Inara

Nancy, I use the same formula and it worked great. My oven was sparkling afterward. You will find that a sturdy plastic knife or plastic pastry scraper will work great for getting the tough stuck on spots off.

Great questions, JeffNOK. HRH Inara is also just three, and the youngest bird I've ever had, so I am also interested in the same information/insights.

What gorgeous photos and a great update!

What a great update on Wilbur. I wouldn't worry about him talking or not talking much. Some greys do and some don't. Some are more social, some prefer more time alone. As you've already figured out, they're not one size fits all. As long as he is healthy, allow him to call the shots about socializing. There are days when all HRH Inara wants to do is be out, out, out. Other days, like the past couple, she just wants to come out for breakfast then hang out quietly in her cage. My first CAG was very isolated and abused for years before coming to live with me, and he was far from antisocial after he settled in and figured out that he was not going to get the same treatment as in his past home. He was, not, however as social as Inara but he really did enjoy daily time out upon my shoulder while I was studying or typing up papers and he never missed a beat when it came to observing the household activities from his lofty perch where he preferred to be for most hours of the day. Relax, don't over analyze and just enjoy Wilbur for Wilbur

Stephen, what great news. Isaac is a champ and so are you!

Your belief played out to be true. What an absolute treat to tune in this morning and catch up with you and Miss GG, Dee. What strides, GG is making! HRH is not much for head scritches, nor for any type of petting, (unless with her beloved chopstick, "Pressshhhhious"). I envy your and GG's sweet time. HRH is a busy bee, and while very generous with kisses, and loving to hang out on my arm, shoulder, and knee, she may never have the personality for scritches, and head/neck pets. What a fantastic time that was for you and GG both, to have out of cage time together, where GG initiated. Ten minutes can be a loooong time initially as you are already aware. Brave little girl that she is, she is trying to hard to trust. It is interesting, as you've pointed out, that since your braces have come off perhaps there is a bit of a turn about with Miss GG also. Perhaps in her wonderfully brilliant bird brain, she was a bit intimidated that there might be something in your mouth that required a "cage" to hold it back... ? One never knows. I often (and I know you do too as well as most people here on the forum) try to put myself into the mind and body of our birds in an attempt to view their environment, and us from their physical perspective. Of course you slept on a grey feathered cloud last night! What a momentous occasion. It will only keep getting better, and better. YAY!!!

What a wonderful surprise that must have been, and terrific news!

Hey very nice job!!

Thank you, Shanlung for the visual treat of watching so many birds flying as nature intended. The man's birds certainly know where their home aviary is up on the rooftop, and I liked how he had strung a rope along the railing so that it was easier for them to land and grip as they came home. What a flock he has! Seeing the flight group out together was very interesting. Those last two stragglers made my heart pound a little bit until they returned.

Too too funny and adorable! Sometimes, it's hard to tell who is sillier -- us or our birds.

Completely normal. She's not scared, she's just feeling cooled down from the air hitting her wet self. Just let her air dry, and while she's drying keep her out of cold drafts. Also, don't soak her before bedtime, she needs her body heat while she's sleeping. Showers and baths are a great way to help your bird burn off pent up energy, btw.

My Elliot (DYH) was a wild caught, totally freaked out biting screeching mess who wound up in a pet store where he killed another bird. He was sold to some guy who kept him for about perhaps a month then dropped him off in a cage in front of the pet store. The pet store asked me if I wanted him (I used to haunt the pet store several times a week to see and talk with the birds there, but was a young teenaged mom alone and could not afford the (at that time 350 dollars) for a bird). I said, "I can't afford him, a cage, etc." and they said the meant they wanted to *give* him to me to get him out of their store. I went home with him that day, named him Elliot (after Elliot Gould) and saw how freaked out he was about the cage, and just everything. So I went out to my back yard, cut down a large tree branch, took an old coffee table and used a hole saw to cut a hole in it to put the tree branch in, lined the table with papers, stripped off all the leaves from the branches, put it in my living room and let Elliot out. He went immediately up as high as he could go, where he lived out most of his life. His story is much more long and complex, but suffice it to say that he never did talk, but would give me the sweetest chirps (sort of like rolling your Rs) imaginable and eventually loved showering while on my shoulder with me, and was so gentle he would groom my eyelashes and eyebrows. However, I was never ever able to have him step onto my hand. He was so terrified of hands, gloves, and cages that I used a small branch to have him step from his tree onto, then from there he eventually would happily climb up my arm and onto my shoulder where he was very content to just hang out with me until he decided he was ready to go home. He survived wild football parties during football season (it was the 70's and I was in my very early 20s), he survived my children growing up with boys in and out of the house, wild parties, rock and roll, and tons of people coming and going. He never showed aggression to anyone, but he stayed completely out of reach and would rear back, spread his wings, shove his head forward and give out this loud "rawrk a rack" sound in warning if people closed in on his comfort zone. He ignored most people, was fine with the dog, eventually had a little cockatiel buddy named Samuri that he would actually feed tidbits to, but preferred to keep at foot's distance, and would sell his soul for a bite of a nacho flavored Dorito. He was the first bird love of my life, and taught me so very many things -- about overwhelming fear (his), about fight or flight (his), love, patience, and unconditional acceptance (both of ours). He was/is my only experience up close and personal with a 'zon, (so I can't speak about Amazons as a whole) and he was my friend through young motherhood, through jobs, bills, college, teenagers, and the loss two long lived dogs. To this day, I tear up whenever I see any Amazon, and force myself to look away from the many Craigslist ads. Each bird, like humans, shares much with others of their species and has a predisposition for certain traits. Genetics plays a part, but environment enhances or inhibits temperament and traits. Each bird, while sharing commonalities, is as unique as their environment, their people, and their entire lifetime of experiences. Ray, this is an excellent thread, and is one that is encouraging us all to share the many facets of these wonderful birds.

So great to read such a positive update. I,too, have never seen a mustached parakeet. Beautiful! So fun that Wilbur seeks out your son and wants to wake him up to play

Sooo cute!!!

And they lived happily ever after. What a wonderful ending, and new beginning.

What sweet moments. Another pearl in the Miss GG necklace. It's moments like those that allow us all, through you, to catch a glimpse of the sweet nature of the Grey girl who loved a man named Jim. This is what is so heartbreaking about birds who have been passed around and about for any reason, and we all know that there are many unforseen reasons for birds to be rehomed. The saddest part, is that we so rarely know what transpired between perhaps a first loving home, several interim homes, and then their landing at our home. Even well intentioned interim homes or foster homes can add to the stressors and distrust because they were yet another temporary stop, another separation, another unknown. Dee, Miss GG is showing that she is opening her little heart to you as your love and patience continue to help her restring her scattered little pearls.

So loved seeing the photos of your beautiful, sweet Isaac. What a sweetie he is, and one can sense from the photos that he is a happy, well loved bird -- even if we didn't know you and how much you love and care for Isaac. I'm also of a mind that there might be something going on at night that could be a bit bothersome to Isaac even with his cage covered. What material is his cover made from, what do you wash it with, and do you use any scented fabric softeners, etc on it? Just looking for possible allergens that might make Isaac feel "itchy." Or, if you haven't washed it for a time, perhaps try washing it in vinegar and very hot water -- let it soak for a bit, then rinse really really well with plain water and let it air dry or dry in the sunshine. Just a thought. I've never covered my birds at night because I've always felt that if I am moving around for some reason, that if they can open an eye and see that it's me they may be less inclined to wonder about what is prowling around that they can't see. I also call out to Inara softly if I am going to walk past her cage area in the night, so that she knows it is me and is not frightened or startled. Not saying that this is the best way, just saying that it always has seemed to work for my birds in the past, and seems to work well with Inara. We don't however spend a lot of time in the evenings near her cage area, we are usually in another part of the house. I could see why you would want to cover, if you had your computer going, or the tv, etc. I'm wondering if waiting to cover Isaac until you go to bed might also help? Just brainstorming here. In any event, Isaac looks as if he is making really good progress, and all of the changes that you've made in his diet, and his environment are very positive. You are both such great companions to one another and will continue to be so whether or not Isaac has decided that his tummy tickles and therefore must be given a lot of his attention. So love these updates as I think about you both often.

Loved all the photos and catching up on the news with your beautiful guy!

Just as our Greys are highly empathic, expert body language readers, and inquisitive so apparently are you. For every expert (in any field) there is usually an equal and opposite expert. Trust your instincts, your intuition, and your years of past experience and you and Mr. Wayne will continue to thrive together.

I just LOVE this!! Completely cracked me up! The 'too is just too too too funny, and the dogs --- well what's not to love about the whole thing?

Inara will either preen after misting, or if I've heavily soaked her, she will be inspired to bathe herself in one of her water dishes. When she first came to live with us she was a very rough/aggressive preener and hated showers. Now, with more maturity I believe, as well as daily mistings, she is a very thorough but very gentle preener. I think each bird is different, and a lot might depend on age and maturity as they learn how to perfect what comes naturally. +

I wouldn't worry about it, unless she starts insisting that you wear high heels.

How cool, and very exciting! It's amazing how these brilliant creatures can just come out with whole language. Their brains are scrillions of years older than ours, so no big surprise there. This evening, HRH Inara just piped out with: "Oh my god, what now?!" Stopped both Joe and I dead in our tracks because while I do say either of those phrases separately, I really can't recall ever using them together in a sentence. Apparently, after a huge thunderclap Inara thought the combination was appropriate. Poet, appears to be living up to the perfect name for an early talker!

If you look through photos in various posts in the forum, you'll see that many Greys have a bluish tinge around the eyes. Especially when they are freshly showered and/or clean where the tint can really be seen uncovered from dander and dirt. HRH Inara has a definite blueish tinge, and sometimes will even blush a little pink in that same area if she is particularly delighted with something. But, when in doubt, give a photo and a phone call to your veterinarian.

What a little peacemaker. I could just visualize GreycieMae helping to keep the peace in a large flock of Greys out in the wild. What a sweet little heart she has.