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Update: April'99 hanne-l, Background by:
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An African Grey instead of a diamondring
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Keeping a wild animal as pet
can cause you a lot of problems.
I don't advise it to people
who live in town.
Even an African Grey is not the easiest pet to have. |
Kalli, the African Grey |
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 Taming of Kalli |
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The kitchen was his first home, since I was busy there most of the time and could therefor
talk to him constantly. At night his cage was covered. When I talked to him then, or reached inside, he only made a soft hissing noise instead of his loud screetching.
Reaching inside the cage other times was only possible wearing thick leathergloves. Even the gloves soon had holes, which he securely found every time to bite me again.
After about four weeks and very sore hands I could leave off the gloves when reaching into the cage very slowly to change his food and water. It took about another month
before he first allowed me to touch him when it was dark. Thereafter it was alright for me to also touch him daytime, but only me, nobody else.
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Kalli starts talking.
The first unnatural sound coming from him was the ringing of the phone. Of course he immediately received a special treat for that and I answered with "Hello". Silence.
A quarter of an hour later he repeated the ringing, got a treat and heard my hello. Silence once more. And again and again. The next day I heard the phone ringing and then another noise,
which soon became a clear "Hello". Then he would repeat the word to himself again and again, clearer each time. Once the first word comes out clear, one can teach him the next one. "Hello Kalli".
Repetition is the clue to success here. And don't dare laugh at the bird twisting itself trying to get the sounds out correctly.
Then one day I heard my husband calling me, though he wasn't
even at home. I realized it must have been Kalli. He soon started to call the cat and the dog too. When they reacted to his voice by coming inside, he got very exited.
He had taught the cat the very first day already not to come too near his cage by catching its tail and pulling at it. From that day she rather kept her distance from the cage.
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