Christina

Tell her to check nail polish color, perfume, hair, makeup...any of those things can set your bird off. My B&G bit the heck out of me when I came home from getting my nails done one night...I had a beautiful pearl color on them....I guess he thought they were claws coming to get him! :ohmy: Needless to say, that polish came off pronto. And tell your wife not to feel bad, my grey doesn't like my husband but he won't let her run him off, so she is happy to go to him when I'm not around and reluctantly agrees to it when I am there. He actually says they have a lovely relationship "when I'm not around". Tell her to persevere (sp?) and spend that time with Mumbles when you are not there...they will establish a nice relationship, different from yours and Mumbles, but nice nonetheless. And its good social skills for Mumbles as well.

Oh, BMustee what kind of bird is that in the picture section of the animals going home on November 5-12th going home with the Zandri's?

BMustee...that web site is great...I'm coming down there just to peak in that store...good grief, what a lot of crazy animals you have! Ziggy, I think everyone knows you were generalizing...and probably rightfully so, BMutee's store is the exception, not the rule...but given what you said, rescue work is good, but it seems like pet stores need good caring people too...and people who are willing to learn and love birds should be the ones to jump in there and give them a good home until they go to their "real" home. I read that Petsmart is giving up their bird sales to bird rescue instead and donating money to those causes. I wish the big chains would all follow this example. Although, BMustee...is your store a chain? It seems huge for being privately owned.

BMustee...would you say you are the exception or the rule for pet shop personnel? It sounds like you have, not only alot of avian experience, but also, a big heart in wanting to know each bird and the traits and characteristics of that species, as well as their individual personalities. I don't think Ziggy was saying "all" pet stores employees are yucky, but I'm sure everyone has a pet store horror story. I also think Jimmy would be wonderful in a pet store or wherever...all you have to do is care enough to go the extra yard...or as in your case...the extra mile to learn. And how else can you learn, except by interacting with these wonderful creatures. what shop do you work in? I'm in Tampa...and sometimes venture down that way. I'd love to stop by and see your flock.

Good advice. I would take his other cage apart to get up/down the stairs, so he would at least have his cage. I know its a pain but even the most "together" bird will feel anxiety without his cage. As an example, our B&G, is rarely in his cage, except to sleep...we took it apart one day to take outside and pressure wash....well you would have thought we were tearing the house down! He did his very best to stand on any part of that cage for as long as he could and this is a bird that wouldn't enter his cage for a drink of water on his own. Not that he doesn't like it, he just seemed to care less about it, apparently that is not the case. Okay, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that Goofy will feel sooo much better and you will probably see a difference in his tail as his travel carrier is probably smaller than he is used too. I know it might be a pain to take apart for a small amount of time, and then take it apart again to move it to the permanent location...but I think it would be worth it. Just my two cents.

Those are sooo cute Lusya and Birdmom! Because alot of people aren't posting, we must not have a lot that "nickname" their birds. I confess...everyone in my house has quite a few names...most are nice! haha

Okay, things have been sooo serious and sad recently, I thought it might be a little fun to see what kind of nicknames, if any, we have for our feathered babies. I'll go first: Formal Name: Finnigan Nicknames: Finni Minni, Minni Me, The Finster, The Finninator, Finnigan O'Barrett (last name with an Irish twist haha), Finny, Finny Ginny That is all I can think of for now...thank goodness, she probably doesn't even know her name after that list! haha Oh, I just go the DNA back yesterday, Finni is a girl.

I had Finnigan at the boarders over the holiday...her first time away from home. When I got back she had lost almost 50 grams (She is a little Timneh, so that was alot)! She did eat at the boarders, but I do tend to spoil her (I still soak her pellets and hand them to her at night and the morning!). It took only a day to get her back up to snuff. I guess, I'll have to stop treating her like such baby so when we go again, she will eat more.

Good post and a timely reminder BMustee! I do hope the breeder took a nice chunck out of the bad guys! Serves 'em right.

That is terrible news. I'm soo sorry.

That is sooo funny! Finnigan is enthralled with my son's braces...if my boy isn't quick, we will have an unscheduled visit to the orthodontist no doubt!:ohmy:

Well, I just took Finnigan to the parrot store here when I went away for Thanksgiving. they don't sell birds, just supplies and they board. Finni did okay, but he whined for two days and became a velcro bird when I got back. He is getting back into the swing of things now, the third day...and I expect that next time I take him there, he will do much better. We took our blue and gold last year and he was soooo quiet when we picked him up, we thought he needed to go to the vet, but he bounced back by the next day...this time, he had no transition whatsoever, so I think once they get used to whatever it is you decide to do for them, they realize you will come back, and its much less stressful.

I make Finnigan a sweet potatoe mash and feed it to him every night. It's sweet potatoes, cinnamon apple sauce and I put a little cinnamon sugar in it. He loves it!

Wow, that is young. Are you experienced at handfeeding? At 7 weeks, he/she will be introduced to other foods but will be still be on formula. Is this your first bird? Are you buying him from a breeder or a pet store? Why don't you tell us a little about yourself so we know more about you might need to know? Welcome to the board.

Congrats! And she is just beautiful! What a wonderful looking baby...nor wonder you just want to snuggle her up!:laugh:

How can you guys say with all certainty that this is "hogwash"...in my research, what Razza45's friend found is pretty much the information out there...but almost all of that information has some sort of footnote that Timneh's are not as common and just recently have become a more popular companion bird therefore more studies need to be done as more Timneh's come into homes on a regular basis (proving Danmcq's point, but certainly not saying that that is disinformation). Furthermore, some of that is based upon scientific studies of grey's in the wild, and how early/late they integrate into the flock away from the parents and trying to apply it to the domestically bred birds. I think its something to consider when making your choice between a congo and timneh. I agree that each bird is an individual and will have phases and preferences, but taking into the consideration the wild natural aspect of the species is important as well. Good job on researching your bird before buying.

Well, I might suggest checking out this web-site. http://www.anafricangrey.ca/ Alot of the people on here, have rehomes (I don't know if Sweetheart is a rehome or a new baby, traumatized by her flight to you) but either way, the trust process is probably the same...you will probably experience a shorter time frame if Sweetheart is a baby. They have some wonderful blogs of success stories and different ideas with some really hard cases.

Danmcq, I think Dayo and Finnigan are growing up together. Finnigan turned 6 months on the 7th of November. I love listening to Finnigan as he gets older, he is getting bolder and bolder and always trying new sounds. Although, truthfully, most of the time I don't know where he came up with them. He also does this little twirling sound (if you rolled your tongue and had a high pitched sound going on at the same time) if he is getting excited. It doesn't have to be good excitement. I always thought it was his "I'm going to bite you" sound, but my husband (who is the recipient of his bites) says, no, he clicks his beak when he is going to bite you! :ohmy: It's funny learning all of his little habits.

Good advice. Grey's are very territorial. Finnigan will "go after" my blue and gold if sets a toe on Finni's cage.

I'm no expert, but what I did with Finnigan and he was a baby when I brought him home is I put his cage in the busiest section of the house, so he saw us ALL the time. If we were home, he was with us. I opened his cage, but did not necessarily take him out, it was his choice. I often sat by his cage in the evening. I like to read books, so I sat and read, not even necessarily out loud (sometimes, although my husband would make fun of me!haha), I read the paper there in the morning. I would sit quietly and offer him treats. The calmer I was, it seemed the more bold he became. He finally got the point that he would come to the edge for a scratch. He felt very secure in his cage but eventually started feeling secure to come out, go to the table, go to his stand, to other rooms, outside on the lanai and so forth. I guess my point is, why not let Sweetheart stay on her cage? She feels secure there, you guys go to her. I think she might come around faster if you let her feel like she is control. I did move Finnigans cage eventually to the bird room. So, even if you move Sweetheart to the main living area, you can move her back later to the spot where you want her to be, just take her there often as she begins to trust you and explore her new soroundings. I think this will lessen her "flights" and give her some added security. Anyway, that is just my suggestion.

I hope this works, I was looking at the macaw forum and they had this article on there. It specifically speaks about cataracts (in macaws). I figured it has a vet listed on the top and if they do cataract surger for macaws, surely they have experience in other species. http://www.birdsnway.com/boards/mt/mt.cgi?r=441067 Anyway, its just one more place to check.

I agree with the advise given. Research, reasearch, research. On a previous post here, someone didn't do their research and is now upset that their grey insn't snuggly. It isn't a trait for the greys. You need to figure out what it is you want in a companion bird and then buy appropriatley. This will ensure a happy home for both you and your companion for the many years you guys will be together.

Finnigan has the Aviator Harness. I take him for a walk (he is on my shoulder) and to the stores like BMustee, and to work with me once a week. It took a while to get him used the harness, but once there, he doesn't mind and loves the trips around town. I would definetly recommend the harnesses available (our b&g has the Feather Teather). It opens a whole new world for your bird.

That is terrible. I'm soo sorry. I hope your Too is okay.

Sooo cute! Congratulations!