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Great! Thank you so much! Lexy

Hi all, ive had my grey (Mika) since he was 12weeks old and now he is two n a bit, he has been my best buddy from day one as he don’t get on with my wife lol. For some reason he has started to get very nippy with me and was wondering if this is the behavior of a two year old? he has a big cage with a selection of toys, I have had him on a very healthy diet with all the vitamins which are needed. He is out of the cage every day without fail, most of the day when I get back from work. He has his own TV and UV light and I do give him a lot of attention but all of a sudden last week he has got a bit nippy with me which is very strange. He has not had a fall or anything like that so I’m kinda confused to say the least. Hope somebody can advise me please.....

Very true, thank you!

Thank you so much for your suggestion! The reason she said not to, is because he's expressing some behavioral concerns such as aggression and plucking. Having him above eye level makes this behavior worse and he becomes more aggressive. Thank you again! Lexy

I use cement perches for my parrots to keep their nails trimmed. I have never had to trim their nails. I also have wooden perches (the ones that came with their cages) in their cages. Because parrots prefer higher than lower perches, the cement perches are higher and used most.

Praying that things are going well for Jay. Be strong Maggie.

Wonderful news! Thank you for looking out for her! We can all relax now. 😀

An avian vet knows how to towel and handle a bird for talon trimming, just allow them to do their job and then you "rescue" him from them when its all over, no harm no foul.

That is really good news, thank you Jayd! I'm sure this has put quite a few minds at rest!

I agree with the above comments about gas. I've only had my adopted grey for eight weeks and he is in desperate need of a nail trim. He also is aggressive and just trying to get him into his travel cage is difficult. And since we are still building on trust, taking him to the vet is going to be a problem. However, my vet is very experienced with greys (she has two), so she will be toweling him to do this. Sure, it's going to freak him out but after a few hours back in his home cage, he'll be fine.

GREAT NEWS! Howardine (kittykittykitty) is okay. She is not feeling her best but her computer went out, She contacted us through snail mail ans she will be back online when she gets a computer. Jayd and I personally want to thank everyone for their care, concern, and prayers. You truly are Greyt parronts! Maggie and Jayd

In Huey's case, he's been doped by a vet for 10 years. Supposedly he is bi-polar which is why they put him on haloperidol. I don't fault his former owner as the guy wants the best for Huey, which is why he re-homed him to us. I almost bought into the diagnosis as Huey does start to act very strange once off his meds. What helped me to realize what was going on, our Caique started plucking over the same period that Huey went berzerk on us. Then they both stopped their respective behaviors at nearly the same time. I knew at that point I had two over-horney boys on my hands. Now the vet not knowing this, is kind of inexcusable in my opinion. They should know that raging hormones can cause this type of stuff and not just throw meds at a bird indefinitely. Also, he doesn't barber, he literally will chew his feet until they bleed, removing the scales and skin. It's terrible what he does. So far he doesn't do anything to his feathers.

Thanks Steve. Sydney seems to have raging hormones, too, but at least he doesn't barber himself...yet. Guess I'll continue doing what works. Still working on his out of cage time. Have to set aside a good chunk of time each day in order to work slowly and patiently with him. With 12 fids, it's becoming very difficult to find the time. If I think I'll be rushed, then I don't bring him out. Don't want to do the 2 steps forward; 1 step backward dance. Getting him back into his cage slowly and without much stress has been my challenge thus far. I'm extremely surprised that people actually dope their birds up in order to manage their amorous behaviors. But I guess that if the barbering behavior becomes health threatening it becomes an option, albeit the last option I'd actually consider. Glad to hear that he's now clean and doing great!

I need a little advice regarding Sydney. We've had him now for 7 weeks and he's making amazing progress. So amazing that now, when I speak to him, he immediately becomes amorous. This is the only time where I can touch his feet and when he's more likely to spontaneously step up. I'd like to discourage this behavior, but quite frankly it's the only time I can actually touch him or get him to feel comfortable enough to step up for me.

Getting better every day.

Acappella, that's going to be the difficult part. I see his sweet spirit blossoming, but he primarily tucks it behind his fears. And yes, he was spoiled before she died. Had free roam throughout their home 24/7. After she died? Isolation in a cage that sat inside that horrible shack.

I'm so glad you and your son were able to get this poor grey out of that horrible situation. It sounds like maybe he was well cared for until he was left alone with the husband, because he seems to know what a good home looks like. Hopefully he'll continue to thrive in his new environment. Now you just have to work on not falling in love with him so that you can re-home him when he's ready lol.

Huey used to be nervous outside of his cage. Unfortunately (not really!) for him, we're a cage-less house except for nighty-night time and he just had to deal with it. It didn't take him but a few months till he was flying around and acting like the place was his - particularly his swingy rope in the kitchen where he now commands his ship, orders the chef around etc... Huey tends to bite, usually only me as he prefers the ladies, when I try to put him on his rope perches. He'll step up and immediately take a swipe a my hand. He's got me a few times at the base of the thumb and ripped me open good. He's super naughty that way. I quickly learned to make him step up to the rope, never step back, because then his rope is between him and my hand. I can pull down and back and he can't get me although he's learned to hang onto me with one foot and can still get me occasionally. We've had him 9 months now and I'm just now getting to the point where he will let me pet him down the back (he doesn't take it as sexual with me at least) and give him a kiss on the beak and give him a hug. 9 long months!

It's going to be a very long and slow process. I am able to get him out of his cage if he's 'in the mood', if you know what I mean. Once he's outside his cage, it's as if a switch has been flicked on, and he immediately becomes very anxious, quivering the shoulder portion of his wings. Near his cage he's a velociraptor. Away from his cage I can at least hold him for a bit before 'the bite' happens. I finally heard the very first phrase he's ever uttered: 'Hey stupid'. 😞 Not surprised.

Please keep his progress updated for us all, it is a beautiful thing.

Wow, I,love following the updates. He’s one lucky bird, and you are such an angel for rescuing him

Beautiful baby! He's sure making fast progress. He's probably thrilled to have finally landed in a good home.

I believe he does. It's difficult for him to trust us yet, but I'm thrilled at how quickly he's becoming acclimated to everything. Five days!

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!