Greytness

No trim is my vote. Helps them to become more confident birds. I have 9 birds and all of them are flighted. As others have said, you just have to put safe guards in place within your home.

Good for you, Nancy! Way to go on your weight loss journey!

My gray is in a macaw size cage with 1 inch bar spacing. I was concerned about the spacing, but it's actually not a problem. It took him a full day of giving this 'what happened?' look before becoming acclimated to it.

If only more parrot owners would be like that!

We recently upgraded Maalik to a macaw cage. The first day he was a bit perplexed, but by the second day he was in seventh birdie heaven. He loves having all the space to do his thing.

Thanks Dave. As I mentioned, I'm in the early planning stages, trying to determine if this would even work or not. The product that I'd make isn't a product that many would create at home. But many would love to have it available as a healthy alternative for their fids. It would be a fresh refrigerated or fresh frozen item. Most bird breads are in a form that people must reconstitute. So many of the nutrients have already been leached out through processing. I didn't find anything on the web specifically mentioning regulations pertaining to parrot food. Only dogs, cats and livestock. I appreciate and definitely welcome your suggestions!

He obviously was very bonded to his previous owner, and now his entire world has been completely shaken up. Are you giving him the same diet that he was on at his previous home? Is he in the same cage, or is it a new one? Same toys, or all new? Do you see any food on the bottom of his cage? He could be taking some bites when you're not looking. They're not dainty eaters, and a lot ends up on the floor. So many changes. You're right. It's going to take time. You're new and scary to him. Softly talking to him and sitting in a chair set just outside his comfort zone will be good. As you see him relax, you can scoot your chair closer. Play music for him. He'll get there. Patience and time is what he desperately needs right now.

When I took Maalik's avatar picture, he was 20 months old. Their eye coloring is very similar to one another's.

No. Definitely not 6 months of age.

That's a great idea! I've always used vet wrap, but don't like how it collects dust, poop, etc.

I am considering retailing the birdie bread that I regularly make for my fids. I've been searching high and low for food prep regulations pertaining to birds but without any luck. I can only find state regulations for dogs and cats. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thanks! :-)

I keep my macaw in a different room as macaws can succumb to a respiratory ailment after inhaling a grey's dust over a long period of time. I know of 4 macaw owners who have lost their birds from grey dust. I also keep my Jardine's in a different room for the very same reason. Don't know if there was any correlation associated with my having my first Jardine's cage next to my grey, but he died from a respiratory problem at the young age of 5.5 months. I keep hepa filters going 24/7 next to my grey as well. Personally I'd rather err on the side of caution, as I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if my macaw died from something that is completely preventable.

Sometimes it's out of our hands as to which favorite person your grey will select. I brought my grey home as a baby, hoping that he and I will be the best of friends. We are bonded, but my youngest son is his absolute favorite. But that's okay. I still have a great bond with Maalik, but respect that his first pick is my son. Just like us, we have people that we deeply connect with, while others: not so much.

I think he wants to come over to you. My eclectus will point and flutter towards me if he wants to be picked up. He's a rehome who was never allowed to fledge, poor thing. Even though his flight feathers have grown out over 2 years ago, he still hasn't idea what wings are for. So he points and flutters.

Welcome to the Grey club! Never a dull moment, that's for sure!

Only 2 of my 9 regularly eat pellets. The rest get it daily in their birdie bread. I grind up the Harrison's pellets into 'flour' and use it with around 21 other ingredients. They love it! I need to rethink the seeds, as I have seed available for 5 of them all day long. The others get it as a treat. My caique, who is a rehome, only eats a high quality seed mixture and grapes. He won't touch anything else.

Ziggy hates all my other birds, but has grown to tolerate Maalik's affections to a point. When he's through with Maalik, he'll give him a chomp of his candy corn beak. He actually accepts Maalik's regurg.

Haha! He's all perv when it comes to Ziggy.

Thank you! Notice how Maalik's wings are held low. He absolutely loves Ziggy (don't tell him that he's a boy! ;-) and will actually regurg and try to feed him. It's pretty hilarious.

Here are a couple pics of Maalik, and one of Ziggy. That's Maalik's new digs in the background.

Ditto! A perfect phrase for our little stinkpots!

Maalik does the same thing. He harasses certain male family members, dive bombing them whenever they enter a room where I'm present. As with your grey, one moment Maalik can be the sweetest little love bug ever one minute, but then become a Mr. Hyde if he's not on the same page as I'm on. I never take it personally though. It's part of grey ownership. :-) Greys are complicated birds; very intricate on so many levels. But I love that about them!

What a great shot of Echo hiding underneath. Perhaps he'd like alphabet soup as a substitute for the keys???

We have a treasure cabinet! My son collects the feathers. And with 9 fids, a chest wasn't big enough. :-)

Maalik, my CAG, was 470 grams the last time I checked.