Candi

He was mad at me all day yesterday! Every time I talked to him he would turn his head the other way. When I left the room he didn't call for me like he usually does. When I needed him to step up to put him to bed for the night, he gave me this look, growled and then stepped up. He did what I asked, but he made sure I knew he wasn't happy about it, lol! He seems ok this morning...we are playing peek-a-boo, which he initiated...so I guess he is done giving me the silent treatment ...for now anyway!

Well we made it to the vet and we survived, lol! What an ordeal...he growled and hissed and bit, but we did it and he has a clean bill of health!

Well that was a disaster! Echo was sitting on top of his cage, chatting up a storm, happy as can be. He came right to me when I asked him to step up...and then I tried to put him in his carrier to get him to the vets. I moved slowly and reassured him very calmly, but as soon as I got him close to the carrier he flew off and flew around the room like a madman! He landed on the floor...thank goodness he didn't run into anything and hurt himself. He came right back to me and I tried again to get him into the carrier and he flew into his cage and wont come out. I rescheduled his appointment to a time when someone will be home to help me, so we will try again tomorrow.

Thanks for the tips guys! I wish I would have thought of that before making the appointment, I was just thinking get him in as soon as possible...since its been so long since he's been seen. Well I will remain calm and carry on, lol! I will let you guys know how his check up goes this evening! Have a wonderful day!

He doesn't like getting misted with a spray bottle, after he is a little more comfy with us I hope to get him taking showers with me. But for now do you think it would be ok to put a little aloe juice in his bath dish?

Im ordering it right now! Thanks for the help guys!

Thanks guys! I am so grateful to have found this site...you guys are great! Its inspirational to hear your success stories and gives me great hope for Echos future. I wouldn't love him any less if he was completely featherless...but it breaks my heart to think that he is so unhappy/stressed/bored that he has to resort to mutilating himself. You are exactly right Inara, I expect nothing of him but to be a bird, just hopefully a happy and healthy bird!

Echo has his first appointment with his new vet tomorrow. I don't think he has been to the vet in over ten years, and that was an emergency trip. Anybody have any tips on how to make this as minimally stressful as possible for him?

His previous family tried the sock buddy with him and said that he didn't like it... I think I will probably try it again with him after he is a little more comfortable with me handling him.

Thank you so much for your kind words! I am just thrilled with all of the progress he has made today! He has gone from a shy timid bird to a total clown, lol! His vocabulary is much broader then we previously thought...its absolutely amazing! While I love dogs and cats, I can honestly say I have never felt such a bond and deep love for an animal before him, he is just like one of my kids already. I see now why bird owners are hardcore bird lovers...how can you not be!

He is doing so well today, he just finished taking a bath for the first time!

Thank you very much for the info! Its a little overwhelming as a newbie...there are so many do's and dont's! I didn't think that advice was correct and now I know. Its wonderful having all of this knowledge and experience in one place, thanks again!

Thanks BaileysPapa! I wish I could take credit for his clever name, but it came with him, lol!

I watched a documentary the other day where they did an MRI scan on the brain of a killer whale. The scan showed that the limbic area of a killer whales brain, where emotion is processed, is far more developed than that of a human brain. Which poses evidence that a killer whale could possibly have emotions that human beings cant even grasp. Even after all we have learned in the last few decades, we still know so little about the creatures we share this earth with. Yet humans continue to treat animals from every species like we own them. They were here long before us and I'm sure most will thrive long after we are gone. This group may have a hard road ahead of them, but I salute their courage and their effort. To make big changes, sometimes you have to start small...but you have to start somewhere.

Any opinions on UVA/UVB/Full Spectrum lighting? I know Greys are notorious for calcium deficiencies so I thought it would be beneficial to have a full spectrum light by Echos cage. But I was told that they are not necessary and basically just a waste of money...any thoughts? :confused:

I woke up this morning to the my Echo talking up a storm! I was so excited I had to share! Since we brought him home he has barely made a peep, just a whistle or a click here and there. He is getting his confidence back!

Thank you Brat Birds, Your brats are beautiful btw! I know a little about Echo's' history, we will be his forth set of owners. He was with his first family for about five years, I don't know anything about his time there. He spent the next 15 years with another family where he was cage free and roamed about (and had two toes bit off by a Macaw . I believe he started plucking when the children of that family grew up and moved out. Then on to the last owner who had him for about 9 months where he was kept in a cage in a bird room, unfortunately an adolescent male eclectus also shared that room and when he screamed, which I guess was pretty frequently, the family would shut the door to the bird room. So he hasn't been getting much attention for the last few years. He already has some nice white fluff growing back, I'm hoping with a little time and patience he will stop. He also seems to be quite itchy, I read that a 50/50 aloe juice/water mix spritz on their skin is soothing, anyone have any opinions on this?

Thanks Luvparrots! I am looking forward to the adventure ahead...im sure Echo and I will learn a lot from each other! And how wonderful is the internet!? Its nice to know help is right here if I need it. Thanks guys!

I couldn't agree more Ray, I love my bald beauty!

Hi everyone! My name is Candi and I just adopted a lovely 19 year old Timneh African Grey. His name is Echo and as you can see from the pic, he is a plucker! Just wanted to say hello and introduce ourselves!

Ok I added a pic of Echo as my profile pic...he doesn't really want me too close right now, so I will post a better pic when he lets me, lol.

Thank you everyone for your warm welcomes and insight! I am so glad to hear that this is not completely abnormal behavior. But I will definitely double check with his vet, he has his first appointment on Monday. I will post some pics of my bald beauty shortly! Thank you again!

Hello everyone! My name is Candi and I just adopted a Timneh African Grey! His name is Echo, We believe he is about 19 years old and he is a plucker. I am a first time bird owner, so I have my work cut out for me, lol! I know first time bird owners really shouldn't own a grey, but he needed a home. I have done as much research as possible so I can be a good flock leader, but I need a little help. I was told that his previous owner, the one that had him before the one I adopted him from, played music for him and that he really liked one particular Bach piece and he would whistle along with it, but she couldn't remember the name of the song. So hoping that hearing something familiar would ease the anxiety of his move, I played some Bach for him. As soon as the music began he started doing this strange twitch, he would twitch his head and then twitch each wing, very quickly. He did this repeatedly while the music was playing. When the music stopped, he stopped. I looked it up online and found two posts related, one saying it means he likes the music and one saying it means he doesn't. I know its a silly question...im just terrified I'm doing everything wrong! If anyone could help me clarify this I would GREATLY appreciate it!