Dave007

Mango is perfectly fine, just messy.

Peach pits are definitey toxic to parrots. On a par with cherry pits and many places say that even peach fruit is unhealthy for them because of the extreme acidity they contain but it is debatable concerning peach fruit. But why take a chance??

He didn't do it before so something is setting him off. Your problem could be caused by many things. Moving to a new place, the lack of another person in the house, the cage being in a bad area, less attention that he is was getting before the move, growing up a little more. Changes in routines. Less time out of a cage, not being familiar with the new things around him, possibly seeing other new people around, lack of regular habits that used to happen. Maybe being given less treats or needing a different type of treat. New toys that are around . Basic different schedules. Missing the keets. Or, he may just be going through a phase. You can be given a million suggestions on what to do but the one thing you should stop is that use of a towel. Obviously, it's not working yet you wanna continue until you find a solution. Towels shouldn't be used for certain reasons after it's been proven that it doesn't work. For all you know, you may be setting him off by using that towel. He screams when it covers him and he screams when you uncover him. *thrashing or slapping the cage isn't gonna do anything--with a bird that has a defenceive personality, that'll only scare him and with a bird that has an opposite personality, that's only gonna make his screaming worse. Some birds won't instantly stop a bad habit when the item being used is removed ( towel--sheet) such as screaming or screeching.You could rearrange the interiior of his cage but that may not work. You could put him closer to where all the action is going on but that may not work. You could offer lots more almonds and that may slowly lessen his screaming. You gotta try out different things.

Dayo is so brilliant. Learning those words all by himself. No help. No prodding. All by himself. Great talent you got there.

And is it fair to your bird if you have bad breath? Does he deserve such cruelty?<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/25 19:25

If you want your bird to talk ( and yours already does)just pick a quiet time that has no interruptions around and start to talk to your bird saying the same thing with lots of highs and lows and basically slow HI sweeTIE pIe or IM juST preTTY You notice that your bird will listen intently. Your bird will tip it's head to the side and stare at you while you're doing this. Eventually, he will straighten his head and slightly turn his face from you--that means he's tuning you out. Lets say that it takes 9 minutes until he tunes you out. The secret to the lesson is to stop the lesson at 8 minutes. He's still interested but hears no more. That means that he hasn't tuned you out butis still hearing what you did. Do this 4 times a day--3 to 4 hrs apart. Make sure you stop before he tires of listening to you. Do this for about 4 or 5 days. He eventually will start grumbling all the time and you won't have the slightestidea what'sgoing on until one day,he'll say thewhole phrase or part of the phrase working himself up to the whole phrase. Repeat the phrase to him once in a while ( once a week so he doesn't forget). Then it becomes part of his vocabulary. With greys it's much better to use phrases than single words. Eventually he'll start associating things you're doing or saying and repeat them Example--your dog is being a pain in the ass. You turn around and say to the dog *go lie down* Soon enough when the dog is a pain in the ass he'll say go lie down before you do. It all has to do with association. Practice the whol;e procedure and it'll work.

There's a few other similar items on the market that do the same basic thing. All are failures. First of all, it's a loop. The loop contains the word/sound/phrase set at a given time to go off and on. There's a certain amount of time in which a bird will actually listen to any word/sound/phrase and that can only be judged by the person doing the talking because different birds will listen and then tune out even if the person continues the lesson. . Now if a bird was to actually listen and imitate what the word/sound/phrase is, it wouldn't be in the owner's voice nor would it be at irregular times which only the owner can provide. No CD or other teaching device can possibly say all of the words, highs, lows and special inflections that only the owner can provide. Women's voices, men's voices have been tried on CDs and all have failed. Now for the actual word/sound/phrase ---the empty space between a word/sound/phrase is actually a sound to a bird so that if a bird were to hear a certain word/sound/phrase from a CD and then 20 seconds passed before hearing it again, eventually the bird may repeat what he/she has learned and will not repeat it again for 20 seconds. The amount of different times that are between word/sound/phrases can only be provided by the owner as well as the actual length of the talking lesson and if it was the type of bird that liked to repeat things over and over, what the bird will say will sound like a broken record. All types of parrots that have the ability to talk will do it in their own time. Sounds from a CD won't stimulate them or teach them how to talk. Only an owner can provide the natural stimulation and that occurs only when the bird to listening to loads of everyday conversations between people who surround them and what they say will only come from someone or something that appeals to them. Just about every bird that talks or makes sounds will only do so if it's surrounded by familar things where it lives. Now if you're talking about greys, that type of bird needs nothing to start them talking or making sounds. It's only a matter of time when that happens and the grey provides itself with constant practice before finally saying something that's been said to it and if it's an older grey that hasn't ever talked, no CD or person is gonna stimulate that bird to talk if it's part of it's history not to talk. What a bird will do when it's alone with no one around is to start saying all sorts of sounds in their parrotese language or they'll rest or go to sleep. A bird who actually learned a word or phrase from a CD won't change the way it heard it unless the owner decides to say the exacxt say thing but the bird will never forget what it learned from that CD. As I said, different ways of making talking programs have failed. The closest CD that has success is a CD that contains a jungle atmosphere that has multiple species of parrots in it all sounding off in their own parrotese language. That will cause a bird in a home to join in because of it's natural appeal but when that CD is shut off, the bird eventually reverts back to the way it was before that CD was put on. Remember that in my answer I say the word IF and most birds won't do these things where a CD is concerned.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/24 23:34

Char If you had to do it all over again, wouldn't your greatest wish be that you look as pretty as that kid in the pictures. I bet you feel slighted. Life has dealt you a bad hand but I know you're a survivor.

"""" she acted surprised saying, babies don't usually bite.""""" You ready to bet a few dollars on that? I'm in the mood to make some money this evening.

It'll take time but remember that we're here for both you and your bird. Having only one previous owner solves a lot of problems already. Lots of questions, explanations and opinions can be gotten on this board. Many people here have adopted older birds and all are ready with their hints and tips to make your situation and the bird's situation much smoother.

Adopting a pre-owned parrot is a different thing and with it comes some difficulties and situations because the new owner isn't able to understand what they're actually seeing in that parrot. These parrots have usually lived in either one or a few homes in the past. With each home, the parrot develops habits that pertain to what's going on there. Parrots don't forget things very easily and when that parrot moves on to that next home he/she takes those habits with him/her. It's frequently referred to as 'baggage' which involves many aspects of the parrot's personality and habits and ways of thinking. The ideal adoption of a pre-owned parrot is getting one that has no 'baggage', but that's impossible. First of all, the parrot is older and very sure of itself. The 'baggage can't be gotten rid of. Usually, a person that adopts a pre-owned parrot forfeits the experience of that parrot living and acting like a baby. Many people, be they experienced or inexperienced don't have a problem with that phase of ownership. The people who do have a problem are the ones that expect that experience. They don't get that experience. What they do see is an obvious amount of previous 'baggage' and they become disillusioned and many times, the parrot will soon be off to it's next home. The amount of 'baggage' that the parrot stores away when living in that home depends on how long the parrot has lived there. Part of that newly obtained 'baggage' are the personalities of all the different owners and the methods used to make the parrot conform at each home. Again I say, parrots don't forget and they have the natural ability to store away more and more situations. Pre owned parrots need as much time as possible to get used to a new home, new people, new surroundings. Sometimes thaty happens best from the security of a cage or visa versa. Ask as much as you can about the basic personality of the bird. Is he a biter? What foods is he being fed? Is he used to being out of the cage a lot? Was he abused in the past or does he look like he was abused? Is he clipped? Does it look like he's been a caged bird with no freedom in the past? If you can get some answers to these questions, it'll be easier to proceed from that point on without having to do drastically different things with him. It's wise to make sure that you give the bird things like different nuts in the beginning all the time. Let him see that you 're being nice to him. Make sure you have some sort of playstand that can be used near his cage if he comes out6. Don't expect your bird to accept things quickly especially greys. Do a lot of talking to him. If there's other members in the family tell them to do a lot of talking too. Don't hide the bird from the activities of the house. Visuals stimulate a bird's brain. For now, that's all I can say until you get the bird until you actually get the bird and post specific things you wanna discuss.

caitb2007 In your situation, the routines you have to change have to do with letting him not divebomb you. You wanna change where you put the food? Fine. He only wants the food and if he avoids it that's only gonna be temporary because if it's food he likes, believe me he'll eventually find it. I don't know what you mean by *outside* but if that's one of the times he acts badly, don't do it so often. make him desire the thrill of going out. You're up from 7 to 9. In that time dont do the same things you always do. Change it around. Changes in routines can be small but to a bird they're big and it takes his attention away from what he normally does. Improvise. Tell your boyfriend to improvise. Believe it or not this is one of the standard rules concerning the bird socializing with all family members. Small changs, large changes. The important word here is changes.

It really doesn't matter when you start changing routines. When a person is the one that's starting to get unhappy with what their bird is doing then the time has come to not allow that bird to continue. If a person wants to change routines even when nothing bad is happening that's fine too. A bird doesn't sit back and study the reasons for the changes going on. The important thing is not to let a bird put you on the defensive. Another subject talked about is shoulders. I always say that IN MOST CASES that shouldn't be allowed if the bird is gonna mess around with everything it finds attractive. You think a bird wants to aggravate you when he breaks the clasp on your shiny necklace or ear rings or those soft earlobes> Birds aren't vindictive. Their mouth is theior arm and hand that's the only tool they have to use. I have a TAG that loves to come to my shoulder.If I'm walking around his only desire is to watch everything I do and imitate the sounds that he hears. If I'm at the PC, the only reason he wants to fly to my shoulder is to go to sleep. Nothing more than going to sleep. He's not interested in anything else buit sleep and imitaing noises. I could walk around all day and I'll actually forget he's there until I make some noise and he imitates it. It's a good thing he doesn't snore on my shoulder so he'd be a pain in the ass.

""""I know I shouldn't take it personally and I am really trying not to but its hard""""" Well, you're wrong. You should take it personally. You're the one getting bitten. There's so many of the standard answers concerning a parrot biting a person. *don't pull away. Don't act like it hurts. Just say no to the bird when he does this* . That doesn't always work and if people followed that procedure there would be definite scars. You're bird keeps divebombing you and biting you? Ever remember what you do when a large fly lands on your neck or face or arm? You swat it away quickly. You don't waitfor the bug to bite. He's divebombing you? Simply swat him away quickly when he lands on you. Lands on you again? Swat him away over and over until he gets the idea.Pretty soon, he's gonna get the idea that flying at you is not comfortable. From your picture I can see that he's young and will try lots of things just to see if he can be successful and he's succeeding. He's in a stage where he's being rebelious and trying out different things simply because he can. He's discovering all the things that his wings are allowing him to do. This reminds me of the person who lets a bird on their shoulder and doesn't try to stop bad behavior such as biting a face, jewelry, clothing. If that bird doesn't stop with the verbal word it's time to stop that behavior permanently. Many people don't and the bird knows how to maneuver so he can't be caught. People who do that are masochists. You've developed a routine as far as feeding, handling, putting him in certain places. Well, change that pattern. You put food in the cage when he's in the cage or put food in when he's out of the cage. Change that routine More than likely the routine you've got going is the exact same routine is the only one he's familiar with but he's getting older and now is the time to confuse him. He shouldn't be allowed to keep that routine as he's getting older. He's different than that bird you had 2/3 mts ago. Constantly do different things so that the routine changes. He's getting away with things because he knows exactly what's gonna happen step by step. You may feel bad doing these things but during a very young grey's time of growing up he has to experience things that are done differently so he doesn't have a plan of action. Basically, that's what becomes more important. Soon enough the important things you do will also be accepted by the bird as also being important. Usually, a bird gets very settled into a non aggressive pattern by the time he's between 3 to 5 yrs old. By that time he finds that other things are important. You take him to the potty and he tries to bite you? Swat him off and put him back. He does it again? Swat him off. Let him land on the floor. Soon enough that potty area will be more appealing than landing on the floor. Constant changes on your behavior don't allow a bird to set up a plan of certain behaviors. He's friendly with other people when they come over? Well, they don't have their backs to him. What if he flew to them and started biting? Would you immediately get the bird away from those people or would you tell those people to put up with it, not react and not get annoyed or even frightened. You're the only one that has that routine going. They don't. Change the way you do things. In your mind, RIGHT NOW, you have to act like a person who doesn't trust him which will make you more alert to the things he intends to do. He'll start to quiet down and ease up on what he's doing when he reailizes he can't do it anymore. Another example of routine---A person has a bird for a few years and decides to get another one. Of course that first bird expects to be treated as the top bird which in most cases should be but as the new bird is living there, the first bird needs to understand that there's another family member there. So now comes the time to feed the new bird first, cover the cage first, let the new bird out of the cage first. Then the process changes and those same things are done with no particular routine. The first bird finally accepts the fact that it doesn't matter who gets what first as long as they get it. Then the person adds another bird and the process has to start all over again. Basically, change your routine with him. You're letting him develop a routine and the only thing changing is your increased fear of him and he could care less. Also understand that other things are gonna happen in the future that will become a routine for him and eventually will have to stop. A person loves to have to have their bird fly over and eat food from the dinner plate. Well, eventually that stuff has to stop. A person loves to kiss the bird's beak or share food mouth to mouth? Well, that person is in for a big surprise when the lips become more attractive than the food. Change your routines with him. Confuse him and you'll efentually be happy that you did.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/23 19:54

I go with loveparrot here. Pretty Bird makes a decent quality pellet. It's very flavorful. It also comes in just about every size for all different sized parrots. It also gets eaten quicker. Pellets aren't all they're made out to be but if people find it necessary to use pellets, Pretty Bird is a good choice. People should know that the reason why pellets should be eaten quickly is because all pellets lose their basic value after about 2 to 3 mts. All pellets have other ingredients that have nothing to do with nutrition. Color being one thing and processing being another thing. Parrots have survived for long periods of time without pellets through out the years. What will a parrot do in the wild? Fly around and bypass the natural foods that they spot and continue on in their journey to find the elusive *pellet tree*? It will be a long tiring unsuccessful journey. As far as Harrisons or Roudybush Go into an avian vet's office and you'll see Harrisons on his shelves and he'll tell you it's the best. Go into another avian vet's office and you'll see Roudybush on the shelves and he'll say it's the best. Go into a regular vet's office and you'll see different cans of dog and cat food you've never heard of and he'll say they're the best. Go into another regular vet's office and you'll see other cans of dog and cat food that you've never heard of and he'll say it's the best. So, who's right?

myafricanqueen wrote: So It really is up to you though and has a lot to do with wether or not you feel comfortable having your Grey there. Judy wrote: Thats it in a nutshell!! Judy, let me be the first to congratulate you on the discovery you've just come across. Way to go girl!!

""""" want to stress that I am not trying to silence Giz, this is a new sound and is kind of shocking"""" And I can guarantee you that when he gets it out of his system, it'll be replaced by something else or nothing at all. And then periodically you'll hear it now and then just like all the other sounds the bird makes. Think about a bird that first learns a new word/ sentence. This is the way it goes for days at a time with nothing else said DAY AFTER DAY I'M A GOOD BOY-- I'M A GOOD BOY- I'M A GOOD BOY- I'M A GOOD BOY- I'M A GOOD BOY I'M A GOOD BOY I'M A GOOD BOY I'M A GOOD BOY over and over and over until it becomes part of his vocabulary

You really have to be kidding, right? You think thats loud? I guess you never heard a grey squawk. He's doing what just about every grey that exists does. Spending time with him has nothing to do with what he does naturally. The sun comes up===every wild bird outside sounds off. I have no answer for what he's doing. Covering him? Stopping what he is supposed to do? What if he whistled all day? Would you try to stop that? What if he grumbled all day? Would you try to stop that? I'm sorry but your grey is being a normal grey and you can't change their natural sounds. That's like teaching a male canary to stop singing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajP0wh92Rq0<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/22 23:03

A breeder takes a much longer time to settle into a family life style. I don't what type of cage you have but the cage should have swing out doors where the bowls sit. This is imoportant because a breeder will bite very easily. If it was a breeder or was kept in a cage with another bird all the time, it'll take quite a while for her to wanna come out. It's only been a week so your bird really knows nothing about you, hubby, kids, surroundings, family habits. All of those things take quite a while for a bird to accept. The cage should be kept in an area where the whole family congregates and talks and does general things. The bird has to constantly see these things in order to accept them. If you have swing out doors, constantly give bird friendly items to him such as nuts, honey balls etc. have a separate bowl for parrot mix and a separate bowl for fruits veggies. See what he likes.Now is not the time to worry about giving the best diet. TAGs are very hardy. Your main concern ios to calm the bird down and make him less aggressive. I wanna tell you that you may be in for some bites because this bird was with another and I have no idea how strong that bond was with the other bird. The growling will eventually stop as you interact with thwe bird more and more. I can see that your bird doesn't trust you at all which is to be expected after only one week in your house. Don't let the fact that the bird is much olderthan others. I deal with older birds all the time who are nasty and it takes time and patience and you need to comehere and ask questions instead of doing guesswork things. Sory, I thought you said this bird was a past breeder--misunderstanding on my part<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/22 20:07

Veterinarians generally recommend that pet birds have an annual physical examination – which includes routine diagnostic tests, in particular, a fecal Gram’s stain, complete blood cell count (CBC) and serum chemistry panel. This can cost anywhere from $100 to $200 per year, per bird. But vet prices do vary and it may not be necessary to get all of these tests every year. Many people do this every few years. It's up to the owner.

Just about every grey does that switching back and forth. It's their nature and most of the time it doesn't last a long time. It just seems like a long time for the owner. Since your bird is doing that now, just ignore him and you'll eventually see him starting to show interest again. Greys hate to be ignored. They constantly tire of one thing and show intyerest in another thing and reverse themselves again. They even do the same things with toys. I would say that there really is no problem there. He puffs up--just turn around and waklk away. That puffing up is simply one part of what's called body language.

Welcome to our board. This is the best place to come around and relax on our perches. We have many people who have CAGs and TAGs all living in one home. Variety is the spice of life. I hope you enjoy yourself here. Plenty of info on this board.

You really should have put more cold water in that bowl because just by looking at what he was doing with his feathers, it was very easy to see that he wanted to bathe. Use a bigger bowl, same height and fill it up to 1 inch of top with cold water. Whether you wanna add ice cubes is up to you.

Caroline Just to let you know something. This is not an unusual situation even tho it's heartbreaking. Sometimes, greys will not get along and one of the decisions is to rehome a bird or relocate the birds in an area where they wonn't go out of their way to annoy or hurt each other but that has to be a large space. If he's only 11 mts, he'll definitely be able to adapt to new surroundings. As a matter of fact even older pre owned birds can adapt. My greys are much older and 2 are adopted and they get along as long as they can stay apart. The key to learning about older pre owned birds is to learn their personalities. With a young bird like Jasper that won't be necessary because of his age. Another good thing is that he won't have to compete for attention. Greys know each other too well. They're all the same. They know each other's methods. basically, they all act the same. You may find that what's going on is extremely unusual since they're all greys but that's not necessarily true. I'm one of the few people here that believe that different species living together have a good chance to co exist with each other because they have diifferent habits and mentalities. i only say all of these things just to let you know that many people go through this. Don't blame yourself in any way.

That can happen quickly or take a long time and there's no way to find out until it happens. The introduction of an established bird with a new bird is a slow process, as the birds will probably pick on each other or fight at first. They have to get their "pecking order" established. They definitely have to be kept in separate cages away from each other in the same room. This does give them a chance to get used to each other without one injuring the other. You can try taking them both to a neutral room and let then slowly put them nearer and watch reactions. A few hours a day, off and on should help. Remember your older bird's body language. If you feel that he is willing to accept the new bird, then try letting them out together in that room, but do keep a close watch on them. In time they will get used to each other and will probably become buddies or don't show interest in each other. The worst scenerio is them looking to constantly fight with each other. They should also be kept at a certain distance from each other because the dander from a grey can affect the macaw's nasal passsages.