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The way Frito drags her feet around, a towel scared me with snagging her nails. That being said, this can move around fast when she wants to. Changing her paper sometimes is like the old hot potato game, grab quickly and move with precision! lol

If it gets to a point, where we get some coverage, Ill bring all these things up. Seems lately the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Not thinking laying it out inside the warehouse full of other carpet out gassing formaldehyde would have done any good as far as airing it out. Tough choices ahead I see. One of our sons worked for a production company for a number of years and many of them purchase carpeting for events such as conventions and seminars then toss it afterwards after being used for just a few days. Perhaps you could contact a company in your area to see if they might pick up or sell used carpeting that is now surplus? It is usually in very good shape and has had a chance to air out a bit.

The biggest safety issue with candles is the lead used to keep the wicks upright when it burns lead is released into the air. I am sure some of the scents may be detrimental but the lead is dangerous to birds. Quoted form Nature Chest "Scented candles, potpourri, incense, plug-ins, as well as other products containing a high concentration of volatile oils (essential oils) can cause either stimulation or depression of the central nervous system, as well as possible irritation to the eyes, nose and upper respiratory tract, depending on the oil and concentration used. Birds are very susceptible to the effects of inhaled volatile toxins, including essential oils. Any volatile oil (fragrance) has the potential for causing illness and possible death in birds. Obviously the concentration in a product and the length of exposure are factors to be considered. Many manufacturers have started making their cleaning products more pleasing to the senses by including these essential oils also. Products containing a high concentration of volatile oils should be avoided completely if you own a bird. Usually the more "perfumey" the smell, the more toxic the product."

Dogs don't even react well to punishment. Dogs training works a lot better with rewards and most importantly praise. That's what dogs are all about.

Tragic, I did not know that either, very sad!

Wonderful and sometimes funny how we adapt to their issues and needs, can improve our reaction time for sure.

Sorry you have had to make this choice.

That's a good idea! The only problem I could see in my case is Timber sleeps on the towel. He doesn't like walking on newspaper so I'm afraid he wouldn't sleep on it. I've ordered a larger platform type perch for him, and if he starts sleeping on that I'll certainly give it a try.

Hi, My baby is 13 wks old. I was wondering about training. I'm looking for feedback of what age to start and what to start with. Please give me some ideas. Thank you

Pi is 13wks old. I am still hand feeding him. Some days he's a big old mush and likes to cuddle but some days he's very independent and likes to bite. He doesn't bite very hard but I don't like it. I've heard different views on stopping the behavior and I'm confused. For a while I was trying to put him down as soon as he bit and i would put him down and walk into the other room to ignore him. But now he's flying and doesn't seem to mind me getting up and leaving him alone :-( My boyfriend who stays with me occasionally is a dog trainer decided to create a sense of equality with the biting. When pi went to bite him he decided that hurting him back equally would be fair by plucking feather. It was a small feather but I could see the bird was stressed out. I also don't know if that accomplished anything. After that he started acting just like the bird and mimicking his every move. Then he would move the bird to show the bird who was in charge (like showing him he was head of the flock) and at a later time give him a high-value treat to show him he had nothing to fear. He claims that within a week of constant training like that the bird will no longer bite him. I'm sure I will get a lot of negative comments on this but I am curious would something like this work?

From Facebook Ayesha El-Maghribi AbouTaleb please share so anyone with a bird will know never to use these... I have 50+ birds from Parrots to Parakeets.. Never ever again. Walmart substituted my two turkey breasts with a Jennie-O Turkey Cajun in a cooking bag. I know not to use non stick and gave all of mine away the first day I got birds and spent over $1k on Simply Ming cookware. Apparently the cooking bag is toxic to birds. Within 30 minutes of the turkey cooking in the oven my birds started dying. Mohamed AbouTaleb found the first two and I knew something was wrong. By the time he walked back upstairs more were dying. We literally grabbed cages and ran them outside. All the birds are in the garage tonight covered up. I lost nine of my babies. I'm heartbroken.. Minnie looked online and read that Reynolds and other cooking bags ARE toxic to birds.. I have books on birds and read extensively online before getting my birds.. I never saw anything before now that said cook bags were toxic. A warning needs to be on the label! ? My grandson just came home tonight after being born Thanksgiving - which is why we were making a delayed Thanksgiving dinner - and I have to wonder how toxic the cooking bag is for all of us, especially a little five week early preemie baby - if my birds died that quick. We will NEVER EVER buy another turkey in a cooking bag and will NEVER buy Jenny-O-Turkey again.. There should be a warning on the package that the fumes are toxic to birds!!! I never wanted a whole turkey to begin with and Walmart subbed it during a pick up order... You can't imagine how sad I am right now.. ?☹️? #walmart #turkey #Jennyoturkey edited to say - PLEASE CHECK MY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BELOW, AND CLICK ON THE ORIGINAL POST TO SHARE. MANY ARE PRIVATELY MSGING SAYING THEY CANNOT SHARE FROM OTHER PAGES... ALSO PLEASE STOP SENDING ME HATEFUL MESSAGES. ONE OUT OF TEN PMS I RECEIVE ARE CRUEL AND MEAN - THE OTHER 90% VERY KIND. IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY MEAN - POST IT HERE INSTEAD OF HIDING LIKE COWARDS. I AM JUST TRYING TO SAVE OTHER BIRDS AND KEEP OTHER BIRD FAMILIES FROM SUFFERING THIS TERRIBLE LOSS!!!!

Not a good idea you will loose trust and that is important, birds do not react well to punishment they are not dogs. Physical punishment like that may not only damage your relationship with your bird but can cause a start to feather plucking please do not allow that to continue. Your bird is still a baby trying to learn about his environment his beak is like your hand in may ways it is a sensitive tactile organ to feel surfaces, discriminate items and share touch. His behavior is a normal part of his development, just tell him no if he is too rough when beaking people and put him down or back into his cage. You can also try giving him a toy to play with rather than a correction move, perhaps something soft like aq sock to play tug of war with. maybe something he can manipulate like foot toys or a paper roll. Like a toddler keep that bird and that beak busy to avoid the problem behavior rather than a correction. Hope that helps I know we have some further helpful suggestions to come.

Well, im home, ill take a look at the css/html the skin maker is busy i guess.

well carpet shopping didn't go as well as I had hoped. Actually, in some ways just as I expected. Rite Rug would have been my choice. They had the most co-operative people. They would have laid the carpet out in their warehouse for a week before coming to install it. They had the best looking carpet too! Problem - they cost more than twice as much. The next place had green plus carpets, though not as nice a selection. They will NOT lay out the carpet. They will NOT install it after we laid it out somewhere. So, the best solution we have come up with. Wait until Spring. Move Peanut out of the house for at least a week. Install the carpet, have the carpet cleaned (just steam), open the windows and put a few fans on it. Not perfect, but the best we can do. O, the floors were twice as much as carpet. I am not paying for this, so can not go there.

I finally caught Zoe saying something on video this morning. She has been saying a few words here and there but this is the first time it was so clear and I got it on camera. Might seem like a small thing but we are so excited. She is really bonding to both me and my wife and continues to surprise us. See the link below. Thanks!

Wow thanks tiles are a great idea. Yesterday a cut a piece of pine plywood 3/4 thick and put it on top. I made it so it overhangs 4in. on all sides. So far so good, but the clean up will not be as easy as tile. I'm worried he will chew the plywood now and found out it contains glue. I'm wondering if this is safe for him?

The best thing I ever started using is the memory foam rugs (or drying mat) in the bottom of Frito's cage (WalMart in the kitchen/bath area $3.99). I have two at the bottom for a soft landing. I just cover them with newspaper to make cleaning easy and if the poop hits the mat, it just wipes right off. I don't know why but Frito and Gabby both are my most aggressive of the greys. Little stinkers for sure!

Ha, Timber is not particular about walking through his poop either! I don't think greys see it quite like we do... He is in a "hospital" cage now, and I have to keep a towel in the bottom. You can imagine! When I'm not tending to him I'm doing laundry That's why I said I didn't know how you keep up with all of them. He takes up so much of my time and there is only one of him!

That's just horrible.

They've done that with dogs and cats here in Ontario, but not with birds frustratingly.

Oh! How tragic!!!

It`s always nice to have a friend. He is a big boy !

Great pictures. Love the aviary. I can't wait for it to get warmer here In Washington State so I can kick my flighted kiddoes out the window into their aviary!!!

How fun!

Well, he's kind of scared, new place, new people and all. Greycie is being a spoiled little brat with him but I can tell she doesn't hate him. She HATES Toby our Caique and stares steak knives at Toby. None of that with Huey.

That is actually amazing they get along so well, you got your hands full for the next week.

Great pictures!

He's a VERY quick learner. Me and Greycie were showing him our beat-boxing routine last night and he jumped right in with a drum beat. Unbelievable. Here's an "Im bored with this already but ill humor you again one last time" sample. You can hear his little drum beat twice in the video. Last night he was doing it right along to the beat with me and GreycieMae. It was so cute!

Good Afternoon - My name is Teresa and Monday we brought home our rescue Congo African Grey from the former World Parrot Refuge in Coombs, B.C. Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary has taken over the care and adoption of a huge flock of assorted birds. We are just outside of Victoria, B.C. Our previous avian history included budgies, love birds, canary & a cockatiel. We currently have 2 dogs - a lab, Mac and our rescue, Kona who is a bitza - a bitza this and a bitza that So far Mac is indifferent to the cage & bird, Kona is curious from a distance. Our new friend is a very chatty African Grey - age & sex unknown at this time. He/she does step up however, as the bird just had a day of travel and new experiences with a different cage, home, peoples, dogs etc, I have not attempted this action yet. Our vet visit isn't until the 23rd. I do want to try and handle our feathered friend but am not sure of how long to allow for a settle in time. Open to all ideas and options. The bird (leaning heavily to Captain Jack parrot) goes to the highest perch in the cage and settles well at night, making it clear that it was time to settle for the night. In the morning before the cover was off there were some soft clicks and noise but nothing obnoxious. Our bird is fully feathered and was a bit darker in colour than some of the others at the rescue (there were 15 birds to visit). The bird was eating a seed diet and I am integrating Zupreem into the bowl with great success. Loves oranges and cored apples. Added some baby garden carrots this morning, hiding almonds in balled up newspaper and a few other foraging toys. Captn Jack will take treats from our fingers and let's us know by bowing down that it is head scatchy time. Am giving time and space to settle before we work on the step-up that was happening at the rescue with him/her. I look forward to reading and learning a lot on this forum on how best to aide our rescue into the forever home we are providing. Cheers Teresa

Loved the videos. Can't believe he's already closing his eyes when you give him scratches, that shows trust. Thank you for taking in a rescue. If you're looking for a good online Canadian store for parrot stuff I really like Parrotdise Perch. They have great customer service.

Welcome to you and Captain Jack! (What an awesome name for a bird!) I'm so happy that he's settling in well for you and that he's loving all the attention you're lavishing him with! I look forward to hearing more about you both and your new adventures together.

What a great video! I have to say I would have never guessed that wasn't a "human" coughing and blowing. What a treat he is.

Oh my goodness. The nose blowing, the cough, the sighs. That is so funny. Captain Jack is so active and engaged that I would not for a second think he hadn't been with you all his life. He is really relaxed. This match is meant to be for your family and for him. My guess is eventually he will accept your husband and daughter as well. As others have said, trust building is really important. Captain Jack was quick to get the lay of the land in his new home and though he may be more tuned in to you, if they wait him out and gain his approval, you are all going to be one be happy flock. Congrats on discovering the impressionist within, his comedian side will keep you guessing what he is going to say about you when you have company.

Thank you for the welcome Step-up has gone extremely well within the cage. Head scritches continue with myself. Capt Jack will take treats from hubby but not head scritches yet. First thing in the morning Capt does a cough routine - obviously inherited routine LOL and it rather amusing. The youtube link is here - along with a couple of other short new bird videos. I am a nurse and working night shift tonight (7-7) so it will be interesting to see how tomorrow morning goes. Hubby & daughter (25) will be with Capt Jack tonight. I am thinking of delaying my sleep by an hour tomorrow to spend time with Capt Jack, then the custom silicone earplugs will come out for a few hours of zzzz's. Looking forward to hearing & learning more about our wonderful new feathered family Cheers Teresa

Congratulations!!! Sounds like you've got some good instincts & it sure seems like Capt Jack(ie) is making the transition extremely well. Have to wait until the honeymoon's over to know, but it sounds like this could be the start of something extra special. I don't really think it's too soon to **ask** for a step up. I think the trick is in taking "no" for an answer. Since (s)he's doing so well, maybe you could see how it goes today. But even if the answer is "yes" maybe quit while you're ahead. So not more than a minute or two then off so as not to risk a panic. Ideally you'd like every interaction to end well. But especially now while you're hoping to build a trusting relationship. If you don't already know from your other fids, parrots & dogs can have a fabulous relationship. *But* the hardest thing for some dogs to get over is the wing flapping. That triggers somewhere primal & can be very tricky sometimes. They will get over it w/patient persistence & time, though.

Hello and welcome! It sounds like you are making great progress with your new companion. Post some pics when you have a chance and keep us updated

Excited to hear you have taken a grey rescue into your home and looking forward to the continuing saga of Captain Jack. Sounds like you are starting out right, going slowly and not asking too much of him until he lets you know he is ready. Scoring points by making foraging opportunities for him as well. I think you should have a successful relationship with the Captain.

You are doing incredibly well if you have only had a rescue grey for a few days and already have him accepting things from your fingers and bowing for a scratch. Thank you for joining our forum. Welcome to you and Captain Jack or whatever name you decide fits best. There are plenty of things to read and also we are a group who love to learn from one another and share the life of a our extended flock. You will get cues from your new companion when he wants more attention from you. It is wise to take it one step at a time. Providing treats and interesting things for him, setting up his first vet appointment is a grand way to get things started. Congratulations on finding this fabulous new companion. I can't wait to hear more.

Welcome to the Grey Forum. Looking forward to learning more about you and your new rescue.