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EarLy on I became interested in parrot nutrition, I took class on it , researched it, spoke to countless parrot owners...I am passing on to you some of this info, It is only food for your thought, nothing more... BEANS: Please note that large raw beans - such as Anasazi, Black, Fava, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Pinto, and Soy - can cause toxicities when fed raw, causing digestive upsets for people and potentially for birds. large beans should be cooked to make them safe and digestible. For those who do not want to take any risks, cook large beans thoroughly. Certain uncooked dried beans contain enzyme inhibitors, are indigestible , and may cause visceral gout in birds. These enzyme inhibitors may prevent or decrease the utilization in the body of substances, such as trypsin and chymotrypsin, to produce nutritional deficiencies. Beans that can interfere with proteolytic enzymes are lima, kidney and soybeans. Cooking these beans for at least 2 hours destroys these enzyme inhibitors. Other dried beans do not appear to contain these enzyme inhibitors.

Welcome! Your CAG is a very handsome guy! Greys need to progress along on 'grey time', which is difficult for us humans to always keep in mind.

Looks like you have a nice setup for him. I would say he's asking to slow things down a little with his new situation. They always settle down, it just may take a while. It took our Huey about 6 months to come out of his shell.

These photos make me want to have an entire flock of cockatiels too......But a same gender flock so that I don't have the occasionaly population explosions.

Hi. I am a new member and a new Dad to an adopted older CAG. Have only had him for almost a month. My necessary visits to the adoption center went very well. He doesn't like females so I (male) had no problem handling him. First 24 hours at home went well, but the second day he was stepping up to me and for no reason he chomped on my hand and drew blood. My unfortunate reaction was to pull away and this had him fall to the ground. Not sure if something spooked him? So, now, we are in the process of building trust again. Have been doing target training and lots of treats. His diet from his previous owner was all seed so have been slowly trying to change him to a better diet. Will be a long process.

I'd give a couple or three weeks on the nail trim.

Fantastic! I was thrilled to see this this morning. What a blessing that you happened to be a neighbor.

Shortly, I'll make a large post We really have to research what we feed our fids and in what combination. A short example, we never salt our fid's foods. But, chard and spinach are loaded with salt so should be fed at a minimum. One of my favorite, garbanzo or chickpeas, bond certain enzymes depleting them from the fid's system. A favorite, red palm oil, is the largest source of artery blocking food sources on the market extreme high cholesterol. I've always called it the "Red Hype"....I'LL go into that later hehehehe....

It's really super simple and such healthy nuggets of goodness. The sky's the limit as to what you can add, or want to hide for that matter. Mine aren't pellet eaters in general, but they get their fair share inside the birdie bread! As for thawing, I keep a small container in the refrigerator that's usually a 3 day supply and then replenish from there.

May have to try this. I have a few bags of old pellets that have been in the freezer for a while waiting to become a nice birdy bread.

Fantastic! Thank you, had no clue it was so easy. Does it thaw well?

It's really very easy and doesn't require a recipe other than your imagination. The base that I use is Harrison's pellet ground into flour like consistency You can use any pellet of your choosing. Remove to a separate mixing bowl. Then food process anything you want to add to this 'flour'. I always add those things my fids won't eat unless it's disguised. For my crew it's bell peppers, kale and most anything orange or green. I always add sweet potato to all my birdie bread. Add enough water to get it to the consistency that works for you. Add whatever cooked grains you have, spread your creation onto a pan and bake 20-25 minutes at 350. I crumble it, freeze and use as needed.

GreycieMae gets, what GraycieMae wants! You just provide the cash and ship[ping address. Hahaha.

Any chance you'd be willing to share the steps taken to make the bread. I've never made it and I am betting mine would love it.

Nada, nyet, no

We have been giving are fid's theses for years,,,,, sweet potato dog treats Barkz Jerkies - Single-Ingredient Chews for Dogs - Healthy Dog Treats - No Fillers, Additives or Preservatives Amazon.....https://www.amazon.com/Barkz-Jerkies-Just-Sweet-Potato/dp/B01MSAVIO8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1531064966&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=sweet+potato+dog+treats&psc=1

I agree, wait on the nail filing. This is a critical time for him, what happens these next few weeks will determine how he acts around human touch and handling. Leave him be..

Greetings....you could have all males along with the cockatiels, we had Amazons, Macaws, 'Keets, Cockatoos, Grass Parakeets, Conures, Ringnecks, a Hawk-head, at the same time....lol You can also check Some of the Fids who we shared our home with. Choose wisely for your forever Fid...Some parrots don't like to be separated for more than a few hours. Others, you can take a 3 week vacation and they won't be upset. Thank you, Jayd

GreycieMae wants to know if you ship?

Our basic go-to daily chop is baby chard, sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, pomegranate arils, a grape, blueberry or two, banana, slightly cooked broccoli and my homemade birdie bread, concocted using Harrison's pellets as its flour to which I add ancient grains, hemp seed, kale, red bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, and anything else my fids won't eat if offered separately in chop. I also add quinoa, barley, oats and fresh lentils to my birdie bread. In the evening they can have a small serving of high quality large hook bill seed mix without sunflower seeds. I add a small serving of their favorite nuts, including pine nuts and unsalted roasted deluxe nut mix that I get from Trader Joe's.

That’s what I did! I bought the 40x30x75 dome top Macaw Mansion. It is surprisingly well built and way bigger than I pictured. JoJo is loving it, while Maxi is having a bit of a hard time with it. If you read in one of my other threads, Maxi was locked in her cage for around 20 years and never allowed out, in that cage she had one wobbly branch her whole life so getting her to use other perches has been quite the struggle. She will adjust though, she’s pretty strong. Here she is helping with food prep.

My 19 year old just laid two eggs on Tuesday (her first). I was surprised but not shocked since I knew she was female due to DNA testing done when she was a baby. Recently she had definite behavioral changes and started aggressively chewing furniture in the dining room where her cage is. I've had to barricade the room for the last couple of years since she took to wandering around the first floor and making mischief. She had never hurt any furniture past using it to climb. I practically emptied the DR and put cardboard moving boxes around for her to chew which she promptly started destroying gleefully. BUT, what I realize now was nesting behavior started and she would sit in the mounds of cardboard pieces inside the boxes. Sometimes it was hell getting her out to go to bed. (she doesn't go in her cage except at night) None of my reference books have any real info on gestation or behaviors or anything that might help ease my mind about this experience. I would just like direction as to where to look on line for really complete info. While I don't need textbook veterinary level explanations, I couldn't find anything above pretty simplistic stuff. I'm sure I wasn't looking in the right places. Any help would be much appreciated. I'm wondering what to expect and if I engendered the behaviors, and thus the laying, by giving her all those boxes. She's watching me type this now and is trying to decide whether to poop or just put holes in the shoulder of my Tshirt. You all know what I mean. Many thanks. I'm glad to have joined this site.

My 20 year old Lilac Headed zon laid an egg. I just took it out after a few days.

Not too big! I buy macaw cages for my greys. Rabbit toys are cheap, just make sure they are bird safe.

Oh I am soooo happy!! You guys did great. What a sweet bird and so lucky! Thanks for the pics! How heartbreaking to see how he was kept. You are a true angel. Please keep the updates coming!

Good morning everyone! A bright new day filled with endless possibilities has begun! Breakfast is served! First go-to food item on this menu? Pomegranate arils! Num! num!

The poor little guy is doing a bit of back and forth movements and some light panting. Trying to leave him be, but I just can't stop checking in on him and talking with him. I'm gently rubbing his toes whenever I get the chance so that he can begin to ascertain that touch isn't a scary thing. This will be the first night where he won't have to be anxious about sharing the night with the rats clambering all over his world. And that he won't have to sleep through the night with one eye open.

It happens very easily. I said I was done at 11, and then here comes Sydney! While he's obviously very nervous about all the changes, he's beginning to vocalize. His little 'hello' sounds as if he just took a hit of helium before speaking. It's absolutely adorable!

Like the others have said the bigger the better, they need plenty of room to be able to open the wings and flap without touching the bars. I second the addition of a nice heavy duty bell, no grey should have to go without a bell, they will ring that thing and play fight with it, even take out their frustrations on it, a definite must for a grey. You can also check the baby section of stores for toys for your bird, lots of them are safe for birds but sometimes just ordinary items in a home make good toys, sometimes just a box will keep them busy for a while.

I think he looks like a keeper! 🤪

No but who knows what the future holds, he may turn out to be such a sweetheart you couldn't bear to part with him, like Steve said, at least he is out of that hell hole.

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?

Well, he's out of that shithole. Let's rehab and see what happens. If you lived here I'd probably entertain the idea. That's funny you say you're up to 11. In my pea-brain I think I'm still at three, but when I count beaks, I count 8. How the hell does this happen? 🤣

I usually buy toys to get the parts, like the one you see in the pic. Then it's simply cutting wood blocks or whatever to refill. Since my Greybie is a wood block chipper, I refill with wood. I have another one that loves to chip cardboard. As you can imagine, she's easy to make toys for out of a plain old cardboard box.

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!

Yes he will need to have a fecal run at the Vets it is possible he may have been exposed to e coli, salmonella, giardia and other less common health concerns. I have seen birds who lived in rodent infested areas get very ill form both e coli and salmonella, even die if not treated. Poor Grey bird he will need to learn what healthy food is again. Do offer some fresh veggies maybe a little soft scrambled egg and you can offer coconut water or diluted Gatorade or pedialyte to help him recover from the heat and dehydration. Congratulations on the save that is one fortunate landing for him. Blessings on your son and family for your persistence. A few weeks of good food and some baths he will be a new bird, looks better than he could look considering his recent lifestyle.

You and your grey would definitely benefit if you would let the grey move at her own pace. I myself hate to see any animal. let alone a grey, being given potentially toxic chemicals. You might ask your avian vet about using Bach remedies.

He has him!!! Is on his way back with this poor little guy. When my son got there, he found the grey locked inside a shed with holes cut out of the sides. There were rat droppings everywhere, and the entire shed wreaked of rat urine. The bird's food and water dishes were bone dry. No toys or perches anywhere. The poor bird was panting heavily, to the point where my son felt he could have stroked if he'd waited any longer to rescue him. He brought him into the house where he immediately threw up onto his hand, poor thing. He sprayed him down with some cool water and offered him some food, but he was too stressed to eat. Apparently he's 12 years old and belonged to the man's wife before she passed away from cancer 6-7 years ago. Here's to new beginnings, Sydney! ❤️

Screens on all doors and windows works for me. I have had my flighted greys since 2007.

No. Isaac's Dad is getting a baby boy from the same breeder that Maalik came from. Believe me, I did wave the 'you can handle 3 greys' flag his way, but it's a no go. I'm glad to hear that rats are somewhat clean. My concern was over their hanging out on top of his cage, pooping into his water and food dishes and potentially spreading disease to him in that manner. Hope he survives today's heat wave. It's already 90 degrees and it's only 9:30. Projected to be 107 degrees by noon. Apparently this bird's cage is in partial sun. I'll keep you posted!

The fireworks are tomorrow night. But there were some loud neighborhood ones on Wednesday and it didn't seem to bother the birds. The dogs hate it!!! We'll see what that in combination with flashing lights does. I'll make sure she's covered first, but that only blocks visibility, not light. She'll probably be fine. Haven't been able to get her to step up the last 2 mornings. A few steps back. Wait and see. I think my wife had gotten something from the vet to put in her water or food to calm her down for her destructive feather problem. I'll have to find it. Still no pulled feathers but she chews any wing feathers that come in.

Hello all. i have seen many of yalls picture and you have beautiful greys!! Here is my question.. I have been researching and trying to find information about Congos because my husband and I have finally decided now is the right time to accept the responsibility of a baby. I stay at home now so i would have lots of time for the new addition plus my son is starting school. The entire day almost would be devoted to the new baby. I have found several breeders, some of which are much more expensive (the money doesn't bother me) and others are cheaper. One breeder is nearly five hours away from me and i really want to travel down to meet the babies. She says they have three babies and it seems like as soon as i talked to her she sends me a email saying two more people have inquired about the babies.. im not sure if this is to rush me to give them a deposit to ensure a sell or if they really inquired.. (it was less than 10 minutes of talking on the phone with them).. Another breeder is three hours away.. he also has three babies. Im making the trip to visit the babies this coming sunday. One thing that i question about this breeder is that he leaves the babies with their mothers the first month of life. I have read that this is bad...? Is it? Many breeder that i have talked to take the eggs and incubate asap.. is it bad that the baby has been with his bird mother more than humans at this point or is that fine? Also, i have read that no "good" breeder would ever let a baby go without being fully weaned. This breeder told me that it was my money and he wanted to make me happy.. if i wanted to take the baby at 9 weeks i would or i could leave the baby there til the weaning is finished.. it was my choice.. should this we something to worry about and wonder if they are good breeders? I have heard some people say that they hand fed their baby and everything turned out fine.. i mean i guess it was everyone first time at one point.. you weren't born a bird expert.. This will be my first Grey. So i am very weary of making mistakes. Im not rich so this is defiantly a huge investment for us..! Any help would be greatly appreciated..!!! Rebecca:confused:

I am not suggesting that others do as I did, but I feel like the luckiest grey parront around. Had I met all three chicks prior to World knowledge reserving Gracie, I may have been tempted to choose one of the cuddly greys that just soaked up human attention. I often questioned myself.

Picking through old photo, post soon...♥️

Your story is so awesome! I commend you for all you have done for these precious babies over the years! Wish there were more people out there like you!

You are lovely people! Appreciate your sharing those feathered souls with us all. Beautiful all.

amazing photos and so many beautiful birds. Thank you for sharing!

Hello Rebecca and welcome! GreYt questions. Leaving the baby greys with their parents until 3 or 4 weeks old is a good practice in my opinion. They are then removed and hand fed by the breeders from that time forward to weaning. Some breeders do give the option of taking home your grey before fully weaned. In many states this is against the law. I personally would never take an unweaned grey nor would I recommend it for anyone that is not completely experienced at hand feeding birds. If something went wrong and your baby grey dies, the breeder would not refund your money due to it being your fault. So if you do go with this breeder, let them wean it first.