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Happy New Year, Grey Family!

I love Einstein too! He's hilarious!

Poor GreycieMae needed a pep talk. Her just couldn't take the heat, Huey...everything that gets a girl down. 😍 🥰 GreycieMaePepTalk.mp4

So many great birdie memes out there. Which ones are your favorites?

Here's that dang smile right in my own house - complete with hamster cheeks. Right at the end, she hits me with her cluck-n-smile. This girl can make me do anything 20191120_062950.mp4

Well, I did it. I adopted 2 older kittens (6 and 9 months old - spayed but need booster shots next week) through an amazing adoption agency that basically rescues kittens from shelters right before their euthanasia date approaches. Dora and Dottie (I didn't name them but the names seemed to fit!) are no special breed -- just simple domestic short hair cats (Dora is a white with some grey tabby markings and Dottie is a pastel calico -- both are mostly white. It took them a couple days to bond, but both had past experience with other kittens and dogs so within 36 hours they learned to play well together and bonded. It was a risk to adopt not knowing if they would easily bond or if it would take a LOT of work on my part. I basically just acted like I didn't care at all and let them work it out -- and things went great! Their youth probably helped. I've always preferred pedigreed longer haired cats (Persian/Himalayan) or longer haired domestics, but I think their short hair status will make grooming much easier on me (and they are adorable just as they are!!!). Snickers adores them -- watches them intently and will head bob and whistle when they are running wild! It never occurred to me that maybe he misses Zuri. Snickers time out of cage is much more limited while we work things out -- but he doesn't seem like he wants to go after them. I am basically letting him just play on play gym on top of his cage and (when kittens are sleeping) holding him VERY protectively on sofa -- since sleeping kittens could awaken quickly with a parrot loose in home. I put a metal grated fireplace screen around his cage for cat protection and to discourage them from poking their arms inside his cage; but they have actually been remarkably respectful of him. After 22 years, Snickers understands cats, and in the past, has proved his trustworthiness. I think he gets they are just babies who mean no harm. But I will never trust a parrot and cat together, loose, without extreme supervision (which I haven't tried yet -- only had the kittens 1 week). Too soon. These kittens (I find them gorgeous) but they are probably just run-of-the-mill common cats; but they have brought some joy back into my home. And they look absolutely NOTHING like Zuri, which I appreciate. Their energy levels amaze me! I got them a new cat tree, beds, scratching post, Cat Dancer toys, soft toys that squeak like a mouse, a globe than rolls itself (batteries) and a wand-type feather toy I have to swing about for them. I wanted them to have things that didn't belong to previous cats. Even at such older-kitten ages, the play hard but sleep like the dead (sleeping time is Snickers the CAG out-of-cage-time) here. But if a kitten awakens, I put him back up. The new kittens can't erase my grief, but it does bring some activity and joy back to this home. And I can't get over Snicker's whistling and playfulness with them around either -- he seems to delight in the new cat television in living room. Snickers is definitely not bored during cage time. lol

Please do not apologise. Karen summed it up perfectly - we are a community here and we will be with you through the good and the bad. I think we can all appreciate that losing a pet is very difficult and nobody would think ill of you sharing your sad news. I had 13 years with my dog Ben. Whilst I miss him, I have lots of happy memories that still make me smile to this day. We never did replace him and in fact it took us years to get another dog after our first dog, Sam passed away. If/when you get another cat/pet I don't think you ever 'replace' the pet that you lost. You will still have all the memories and you will still have the hole that they left behind. I would love to have another dog (but circumstances don't allow it right now) but he/she would never be a replacement for Ben... or Sam for that matter. Every pet is an individual and will bring something new to the family/flock/household. Nobody can tell you the 'right' time to get a new cat/pet after you have lost one. It's a very personal decision. I hope you are doing ok and that Snickers is looking after you. We're here if you need us.

This chart just about sums everything up!

😥 Jayd is doing poorly... He asked me to write this,...I told him it was not necessary but Jayd's emotions are strong. Judy, Luvparrots, Talon, Ray, SRSeedBurner, and all the Grey Forum members...I am sorry if I offended any of you. Please forgive me. Love, Jayd

Jay has always been a very important part of this family and I owe a lot for his friendship and support over the years. His heart was always in the right place and some times his post were misinterpreted, but they were always in the best interest of our loved fids. His friendship has always been very important to me as each and every member of this forum is.

Wife has a new classroom this year. I thought it was pretty nice of the school to install a nice skyhook to hang a batbird from. She hung there for about an hour before she wanted down. Crazy bird.

A cat, dog or a parrot can get under your skin and be a big part of your life. When they are gone there is a big empty spot that you can`t fill. Sorry for your loss. Ray

think you mean a joist. It is all a Parrots' playground.

Funny, but I sorta figure parrots, in general, feel no regret, no guilt. Your home is their kingdom -- anything you own may become their chew toy. They are one of the rare pets that we forgive completely for pooping on our furniture, floors and even on us when shoulder riding. And when shoulder riding, we even overlook that they chew up our clothes while we're wearing them!!! Mine can remove a shirt label so quickly you don't even realize he did it -- he can chew through enough of my shirt that I don't even notice that either, yannoe, until I feel a slight breeze!!! lol 🥴

No idea how the school hung that -- or what it's real purpose is. Can't imagine they hung it just for a CAG or other parrot to dangle/play with. But I would love something similar, in brass or oil rubbed bronze, to place a hanging plant on. But after looking at the pix, Snickers might be making a real mess of my plants if I figure out a similar design. It would have to be bolted into a ceiling rafter (or whatever that's called -- for strength) since hanging plants are heavy -- esp after just watering.

My meme but not my bird. The owner of the bird got a kick out of it...

Yes! especially when you have worked for months to get them to trust you enough to get on your arm. I'll never forget the first time Timber dropped his head, pushed his beak against my stomach and let me scritch his head. It took so long to get there, and I'll never forget that day.

Folks, I'm going to give you a quick synopsis of where things stand with the board, some of it you will understand, and some of you wont depending on who you are and what your technical level is for these kind of things. These are the objective facts. I will give subjective later. 1. And foremost the name greyforums.net is not owned by ANYONE here. 2. The owner of the .net name is a really nice guy that has nothing to do with this place anymore beyond being the owner of the .net name. 3. I cleaned up the whole mess and made the database and forums work again without spyware and viruses because you guys helped me save Sukei. (And Im not looking for a thank you, just putting out facts for a determination after) 4. The database contains YEARS of experience and knowledge of members past and present, those here now and those that have passed on before us. 5. Participation has slowed to a crawl. This has everyone dealing with the site considering closing it. 6. The data on this site is INVALUABLE for our grey friends. Now with these facts in hand I can offer every tech deal there is , video posting, song boards, anything you have on your favorite sites, I can duplicate, and make it work better. Video, audio streaming anything to bring the level of participation back up here. The real question is ......and not so much for me, but for Talon, do you want to keep it going.. how important is it to you your Greys and Talon that has kept it going for all these years. Its time to consider what you have, and what you stand to loose, talk to her, let her know how you feel.

Same here. I try to hit the wet stuff as soon after it hits as possible. I am always amazed at the amount of dry crud surrounding the cage each evening though. For a bird who only weighs about 1/2 pound and doesn't seem to eat that much, where do all these bits and pieces come from? It's a puzzle

I sometimes deliberately give peanuts, nut butters and some seed to my parrot purely for the 'fats' in them. My gut says they need this to maintain a healthy weight. I have a whole-foods attitude. I admit, my parrots diet is largely fresh fruit, veg, and some rice (or whole-wheat pasta). All on low-fat end of the fats spectrum. Should I add olive oil or something to this fresh veg/rice mix??? I don't want to cause fatty liver disease by adding too much oil, but my parrot could happily live on this fresh mix alone. I do realize there is limited amount of fat in most fresh veg (think of where corn oil comes from - veggies do have limited oils in them!!!) But such oils are in dilute amounts in a fresh fruit/veg diet. Cows can live on grass -- but don't parrots require more fat than that??? I also always have a dish with just pellets (mine enjoys them as a crunchy snack) and I figure they're loaded with the needed balance of nutrients/micro-nutrients (like vitamins and minerals -- almost like a vitamin supplement) but it's NOT my parrot's main diet -- more like a snack. Mine lives mostly on fresh fruit and veg -- with some rice (sometimes pasta -- not his fave) mixed in. What do you feed your parrot???

Timber is a cardboard fanatic too. I'll admit to not worrying much as long as I get the tape and gummy stuff off!

Ha, isn't that the truth! He actually knows BEFORE I have snacks. He hears my footsteps cabinet doors etc., and starts his "baby bird" cheeping before I even get the wrapper off.

I put red palm oil on Timber's rice mix. Dave mentioned his support for red palm oil years ago and I added it to Timber's diet then.

Absolutely. Those stickies are priceless.

What's yours is theirs. What's theirs is theirs (and not yours). Basically, everything belongs to the birds. 😂

Yep, If you have it they want it. It`s the law.

We used to have lovebirds... Many years ago. I couldn't really remember much because I was really young back then but one of the pair died, and my brother just told me the other will die soon as well because the partner died. I was horrified, lol. It's nice looking at these photos (even if these are old), kind of makes me nostalgic.

Definitely love Bird Memes. That's one facebook group I don't usually get into it with anyone. So many good memes come across that one... Who did it better? (in case it's unreadable, the pull tab reads 'now I have')

WHERE DID I LEAVE THAT DUST PAN ?

Love parrot memes (well, I like all sorts of memes!)

My activity here is always in fits and spurts. Sometimes I only get time to read posts and not reply. Other times I have the luxury of being able to reply and start new threads as well. I try and stay active but unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes.

The one thing about this forum is that the members care, but often get tied up with life in general and their post will come and go as they work their way through life. I know and understand as my personal in the last two years has been filled with tragedies that has taken up a lot of my time. I am getting back to posting again as this forum means a lot to me with the friends I have made. Some times a post will lack response but others will have many. I often will bounce round different subjects until I find one that spark a response. My did you know post are meant to give tidbits of info as food for thought. Others are just stories about my grey, or trying to be help-full to members in need Some times you hit a home run and some times you strikeout out. It`s all part of the game This forum is needed and we are the forum.

I've noticed the same as most. Facebook is IMO the cause of the decline in Forums. I was a moderator on another forum for years and as FB groups became more prevalent, participation dropped significantly. I, like most, signed up for this forum and really honestly hoped it would be a busy community of people full of knowledge and participation but it seemed like the "Facebook effect" had already taken hold. However I would hate to see this site and all of it's valuable information be archived. I'd like to offer my assistance if it is needed. I have time I can dedicate if needed and am very technically minded.

Well, we’re making changes, and I think a big one is allowing read only. It was thought that by forcing signup to read that might do it, but it had the opposite affect. Folks went right back down the road they know so well, Facebook lol. So being able to read again, and the new software being html friendly, we should get a lot more google hits about grey questions. Were going to keep at it as time allows. Thanks for being here.

The GreyForums is the truth behind the care and raising if not only the African Grey parrot but also all parrots who grace these pages and enrich our lives so much. Truth is found here. We will try to post weekly.

I think it's time that I give you and the members of this great forum an explanation of my absence over the last two years or so. It started with a very ill wife who passed away on Valentines day 2018 and than her younger sister in Dec. of 2018 followed by her older sister in May this year. We lost Willie our cockatiel at age believe it or not at age 27 followed by 5 very good friends and two of our dachshund one of old age and one unexpected.. I have a 44 year old special needs child that still lives with me that we adopted when he was 14 months old. I have not had much time to post but I check in to see what's going on. And than there is Corky my awesome Grey that has kept me going who will be 19 in Dec. of this year. I will make every effort to start posting again to keep this forum alive. KevinD you are doing a great job with this forum and I will do my best to step up as a member to support this Grey Forum.

This forum probably saved Timber's life. I was such an "idiot" when I got him, with no clue as to how to handle him or what to do. I would sure hate to lose it. I have no idea why participation has slowed to a crawl or why new people don't stay. I know people come here when they panic, then leave when they have their answer. I don't post often because nothing has changed here at my house. However, I do check the forum almost daily to see if anyone has posted.

I would be sad to see the forums close down because there is a wealth of knowledge and years of experience in the archives. It would be a real shame to lose everything that people have put into this place over the years- especially as some of them are sadly no longer with us. However, I understand that it is a large undertaking to keep a website/forum running. I also understand that this can seem like a totally thankless task when hardly anyone shows up and posts any more. I enjoy keeping up to date with everyone's birds and I would be sad to lose that connection with the people here. Is there a way to archive the data on the forums and make it searchable? Is there some way that this can be moved to another communications platform where we can still add to it and communicate with each other (for those that are left?) I don't even know what platform would be the best to use. Yes there is facebook where you could make a page or a group. But is that the best format? Would everyone move across? Are there other platforms available which are less taxing in terms of management and maintenance?

Oh Maggie...you know my thoughts and prayers are with you both daily. You are one brave woman..you just take it all in stride and stay strong for Jay. I can’t imagine the worry you live with on a co start basis. I know that God is watching over you both...love and strength to you both..and Thank you, Thank you for keeping us updated..I know it’s difficult for you to post..but it means a lot to your greyforum family and friends. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😥❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

According to Rosemary Low, writer and conservationist, there are 28 species of amazon parrots: orange winged blue fronted yellow crowned yellow shouldered cuban hispaniolan yellow billed white fronted yellow lored red spectacled tucuman puerto rican vinaceous lilac crowned green cheeked red lored scaly naped white faced mealy blue cheeked red browed red tailed red necked St. Lucia Imperial St. Vincent Festive black billed yellow faced Under these there are several sub-species. The countries in which they occur are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean Islands, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela including Trinidad and Tobago. There is no "standard" amazon. Each one evolved to fit a different set of circumstances. Some amazons that are well known in aviculture are less suitable as pets than, for example, the ochrocephala (yellow crowned) sub-species. They are superb, not just because they are good mimics but because they greatly enjoy interacting with people and are tremendous "show offs". No parrot is perfect in a captive situation because that is not where it evolved to be. Howver, compared with most parrots, the disadvantages of amazons are minimal. While they can be noisy, especially early in the morning, and more vocal during the breeding season, in a pet situation it is much easier to divert an amazon from screaming than, for example, a cockatoo. Many amazons love to sing-along and singing to them can change their screams into an out-of-tune attempt to join in. A disadvantage of certain amazons is that during the breeding season most males become difficult to live with as pets. The worst offenders are male blue-fronts, double yellow-heads, yellow-naped and salvins - all species that are otherwise wonderful companions. They are good pets precisely because they are extrovert and fearless. The more timid species, such as the Tucuman, are not sought as pets and they are not aggressive towards people. Some species are naturally more aloof and others are almost inherently friendly. So be warned! An amazon is not just a green parrot. Not all members have the same degree of adaptability, ability to mimic or take pleasure in human company. Don't think that the various species vary only in plumage color - observe and hear as many species as possible before making a choice as a prospective pet. Having said that, there is always an element of uncertainty when obtaining a parrot because the personalities of these birds are as varied as those of humans. In short, Amazons are treasures among parrots.