it is hard. Any reaction to bitting just increases the likelihood of it happening again, and hitting a bird makes the bird loose trust in you which will only create constant bitting and never stepping up. The best thing to do is use firm body movements and know in your mind that you are the boss and your bird will go in the cage, if your bird knows it will not win and cause a reaction then it will not try to disobey. Birds are very smart, they realize what they can get away with very soon, but they do not get the concept of disapline.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: we are realatively new to owning an african grey,could you please give us a small list of do's and don'ts please and we keep his food bowl always full with food but give him fresh friut and veg by hand are we doing ok please email me back as soon as possible thanks agiain sarah and steven

Answer
African greys are very intelligent and require a lot of attention. Make sure you have a large cage, I kept my amazon in a cage that was around 4 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 by 2 1/2, I also added a lot of toys, but leave a couple toys out that way about every 2 weeks you can switch some toys in the cage for variety. I always offered pellets and some seeds in the cage at all times, then give fruits and veggies once a day. Parrots also like apple sauce most of the time. It is also good to give your bird a spray bath once or twice a day with water or one of the mixtures available at pet stores. It is also a good idea to leave a TV or radio on when you leave the house, this keeps the bird occupied and reduces plucking and can aid in vocalizations.
Brittany