Muse

Greys have such a knack for that! Megan is constantly getting into things she shouldn't.

Ray - not having any luck finding this particular pan. Would you happen to know what brand it is?

Oh, how wonderful! I can't wait to see pictures!

I think humans are probably the most arrogant species alive, trying to measure all creatures by our standards. I truly think Greys (and other birds) have much more intelligence than most humans suspect. In fact, most animals are more intelligent than we give them credit for AND they manage to be intelligent as well as retaining instincts that most humans have forsaken in our mad rush to see how 'civilized' we can become. One thing I have learned now that I have a human-raised toddler and a wild-caught adult is how different they approach learning. I teach Megan. She waits for my lead. Peck teaches me. He does not wait to see what I am going to do, he does something, observes my reaction, then tailors his behaviors in an attempt to get the desired results. He's not learning my words. He is teaching me his -whether they be contact call whistling, his 'sign language' for requesting his favorite foods, or imitating sounds he associates or thinks I will associate with what he wants. My approach at interacting with him is far different than all of our other birds. Megan is the English speaker. She has an enormous vocabulary and has no hesitation in using it to order us to fit her whims. She is also manipulative. Like the kids at bedtime, *every* time I say I am going somewhere as I am putting her in her cage, she starts with "Want some water." Even when I just GAVE her water. She could have a full, fresh bottle AND a bowl of fresh water with ice chips in it, and she will STILL ask for water until I produce a bowl of it. And she very well knows what water is. She will see me taking the other birds' water bottles out to change them and say "Want some water?" Perhaps people try to relegate the birds to the level of human children because that is normally where their language abilities appear to be. But what human child can solve complex problems like a Grey can? And remember, in the wild when a Grey fledges, they are able to live on their own. Our off-spring don't do that until they are much older (and even then that does not guarantee they will remain on their own). And Greys, just about from the time they hatch, understand the concept of object permanence - something human children do not catch on to for several years. I agree with the posters who have referred to them as 'aliens' - beings from another country that are trying to learn the language and integrate themselves into our culture. They continue to amaze me every single day. I think this is why we can bond so strongly to them.

THANK you so much Ray! I appreciate it. I am going to get some and see how they do. Will post wet bird pics if successful!

Lilies such as Day, Stargazer, Tiger, Asiatic, etc. have been shown to cause acute kidney injury in cats. This appears to be feline specific. The toxic principal is at this time unknown. Other types of lilies, such as Peace lilies and Callas cause digestive symptoms but not the acute kidney injury. Lilies and onions are related and I was told by our vet that they can cause the same hemolytic anemia if ingested. I don't chance it. All my pretty peace lilies were given new new homes. This kidney toxicity has not been recorded in dogs, humans or other mammals, and I would assume birds, but it might be prudent to get rid of or otherwise limit access to the plant just out of an abundance of caution.

Is that lucite? It looks pretty durable. I want one! Going to have to start searching on the rabbit sites. Thanks! Megan loves water but won't go down to the floor (or even the birdbath). This would be PERFECT for her!

That is wonderful to hear. I am sure Ollie is enjoying sleeping with you and I am sure that helps both of you.

Thank you. Very true - I actually have a woven lap throw that was my grandma's that says "When got closes a door, He opens a window." I truly believe all things happen for a reason even if I am having trouble seeing what that reason might be. And I am starting to enjoy time with her more. We've both become a lot closer now.

Thank you. I try to. Today she was being really cute and sweet and I said, "Can you make the noise? The one mama likes?" and she did. She's really becoming a sweet young lady.

And I will learn from Ariel!

I have no idea! This is my first experience with a lovebird, and I have no experience with parrotlets. She's coming out of her shell already. She is calling back and forth with the green cheeks. I put a little swing in her cage that was Maks's and he hated it. She loves it! No luck with her getting near hands, yet.

Thank you, Dan for the kind and very wise words.

What a good breeder! I wish ours had early harness experience. Mar just took to the harness. Megan has never let me put the harness on her. We work on just tolerating the presence of the harness-monster. She's actually gotten to the point where she will 'touch' on command, but still won't let me slip it on her. I did drop the big loop over her head once and she squawked like a wet hen! I suspect I will get a harness on Peck before I do Megan.

The babies I had control over, that were hatched in this household, have never been clipped. They behave just like all our other 'hand-fed' and 'clippped' birds. I personally only clip when it is a safety issue - such as Anya - who came here cage bound and completely terrified and would fly out of the cage like a rocket every time the door was open. She flew into furniture and walls, and was clipped solely to prevent her injuring herself. She hasn't been clipped since. Even though she has no concept of "going back" after playroom time, I still will not re-clip her. I don't clip for my convenience, only for their safety. You are lucky to have a breeder who will allow you to choose. Many simply clip and tell the buyers that is the way it is. Good for her.

Thank you for your reply, Ray. I am so sorry for your loss. I am all for spoiling birds.

I know ours nap later in the afternoon now that the days are longer here. When it got dark at around 1800, they would nap around 1300 or 1400. Now naps start around 1600 or so. It sounds normal to me.

Aww. Sounds like you are wonderful "parront"! What a lucky little guy. Have you had him sexed yet? Ours were done by the breeder before we even met them but I know many breeders do not do this. We had the green cheeked babies sexed as soon as my husband caught on that I was keeping them (*giggle*) so I could pick proper names. Your baby is so adorable. I have pictures of when ours were that small but of course they were taken by their breeder long before we ever saw them. They were almost full grown and fully feathered by the time we came into their lives. Edit: Here is a picture of how raggedy my grand-fids looked when they were babies. They are gorgeously feathered now!

I like to go to babynames.com - they have a really nice advanced search there and the names database encompasses many nationalities. They also have a fun 'renamer' that I sometimes play with to get inspiration or just see new name combinations. As far as recognizing, they are like children. It won't take him long of you calling his name before he connects it to himself. All of ours know their names, and Megan can actually identify the others by their names. They are smart creatures. Have fun picking a name!

You are welcome. I am glad you took him to the vet. It's great that it was related to his begging and not breathing and I am glad it has resolved. My boy was such a piggie, it took him weeks longer to wean than the other birds around his same age. He just did not want to wean. Up until the time he got sick, he was the best eater in the house. But he was also a very large male Grey. I hope your baby grows up to be strong and healthy!

I think you are doing a wonderful job and asking all the right questions. It sounds like you have a competent vet. I am totally against hand-feeding, period, except in cases such as death of parent. We believe in co-parenting. It is the natural way of things. I have three little accidental blessings here. We didn't plan on adding to our flock at that time, but well... spring came and our green cheeked conures did what birds do in the spring and suddenly she was laying eggs. We gave them a nest and let them raise their babies. I knew the eggs were probably fertile and could not bring myself to kill them. I am so glad we did. The parents fed them, they fledged from their nest as they would in the wild. I spent time with them every day when cleaning the cage and nest. The creature most equipped to feed a baby bird is a mother bird. They have genetic programming for this task that dates to the beginning of time. Unfortunately, greedy breeders want to sell un-weaned birds because it takes most of their labor costs out of the equation. If they have to hand feed many birds, it is labor intensive with the frequency of the feedings. Hand feeding is difficult and risky and definitely not something for a novice, but for the love of money, it is a job that is foisted upon unsuspected owners by greedy breeders. I truly hope these breeders' karma comes around to get them at some point.

Oh how adorable!

Yes, feathers can come in unevenly at times. Our cockatiel moulted once and had almost full grown flight feathers on one wing and many undeveloped on the other. We had to try to keep him from flying for a while because he was unbalanced and a break to one of the blood feathers would not have been good. I have no idea why his feathers moulted this way, or why so many moulted at once. It hasn't happened since. This was right after we got him so I have to wonder if it was perhaps just an extreme first moult or maybe he had a poor diet (mostly seed) at his breeder. But eventually they all caught up and were the same size and no problems since.

Actually, I am not at all familiar with hand-feeding Greys, or hand-feeding any other birds for that matter as I don't believe in it. I do know that tail bobbing is a sign of what we might call in humans the use of accessory muscles when breathing and is indicative of respiratory issues in birds. http://www.wingedwisdom.com/ww44eiv.htm http://www.parrotchronicles.com/askavet/tailbobbing_askavet.htm Those are just two quick links I found by searching. I was told this also by our board-certified avian vet when we had Aria treated for a respiratory infection. We caught it early and at the time a very slight tail bob was the only symptom, and with two courses of antibiotics, the problem was resolved.

Breathing distress in a bird is very often a life-threatening condition. If one of our birds has *any* respiratory symptoms, they go straight to a board-certified avian vet. Respiratory infections can become extremely serious very quickly - partly due to the nature of the bird's highly efficient respiratory processes and partly due to the fact that birds are so good at hiding symptoms until they have progressed to a point of being serious. The change in behavior (vocalizing less, sitting with eyes closed) are symptoms of a sick bird. I have a bird with deformed feet because the former owner did not take him to the vet to avoid stressing him. There are times you can avoid stress. Vet visits during a serious illness are not one of those times. Call it a necessary evil. But I would strongly advise a trip to a vet.