neoow

I say some.... I made quite a lot...! But I'm freezing it and taking it out when it's needed so it should last a while. I went shopping and bought an assortment of fruit/veg to throw into it. I basically grabbed anything that was available from the shelves. I got: sweet red pepper peas (I shelled these) sweetcorn (removed from the cob) sugar snap peas (left whole) kale butternut squash (only half used) apples mango beetroot carrots brocoli sweet potato blueberries The nuts are to sprinkle on top of his food or to use as a treat. These weren't mixed into the chop. It took roughly 2 hours... or thereabouts... but that was with various distractions. It's the hottest day of the year so far today and the kitchen is the hottest room in the house, so I did have to keep stepping away to have a drink and cool down from time to time. I got 19 bags (plus whatever I chucked in his bowl already) out of it! Alfie hasn't tried it yet so I'm not sure if I have the beak of approval yet. I've dabbled with chop on and off before but this is the first time I've made a biiig batch of it like this. Most of it normally ends up on the walls and floors. I'm hoping that Alfie takes to it I can sneak more veggies into his diet. (he's very picky!)

Thank you for taking in and rescuing this poor bird from such an awful environment. Sit back, relax and get ready for many wonderful years of learning about your new addition and enjoying his company. I'm going to steal something I wrote on another introductory post as I think it may be helpful here: "One thing you will learn quite quickly is a little thing called "grey time". This is the time it takes for a grey to adjust and accept changes. This can be changes in routine, toys, location, people etc etc. Your bird has just undertaken a very big change and everything is still very new. Your bird is trying to adjust to a new home, new humans, a new routine, new sounds, new toys... everything. This can be a bit overwhelming for a grey as they can be a little change adverse at times. It can take days, weeks or sometimes months for a grey to adapt to these kind of changes and come out of their shell. This is what we call 'grey time'. Some changes may be more readily accepted by the bird than others... so there's no telling how much 'grey time' is needed for different changes. The important thing to remember is that the grey will show you when they are ready to accept a change or a new offering. They will also show you when they are not ready. A lot of this is shown via their body language- so pay attention to what your grey is doing... especially if you receive a nip or a bite...e.g what were the eyes doing, how were the feathers being held? There may be some subtle signs that your bird gives you before he resorts to a bite. Given enough time, you will start to be able to read your birds body language and will be able to know when the bird has had enough or is happy to progress." Allow your bird time to settle in and get used to the comings and goings of his new home. Talk to him often, tell him what you're doing, tell him why you're doing it. Maybe read some books to him or ask your children to read to him. This helps him get used to you being around him and gets him used to all of your voices. He probably doesn't like the dowel rod because he's never seen it before and it's coming straight at him. He will probably bite it in protest of it coming near him. Again, it's going to take 'grey time' for him to get used to it. There is a massive amount of information on these forums available to you so please feel free to look around and use the search tool. If you don't find an answer to your questions then ask - someone will be able to help out. In regards to vets- ALWAYS take your bird to an avian vet. Never take them to a 'regular' vet who isn't qualified or trained in avian care. They won't necessarily know how to handle your bird or treat him and this can lead to unnecessary stress for the bird or incorrect advice being given. I recommend looking into what foods are/aren't safe for your bird. Start giving him some different choices of foods. It may take a little while to wean him off a purely seed based diet but do persevere. He'll find something he likes eventually! Lastly, we like photos. As and when you're able to, we would love to see some photos of your new feathered friend.

Hello! Welcome! Congratulations on your new addition!

Glad to hear things seem to be moving in the right direction! Fingers crossed that they get along or at the very least, that they can tolerate sharing the same space! I know you'll give them both the time, love and attention they both need.

Oh look at that adorable little baby face!! Congratulations on bringing Casper home. I've never tried introducing another bird so I don't have much advice for you. I'm only here to coo over baby bird photos. (And Isaac photos as well, of course!!!) Hopefully as Casper learns more about his environment he can start to stick up for himself a bit and they'll both settle in together.

Oh the poor little guy. Probably doesn't know whether he's coming or going. Does he have a name? I hope he settles in quickly. Are you keeping him or just trying to give him a break whilst finding a forever home for him?

Haha or Alfina?! He gets called Alfred as well... So maybe Alfreda?!

This is really useful information as I have some carpets I need to clean and I was debating about hiring in a steam cleaner for it and wondered if it would be safe.

Hello! Welcome to the forums! There is one 'rule' you need to follow here... We need to see photos!! 😁 Haha How old is your grey? Have you got a name for him/her? How exciting!! Bet you can't wait!

Too true! When I joined these forums I had gone through the thought process of whether I was the best caregiver for Alfie and whether he would be better off in a different home. I was living alone and working crazy hours plus studying and not giving him the attention he needed or deserved. I spoke with family and friends at great length but every time I thought about giving him.uo it reduced me to tears. Instead, I knew I had to make some big changes in order to improve things for Alfie. It wasn't his fault that I chose to study whilst working full time. It wasn't his fault that I was taking more on at work and therefore working longer hours. It wasn't his fault that his cage wasn't in the best place in the house. It's been a journey and I am still trying to do my best for Alfie. He's been with me since he was 11 weeks old and he's now 15 years old. We have many more years together and I am always trying to improve the time we have together and his environment. I am by no means perfect but I am trying. I know I would have instantly regretted giving him up and I'm pleased that I made the decision to stay. I am also glad that I found these forums around that time as it has been a massive help along the way. 😊

Thank you. That's what I wondered, especially as he had been shredding cardboard before hand. I did wonder if he got a little confused and thought it was an egg! I will hide it away for now as I don't want him to get confused or frustrated. He 'played' with it for about ten minutes or so, holding it in his foot and beaking it/biting it. Then he dropped it off the shelf. His wings were still drooping for another minute or so then he went back to exploring and pushing everything off the shelf. Of course I don't actually know for sure that Alfie is a he at all. I've never had him DNA tested and whilst the place I bought him from told me that he was male, I don't think they ever had him tested either. It was just really unusual behaviour for Alfie and I've not witnessed it before. Like I say, he normally runs around his shelf throwing everything off it and expecting me to fetch it all!! 😂 I'll keep an eye on him and won't leave egg or ball shaped foot toys out for a little while. Hopefully I haven't encouraged any nesting behaviour (or egg laying if it turns out he is a she!).

Alfie is displaying some strange behaviour this evening which I haven't seen before. He was happily shredding some boxes and then noticed a ball with a bell in it on his shelf. Normally he would just fling toys off the shelf but instead he picked it up with his foot and is almost smothering it with his body and wings whilst beaking it and biting it. Anyone else seen this kind of behaviour with your birds? What could it mean?

Look delicious! 😂

Sounds sensible!

pandemonium sounds about right. Can that also be applied to a singular grey? Alfie can create enough pandemonium all on his own! 😂

too true!!

I have an outdoor aviary now and the biggest problem that I have is that the spiders love it and keep building webs everywhere! 🙄 I also have birds landing on it and pooping everywhere as I haven't got the top covered. So before Alfie goes out I spray it down with the hose and then scrub it down with some f10 bird safe disinfectant, diluted at the highest level to kill as much bacteria as possible, then rinse it off with the hose. I'm mostly worried about possible diseases carried by the local birds/wildlife being passed on to Alfie. The hose clears most of the cobwebs... the scrubbing brush gets the rest! It might be over the top but I'd rather make sure I've done everything I can to prevent it.

He's doing so well. Thank you for the photo updates. Maybe he knows he has hit the jackpot so is making the most of it!

Alfie is exceptionally picky and always has been. He has a seed, nut and dried fruit mix which is his daily go to. I am trying him on harrisons pellets and tops pellets at the moment but he is not impressed. I have never managed to fully convert him away from his seed/fruit/nut mix. He is a nightmare with vegetables and usually ignores them completely. He will eat mashed potato and will occasionally entertain the idea of peas and cooked carrots. He has tried some sweet potato mash as well recently but the verdict is still out on that one. He gets whatever he can have from my dinner plate in his bowl but isn't normally interested in trying it. He normally just flings it out of the bowl in disgust. He likes banana, especially dried banana chips. He always digs those out first. I have tried chop but he's never been interested. I've tried putting things on a skewer in his cage but it mostly gets ignored. Unless it's a grape. He likes grapes. I keep persevering but he's very contrary. He might give something a go one day and then the next he's chucking that same thing across the cage in disgust. 😂 I'm debating about getting a dehydrator and adding some dried veggies into his daily mix... see if he picks anything out that he likes from that.

That sounds similar to what Alfie does with some of his toys- grabs them and lets go so they swing and then sticks his head under them for a scratch. 😂

Helping... inspecting... official taste tester...!! Lovely photo!

Welcome to the forums and thank you for taking in a rescue bird. What is his name? He is a beautiful bird! One thing you will learn quite quickly is a little thing called "grey time". This is the time it takes for a grey to adjust and accept changes. This can be changes in routine, toys, location, people etc etc. Your bird has just undertaken a very big change and at a month in everything is still very new. Your bird is trying to adjust to a new home, a new human, a new routine, new sounds, new toys... everything. This can be a bit overwhelming for a grey as they can be a little change adverse at times. It can take days, weeks or sometimes months for a grey to adapt to these kind of changes and come out of their shell. This is what we call 'grey time'. Some changes may be more readily accepted by the bird than others... so there's no telling how much 'grey time' is needed for different changes. The important thing to remember is that the grey will show you when they are ready to accept a change or a new offering. They will also show you when they are not ready. A lot of this is shown via their body language- so pay attention to what your grey is doing... especially if you receive a nip or a bite...e.g what were the eyes doing, how were the feathers being held? There may be some subtle signs that your bird gives you before he resorts to a bite. Given enough time, you will start to be able to read your birds body language and will be able to know when the bird has had enough or is happy to progress. You will have many amazing years together and it sounds like you are already off to a fantastic start. These forums are full of information so feel free to have a look around. Ask as many questions as you need to- there is always someone here who can help and advise!

Oh the poor thing. Such horrid conditions. At least he is safe now and will get all of the care and attention he needs. I'm sure he will settle down eventually and quickly realise he has landed on his feet!

Such good news! Well done to you and your son for persevering and rescuing the little guy. I hope he has a very speedy road to recovery!

I have seen so many posts on facebook recently about missing greys. In the UK we are in the middle of a heat wave so naturally doors and windows are being left open more often. Air conditioning in the home is not overly common over here as it's normally too cold and damp to need it. I've seen multiple lost/found bird notices being shared every day over the last couple of weeks and it saddens me every time. I made this thread to try and start a discussion about how to bird proof your home to try and ensure your beloved birds are kept safe. Please feel free to make any recommendations you have and hopefully this will be a useful thread for bird owners or potential bird owners. I in no way intend this to be a judgmental post or aim to make anyone feel bad if they have lost a bird before. I'm just looking for suggestions on how to try and prevent the worst from happening. I am in no way perfect myself... I once didn't close the food hatch on Alfie's cage properly and he spent most of the day flying around the house on his own with the dog until a family member came home and found him. The phonecall I received was thankfully to ask me to come home to put him back in his cage rather than to say the dog had injured him or that he had flown out the back door when it was opened to let the dog out. I was extremely lucky that day. I also was cleaning Alfie's cage out and took both of the bottom sections of his cage out when a cat was in the room. I turned back to see the cat wandering round the bottom of Alfie's cage with Alfie climbing around the top looking worried! Again... I was very lucky! --- I have two indoor cats plus Alfie at home, so I am always super paranoid about potential escape routes. When I moved house I invested in "flat cat" mesh (http://www.flat-cats.co.uk/) for several of the windows throughout the house and also the patio doors. This sticks to the window/door frame with velcro and allows me to open doors and windows then stick the mesh back into place- keeping the animals in and all the pesky bugs out. This allows me to let fresh air into the house and Alfie can also enjoy sitting in front of the doors getting a nice breeze (and some sunshine) without being able to escape. For those of you who are handy with a sewing machine you could probably make your own but I opted to have them made to fit my doors and windows as I didn't trust my own sewing skills! I believe people also rely on their birds sitting on their shoulder or a perch happily and will take them outside in the garden in hot weather thinking they will just sit there and behave. It's only going to take one little thing to spook a bird off a shoulder and into a panicked flight. Even if a bird has had a wing clip, if they get enough of a breeze underneath their wings they will take off and can get stuck in a tree or fly quite a distance. I think it's safer to always take your bird out in a cage/travel cage or on a reliable harness (if they accept a harness). Open doors and windows are a hazard at all times. Again, if your bird is spooked or just being curious it's only going to take them a matter of seconds to find themselves outside whilst your back is turned or whilst you are holding a door open. I've seen other suggestions previously where people use chain/beaded curtains over their doors. This is enough of a barrier to prevent their bird from getting outside (and also helps keep the bugs out too) Anyone else have any other helpful suggestions about how to keep birds safe and trying to prevent possible escapees?