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Hello all, We have had our delightful little CAG (Larry), for around 4 months now, we bought him at 11 weeks so he is approx 7 months old. Things we going very well - he was picking up a few commands / tricks step up etc and potty training. We decided against having him clipped and soon enough he was flying around the house and with the exception of a few crash landings was settled very well. However there has been a slow decline in almost every aspect of him. We started to notice he was pulling his black flight feathers out and he seemed to prune almost non-stop to the point where he pulled out so many feathers he has stopped himself from being able to fly. His behaviours changed slightly whereby he would refuse any treats (which he absolutely loved such as pumpkin/ sunflower seeds), and his overall energy seemed to decline - in the sense that a CAG his age should be investigating everything / being very active - however he seems to just want to perch on our shoulders or in his cage. After taking him to 3 different vets - last guy who seems extremely knowledgeable was very concerned about the fatal PBFD (Parrot beak and feather disease), and we are currently awaiting the results which will come this Monday for blood tests. He was extremely concerned at the colour / texture of his feathers and the fact he has plucked many - and he was particulaly concerned about the red feathers over his chest (which he has always had since we bought him). We was told the red feathers over his legs and chest means he is classed a "King African grey"? You can see these in the pictures below - the red feathers over his body and there is a photo from behind showing all the black flight feathers he has pulled out. Has anyone else had anything similar? Its a waiting game until Monday but we are devastated it could be PBFD. The vet said it could only has contracted this from the breeder as he hasn't been in contact with any other birds let alone Parrots. We did so much research and feel like we have let him down. Could anyone please share information they have regarding the red feathers and the behaviour i pointed out earlier? Thank you so Much. Photos below. James

It`s good that you have taken him to the vet as we are not veterinarians. There are many things like emotional and nutrition issues that can cause plucking. I hope your vet is a bird vet as the have special needs with their health with their health issues. Taking them to your vet is the best thing you can do for your Grey. As to the red feathers on your grey, It`s called red factor grey so enjoy them as sometimes they out grow them and molt them out. Pleas let us know how things turn out.

There are some things that are too special to be forgotten. Like the truly unique wit & wisdom of the equally unique Dave007. And of course, his huge investment of time & effort towards making Grey Forums greyt. Wishing everyone a very special Thanksgiving & holiday season. But especially to Dave's friends & family ...hope you'll reminisce w/a little charity & a lot of joy.

People sometimes think about what they don't have, but I submit to you, think on those things you do have. Friends, Family, Health and a myriad of things I could list here. As an example, I thank God I have sight, and hearing and just the ability to walk around as a normal human everyday. Be thankful for what everyone takes for granted. The place I returned from, most folks don't have that luxury. Be Thankful for the time you have to spend with the folks that are alive and you still have the time to make amends, for one day you will not. But most of all give thanks to God for giving you one more day to do the right thing. I pray for the ones we lost, I hope their families can find a way to be thankful for there efforts in keeping everyone safe as can be. And most of all I am thankful for each and everyone of you for helping me get Sukei home.

I always repost this each year. Our much loved Dave007 posted this on this site about 4 years ago and thus I am posting it again this year for all to enjoy. Only Dave could write something like this. Ingredients: One turkey Corn pudding Green beans Stuffing Sweet potatoes Mashed potatoes with gravy Cranberry sauce Hot rolls Relish tray Pumpkin pie Whipped cream Hot coffee Get up early in the morning & have a cup of coffee. It's going to be a long day, so place your Parrot on a perch nearby to keep you company while you prepare the meal. Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch. Prepare stuffing, and remove Parrot from edge of stuffing bowl and return him to perch. Stuff turkey & place it in the roasting pan, and remove Parrot from edge of pan and return him to perch. Have another cup of coffee to steady your nerves. Remove Parrot's head from turkey cavity and return him to perch, and restuff the turkey. Prepare relish tray, and remember to make twice as much so that you'll have a regular size serving after the Parrot has eaten his fill. Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch. Prepare cranberry sauce, discard berries accidentally flung to the floor by Parrot. Peel potatoes, remove Parrot from edge of potato bowl and return him to perch. Arrange sweet potatoes in a pan & cover with brown sugar & mini marshmallows. Remove Parrot from edge of pan and return him to perch. Replace missing marshmallows. Brew another pot of coffee. While it is brewing, clean up the torn filter. Pry coffee bean from Parrot's beak. Have another cup of coffee & remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch. When time to serve the meal: Place roasted turkey on a large platter, and cover beak marks with strategically placed sprigs of parsley. Put mashed potatoes into serving bowl, rewhip at last minute to conceal beak marks and claw prints. Place pan of sweet potatoes on sideboard, forget presentation as there's no way to hide the areas of missing marshmallows. Put rolls in decorative basket, remove Parrot from side of basket and return him to perch. Remove beaked rolls, serve what's left. Set a stick of butter out on the counter to soften -- think better and return it to the refrigerator. Wipe down counter to remove mashed potato claw tracks. Remove Parrot from kitchen counter and return him to perch. Cut the pie into serving slices. Wipe whipped cream off Parrot's beak and place large dollops of remaining whipped cream on pie slices. Whole slices are then served to guests, beaked-out portions should be reserved for host & hostess. Place Parrot inside cage & lock the door. Sit down to a nice relaxing dinner with your family -- accompanied by plaintive cries of "WANT DINNER!" from the other room. Happy Holidays!! --------- Dave

WELL SAID !

Oh that's adorable!

Greetings! Spock here typing for Jayd.... As some of you may recall, our oldest son passed away a few years ago and we keep his urn on the end of the long L-shaped bar that separates the living room from the kitchen next to the wall. It is a plain, unassuming grey marble urn a little over a foot in diameter. Quite a few times, unexpectedly, and never knowing when, Joe, our Grey, will fly over toward the urn and land about three feet away. He bends forward with his head turned to the right (Like he is bowing) and walks sideways while talking to Jayson "Hello, How are you?, Give me a kiss..." When he reaches Jayson, he touches his beak to the urn while making kissing sounds and asks him "How are you?" The last time that he did this, he did something unusual...he mumbled something to him, paused, cocked his head, and answered "Okay". Then he said, "Gotta go now...okay. See you later. I love you". When he backed up approximately three feet away, he gave him another kiss, said "Bye-bye" and flew away...like nothing happened... Only you can interpret this as you see fit...we take some comfort every time this happens....Grey cognition is amazing! In some of your research and study into Greys, a number of references can be found regarding telepathy... P.S. this has been re-written three times due to tears...LOL

Tough times with a brighter path ahead of him then,

Re-reading brings back a lot of memories.

From our house to yours; good wishes for lots of feasting & bunches of warm fuzzies all around. Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my first time reading it, and it was great! Enough truth in it to make it really amusing

YES!!! I always look so forward to reading this. Now it is officially Thanksgiving Season.

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it!

Lol, sounds about right.

I enjoy this each year Note: I have to tie cage door closed because parrot knows how to unlock cage.