Talon

I had a friend suggest a giant butterfly net for quickly catching them.......? My 3 birds were scared, and I saw the fear in their eyes, but they trusted me as I convinced them it was ok to step up and all was well, but as soon as I took a couple of steps, their fear flight instinct kicked in and they were off flying.....on my second attempt to get them, it took a bit more convincing, then holding them tightly against my chest until I was able to get them to their carriers and locked in.

http://parrotnation.com/2011/01/09/preparing-yourself-for-getting-a-bird/

Only got one attempt at a bite tonight, and it was only a medium one! Woo hoo!

Ray, thats hysterical! Would love to see a video of that! My greys have no desire to play with us using their bodies in any way. We would be hamburg if we tried it. Guess we neglected to do that in the beg. But Rikki was over 2 when we adopted her.

I will say, that my birds are used to testing smoke alarms and hearing them, so that isn't the issue, it was the 2 things combined, blaring alarms And being put in their travel cages. And as far as I'm concerned, a blaring smoke alarm IS an emergency and should be treated as such. That why you have them and when they detect smoke, it IS at harmful levels for our birds delicate respitory systems.

Well, a while back, someone started a thread titled In case of emergency.....something like that. Many of you offered great suggestions about what to have ready in the event of any emergency. Things such as food, travel cages, plans etc. Well, one thing that I am not so sure we all understood happened in my house tonight. I had been having trouble with my oil furnace today, it would come on and blow cold air only. I went down in to the basement and took it upon myself to try and push the button so the ignition would start up. Seeing as it was a Saturday I was happy to save a weekend emergency call to the oil repair company. I was going to call them on Monday morning. I only had to push the button twice throughout the day. It worked the other times. Late in the day, Nilah was chillin out on my knee as I was on the couch watching tv. I felt the cold air blowing out again, so her and I went down in the basement to push the button again.....we came upstairs, back onro the couch and was enjoying our tv show. I glanced out the back of my living room windows and saw a horrific amount of smoke, i jumped up, sending Nilah flying off and went out onto the back deck where I saw fuel oil smoke pouring out the vent of the house. I ran back into the house and shut off the furnace using the emergency switch upstairs. A few seconds later, the smoke alarms went off everywhere in my house. I ran into the basement to see if there was a fire and the basement had a lot of smoke near the furnace, saw no flames (thank god) and on my way upstairs grabbed the travel cages for the birds as I wasn't sure what would happen next. The alarms were still blaring, so my first thought was to get the birds put of the house into the car and back it away from the house if need be. Anytime prior to this when my Smoke alarms went off for any reason, the birds were either in their cages, or they were perched Somewhere up high in the house. They would copy the alarms, staying where they were until I shut them off. Here's the scary, shocking part: my birds would step up onto my hand when asked today, but we're so scared by the alarms, they would then fly off! It was very difficult and time consuming when seconds count to try and get them off the high perches and hold them tightly as I took them to their travel cages nearby and tried to stuff them into them before they could fly out again. it took me a long time to get the 3 of them in their cages while the alarms were blaring. It deeply troubled me....if god forbid there ever was a real fire, how would I get them into their cages when seconds count and flames are coming at you..... it makes me think we need to have a practice drill so they don't fear the alarms, my birds have never been fearful,of their travel cages, they love going off on an adventure in them, but with the quickness, and the alarms blaring, they KNOW something is wrong. Can't blame it on my fear, as I do tend to remain calm in these types of situations, the panic and fear sets in later... I would love to hear any thoughts and advice from others. I just felt is is a warning, no matter how prepared we are, we could never expect something like this to happen, how tragic this could be....:(

It has only been a month. I don't think you should expect much from him. It can take them months before they show their true colors. I would whistle and talk to him. I am sure he would enjoy the game of getting you to mimic him! It will make him more comfortable that you are willing to communicate in the way that is natural to him. Greys can be quiet for a long time just taking in your words, your tone, etc. They seem to need to really listen intently for quite some time, and just when you have given up all hope, they will repeat a word they have heard. Some greys don't talk, but others can take a while, like I said, a month is a very short time to bond, trust and feel comfortable..

Aww. What a wonderful story! You are such a good mommy to take the extra time that he wanted with you. That's am irreplaceable moment! Makes all your patience worthwhile!!

Very nice! Makes me wish I could take my 3 out like that

Stupidity at its best! Thanks for the giggle.

Okay, wanted to update my bedtime problems with Nilah. For the last couple of weeks, I have put in place the following routine......I put the others to bed first as she watches, (no avoiding that) then I turn off all the lights in the downstairs except the tv. When SHE knows dinner is over, cuddles are done, she flies onto the coat rack in the back hall next to the kitchen and waits and watches. All this time she is still sitting patiently........as I get closer to her, I hear her amazon hiss......her tail feathers are full out and she is attempting to bite although I don't get my hands close enough....I talk softly to her telling her I love her, and she's adorable and filling her little brain with loving adoring thoughts about how wonderful she is.... then as input my hand up, she attempts to bite as her tail is flared, but I keep it there just out of reach and ask her if she wants cuddles, of course she does, she's an amazon! She puts her head down and get head scritches for a short time. The I tell her to step up, it's bedtime, sometimes it's a battle, but she always does, and then as we are walking to the room with her cage in it, all the time I am using my other hand to distract her, she tries biting, but it is so light, she never really closed her beak on me. I continue to tell her no bits, no we don't bite mommy, and she let's me know she wants to, but doesntnt bite hard like she used to, just gentle open beak touches. So we are making progress, she is staring to listen and get this new routine down without biting!!!!! I am happy she's not biting, turning the lights off is a pain, but one step at a time, and I am thrilled she is realizing that biting at bedtime is not going to make her win!!!!

Wow, that's interesting, Nilah does sneeze, infant she sneezed 3 times the other night! She probably sneezes at least once a day. Im pretty sure she's to sick, she has always sneezed since I've had her....

Welcome to our family! Twix is adorable!

Welcome to our family. Lovely pictures! Kiki looks so tiny and adorable! She's on the small size for a timneh? Both of your birds are beautiful. I look forward to hearing more!

Welcome to our family! Sounds like Geoff is a lucky bird. Ray has given you excellent advice, not much to add, just let him take the lead as to how much he will allow you to handle him. It can take time.

Welcome to our family! Can't wait to see you new addition. I would offer her the food you want, she may surprise you and love it, or it may take several weeks before she will like it or even try it. Maybe try mixing it in with her other food.

Yes she can! Glad to hear she's doing so well!

Yay! I'm so excited for you! Keep us posted! Pics ASAP!

I never buy any painted toys as you never really know what chemicals are in the paint. The only colored toys I use are colored with food coloring.

I'm still waiting for my goodies to come! Can't wait, her toys are fabulous!

Wow! That's incredible. Thanks for that info!

Yes, Ray has given you great advice. It really is too soon to try and train. It will not build trust any sooner, it will probably do the opposite. Just give him time to settle in, talk to him, encourage himi, praise him, give him treats. I agree with having him vet checked. I WOULD not clip his wings, it can be very stressful if he is used to flying. He won't hurt himself, greys are very skilled fliers. I would have his nails and beak checked. You will have to gradually change his diet, there is way too much sugar in fruits, you should try some cooked veggies, it can take time before he will try them, but eventually he will. My amazon does not like my hands in her cage, since it is her place, I respect that and don't try. She will allow me to put her back, but I allow her to get out, it keeps her happy! You should be able to ask your bird to step up, and when he does, praise him. Don't go overboard. In time when he is settled in, he will want to please you. Remember, this bird has NO idea, who you are, how kind and loving you can be, if this is a safe place or a scary one, nor does he even have a clue that this is HIS new home, his forever home, or if he will be hurt or abused, or loved and adored forever. He will learn these things over time with patience from you, but it will take time, slowly he will understand, but it has to be in his own time, not pushed on him. Sounds like you only want the best for him, and he will learn that, and where does, it will be well worth it to you!

First off, welcome to the forum and kudos to you for rescuing this neglected grey. Seems like you have made incredible strides in a tiny amount of time. Usually it takes time for your bird to adjust to his new surroundings, people, etc. your ay find that he is still in a culture shock, and will start to try you a bit more as he feels more comfortable in his new home. I must say that making your bird step up for an hour, or 30 times is way too excessive for any bird. Usually we spend a few minutes and reading their body language, we let them have a break from such intensive training. You have a lifetime with this bird. My suggestion into take your time, allow him to acclimate on his own time and terms before you start " training". Don't ever force your bird to do something by working thru his screaming! If he has reached the point of a scream, whatever you are doing needs to stop I immediately! Your bird will never trust you or bond with you if you persist in this manner with him. Please read thru the various thread here to learn the importance of bonding and trust before training. Many of us don't find a need to train our birds, they will do what we want out of trust and love.

Hmmmm......I'm going to have to give this some thought regarding Nilah. What a wonderful idea for a thread in our treasured amazon room!!!!!