Bigwick70

I was just noticing that about them flying away after reading some other posts... Ive never seen a harness but ill definatly look into one now. The Parakeet already flew across the street once already... Thank you for the advise. It would be like losing one of our children...

So very welcome. This brings a memory of trying the first thing I read on him. It said on google to use a spray bottle and spray him when he nips. DEFINATLY THE WRONG THING TO DO. Poor Wilbur. It's a wonder he ever trusted me again. Alot of bad information out there 4 sure. Now, he never gets too rough with me. Even when he's telling me to back off with actions (The "peck" I mentioned).

Just wanted to throw something out there that I heard and have experienced for the Grey Owners out there with Biting Birds... This Forum helped me Tremendously when I first got "Wilbur" and was struggling with the cuts and hurt feeling that come with them from the bird you so desperately want to adore you. It's all about watching their body languish, as I was told... I noticed with Wilbur if I bring my hand in from the side, so he could see my hand clearly, and then pet his head or scratch, it made him feel more at ease. He leans his head into my hand inviting me to scratch. Sometimes he likes to be mischievous and gently nips, and sometimes he likes being scratched, and sometimes he just doesn't want to be messed with. When he feels like this, now he pecks me instead of grabbing on for dear life and trying to rip my finger off lol. We have came a long way. There is a mutual respect now. I used to press the issue causing him to no doubt think he had to respond this way. He cant tell me. It's fight of Flight. You might try this. Usually Wilbur will lean his head in to my hand when he sees it, if he wants to be scratched. If he just sits there like he's undecided, Don't do it! He's thinking BACK OFF DUDE and I can tell he's thinking this... I'm by far, no expert now but I know someone is having this problem also...

Polly and my wife Connie. We take both bird outside now without their cages and they really enjoy that. I had to trim Polly's wings though at first cause he tried to fly across the street. He doesn't do it now though so I quit trimming. Polly came with a nice cage when we got it and Wilbur took it from him. Polly prefers it in the bedroom near my wife and I though. I have him a little cage and play area in here with us...

Oh and Polly will make the Smooching noise when you ask him to give you a kiss ... Wilbur does not like him at all though and I got the bright idea that they would enjoy one another's company. Nope... Wilbur looked at him and kinda snubbed him off at first, then the Parakeet went for the food bowl and it was on. Wilbur chased him down and power slammed poor Polly to the bottom of the cage so that was the end of that. Polly wont go near him now lol... Wilbur climbs out of his cage sometimes just to put my wife and daughter on the couches. You can tell he really enjoys the fact they are intimidated by him lmbo... There he goes, feathers all flared out, running around the house. Girls on the couch yelling for me to get him...

"Polly" is a delightful Bird also. He will talk your ears off LMBO... when he gets wound up he just keeps rambling on, waiting for your mouth to move and interrupt you with "Wanna come out and play", or Step up", and "Good morning Ken"... The previous owner, sad to say passed away (Ken) and his wife was put in a nursing home so we took Polly in... No doubt Ken was his pick and he still remembers him... Polly is quite vocal but his voice is squeaky, kinda like sponge bob lol... He also is quite mischievous and I notice him doing things to amuse himself like bite me gently, then say "Humm" , as if to say (how do you like me now) in a woman's squeaky voice lol. When he get angry for real his feathers fluff up on his head only like an afro... He is hilarious...

For those of you who remember Wilbur and I just wanted to update you on him. He is doing great and our friendship is growing stronger by the day. He had since chosen my son as his favorite person though and they are a treat to watch lol. Wilbur will break out of his cage at night and love in my son till he wakes him with kisses and nibbles. Wilbur get so excited at being near my son. He simply tolerates me I think ... We have since gotten a "Mustache Parakeet and let me say, he is equally as fun and mischievous as Wilbur. I cant believe we were so lucky as to have been given them both and even more hard to believe is that the previous owners didn't like them... I couldn't imagine life without either one... Well Take care my friends and God bless you all. Thank God for "Grey Forums" because we could never have gotten where we are without you...

Well, he doesn't seem scared by it. I think it just another toy in his mind. he's trying his best to unhook it so he can fling it across the room like he does my glasses. He seems fascinated by it

Does anyone know if its cool to put a mirror near my grey's cage so he can look at himself? It is away from him far enough that he cant break it and hurt himself...

Just wanted to say Thank You to everyone here on this Forum. I really don't think I could have done it without you guys. Wilbur is doing great and acting all happy and nice. He gets out of his cage and goes all over the house now and has become a valued member of our family ... Learning what to watch for in their actions is definatly the key. He is such a good bird now and you can tell he loves us as much as we love him. When I get in from work, he climbs down the cage to greet me, neck all stretched out there, begging for me to notice him lol...

Also the poor little feller try's to fly sometimes and I think where he's been in isolation so long he has forgot how. Well he can fly but not land. LOL he fly's till he hits something and that worries me that he's gonna hurt himself. I used to trim my Cockatiel's wings when I had it but I trimmed the back 4 or 5 inside feathers. I noticed on the internet them trimming the outer ones. Any suggestions or do you think I should just let him fly and get the hang of it again. Sometimes he fly's and grabs my wife's what-not's and they come crashing down. Not good to break a woman What-not's lol... He seems tougher than a Woodpecker though...

Man I got to tell this one. I was just on the phone with my sister and I got this office chair at my PC that rocks back. Wilbur's cage is behind it. I was jabberin away with her and all leaned back there, not paying attention to anything and all of a sudden I heard "Coo", and the same time felt something gently grab my finger. LMAO, I jumped up outta there really fast and heard the cage flinging around and I don't have to say what happened. Wilbur was trying to get my attention and snuck down the cage to nibble my finger. I scared him as bad as he scared me LOL. I figure if he wanted to sneak me, there was defiantly his chance!

Thanks, its great to be here. Everyone here has been so helpful and friendly, like West Virginians lol. Yes I have heard the same colorful slang you speak of. My Grandmother was raised back in the 30's and 40's and boy did she have some stories and sayings. I still crack up thinking what a "Hick" she was. back then these folks we speak of were raised hard and learned to appreciate the simple things like family and respect, and it sure came out in her. You sure didn't sass Granny either or you might get a whoopin with a bible lol. Sadly those folks are slowly leaving us to be replaced by a more modern generation. Don't get me wrong, Progress is good. I read once that the reason we speak with such a hard Appalachian drawl is because this state was so isolated from the rest of the country by the hills that the old English is still present in the language(YEE - YOU). The reason we broke from VA was because of this also. it was hard for the state government to upkeep this part of the state so we broke and formed our own. Anyway didn't mean to give you a history lesson lol. Glad you like it here.

Woke up this morning and Wilbur beat me up. He was sitting in his open cage door wanting me to feed him so I did. I got my "Step up stick" out and for the first time he climbed up. Usually nothing will pry him from the security of his cage... He's really an amazing bird and obviously very eager to be part of our family. Unlucky for him it is very dysfunctional lol...

its very sturdy... all the vines on the base cause most of the weight to be there. I had that in mind

He looks like a Wilbur to me lol

Here's the finished Grapevine Perch. Its was simple to make but aggravating as heck, and it took a ton of vine. If you think you might like to make your own holler at me and i'll gladly explain in detail how I did it or I can make you one Wilbur likes this one and climbs all over it.

True Ray, but sometimes I like to sass her and will not shut up when she demands I do so I'm not trying to get shot either lmao. If you guys get a chance watch the new show on "History Chanel- "Hatfield N McCoy- White Lightning". It's filmed here in Mingo County WV and sometime in my town of Gilbert WV. I know most of those folks on the show. I've heard of Romney but not sure where it is exactly. There aint nothing here in the south but mountains and coal mines. Up north in the state is where all the big city action is lol. Think i'll go check under that pillow.

I really don't know how he would react. I know until the nipping and biting stops completely he going nowhere near my important parts. When he first got here he bit me on the arm like 4 times and I was shocked, cause he was all cool and then he just snapped, and it was- nip, nip, chomp, CHOMP. Didn't take me a second to jerk and he just flew off. I noticed him as we were messing with him, he looked down at my arm moving under him, like it was getting on his nerves then a few seconds later, he struck. I defiantly don't want that happening to my face... Poor Wilbur, I thought I had killed him like the second day he arrived. He was sitting in his doorway, I was trying to get him to step up and like before he was seeming cool with me. Well I reach over kinda towards his belly and he grabbed me quick. It startled me and I jerked my hand back real fast and he held on. It flung him into my laptop like 6 feet away. I was like OMG I hurt him but he just jumped up and walked it off. He acted better towards me after that sad to say lol but i'm sure in his mind he's got his bite back in on me and returned the favor cause he fears nothing I've seen. He would fight with satin lol. Now when the game begins, because of the nipping I use these two wooden sticks to start the game off and work up to flesh. I think Wilbur just likes to play when he likes to play and he thinks he's the boss of me. Guess he is cause I don't take crap from no one either except him lol. I now know what the bite signs are, most anyways and i'm getting better at reading his body language. He's a sneaky feller...

guess the only sure thing to do is wait for an egg huh, if one ever comes lol

We live in southern WVA, Near Logan. Hatfield n McCoy feud territory lol. Its wilder than Ginseng in these parts. I-64 runs from Huntington to north towards Morgantown I think. I'm about a 2 hour drive from Huntington on the KY-Virginia border. For some reason Tourism had exploded here and everyone is freaking over Hatfield n McCoy history. I always knew this forgotten wilderness had potential lol... My back yard is strait up one Mountain and my front yard is back up another, Deep in a holler lol. My wife is a Hatfield and distant relative of the feudist clan lol but I wont allow her to keep a gun.

GEEZ"... I really thought Wilbur was giving me problems by getting me once in a while and leaving an occasional sore. That Poor lady "Nightstar22". I have to be honest, as much as I love Wilbur, and our bond gets stronger daily, I don't know if I could recover from something like that, given the fact I had done nothing to provoke the bird. Having a critter that feels like your child is one thing, but my health is something else...Not intending to put out any bad vibes to anyone. I have put up with some stuff from Wilbur too, Or at least I thought I had.

I'm Curious... I read that to tell a male/female Grey depends on the color of the tail, or that you can tell that way but not 100%. When we got him the previous owners thought he was a she. I read that the female will have just a hint of gray on the outer edges of the tail feathers and the male solid red. I'm half blind in my old age but I have glasses and I cant see and gray anywhere in his. Is this true cause I don't half believe anything I read on google now. Also would you guys look at this pioc and see what you see please. Thanks so much. This site is the Bomb guys.... Omg this Parrot cracks me up. I cant hear too well and now he's started mocking me saying "Huh", and it really sounds like me. Hillbilly accent and all, and he yells "HEY" like some hillbilly dude hollerin for his friend or something ROFLMAO And yes I feel very fortunate now that I heard other stories "Timbersmom"....

YEE HAWWW. Nice pic...

No, don't get yourself shot lmao... That's one thing I love about Southern West Virginia, It's mostly wilderness. If you never been here before, you need to visit once in your lifetime. Thanks for the complements...