Dave007

My opinion is to wait for the bird to wean. You won't develop any closer relationship by handfeeding the bird. The longer the bird stays with the clutch mates, the better. That allows the bird to see what it's like to be a bird. """"just not sure on the handfeedings part, """"" All the more reason of you getting a weaned bird.

""new big cage with lots of toys and perches."""" At 16 weeks, loads of toys are a bit much. They should be introduced slowly, one at a time. It's very possible that your bird may have fallen off his perch and is still a little shaken up which would cause quietness or it's possible that he was banging around those toys and one of them decided to hit him back. That'll also cause quietness. ""Is she too much a baby for her cage?""" No, but a large cage takes some getting used to especially if she was transfered from one cage to another within a short period of time

Hi Very nice looking guy you've got there. His brother isn't bad looking either. Welcome to our board. Enjoy yourself.

Very high price for such a small amount PLUS S/h Buy from SwansonsVitamins.com 16 oz----$6.99

No, there's no connection with the length of a tail and the thrills and happiness and desires a bird may have when another bird is finally present. She may like the grey but that wouldn't cause her tail to grow. She would be too busy making eyes at him.

Well, your choices are limited but those choices resemble just about everyone else's choices. People are kinda stuck when a situation like yours starts up. Taking your bird away from all the activity and noises are your best bet. Putting your bird in another room where he can't see what's going on is another good idea. You really can't compare what a dog is gonna do with what a bird is gonna do. You can't hide a dog a dog and even if you did, the dog will bark, whine, cry and in general become very frightened especially if it's a yorkie, or other breed that's tiny and high strung. The bird will feel uncomfortable and will become extremely quiet and more than likely, will limited the areas it normally goes to when in a cage. The bird will rely on your constant visual presense. If it's possible, if you move the existing permanent cage to another area, the bird will be more familar with and less nervous but it will feel safe in his home that he's familar with. A small carrying cage won't provide that. The most ideal thing that can be done is removing the bird to another house but most of the time, that choice isn't available and I wouldn't adise that because you have no idea why the bird died. It could be from many different reasons and you wouldn't wanna experiment. At times, when you can't be with your bird, cover it. Put some distracting music on around the bird. Make sure it's a bit loud. No rock and roll or heavy metal music. There's other things that can be done but the renovation won't be going on forever. Make sure you give an extra supply of treats. Talk to the bird alot. Make sure he knows you're there. If your bird is extremely friendly with the dog, have the dog around the bird. Familar things all around the bird ease tension.

That's all a part of being a parrot. All parrots squawk. They sart to show interest or curiousity in things and they squawk. Sometimes they can do that when you're near a cage and other times they won't do it when you're near a cage. Owning a parrot means noise and a person has to be ready for that. You just got him the other day and you're gonna see many things that he'll do and it's gonna take time for him to settle in no matter how young or old he is.

Milk is one of the worst products you can give your bird as well as other white dairy products. Milk can cause serious internal problems.

Just to make you optimistic----- You have a great thing going on here When i put my finger in his cage he doesnt lunge at it or try to bite it he just stands there. That's a sign that your bird will shortly be coming around and show more curiousity and interest in things. Many birds will become very frightened and will nip or screech or flap wildly in a cage when being approached. The only reaction from your bird right now simply watching things calmly so take your time, do as others have said and you'll soon have a bird that'll interact with you. It's a living creature who's doing what he was intended to do.

""""does that meet dusty must not go on my shoulder"""" There's things you should find out about 1---in the past, was he a biter when he went on your shoulder?. If so, the normal thing that people do if they have a bird that has always bitten while on the shouder is that they keep the bird off the shoulder permanently. If he's doing this temporarily, then most likely, he can return to your shoulder after he shows you no interest in biting you. Many people buy a baby bird and soon after, they find that their bird is a biter when on a shoulder. They usually stop letting the bird on the shoulder permanently. Other people buy a baby bird and find that the bird shows absolutely no interest in biting. Both are normal. It depends upon the bird. Some birds go on shoulders and pick at jewelry, earlobes, clothing collars, skin on the neck or face or cheeks, hair etc.. Those birds aren't allowed on shoulders. Hundreds of people here own birds that do that. For others, it's temporary but only the owner can find out which catagory the bird is in. Some birds who aren't biters when on the shoulders can start doing that as they age. That too is normal. It depends upon the bird. """do you think he should stay in his cage for now till her settles down""""" You can let him out but not as often until he settles down and most importantly, you need to watch what he's doing. That'll tip you off as to what he intends to do. If he's doing this to other members of your family, you need to tell them the same thing I'm telling you because you wouldn't want them to get hurt. You see, some birds who are on shoulders and bite are very hard to get off because they scoot around your back to the other shoulder and as you try harder to get the bird off, the more angry the bird gets at you for trying and biting can occur. AND--don't forget those nuts. Even try others except peanuts.

I just mentioned a couple of them. And I just told you how to do it.

6 weeks, not enough time to develop a somewhat permanent relationship with your bird especially a bird that's not a baby. It may not have been a good idea to put him in a pet center with other birds unless he had a strong relationship with you and the family. That's like him having a temporary area to live in and then being taken away again and putting in another area. That's much too quick to do that. A solid trusting bond has to develop first in your home and whether you realize it or not, that type of relationship is gonna take much more than 6 weeks because of his age and also living in another place for quite a while and I'm not referring to that bird sitting area that you put him in. He had to live somewhere else before you got him. For now, your bird needs to readjust to your family life, habits, environment, surroundings. It has to be done in his own time. Some birds readjust quickly, others take more time. Either one is perfectly normal.. You'll have to pay attention to his flying to the shoulder right. He flies there, you quickly remove him. If you see that he's about to fly there, move away. You need to watch him more carefully for a while until he settles down. Treats-----a bird that agew usually has reached the age where nuts are very appealing. favorites are almonds and wallnuts or other nuts..Don't feed peanutsbecause they sometimes have bacterior. Take the shell off and put them in the cage if he bites you when offering things. Feeding like that ( in the cage) allows a bird to see that you're giving great things. After a period of time, when you see very little problems giving nuts, partially break the shell( don't totally take the whole shell off. He may take that and work on removing the broken shell and eating it. Parrots like doing that. Basically, you have to start over with him. Regain his trust, let him learn to be calmer with you, let him check out things from the safety of his cage--remember that the cage is a place where a parrot feels safe while he's in it. Don't try to hand feed him until he relaxes. Just slip it in his food bowl for a while. As far as fruits----first off, fruits really give little nutrition. They should be given only once in a while. An older bird gets tired of fruits. Harder items are very appealing to them. On other thing---avoid going away for such a long time until he totally trusts you and you can get a friend/relative to come to the house once a day to feed and water. A parrot can stay alone for short periods of time but they feel much better when they're staying alone in their own familar envionment. Mistake here--you've had him since he was 6 wks old. I thought you only owned him for 6 weeks.Well, things like you describe can happen for a number of reasons but you'll still have to gain his trust. You don'y know what happened with the bird sitter. It could have been something unnoticable but it was a big deal to your bird. But, you'll still have to gain his trust anyway.

How old is your bird and how long have you had him and was he owned by someone else and how long ago did you go away on vacation and was he alone during that time and was he totally different before you went on vacation and how long ago did you come back from vacation? You need to give more specific info concerning your situation.

""""Can I just not do cheese, or is it a requirement? I'd prefer not to have to do cheese unless it is really necessary.""""" Hard yellow cheese is good for them but not an absolute. If you don't wanna give cheese, fine. Yogurt is the only item I know of that supplies good bacteria. """"" How much should she get during that 1x every 7-10 days?""""" 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons won't hurt but if you don't wamnna use yogurt, fine. Just remember that a healthy diet plus exercise is what will cause a bird to get healthier. None of the foods talked about in this thread are weight gainers. They're simply very healthy nutritious foods. As far as the canned fish, the blender, method of preparation, the sodium so forth and so on, I pass the microphone over to Jay.

I never said to stop the yogurt. Yogurt provides good bacteria for the body. That's why people eat it. It should be given no more than 1x a week to 10 days. I know there's conflicting info on the net and you don't have to believe these things that are said but right now, you're asking about the diet of an african grey. Greys, whether they be CAGs or TAGs can't metabolise white dairy products. Greys are known as *lactose intolerent*. That's a common fact. Greys get the most calcium from dark green veggies. The marrow from bones also supplies calcium. Hard yellow cheese provides some vitamins but that cheese shouldn't be given on a daily basis. """"others say no yellow/orange cheese and yes to white cheese.""" Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn't bother being a member of any grey board that says that. Neither would many other people. I moderate the health room here and if I gave out that kind of info, I guarantee that I wouldn't be able to stay as a moderator. """" 1/3 a teaspoon at a serving"""" Even 1/2 teaspoon is fine as long as moderation is used

Just ease up on the eggs a bit. Once or at the most 2x a week won't cause problems. Cottage cheese is a no no. It's white cheese and a grey doesn't metabilize white dairy products. Chicken bones are totally fine. That provides marrow which is good for any parrot. If you're giving the wings, just make sure that you give the bones that have knuckles on 1 end or either end. Most parrots that like chicken bones will dig out the interior and then demolish the rest of it. you can give as many as he wants. Make sure all grease and gristle is taken off the bone. Fruits aren't really important in a grey's diet. They're acidic and really don't supply the body with great things. Fruits here and there are fine.

More than likely, if the vet said she was underweight, then she's underweight. I'm just telling you that a bird who is that age isn't gonna have a huge weight difference as far as gaining no matter what he/she eats. Maybe 10/15 grams. You've only had her 2 months and any differences will take quite a while so judgements can't be made right now. Another thing is the fact that your bird is different than the next bird who's different than the next bird so forth and so on. The vet is correct about possible weight loss from lots of present excerize. but that's not unusual for a grey or many other species of parrots. Some species are know for weight gain; some for weight loss. Greys come into the latter catagory. Her diet that you give right now is making her a healthier bird which is great since she eats everything---- """""The vet gave me some things to add to her diet like yogurt, cheese, bone, and egg""""" Well, yogurt can't put any weight on a bird. It's supplies good bacteria. Cheese can't put any weight on a bird because very little can be eaten or internal problems can occur. Greys can't handle most dairy products. If given too much dairy, diareaha can occur. Eggs can only be given once in a while because that too can cause diahrea. It's also a dairy product. By the way, concerning cheese--only a certain type can be fed. White cheese will cause illness. Hard yellow cheddar in small amounts once in a while is fine. """"We are working to gain back the weight she lost when switching from a breeder/seed diet to a pellet/fresh diet.""""" Well, anyone who knows about a grey's diet can definitely say that a seed diet is fattening no matter what species it's given too. So, you're trying to get your bird back to a weight that was caused by a weight gaining type of food by using food that's not meant to put on weight but is meant to keep a bird healthy????? Does that make sense? Whatever weight gain that'll happen will happen naturally and comparing a weight that was achieved by a bad diet to a present weight that was achieved by a healthy diet plus excersize doesn't jive here. Wanna hear the other side of the situation concerning a species. Ask Jay. He deals with amazons that can have a weight gain problem simply by being inactive. Amazons, greys, ekkies---3 species all completely different. I truly believe your vet gave you those food suggestions so that the bird will get healthier while nature takes it's course and brings the bird back to a weight size that's healthy for him. It may not coincide with a special chart but the bird will be fine. As jay said, seeing the keel bone isn't a definite sign of weight loss. I have a grey was totally bald when I got him. He was also an adult.Not only could I see his keel bone but also every other bone on his body. He was 405 grams and now he's 420 grams but that took 3 years to achieve and as of now, the only reason I can't see his keel bone is because he has a thick set of breast feathers covering it.

Ok, you asked and I told you.

You can't make a grey gain weight. The bird is what it is. Weight gain has to do with chicks and their weight as they grow. You would need a gram scale to weigh your bird. The scale above should tell you what you wanna know. The only thing you have to worry about is extreme weight loss due to serious illnesses. There are no exact weights. As of today you have a medium sized bird and I doubt that your bird will get into the large sized variety. It's bone structure and the parent's size.

Congo approx 385 to 415-----------small boned approx 420 to 485-----------medium/slightly large boned approx 520 to 605-----------large / very large boned Tag approx 240 to to 280------small/ slightly medium boned approx-285 to 310--------medium/ slightly large boned approx 315 to 325---------large/ very large boned All greys, TAGs and CAGs are different weights because of the size the parents are. Weights above can vary a bit

texascowboy1979 There's 2 stickys here concerning bathing. They're always visible for anyone having difficulties http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189753-Bathing-possible-method-1 http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189752-Bathing-possible-method-2

I'd like to add one more thing---a chronic plucker isn't necessarily an unhappy bird. The owner is definitely unhappy and can assume that if a bird does this, it must be unhappy but think about this...look at the millions of other things that type of plucker does. They're very playful, they like being rubbed, they enjoy all of the different foods that are given, they make sure that you give treats, they like being out of the cage, they like to investigate things, they like to be pains in the ass, they like to whistle or jabber away, they like to get aggressive and have mock fights with certain toys, they like to play. Some like to bathe or be misted ( not everyone of them but that also applies to loads of other non plucking greys too), they like to respond to a person in the morning when that person finally wakes up. They're very normal and well rounded birds. The most important thing that they show is that they're content.

"""""So I have now just taken to walking away. I can't give a time out or anything, I just leave and let him make his way home. I can't tell you how hard it has been to keep myself in control, especially when this happens during a sweet "cuddle" time.""""" Well, that's actually giving a *time out*. You're doing the right thing. You may not be able to put him back in his cage right away but that's something that only comes with practice but for now, ignoring the bird, not having physical contact,not paying attention to him is a **time out** Yes, you're right about the body language but that too only comes with practice. No one gets a parrot and instantly is aware of the various types of body language that exists. That has to be read up on and eventually a person knows about body language.

You're welcome.