Greytness

Hi celebrity Huey! Such a cool story! Hope his meds help get his footie chewing madness back under control.

Just made a small donation. Thank you for everything you do!

Congrats on the soon to arrive German Shepherd! I currently have 4 German Sheperds: 9 year old brother and sister, and 14 month old and 8 month old half brothers. They're the best breed!

Oh, how they love ripping up paper and sheets of cardboard! Look how proud of himself he is!

This is such phenomenal progress! She's finally found someone who truly understands her needs. Thank you for the update!

Alfie is so handsome!

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any atm.

I would keep an eye on their activity levels, behaviors and eating for now. With 2 greys of indeterminant sex in your household it likely is a case of rampant hormones.

One of my 3 greys, Sydney, was extremely neglected, living in a cage inside an outside shack for 8 years. Rats had chewed holes through the screen and would enter the shack every night to eat the seed. He was rescued on a day when the outside temperatures hit 116 degrees. All he had was a tiny fan on the top of his cage, and his water bowl was completely dry. It's a miracle he even survived! (see pics below) When we got him, he would puff himself up like a porcupine whenever we'd approach his cage. With a heap of tenderness and patience and doing things in 'Grey time', I was able to get him to step up on the 6th week with us. To this day he loathes men, much the same way Huey seems to. He's my little bubba bird. To this day he has never bit me. (Now I'm knocking on wood!) Even severely abused or neglected birds can become incredibly loving and bonded birds. But they ALWAYS choose who they prefer to bond with regardless of your efforts and desires.

Very well said, @SRSeedBurners.

Hi AK, Welcome! I recognize you from another forum. As Neoow has said, everything you need is at your fingertips in the archives. Tremendous info that you won't find anywhere else!

These are so funny! Sydney (CAG) loves to mimic power drills and other noisy tools. One day I thought my son was working on a project, went outside to see, but no one was there. The power saw is his favorite one to emulate. Maalik (CAG) loves to say 'Mom', in my son's voice to which I say 'What?' followed by Maalik letting go with a prolonged burping sound exactly as my son does. Fynn (CAG) copies everything Maalik says, to the point where I'm unable to discern who said what, unless I see one of their beaks moving. Shaylor (macaw) will always say, 'Are you okay?' in context. If something hits the floor, or if someone, say, stubs their toe, Shaylor is the first to ask this question. He also says 'good morning' and 'good night' in context. Shaylor will also extend his gorgeous wings whenever I say, 'Pretty wings'. If I say, 'Good stretch', he'll stretch his foot and wing on the same side in response.

I completely forgot that you have a Hawkhead! Sounds like her personality is spot on for hawk heads. Such stinkers! I bet your wife is getting in daily ducking exercises! How does she do with your flock?

OMG, welcome back!!! So sorry to hear that you've been very ill, but I'm so very happy to hear you're now on the mend. Thank you for catching us up on your Inara!

Not necessarily. What I will recommend is having each family member spend time near her speaking softly to her, even singing sweet nothing tunes and hand feeding treats. If she pins or ruffles her feathers, that's her queue she's uncomfortable with their proximity. Taking a step or two back will oftentimes resolve the discomfort. It's all about patience and learning to read their queues as to what makes them uncomfortable and then respecting it. If we push our agenda onto a grey, be prepared to have it declined.

Greys more often than not will pick their favorite person. She's old enough now to have that happen. If she bites whenever your kids or husband try picking her up, then they must respect her wishes and keep to a 'hands off' approach when interacting with her for now. There's a training method where you target train them to step up onto a stick using treats as rewards. Until she's ready to step up for others, you could have her target trained.

As long as you allow her to control her comfort zone and not rush things, you will win her over much, much sooner!

Merry Christmas everyone!

My greys and other birds LOVE receiving their popcorn treat!

Fluffed, raised feathers means she's feeling uncomfortable, and is not a good time to reach for her. One of my rescues would look like a porcupine whenever I'd enter the room. Each day I was 'allowed' to come closer to his cage. With him it took 6 weeks for him to be completely relaxed and willing to step up. Again, a boatload of patience means everything when winning over a Grey.

Hi Dreamy, Congrats on your new bird! She is very new to your world, so the key is to take things slowly. Watch for queues: pinning, fluffed up feathers as you approach her, etc. She needs to feel comfortable first before anything. She's been displaced, so naturally anything new will elicit fear responses. Take things very slow with a boatload of patience. Observe her queues for signs of readiness. Many try to rush a Grey, which absolutely DOES NOT work. What is her background?

Fantastic news! Thank you for checking in to let us know your progress with Vim. She's earned those buttons from your shirt!

Happy hatch day, Corky! May you enjoy many tasty treats on your special day!

Happy hatch day, Dorian!!!