Dave007

No, but you can repost your question about the harness in either the GREY FORUM or TRAINING sections. Just rename your post. Example----Need help with harness BTW, that is a stuffed animal in the picture

Quite a few people have difficulties in the beginning. This may help you because it allows you to practice before using it on your bird. This particular figure is made by Hasbro but there's other children's stores that have them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/FK08amazonparrot1.jpg

Read this sticky. It may help you concerning the problem. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189967-100-natural-aloe-vera-juice&highlight=plucking

** I was sitting here for a few moments and I heard him say go away... kind of sadly** Just remember that anything you hear him say that you haven't constantly repeated to him over and over came from his previous home. Sometimes coincedences happen.

Hi, welcome to our perch. As far as that harness you're thinking about--the best one to get is an item called AVIATOR FLIGHT HARNESS. It serves as a regular harness and also allows you to let the bird fly around outside without escaping. Hundreds of people use them. Regular harnesses are pretty heavy and only allow a short amount of distance ( approx 7 ft.) Basicaly, those harnesses will only allow you carry the bird on the shouler or allow him to walk on the ground like a dog. Look up AVIATOR FLIGHT HARNESS on your PC. Loads of places sell them. They're more expensive that regular harnesses but they are versitle made for a great training aid. There's even videos showing how they work.

I know what you meant. Concerning ***How are you*** pause ****great*** This type of thing has to be done in a certain way and that way is by using pauses and higher or lower tones of voice --example--- in a high voice-- HOW ARE YOU? in a low voice ---GREAT!! or visa versa. It has to be done all at once because to the bird, it's simply four sounds with longer or shorter spaces in between them. If a person succeeds then that person won't be able to train the bird to do this----high voice--HOW ARE YOU? low voice---TERRIBLE! Again, just 4 sounds. The bird feels neither great or terrible. Also, your bird will only respond to you when she happens to be in a talking mood. If she isn't, there's nothing that you can do to start her talking at that particular time. Don't just go by what you see on YouTUBE. Look up articles about a well known, well trained bird named Alex. The author and trainer of Alex is Dr Irene Pepperburg. You'll be able to see and understand what traing and dealing with a parrot is all about.

There's a few methods a person can use to teach their parrot to mimic human words but there's no way to teach them to do that on que. Domestic animals can be taught to do certain things on que but parrots aren't domestic and have a different range of understanding things. Some people have come close but they were professionals and results were minimal.

Yes, you may be right. The US and Africa may be world's apart. Please understand that the infio given out on this board and many other parrot boards has to do with baby parrots or adult parrots who've already been owned by people wjho need to get them adopted or about rescue centers that do the adoptions. Just about every adult bird has been owned by someone. These are adult birds which are called *pre owned* birds. These birds have habits and personalities that have developed starting when they were young birds all the way up to being adults. So, the only help you can get is concerning adult birds. In your country baby birds aren't sold if they can't be captured. The birds you speak of are captured in the wild and sold in open markets. Their health isn't known. Many are killed when being captured. Their personalities aren't known but them being wild adult birds tells alot about what type of birds they are. Usually, they can never be pet birds. Thankfully, in 1992 exportation was stopped from Africa to here and many other countries. It's now against the law to poach greys in Africa. There's now organizations that try to halt poaching. Punishment is now severe. I can't speak about the other wild animals that are caught, killed and hung on the roads and used as bush meat. Concerning the organizations that stopped illegal bird exporting, it was white, black, oriental, african people and other races who were involved in getting that started. As long as people buy those wild birds from Africa, there will always be trouble, anger and heartache. This is a video which shows that the african people are finally starting to act in a civilized manner but understand that the birds you see can't be pets because these are the type of birds that Africa was illegally selling through exportation. They're wild birds, adults and can't be tamed. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?196727-Freedom__repeat-video-for-newbies

65 is fne. 68 is better but if you find that running that extra heat is a bit expensive, going back to 65 is safe. Cold outside drafts should be avoided if possible. Timber will be fine and dandy.

As long as they're fully weaned and independent of the parents, any training can begin. Exploring hands is a common behavior and doesn't have anything to do with future training

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Historical---1947 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/TAXIDERMY.jpg

The reason for the large letters is because I didn't do the typing on the board. This is a paste Dan and Jay are big boys and can fend for themselves. This is my reply and only my reply in this post. The most important thing here is that hopefully people of the past and present appreciated my time and hard effort and thousands of common sense and analyitical answers to loads and loads of people over the last 5 1/2 yrs. The least important thing for me here was getting respect from people. In the past loads of people who may not have respected me were still quick to take my advice concerning many problems they had. If I found out that they didn't respect me, I would have still given out loads of help. They don't know me and I don't know them. Without solutions to their problems they were lost. Theyre the ones that said that, not me. I poured my soul into all I gave. I asked no thanks for it and most of all I never asked them to respect me. I don't need to learn to work together with anyone. No one helps me with my advice, opinions, hints, tips and solutions nor do I ask them to. They have their own. Remember that I don't moderate one of the important sections call Health Room just because of my good looks. I could have left that place but I would have felt that people who needed something wouldn't get it. I could see that in loads of cases they weren't getting it. Having to deal with whackos, dumbies, fruit cakes, reckless people, nut jobs, potential animal abusers, people who never knew what a level playing field was all about, people who didn't bother to find out what the words *common sense* were all about, people who should have never owned a parrot, dog,cat, hamster,snake or any other thing in the animal world that breathed has been difficult and depressing. They've all been here and gone and more are on the way. If you think you can do a better job with all the BS that people come here with, just apply. So believe me, I do what I do and luckily and gladly, worrying about getting respect is something I don't have to do. Writing what I write and also looking for respect at the same time wouldn't allow me to be blunt and straight forward and most important----HONEST. AND--KIns, yes you're right concerning your other post. I don't appreciate your advice since you haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. You haven't been around here long enough to know what you're talking about. So, until you're nominated the official *psychologist* here, use the PM area to compare individual people.

TAGs,CAGS --both live in warm temperatures. The variance of their climate in the countries greys come from isn't drastic. Telling someone that all his has to do is let the bird get used to the cold weather by using an acclimating method with that bird is false. Using the acclimation method that's used in a house isn't the same as doing that outside. In a house, bringing the temp down from 80 to 65 degrees is fine because an African Grey can handle those temps. 50 degrees is simply too cold for any African species of bird and there's many species of African birds besides parrots. Legs and feet get damaged from cold weather. Even in a house, 50 degrees is not acceptable. Even people would find it very extreme and unhealthy when living in a 50 degree house. PS---- So to the person who wants to know if it's too cold, the answer is simply yes it is and just wait until it gets warmer outside. I'm sure your bird can live with that.

If your bird does have arthritis, there's nothing you can do about it, but from what you described your bird doesn't fit most symtoms of arthritis. You should focus on his other problems such as not being to manuver or fly very well. A bird that has the same description of your bird's feet should be given loads of branch type perches--all thicknesses and bent in various directions. They can be purchased but can also be found by finding dead trees and using those branches. Dowel perches aren't good for a bird that has toes or claws missing or aren't growing in the right direction. A change of diet won't help anything. A change in the size of the cage won't help anything. Your bird has disabled feet and the various branches will tone the muscles in the legs and feet which is impotant for a bird that has to stay in or by the cage all the time.

You 're wrong about that. Only rescue and adoption centers are required to neuter dogs and cats, not breeders.

Ok 1---male and female breeders usually don't care for people whether they're male or female. They're usually left alone with each other. They usually develop a permanent bond with their mate at a young age and that bonding has nothing to do with people. Many times breeders show aggression towrds people. A relationship with breeders is usually very minimal. They will only tolerate people as litle as possible. The people they do tolerate are people who feed them, clean cages, supply treats, special environments. I have breeders and the only people they'll put up with is my wife and me. 2---A breeder grey who is introduced to a pet grey will usually try to harm that pet grey because the pet grey has already developed a bond with people and breeders DO know that allegiance is split. Breeders need complete devotion from the other bird. A pet grey doesn't have the same mentality as a breeder grey. Breeders aren't considered pets. When breeder greys are sold, it's usually pairs that are for sale. 3-- a person who adopts an adult bird usually has the intention(hoping) of making that adult bird into a sweet bird that a grey IS UP TO A POINT. Actually, a pet grey who becomes an adult grey becomes a very aloof bird who doesn't need or want as much attention as other species. That's simply a grey trait. As an adult they're very different that the much younger grey hence the biting, lack of interest in wanting to get physically invovled with the owner, constant staring into space for long periods of time while not doing anything. Many people are upset when that young pet grey becomes an adult grey becuse of the personality change. People mistake what they're seeing and start thinking that they did something wrong to cause that type of behavior but it's untrue As a grey ages, they lose that cuddliness that .was once present. People get upset about that. Screaming---some birds will scream or squawk or cackle or whistle or talk or not say anything or will imitate things obsessively. That may have to do with the past and you'll never know why until you meet the previous owner. Again, not a breeder grey's trait. Some breeders will do the same thing although if a breeder is left alone with the mate, they're pretty quiet until people annoy them. Obsession with things and places and items doesn't neccessarily mean it's breeding activity. A breeder will do those types of things during mating cycles especially if the bird has been with it's mate. The magic word here is obsession. ****He's OK around other birds- never the aggressor*** Many parrots are not as aggressive with other species as much as they are with their own kind. Simply go outside and watch the titmice or the chickadees or sparrows or wrens or woodpeckers or the gold finches. Each will constantly fight with their own kind but never another species. The most aggressive are the hummingbirds with each other. Greys are wild animals just like those outside and will remain that way until they die. Playthings----the species called MAN is the one that invented loads of different toys for the birds without ever asking the birds whether they like them. People have paid large amounts of money on toys only to have those toys wind up in a box that's in a closet. Greys will play with unconventional items that don't have to be purchased. Take the metal-----a grey will love to have a heavy duy bell that he can play with and stage very nasty mock fights with and then snuggle up to it just as if it was it's best friend.Screaming and squawking usually acconmpany those fights. Removing that item would be a cruel thing to do just because it's the focus of his attention. Wanna give a grey something he likes> Give a plain block of wood that can hang in a cage. Many greys will spend hours chewing and chewing it. That makes them happy. Wanna enrich or better his life? Simply treat him as you would any other bird in your house. He seems to like it. Also, treat him like an adult bird who is very set in his ways. You need to live with his baggage. That's what you signed on for when taking in an adult bird that has unknown history. Making him happier isn't difficult---more treats, freedom from a cage, petting, interaction, talking to him etc etc etc.

I'm not sure what you mean by *ripping* but if it means that she's biting or nipping at you, you shouln't have any bird near you when mixing up food no matter what area you're in. Birds will be patient until you're finished making the food.

How old is your bird? So far, 95% of what you say that he does has nothing to do with him being a previous breeder grey. What you're mentioning above all has to do with personality, past baggage, ingrained habits and likes and dislikes, developemental relationships from the past. The questions abovecan be answereed but you need to know the huge differences between breeder and pet greys

I guess congrats are in order. Glad that you're happy so far. It sounds like his personality is gonna be easy to work with. Congrts to your mom too. Bet she never thought she'd have another kid so late in life. Yeah, be cool with the company for the time being. Let him become a part of the immediate family first. Let the wings just grow out completely. There's always time in the future to decide if wing clipping is really necesary. Have a good time.

Here's some things to think about--- There's plenty of things that the bird has to get used to in his new home---household habits---new people----other pets----new environment----general hustle and bustle of the house etc etc. That usually takes months, not weeks. The bird has to first feel assured and comfortable in it's new house. Lots of talking to the bird, having the bird in the middle of everything that goes on in the house on a daily basis. The bird has to learn your habits, the husband's habits. Immediate intense physical handling is not a good idea right now. At this time, it's not a good idea to have lots of strangers constantly hanging around your bird. There's a couple of 'classification' names that apply to all pre owned adult parrots that're adopted. One is 'the bird has a past history' and the other is 'the bird has some baggage attached'. Most of the time, history and baggage can't be gotten rid of. It can be modified though as soon as your new bird realizes that many things are now different. Offer treats in such a way that he is unable to bite your fingers. I suggest holding a tiny bit of the treat between your thumb and first finger. Most of the treat will be sticking out and it should be easy to determine if the bird is going for your fingers or for the treat. If he takes the treat, all well and good. If he goes for your fingers, ostentatiously drop the treat into his bowl inside the cage from the outside of the cage and return to your seat. The treat must be one that he wants. Many birds like pine nuts, pecans, almonds, crushed bits of Nutriberries, a quarter piece of grape, etc. Experiment to determine what treat the bird likes best and use this treat at no other time except when you are offering it, whether the bird is in his cage or on the playstand or cage, etc.

Well, I wanna wish you the best of luck. Just remember that a 2 yr old shy bird is a bit easier to handle than a 2 yr old slightly aggressive bird. 2 yrs old means that he's still a baby. Sounds like there's good potential there. Just ocialize your bird into the family. Get everyone involved and my best to you and the family.

Just a few facts about air filters. People buy them to purify air and pull dust into them. Almost all air purifiers are made for people, not birds. Some advertise that they handle pet dander but those pets are the type that walk around pushing the dust around. Birds don't do that. Air purifiers don't handle bird dander very well. The reason is this--most air purifiers are for dust that remains in the air all day long moving around very slowly. Under the right light coming from a window, that dust can be seen floating around. No house is immune from that type of dust. Air purifiers also act as vaccuums. The dust they pull in is the type that's floating around all day long. Because the air purifier doesn't have the power to suck in dust past 4 to 5 ft., the only dust it does draw in is the type that's constantly airborne. When that airborne dust nears the purifier it's pulled in. Bird dander is very different in that it's much heavier than regular dust so when a bird flaps or shakes that dander off, the first place it goes to is anything it can quickly land on. The direction of that dander is always downward. That's why a grey's area is much dustier than other areas. Much more vacuuming, rinsing and general cleaning goes on in the bird's room as opposed to other rooms. This is also why the suggestion that birds be sprayed with water during molting season works well. The dander gets soaked and when the bird flaps or shakes, the dander goes down to the bottom of the cage or no more than 3 to 4 ft from a cage. So, you may wanna also add an exhaust fan to that bird area. It doesn't purify the air, it simply sucks out the heavier bird dander from an area. A while ago, I posted pics of one such exhaust fan. It was also used to suck out paint fumes.

I agree. Those people with all the letters of the alphabet attached to their names have a little too much time on their hands but I must say that in part, it was entertaining. The video attached to the video that was in this link was really funny. *hey bob, wanna go and get something to eat* Then, the parents come and the birds say hello with their mouths. There were other things that were funny too. It was a good funny experience to start the day off.

Doing what you're talking about is usually done by profesionals. The bird called Alex did the alphabet thing, shape, colors and numbers but he wasn't the only bird doing that. He was trained over many years. There's other birds who are right now being similarly trained but it takes years and the person is usually a professional. Alex was simply the one that got all the publicity. If he's not into playing with standard store bought toys, try giving the grey things that will interest him--example, hard and soft pieces of wood hung in or out of the cage. Greys don't have to play with things to be happy. They just need a chance to do what they're known to do and greys have a great fondness for wood. A bird can also be interested in other things that have a name but the bird won't make a connection. If your bird is very young, there's a world of interests out there just waiting to be discovered by your bird. People will often say that their bird ignored this or that item( bird toy) but instead decided to destroy the rim of the flower pot with heavy intensity. Understand what I'm saying?