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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/05/2018 in all areas

  1. Today when i came back from office i saw under the perch of my grey parrot there are lots of red feathers, he plucked his tail i dont know whats happening with him
    1 point
  2. Hello and welcome to the forums! Congrats on your new addition! 2 weeks is a very short time. Schooner is probably still adjusting to the changes that have taken place in his life and is probably still adapting to your home, your presence, your routines etc etc. Grey's can take days, weeks or even months to adjust to changes- even small ones like new toys- so please don't be disheartened if Schooner is still wary of you or new foods/toys etc. There is lots of useful information on these forums so feel free to take a look around. If you have any questions, do go ahead and ask. Whilst we're a little quieter these days there is still usually someone who can answer and help. Oh... and we love pictures! (hint hint!) 😁
    1 point
  3. I got Alfie when I was 17 years old and whilst I don't regret having him at all, I do now think it would have been sensible for me to wait. Life took over as it sometimes does and I found it hard to juggle everything including Alfie at times. I feel like I let him down a lot as my life changed over the years. With the benefit of hindsight, I could have done a lot of things differently and I probably should have waited until I had my own place before getting a bird. I was still living at home when I got Alfie and my family weren't as keen on parrots as I was. However I was home often enough that he got a lot of time out and about. When I moved out I house shared with people who weren't keen on birds either and the layout wasn't suitable. His cage was in the hallway and he didn't get enough attention. I was also limited to when I could have Alfie out at that point due to the housemates being scared of him. I even went through the agonizing decision about whether or not I was the best person to care for Alfie and whether I should rehome him. However, my housemates decided to move out and that meant I could rearrange the house to better suit Alfie. I got him a bigger cage and spent much more time with him, rebuilding the relationship that had broken down a bit. A few years later I bought my own house and made sure the layout suited Alfie and his needs first. Ever since I have been trying my best to make sure Alfie is cared for properly. Looking through the points you mentioned in your posts, you should probably be aware of the following: Whatever age the bird is, it won't necessarily bond to you. Even if your family aren't as involved as you in the day to day care of the bird, he/she may still favour someone else over you. That's not to say you can't have a relationship with the bird- but they may favour a famliy member over you. Alfie has taken a shine to my housemate, despite the fact he's lived with me all his life and my housemate doesn't have a massive amount to do with him. Alfie still follows my housemate everywhere to see what he's doing. I get totally ignored when my housemate enters the room. Not all grey's talk. Alfie doesn't really talk. He prefers noises and whistles to words. Grey's have a reputation for being the 'best talkers' but that doesn't mean all of them will use words and be able to communicate effectively. Do not assume your bird will be a talker otherwise you may be disappointed. They can be loud. Yeah sure, maybe not as loud as cockatoo or macaw... but believe me when I say they will pick up the loudest most obnoxious noises and use them with gusto at every available opportunity. 😂 You'll only need to burn toast and set the smoke alarm off once for a grey to learn that it's great way to get a human's attention and use it accordingly. If you want a quiet pet- get a hamster. Parrots are the equivalent to living with a toddler. Whilst the toddler phase in humans only lasts a few years, the toddler phase in parrots lasts a lifetime. Birds are sensitive, emotional, intelligent and needy. They are fantastic companions but require a lot of work and understanding to give them the best available life. I'm not saying don't do it or trying to say it's not a good idea (even though some of my post probably comes off as a bit negative). But you have to know what you're getting yourself into before making that decision. Parrots are a commitment for a lifetime, just like a child would be.
    1 point
  4. Had he ever done this before? Is he bonded to you? Something caused him to pluck out his tail feathers and you will have to figure out why but why not take him in to see your avian vet to rule out anything physical, he could have some inflammation that irritated him as sometimes it indicates an underlying infection.
    1 point
  5. Hello AbbietheAggie and welcome to our family. As Steve has already said it could take some time, getting the trust of an African grey has to be earned and grey time is slow so take it slow and easy and the reward will be well worth it.
    1 point
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