Update on Obi

I am so sorry to hear about your bad experience. I have also just got a baby grey. Fortunately for me the breeder I dealt with was honest. My baby is 3 months old tomorrow and all I can say is, it was the best thing I ever did. I love my baby to bits and s/he is very tame and lovable and loves being handled. S/he is obviously learning as I am. I must admit a day or two prior to getting my baby I was very apprehensive, but s/he is worth every moment and is very rewarding.

From what I have read you would really do well with a bird and don't loose heart and judge the species on a dishonest person. Do what is best for you and true to your feelings. I must admit my hubby didn't like the idea of me getting a grey but I think ge now likes my baby more than I do, and I am glad I didn't let it influence my deceision. If I can do it you can to.

Good luck either way and let us know what happens.
Kind regards

Well I hope it all works out for the best either way. There are definately breeders out there that are dishonest with people without thinking of the future effect it will have on the owners and birds. Keep us up to date.

I think that is disgraceful that they would sell you an older bird, particularly when they knew this was your first grey. Lord knows these birds are tricky to win round at the best of times.

Is there no way you can go back to the breeder and say it wasnt working out. No point in accusing them of lying because that would be very difficult to prove, but if a breeder cares about their birds at all, surely they would want the best homes for them?

Debbie that is good, hopefully all of it can be taken care of. I do know that I have found out if I take SweetHeart out of the view of her cage she lets me do more with her. But keep us updated on what you decide and if you are going to try another baby or not. The breeder that did mine, I thought maybe she had too many birds and mine didn't get enough attention, but I think sometimes it's just the birds personality. I didn't get a lovey one or even one that will tolerate being pet, I am not giving up and that's just because I am stubborn lol. My mom always said I was hard headed lol But at the very least I have a pretty bird I can talk to and teach her how to talk and make cool sounds. But please keep us updated!

Well, basically this lovely young woman came to our house, carrying her 9-month-old African Grey, who sat nicely and was friendly enough that both my husband and I were able to touch/scratch his head. She's only had him 2 months and said he was a wild thing when she got him from a lady who said her son was allergic. She did a lovely job training him.

We chatted for a few moments and she then took Obi out of her cage. Needless to say, Obi bit and growled. She gave Obi a flick on the beak whenever she bit. Obi fought like crazy and then she sort of put a head-lock on Obi so that she couldn't bite and basically stayed safe while she gently talked to her and told her that this was unacceptable behavior. After a while Obi calmed, and Obi actually let her pet her head, with Obi leaning up onto her chest for a short bit while she scratched her head and rubbed her back and wings as we sat and chatted. Basically, she was giving me instructions on how to handle Obi and instruct her that certain behaviors were not acceptable.

Then came my turn to try and hold Obi and scratch her head. For a very brief while, after being bit several times and after a few flicks of the beak, Obi calmed for a short while, I scratched or at least had a few pets, and then she became restless again.

End result: Marnie said that she thinks Obi is definitely older than what the breeder said she was. She said that Obi was aggressive and that it was going to take a while for an experienced person working with her to get her to calm down. Marnie actually called the bird breeder twice, and basically asked the breeder if she had any babies that she would be willing to "swap out" - give Obi back in exchange for a baby. The breeder said that her birds were sitting on eggs now - but we all know it would be a long, long wait, but the breeder was willing to do this.

Marnie basically said that she felt Obi definitely had behavior problems, that she felt that she belonged with an experienced person who could handle and work with her. She told the breeder that Obi was "rank and aggressive" and basically we had a loving home for her, but she didn't feel that it was an appropriate placement. Before Marnie left she felt that Obi was too difficult for someone with little to no experience to handle.

So, I can either try rehoming her myself, or take her back and basically wait for another baby. Now, I feel like the breeder was dishonest with me, leadnig me believe I had a baby that had been weaned for 2 weeks when, in fact, after Marnie sat and calculated the dates, they just didn't jive.

Marnie kept reassuring me that I "definitely got a bad seed" and that not all birds were this headstrong and aggressive. She feels that Obi is older than what I was told. All I can say is this is really a drag and definitely something I need to think long and hard about. My husband said it's up to me, basically, since she really is my pet and I'm the one doing all the caretaking.

I'm sitting here feeling like I was too naive to know that I was taken. Now that I look back on the situation, Obi was in a large cage, perched on a swing, and not at all babified like pictures you would see in books of other birds this age. Obi is a very large bird. So, I feel like I was taken. Bad experience here, I guess, so I'm not sure what to do now.

I wanted to share this experience with all who were interested. If I was taken advantage of and lied to about Obi's age, all I can say is why can't people be honest and care enough about the birds they sell or place in someone's home.

I have much thinking to do now. Thanks to all who offered suggestions, and thanks to everyone for listening.