Leaderboard

My 12 year old Cag has never laid an egg but my sun conure has and I left it and she added another then sit on them for several weeks then took 1 away, couple of days later I took another. I was advised by Dave to leave them for if you took them away they will continue to lay to replace it. Be sure to provide some calcium in her diet as laying eggs can deplete their stores.

Welcome to the home of the greatest bunch of Grey lovers in the world. Your Grey looks awesome and she should bring you many many years of joy.

Good responses, the time of year Spring with the daylight length increasing can be the trigger for egg laying. Good for you adopting her.

Dr. Seuss quote: "Yes I love you both >:> He also said you have to be tough to get old.

Congrats on your new fid. Looking forward to learning more about the two of you.

i re-homed a 20-year old Lilac-Headed Amazon a couple of years ago that laid an egg. I was told by a reliable breeder to leave the egg along until the zon no longer cared about it; which I did. Then I removed it and my zon has not laid an egg since then. (thank you Dave007, I still miss you).

Hello Nick and welcome to our family, Maxi is a lovely grey and I am so happy you could give her a new forever home.

Hello all - just posted a little introduction thread in the new members section and wanted to hop over here to give the full details on what Maxi has been through in the 18/20 years she’s been around. I am not new to parrots and have worked with them over the years, however I’m very new to AG’s, especially having one in my home so any feedback, tips, etc. would be greatly appreciated. So from what I’ve been told by the woman who owned Maxi, she started out as a hand fed chick purchased from Petco back in the day. She was playful for about a year or so until she started testing her limits. This led to the owner being bitten and created a fear of the bird beak. She has been in the same cage ever since literally only being let out twice in that 17 time frame, one of those times being an accident and led to Maxi living under a couch for several days. As soon as she came here, her cage door was open and only being closed when we left the house. She slowly started coming out and climbing on the door, this further led to her exploring the unused play stand on top of the cage, however she had no clue how to get back in the cage once up there and was stuck for two days on top because she does not allow handleing and is terrified of towels. She had her food and water up there with her, but she eventually figured out how to menuver on the outside of her cage. She now spends a considerable time on top of her cage and in her cage, it’s her choice. Her diet has been completely hanged from a seed/nut diet to veggies, fruits, nuts, pellets, and other random foods she may get from us. She seems very happy now and making progress. However, the only time she will tolerate touch is when she starts doing her little mating dance and begins panting and squeezing, if she is doing this she will let you scratch the back of her neck for what seems like forever but His doesn’t feel right because the more you scratch her neck the more worked up she gets and it doesn’t feel fair for her to get all worked up, but it’s the only way she allows you to touch her, she will even hold your finger and at one point stepped onto my hand but moved as soon as I moved my hand. So that’s where we are right now, any tips or other information you guys might seem useful?

Hello all - I’ve recently adopted a female CAG who is aproximatly 18-20 years old. Her name is Maxi and she lived cage bound in the same home since she was a baby. We’ve had her about two months or so at this point and she is very sweet however does not tolerate touching and does not step or nor know how to step up from what I can tell. Anyways, I’m going to start a thread under the general section that will have a few questions in it. Any feedback or information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Hello everyone I'm new to this site, I re homed my 17 year old CAG in August 2017 and I'm enjoying every moment of caring for her. She seemed very ill last night and I was very concerned. She was on the bottom of her cage and would not get up. She seemed to be straining and making croaky squawking noises. All of a sudden an egg appeared much to my relief and surprise! She seems to have bonded with my father and displays mating behavior when interacting with him - which I've tried to discourage but he is a 'bird man' and so 'he knows best'. I wonder if this is why she has went into laying mode? I'm in touch with the previous owner still and she has never done this before. Any advice would be gratefully received! Thank you Leanne

How precious!

Welcome to the forums! I see you have already completed the mandatory requirement of your membership here by posting a photo! 😁 Congratulations on taking Maxi into your home. It sounds like she's settling in just fine.

I have had to revert back to occasional lurker recently due to lack of free time but hopefully my schedule will ease up over the next few weeks and I can go back to commenting on posts rather than just skim reading them when I get a spare minute or two!

Its up! Its up! Its up! It took myself and my housemate three hours to figure out but we got there in the end. We made a slight mistake when putting the first corner together which affected the roof panels but once we realised and checked the diagram again we fixed it and it went (mostly) without a hitch. The doors were fairly awkward as we had some fixings and no instructions on what they were for. There also wasn't enough space for the inside door to open outwards so it opens inwards with the bolt on the inside. I can get in and out but it might be easy for Alfie or the cats to open it. Will need to monitor that one and maybe get a bit creative there. The weather is still too cold for Alfie to go outside but I'm so pleased it's finally there. I can now continue shopping for toys and perches etc to fill it with. I have to bear in mind that the cats will need to use it too so there may be some larger platforms installed for them to climb. I haven't worked that bit out yet. It is 12ft long, 6ft wide and 6ft tall so lots of space for Alfie to climb and play in. Can't wait for some warmer weather so he can check it out!

It's ok haha I have actually been meaning to try her with boiled egg. She loves toast dipped in yolk in the morning.

messed up... Sorry

Greetings, Welcome to the Forum... Suggestion, put a hard boiled egg cut in half, shell and all in her cage, one half at a time..Another trick is to bake egg shells at 350 degrees until crispy...

Well, there has been a development. She ate the egg! I'm thinking this will replace any nutrients she may have lost. We have replaced it with a fake one for now - my father has bred birds in the past and apparently this is good practice. She was her usual quirky self last night although a little moody with me, not surprisingly if she is nesting. When I left this morning she was on the bottom of the cage again so I think she'll most likely lay again today. Thanks for the replies guys!

Beautiful bird!! Welcome hope you feel at home here with us.

Garlic is not a safe food but the ginger is fine raw or cooked. Have you considered sprouting ? Good for you both.

She will teach you Grey time (patience). You can sing, read books or poetry to her just stop and have a little talk whenever you pass her cage.

Poor Maxi has been cage bound for a long time and it will take lots of time and much patience on your part. I'm glad to hear you have changed her diet to a more healthy one but pay attention to what she really likes and use that as treats to get her to do what you want her to do. She has to learn to trust you and that trust must be earned and it may not come easily but give her time and space to go at her pace, greys are notorious for being slow to change but if you are willing to wait the rewards can be great. The mating dance with panting and drooping wings needs to be ignored, you are right to not encourage this as it will only frustrate her more and may lead to bites when she can't get any satisfaction so direct her attention elsewhere to get her mind off that train of thought. Please keep in mind that many greys do not like to be touched very much and if they do its only on their terms, respect her wishes and try again later but more likely she will let you know when she is ready. Move slowly when you are around her as they do not like sudden movements and talk softly to her from time to time, tell her what you are doing and such. Greys are lovely creatures but they are still wild animals, not domesticated like our cats and dogs so they are always in predator mode and on guard. Watch her intently and observe her actions because learning her body language will serve you well in the future. We have a thread on reading body language that will help you be able to tell when to go ahead or stay back so please read thru the many threads here for lots of useful advice.

Hello and welcome. What a pretty bird!

My good friend Jay.. My heart is yours for the taking for you and Maggie.

Okay, where have all the flowers gone? Do you of this Great Grey Forums realize that some of the most knowledgeable and caring Grey Parronts exist, to offer their knowledge, learning and help just out of their love of parrots?!!!! Okay, then start posting, Talon, Luvparrots,Judy, Ray and Accapella, Greywings, kittykittykitty, Timbersmom, and everyone else I didn't mention..Where's your posts, SRseedburners love your posts, Greytness and everyone I haven't mentioned. Please, if I didn't mention your name, I meant no slight. (Maggie's serving dinner)... Every member is a major and useful contributor to The Grey Forums!

Aw thanks. I miss being able to contribute here as often as I would like! But sometimes life gets in the way. I have spent a little time catching up here this evening. I hope to be back on a more regular basis.

Well done you for taking in a rescue bird. Others have already given lots of suggestions and far more advice than I could provide. Grey's are fascinating birds and I'm sure Maxi will bring you lots of happiness for many years. The main thing to remember is that everything right now is new to Maxi and it will take her some time to learn about her new home and her new flock. As others have said it's all about patience and "Grey time". She will let you know when she is ready to advance to the next stage of the relationship... Whether it's a head scratch, responding to you vocally or willingly stepping up for then first time. There is a massive amount of information on these forums so feel free to look around and dig into some older threads. And never be afraid to ask questions!

We miss you.....

Sorry I didn't post this sooner. Type "Zupreem" in your search... Massive die-off from parrot food suspected. PLEASE READ (self.parrots) submitted 2 months ago * by tarrbot Information about the food batches: Zupreem, Large for macaws/cockatoos etc: 10287 865309107 Use By: 3/31/19 Zupreem, Large for macaws/cockatoos etc: 09137 862908047 Use by: 2/28/19 Higgin's Vita Seed Parrot Use By: 4/5/19 Lefeber's Tropical Fruit Nutriberries: Use By Batch: 122218B

The batch numbers are listed, I've check stores that had food still over the expiration date...For a number of years now, Zupreem has ad recalls yearly...At Walmart I brought to showed a number of bags with Black powder on the peanuts...I'm sorry if I'm overly cautious about somethings, but most people haven't experienced a fid die in their arms or hand because of bad food or Telfon and not be able to do anything about it. Thank God most never will... Record that batch # before you throw that box or bag away Please.....

I'm sorry, the only pellet I trust is "Harrison's" and "Top's"...The only seed I use is "Tops and Volkmen". I'm sure many more foods exist...

The hard boiled egg is a little better with the shell on for natural calcium and help replace any nutrients loss..Please don't feed supplements with out a vets approval...You know us old people, I hide my own Easter eggs and forget where I hid them in 5 minutes.....

Welcome Nick and Maxi! If I may suggest, with your rescue, you have accepted a long and winding road with Maxi. Since Rome was not built in a day, let's hope it doesn't take as long to rebuilt it... A possible starting point...sit by her, read to her, sing to her, and talk to her. When you are by her cage, have her cage door open. At this point, don't try to have her step up. Since she is playing with a plastic fork, place a similar toy (a straw, a small strip of wood, a piece of safe leather) and go about your day as if she is an old member of the family. After a while (days, weeks, months), you can offer her a finger. (don't try daily, maybe every three or four days....) Remember the Beatles song, "The Long and Winding Road" or the phrase, "I'm in it for the long haul"? Talk about a woman who is set in her ways.. Your patience will be well rewarded...Pick out one special treat and use only that treat once or twice a day only from you. Please keep us informed...

Welcome Nick and Maxi!

More snow incoming this evening and tomorrow. Hmpff!