Sticks_n_stones

We clip Watson's wing -- only one. That allows him to glide if he needs to. Our reason for clipping is because of our ceiling fans. We live in a very hot climate and have the fans on 24-7 about six months of the year. I'm very concerned about the possibility of Watson being injured by the fans. I agree that they don't miss what they haven't been able to do -- except maybe on a very deep, subconscious level.

Don't know anything about Timnahs. All our experience has been with Congos. Sorry I can't help with that.

We have had a CAG for nine years. Our children are grown but we do have grandchildren. Watson, our CAG, has never liked children. This was not a surprise to us since we had read extensively before getting him. His growl did surprise us, though. Every time one of the children went near him, he would begin to growl and continue until the child went away. He sounded like the meanest guard dog on the planet! Until we moved, his house was near a patio door covered with vertical blinds. He enjoyed playing with the blinds and left large puncture marks with his beak. Don't kid yourself -- the beak of a CAG (and probably other parrots -- can be a near-lethal weapon. Supershaji, I know you are a caring person. Otherwise you would not have done so much research before buying a bird. But I honestly believe that people with very young children are being negligent if they take a wild animal like a CAG into a household. We love Watson and wouldn't trade him for a winning lottery ticket. On the other hand, we respect him for his ability to protect himself, and after all, that is all he's trying to do. Please think long and hard about buying a parrot if you have young children. If you are determined to have a bird, a different species probably would be your best bet.

Watson, our CAG, didn't talk until he was about 9 months old, and we spent a lot of time with him in the meantime. Once he started, though, he hasn't stopped. Be patient with him -- he's still a baby. Just think how long it takes for a human baby to talk, and I'm convinced parrot development often follows a similar timeline. (I'm dreading the "teens" because the "terrible 2s" were bad enough!)

My stove is fairly new. Maybe that's the difference, but we didn't have any problems with Watson when we had an older model, either. But I'd certainly vote to go with the experts' advice!

Watson, our CAG, usually rides around on my husband's shoulder. He's never slipped. (He's 9 years old.) I don't let him get on my shoulder, although he will climb up my arm and get there. I always make him get down. I'm afraid he'll go after my ear because of my diamond stud earrings, which I almost always wear. He likes sparkly objects. And yes, he will bite, and for no apparent reason. He has seldom bitten me, but my husband has had some bad bites. Breaks the skin. It happens less and less often, but I'm very wary of his tendency to do that. Nonetheless, we both still handle him a lot. I guess that compared with the times we hold him, the number of bites is not that significant. Still ... BTW, good luck with your new bird. Nothing, except my children, has ever given me so much pleasure (or frustration .<br><br>Post edited by: Sticks_n_stones, at: 2007/03/05 20:29

We have two dogs -- a Bichon and a "pound puppy" about the size of a collie. Watson bosses them around unmercifully, and I think he intimidates them. They get along, well, though. They saw him drinking from their water bowl and they just stayed back until he was finished. Watson loves to yell at Max, the Bichon. He tells Max to "Get out of here!" When he sees Annie (the pound puppy), he says "Good, good." Sometimes he'll say "Good girl." He tries to give her a kiss on the nose (I'm terrified that he'll bite her). Guess we're really lucky they all get along so well.

Thanks to both of you for your help. Watson is doing a little better today. He discovered that he can climb down to the floor and get into the dogs' dishes! Still not eating very well, but when I offer some of his favorite food in my hand, he's not interested, so he must not be very hungry. I guess we all lose our appetites sometimes. Unfortunately, I can't retrieve his cage -- it's long gone. (That didn't take long. Usually things sit at the curb for several days before they're picked up!) I guess he's just going to have to go cold turkey on this one. You're both probably right -- this is a problem that time is going to have to take care of. We've never been able to get him to go on his T-stand either, even after having it near his house for three years. We finally gave up. I know grays are very hesitant about change, but he takes it to the max! He's singing a song right now, making the sound of clapping hands, and telling me "That's very good," so at least he hasn't stopped trying to communicate.

Watson, our CAG and much-favored child, had the same cage almost since birth. It was looking pretty ratty, so I ordered a new one, which came on Thursday. He watched my husband assemble it, saying "Cool," every now and then. The new cage is larger and has a playtop. "Cool." Hah! He absolutely refused to go in or on it. After about three hours of coaxing, my husband tricked him into going inside, and he locked the door so we could remove the old cage. Out the door it went! We opened his door and continued trying to get him to accept his new house. We even put his favorite treats into a couple of the new bowls, and attached his old bowls so the interior would seem more familiar. Of course, we also included his old toys. It was a fight to get him inside to go to bed, but we finally managed. On Friday, we uncovered him and opened his door. He went to the top of the cage, got on the perch and stood there, looking terrified. We coaxed and tried to soothe him, but it just didn't work. Finally, we left him there in his room and closed the door. We went back an hour or so later and he had moved to another spot, but it was obvious that he was unhappy. Getting him to go to bed Friday night was not quite as traumatic, but not easy, either. Today, he's still being fussy, not eating very much, and continuing to act skittish. Bedtime tonight was a little better. Any suggestions from anyone? I'd really appreciate some advice. (Sorry for such a long post!)

Our CAG -- Watson -- is almost 9, and goes through the regurgitation things every now and then. He attempts to deposit the matter between my fingers or my lips. From what we've been able to understand, this is her attempt to feed us the same way mother birds feed their young. Watson has never had health problems (knock on wood!) that might account for this, but if you watch birds in the wild, regurgitation is a common thing. I have no idea about the "heavy breathing" you mention. Good luck with your bird. I'm sure you must be very frustrated by now (and broke)! Have you asked the previous owner if he ever noticed any of the behaviors you're concerned about?

I question whether your self-cleaning oven contributed to the death of your birds. I have an AG whose "house" has always been in either the kitchen or adjacent breakfast room. He's 9 years old, and I've had a self-cleaning oven throughout his life. He has never exhibited any problems because of it, and I take no special precautions when it is cleaning. Check with your vet.

Our vet also warned me not to feed our AG mushrooms or onions.