Greytness

I love listening to her talking! I'm not sure what she's doing. It looks like she wants to step, or be moved higher up. My macaw does that, but also tells me 'up up' while lifting his foot. Once I do lift him higher, he's happy as a lark. I do see some nervousness coming from her. Is she a flighted bird?

In San Diego Dr. Jenkins is a renowned and highly recommended avian vet. Quite the character, too!

What's in the dandelion mix? If it's pure veggies or greens then it will be fine. FYI: spinach should be fed sparingly, as it's been known to bind to Calcium. Small amounts on occasion are perfectly fine.

It's a good start, and she certainly seems to be doing pretty well with trying new things! I would also throw in some cooked yams. Very rich in vitamin A, which greys, in particular, need. If you can eventually find kale, chard or dandelion greens (even those growing in your lawn can be fed to her as long as you are certain nothing's been sprayed on them), and if she doesn't touch them, then finely cut some up and incorporate it into the yams.

Welcome! You will find a wealth of knowledge posted in the stickies. Enjoy, and looking forward to learning more about you and your feathered baby!

I don't have any pluckers (yet) in my flock, so unfortunately I don't have any first hand experiences to offer. There are some avian organic teas on the market that are believed to help birds experiencing various behavioral issues. I actually use some of those teas to steep grain blends for some of my freeze dried products.

Love this!

I'm not a fan of those sunroofs due to having read about closing accidents. Just not worth the risk is just my humble opinion.

I truly enjoy seeing what everyone looks like.

Yep! Conures can be nippy little guys at that! My pineapple GCC is the worst.

Thank you for your kind words! If the diet you mentioned has been her diet for awhile, then slowly bump up the variety of veggies while reducing the amount of fruit. Foraging toys can be a great way to introduce something new that she has to work at to get. Leaving pieces of the new food in places away from her regular dish may also create curiosity. Also vary the size of the pieces. I've found that starting with finely chopped veggies added to 'sticky' fruit helps them to 'accidentally' eat the veggies if you catch my drift. If they can't remove the new scary food from the sticky pieces of fruit, they're more likely to consume it! Making up vegetable skewers is another great serving option. Bottom line is to be creative and to switch slowly.

She has to come out sooner than later, but you should always have a gentle plan as to how you can return her to the cage. Most birds will step up for you away from their cage if they were already accustomed to doing so. Quarantine should last at least 30 days whether she's a single bird or not. What other birds do you have? With her having always been alone, she may not ever warm up to another bird. Of my flock of 13, only a few get along great out of their cages. One will bite to harm if given the chance.

Yes, peanuts can be a source of fungus, especially if they're still in the shell. It's best to eliminate those from the diet as you already have. In looking at the diet you're starting her out on it seems a bit heavy on carbs. The goal over time is to have her on mostly fresh veggies: kale, chard, broccoli, snap peas, carrots, sweet bells, etc. etc. That is where your greatest sources of nutrition will be. If she wasn't on all the fruit before you got her, then I'd adjust the ratios soon before she becomes accustomed to sweets. Parrots can definitely be picky eaters, so take it slow as you transition her onto a healthier diet. Please keep us posted!

Hi Jenn, and Welcome to both you and Vannah! Greys are by nature very cautious. The key to winning over a grey is to allow her to let you know what she's comfortable doing. Once we inject what we want onto them, you've taken a few steps back. Having just recently lost her home, it'll take time for her to go through her mourning stage followed by accepting her new home and flock members. Exercise patience and proceed based upon her queues. Congrats to you!

As long as she receives and eats a wide variety of fresh veggies, some fruit, a few nuts, and sprouts as her dietary base there's no need to incorporate pellets into her diet. A small amount of a high quality seed blend is okay, too.

Put it onto a food he likes and serve it that way.

Thank you for the update! That's fantastic that he's doing so much better! As long as he's primarily getting a wide variety of veggies, including leafy greens and yams, some fruit, some good quality pellets, and a few nuts daily or as training treats, then seeds aren't really a necessary part of the diet. Several of my flock of 13 actually don't get any seeds. This decision was based upon researching species-related diet recommendations. If the diet is widely varied and fresh, even pellets aren't truly necessary. After all, birds don't receive machine made pellets in the wild. For other great ideas for evidence based diets, look up Dr. Jason Crean. He specializes in avian nutrition and is very well known within the avian community here in the US. I've learned quite a lot from his teachings. Please continue to keep us posted! Oh, as for the infrared lights, I'm not an expert, but don't believe it should be a problem. Perhaps someone could confirm?

How is your baby doing?

Fantastic. You're such a loving, caring grey owner! Wish there were more people like you out there who advocate for their birds.

He looks to be creating a sound that's pleasing to him.

Without having a blood test you can't know for certain if he's calcium deficient. I'd be cautious about giving him anything supplemental without knowing for sure. He will get what he needs if you transition him over to a wide variety of veggies. Fruit is high in sugar, so it's best not to give him primarily a fruit diet. If he's not eating veggies, and if you have access to blended vegetable juices, you could try giving him his veggies via a drink. My flock love to sip veggie juice off a spoon! Spinach binds with calcium, so it's best to avoid spinach.

That's great to hear! I'd definitely bump up more on veggies, especially vitamin A rich foods. Yams are high in vitamin A. Grays need A. Leafy greens are great: kale, chard, dandelion greens. If he won't eat them plain, then finely chop them up into a yam.

Taha, There's another way to have him tested outside your country. This company, located in the UK, will analyze blood sampling for a wide variety of avian maladies. I know of a bird owner who used their services to adequately diagnose their bird. You have a blood sample obtained and then you send it directly to their lab. Here is that link: https://www.animalgenetics.eu/Avian/avian-cost-pound.html

What a love! They usually drop a tad bit of weight during weaning/fledging.

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