tankaray

"Peanut" just looking on at Charlie thinking there is no way I am going to eat that. Yuck!!! The wifes there for crowd control if needed. Aww forget it, I'll give it a try...

Its been a few weeks so I thought I'd give a little update. All the Caique's tests came back clean, he got a beak trimming as well as a nail job. The owner decided to have him DNA sexed for us which we are still waiting on the results so as far as all that goes we are straight. We decided to wait until after the holidays to introduce the new potential friends/foes together. Having said that Charlie had his first play date today at our house. The owner brought the Caique over and he was the sweetest little guy. Charlie immediately wanted to fly over to him but I kept a hold on his foot so he just hung upside down and made microwave noises. Once the Caique had a chance to introduce himself to my wife and kids along with our Lab, I let Charlie get closer to him which he took advantage of. On his own he got about 6-12 inches from the Caique at which time the Caique began to simulate throwing up. Seeing this, Charlie's eyes peened and he flew back to his boing for a better aerial view. Charlie pretty much kept to himself the entire time no matter what the Caique did, and eventually went back to eating his veggies finishing off with a nice preen job for about 20 minutes. Charlie never acted nervous and his body language was really relaxed with plenty of beak grinding. The Caique on the other hand was a hoot to watch as he played for a solid hour on the floor with my kids finally taking a break to sit on my wife's lap for about 15 minutes. The birds were together for about 2 hours and I'd say it went really well, Charlie kept an eye on him the whole time but didn't seem to interested and went about his normal routine with only one difference, he was extremely quite, normally he whistles all day. I know 2 hours doesn't mean much but IMHO it was a good start. I talked it over with the family and the current owner feels very comfortable with whole situation so we are going to go ahead with getting him. I hope to have him here by Thursday/Friday this week and I'll try to post a pic or two once that happens. Thanks to all who replied. Mr. Mom

Thanks for the advice guys & gals. I am still taking it slowly and we are waiting on a clean bill of health from the Caiques vet visit Thurs evening. I get the feeling from the owner that if it is so obvious that it is not meant to be then I am sure that he will work with us to do what is right. He's still open to once the clean checkup comes back to brining the Caique over first for a meet and greet with our Grey prior to lugging his cages over etc. I'll update if/when we do get it. Thanks

The Ebola comment was my poor attempt at humor given some of the advice seen online. I'm stateside and I forgot that we have quite a few members abroad. In your opinion would the initial full vet check with blood work suffice then. The owner is open to working with us. On the differences in temperament, I realize they are polar opposites and the owner is working with us on that as well. Given the time we have spent with him now, it almost appears that the Caique is more laid back then our Grey if that's possible.

I've recently entertained the idea of brining in another bird into our house. I have some concerns on the quarantine requirements and my ability to properly adhere to them. I know what I've read both online and in books so I'd like to ask those who've dealt with this before if my idea would work. I've got a smaller house and unfortunately I am unable to provide a separate air supply for the new bird as well as the ebola suits and decontamination station requirements. I do have Rabbit Air HEPA Purifiers in several areas of the house but I know that would not be enough. My question is, I am looking at possibly getting a 18 month old Caique from a private owner. The owner has owned him since 16wks with the bird having both its initial vet visit as well as his 1 year checkup. I've read the concerns about Caiques and Member Sterling offered up his pound of advise so I am still treading slowly on the whole idea. Currently the Caique is the only bird of the house and is not exposed to any other birds, neither is our Grey. The owner and I have come to an agreement that he would have a complete checkup done with blood work to pin point any unknowns. If the results come back negative the owner will agree to care for him for 30-45 days at which time a second checkup with blood work would be performed. If the second tests come back negative I would then take ownership of the Caique. I realize that I would still have a period of 1 month or so in the house here of separation gradually exposing our Grey to Caique over time. To those who are experience in this, does this scenario sound feasible providing as much peace of mind as possible for the safety of both birds involved. Thanks in advance. Mr. Mom

I was hoping you would chime in. I remember seeing your Grey & Caique during the installation of your outside Aviary, which BTW thanks to that whole thread I have one in the garage ready to assemble this upcoming spring. Thanks for the detailed pics etc. On the Caique as far as flying, it doesn't appear to be a skilled flyer, more clumsy or reckless like you said. I noticed that in the hour or so we spent with him he would simply fly from counter to counter which was about 3 feet and it seemed like a chore. The rest of the time it was hopping around or chasing the cat. That's the one thing that got my attention in that if something out of the ordinary were to approach Charlie, he'd instantly take to the sky, this Caique decided it was game on. Again, he was in his own environment and played well with us so its not a fair idea of how he would react over here. I will say that if/when I do this, the owner is really taking his time as well. His biggest concern is the Caique going to right person as I am looking for the right fit. The owner did offer to bring the Caique over here kept in his travel cage just to get a feel for the whole situation, should that be something I should accept if you were in the same spot. Appreciate the advice as I am still 50/50 on the whole idea.

I edited this first post with some pics, though they come up small on this forum for some reason, I also attached a few pics to the last post of this thread. All in all, its been over a month since we've gotten the Caique and I can say that he is the sweetest bird I've ever seen. He spends all day on my shoulder, is willing to try anything new, loves to play, goes to bed every night at 8PM on the dot, watches TV with the kids and rides around on the Labs back a few times a day. I've tried to keep the two birds separate for the most part, but honestly the Caique just wants to play where as Charlie can tend to be a bully at times. They will get close, usually by Charlie flying in to take whatever the Caique is playing with or if the Caique is getting some personal attention in the form of scritches or rubs then Charlie will swoop overhead for a few "close" fly byes. No signs of aggression from either bird yet, Charlie has knocked him off the table twice, with a precision blow I might add, but it back fired on him as I then pay attention to the Caique while Charlie sulks on his boing. I'd have to say, getting this little guy is one of the best things I've ever done, and I am extremely happy to have him in our home. Original post. Hey, its been awhile since I posted but I do check out the posts/threads weekly to see what's going on. Charlie and I are still going strong and he's now entering what I have discovered to be the terrible two's at 18 months of age. No mood/attitude changes with me, but he's a little standoffish with the rest of the family and will simply fly back to me wherever I may be hiding for a 1 minute break. As of late he has gotten a bit nippy with the wife which was once his Main Squeeze so she has learned to deal with it by wearing a snow suit in the house w/a full hoodie. <Just Kidding, sort of... Charlie and I have really grown in tune with one another and he helps make the beds in the morning, refold clothes in the afternoon and I can always count on him to be there for one of his mandatory taste tests before I serve the kids a meal. Boy what a guy.:rolleyes: All in all I am thankful for the experience but I feel that I want more, hence the real meaning of this thread. I've been looking at getting a Caique for about a year or so. Their personality and energy is very refreshing to me so I am thinking about adding one to our family. First I'd like to say that I've done some research on them, I've checked out 2-3 this year that for one reason or another they were just not a good fit for the family so I didn't follow through with them. Having said that I don't want to buy one retail, but rather adopt which I've found one that is 18 months, well socialized (people wise), gets along great with my kids, but he to has been an only Bird like Charlie. He's from a single Male owner, routine well bird check ups and basically an all around stable bird IMHO. My concern is, I've read that Caiques can be down right mean to the point of trying to kill larger species of birds. In speaking with my Avian Vet, she asked that I adhere to at least a 30 day quarantine in separate rooms to allow time for the presence of any illness to manifest itself, but she didn't seem to bat an eye when I said I wanted to add a lively Caique to my Laid Back Grey's House. I know there is no guarantee, and being that both birds are trying to find themselves right now at the age they are at, could simply adding a Caique be a recipe for disaster or worse for my Grey. The last thing I'd want to do is jeopardize my sweet relationship with Charlie or cause him to acquire a bad habit as a result of this acquisition. Now Charlie can fly, I'd actually rank him right up there with the best dog fighters in WW2. We've got a small house, but the corners he cuts, the objects he avoids/flies over simply astounds me. I don't want him to always be on the run though. Thanks in advance for your help I just want to do what's for all of us! R/Mr. Mom EDIT W/PICS "Charlie" & "Peanut" the first day or two. "Peanut" next to his really funny looking lazy cockatoo. "Peanut" relaxing watching some TV. His favorite hiding spot besides the inside of the fridge. Charlie with a before bed time snack "cheezy rice"

Unfortunately I had the same experience as Sterling. I was hesitant to post my ordeal here for fear that no merit would be given due to my new membership and low post count. After initially seeing this thread, I immediately ordered a few items off their website. I followed up the next day I believe via phone to enquire about shipping as that was not detailed on their website. I was informed that it typically takes approximately 2-3 weeks for orders to ship as there were 2 guys feverishly working 12+ hours a day to put these out. OK SURE! He also informed me that a courtesy email including tracking details would be sent prior to shipping. During this conversation I also enquired about the materials used I was told they were 100% scientific, non toxic, not store bought etc. (I’ll talk about that in a few). Fast forward 3 weeks with no updates so I sent an email. It took 5 days for a reply (totally UNSAT). I was informed from Dee that all orders take approximately 4-6 weeks but that I would LOVE the stand once I received it. Ok fair enough, I can wait a little longer. Approximately two more weeks go by with no tracking info so I sent another email which was given a 24 hour response (Ok that’s better). Again I was told by Dee that the ARFB was working feverishly to ensure that each item is catered to a specific bird and I would LOVE this stand once I received it. By this time I felt as if I was being had, what worried me was that I was nearing the paypal window to file a dispute if this deal went south and as a result I would be out hundreds. Ten days go by and Dee actually sent me an email on her own, not a reply to one of mine. She informed me that a large shipment would arrive into their warehouse soon and once sorted my items would arrive thereafter. Two days later I receive an email with tracking info. (HOORAY!) Now let me just say this, the tracking info she sent did not hit the postal system website until after the item was delivered. I live 6 hours north of this company and it took over a week to arrive. I’ve shipped overseas and vise versa and I’ve received items quicker with better tracking than this. I finally received the box, which was damaged, poorly packed with decorative tissue paper etc with tons of unused space inside for all the items to bounce arround. I ship all the time time using bubble wrap and peanuts which can be bought for well peanuts so this was just icing on the cake IMHO. One quick look at these stands and it was apparent that the material used was not scientific. I was just your typical PVC that you can pick up at any Home Depot or Lowes out there, I’ve got a garage full of it, with the same markings, bar code etc. Throw a little heat to PVC and you can replicate the look of this stands pretty easy, though the finish is a little tricky. I did have to contact Dee again due to my base being damaged, but after my ordeal with the shipping time, poor communication etc, I opted not to send it back for a replacement which could take 2-3 months to arrive. I did ask her at that time about the materials used and she gave me a line regarding the PVC and typed out the full name calling it medical grade etc. OK, whatever. Having said all this, would I order from them again or recommend them, NO!!!!!!! Am I happy with the look, of these items, yes I am. Does my TAG like them, well it took some time to get him on them but yes he does and that’s all that matters…

I realize I am new here and was very hesitant on posting in this thread, but I am so sorry for your loss Muse. I personally believe that you will be reunited one day.

I am sure some veteran members will be along shortly with better advice, but if your looking to improve the air quality, I'd check out rabbitair. I bought a pair of rabbitair hepa purifiers and placed 1 in close proximity to our TAG`s cage/perch etc. I can say that after running these units 24/7, I have seen a decent reduction on dander and dust. I also keep the humidity as constant as I can and I also avoid any drafts from the HVAC system like you referenced in your post.

Thanks for a most informative write up.

Congrats on the new cage, they fill up rather quickly with perches, ropes and toys... I bought our TAG a stainless Featherland cage and looking back I wish I hadn't as given the fact that it's stainless means the optional playtop is over 5 billz alone... I originally was going to go with an aluminum Kings cage as there are several vendors on ebay that sell them for a bit less than the Kings MSRP, but I had some concerns about the effects of the aluminum and our greys so I scratched it of my short list...

Thanks for the responses Dave & Sterling, just wanted to know what timeframe to look out for, and no topical sprays are hitting my grey other than aloe juice...

I have read quite a few threads/stickys on molts vs plucking etc, but at what age does the first molt take place? From what I gather it should take place around the 8 month mark going forward and can take some time. I only ask this question as our little TAG is 7 months now and over the last two weeks I have found 3 feathers on the bottom of his cage, yet no signs of over preening or bare spots. I saved the feathers, and there appears to be no sign of struggle to get them out. No changes in environment, schedule, food, treats etc, and the household temp has stayed constant at 72 degrees w/50% + humidity since the day we brought him home. I also give him a good misting in aloe vera juice every other day. That may seem a bit much, but he doesn't open his feathers like some Greys do so I get what I can get. Thanks in advance

No snow here in VA but our TAG will hoard ice if given the chance. He's tipped over a glass or two just to steal the ice cubes and then run off with them. The first time he got ahold of one , my wife thought his tongue was stuck to the cube like in the "Christmas Story". To tease him, I will sometimes freeze a peanut inside a small cup of ice to occupy him.

Thanks for this link OP and thanks to KimKim for the first hand review. I've seen these before in various online pics but never had a source. I just placed an order so perhaps I can add my two cents when it arrives. Considering the cost of java wood stands, there are reasonable IMHO.

I'd say it will be a learned behaviour, though it would be slick to teach him how to land, then maybe he can teach you how to fly. Just kidding. Perhaps some blankets over windows or soft landing areas might help him out a bit. Our little TAG was clipped at the pet store against our wishes and thats why I brought him home early. Having said that, there is not a day gone by that he doesn't try to fly somewhere. He can do a gradual decent into the kitchen ultimately coming to a sliding stop on his butt. That distance is about 12-15 feet. I also take him around the house with a decent grip to allow him get the flying muscles going. Usually the end result is a lot of heavy breathing (on his end) followed by a nap (on both our ends)... Good luck

Pretty impressive grey size wise using you cage as a reference. Ive seen a few CAGs that were given to the local pet store to sell, and they dwarf our Charlie.

Thanks danmcq, this is one of the videos I was referring to. At the 1:20 mark is where I am at but instead of relax mode which his TAG is in our little guy will flip right back over. Just gotta keep working at it (SLOWLY)... BTW: That Hyacinth towards the end is in total trust mode. What a beautiful bird...

Great video, thanks for posting it. Wasn't long at all...

Maybe Dennis has started a trend...

When my wife first did this we all thought it was pretty cute, but now whenever I am getting my kids ready for school, he will attempt to fly/crash to us just to get some brush action. I actually have to get them ready on the other side of the house for this reason.

Thanks for the ideas, I'd love to get to this point ^^^ one day with him...

Here's another one of him tonight with the wife. She can sit there and "brush his hair" for the longest time, he eventually just falls asleep, LOL... "I won't hijack your thread anymore, sorry."

Here you go, granted our hat doesn't compare to yours... Bad Cell Phone Pic: