judygram

What is perfectly acceptable for one person might offend someone else, that is what makes us all individuals so if the picture offends you then just don't look at it. I have had my birds in my plate but its not something I allow as a rule as I prefer they eat from their own container, you don't know where those feet have been or what they may have stepped into!

I haven't tried it but some say there is a peanut butter out there in the stores that has red palm oil in it, now that would be a smidgen better than regular peanut butter. Also about the steak, its best not to feed too much red meat to greys, better to make it chicken or turkey, it is better for them and us when you think of it but then I like a good steak.

Hello XxExoticPsychExX and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you have given an older grey a new forever home. It does take time and lots of patience to deal with an older rehome grey but he has come a long way since you first brought him into your home and who knows what more he will allow in the future. A grey will continue to enjoy clanging of a heavy duty bell and not just because he is mad at anything, most all greys love to bang around a bell, play fight with it, attack it like it was going to eat them, they love to hear it ring and make a lot of noise with it, it sort of gets some of that frustration out of their system. If you have any questions feel free to ask away and we will help you in any way we can but be sure to read thru as many of the threads as you can for lots of useful information from our many experienced members. I look forward to seeing some pictures of him. BTW, what is his name?

Thats exactly what Archie is doing in that video, he has his wings lowered and making panting sounds and yes they can regurgitate also when in this mood. As I have said before do not pet him down the back, under the wings or anywhere around the tail area, pretty much just the head and neck and when he starts doing this behavior just divert it elsewhere or try to interest him in a toy. You should just put him back on a playstand and walk away for a bit whenever he does this behavior for you do not want to encourage it for imagine how you would feel if your significient other got you all hot and bothered then stopped, it will only lead to frustration and then he may bite. That does look like a baldish patch on his wing, have you seen any feathers laying around that may have been chewed off?

I got my grey from a member of my bird club, she has experience handfeeding birds so she got me a baby grey and fed and weaned it for me. A bird club would be a great place to look for birds and where to get them for most of them participate in local bird fairs and shows.

Hello Jocelyn and welcome to our family, you are doing the right thing to research and read all you can before you make the final decision to get a grey. And what an adorable little critter in your avatar.

I like that "bearded" shot of her and nice playstand, very nice, thanks for sharing it with us Doug.

Either one of those cages look pretty good size so its up to you.

Hello BeeFernandez and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you want to add a grey to your family. You are doing the right thing to research and read all you can before you make the final plunge for you must know what you are getting yourself into and what to expect, I only wish every potential bird owner did the same and then we wouldn't have so many birds in need of new homes. You will learn a lot from reading thru the threads here and do not hesitate to ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

Hello Papaleka and welcome to our family, so glad you could give this bird a new forever home. I am afraid that some greys do pick a favorite person even though there are others in the household and it doesn't have to be the one who does all the feeding, cleaning and taking care of the needs of that bird and there is not a lot you can do about it but accept it. That deplorable that this grey was treated the way she was before she came to you and it will take a lot of time to get her to trust since she was abused. Since she has chosen your husband as her favorite he should not be petting her down the back, under the wings or anywhere around the tail area as those are the places that touching will arouse her sexually and you do not want to do that. Lowering her wings and panting is sexual arousal and he should divert her attention to a toy or just walk away from her for a bit until she calms down. When you are trying to interact with her don't force your affections on her, let her decide if she wants you closer, stay back a ways until she shows signs of acceptance and take your time, you don't want to rush things and since she is a mature bird it will take longer than if she were a baby grey. We have a thread on reading body language so be sure to read thru it thoroughly so you can see the signs and possibly avoid most bites. You might also have more luck interacting with her when he is not around for once the favored person enters the room all others are ignored. What is her name? If you have some pictures of her you would share with us we would love to see her.

I watched this last season and they are fascinating to observe their daily rituals especially after the eggs hatch and they bring food for them to eat, enjoy.

Thats exactly right Ray, thanks Jill for sharing that with us.

OMG Dee that was so funny and I would not have been able to control my laughter after that utterance of "Shee-iiiitt" gosh I can't wait to hear what else may escape his beak in the coming months. I love these updates Dee so keep em coming.

In my opinion it looks like some grape stain is on his feathers, how it got there well maybe he was eating one and he turned to tend to a itch or it was flung there but if he is eating and playing like his normal self then I doubt it is blood from an injury but do keep a sharp eye for a while. I personally would not be feeding too many grapes for they are full of sugar and not much else, there are far more healthy foods he could be eating, a grape is fine for a treat now and then but not a regular part of their diet.

Hello Pam and welcome to our family, I am assuming your name is Pam and I love your log in name, adorable. To answer your question, with some time he may come to allow some touching but a lot of us have greys who do not like to be touched very much, maybe some head scratches and neck scritches but all over petting is usually not allowed. Also as he is 6 years old he is mature and shouldn't be rubbed or stroked down the back, under the wings or anywhere near the tail area as it may cause sexual arousal and you do not want to do that. You have only had him for 3 days, not near enough time for him to become settled into his new home, greys take to change very slowly so you have to give them lots of time and be patient while they adjust but it sounds like you are doing just what is needed to make that happen. Let him be the one to initiate any interaction, don't push him for more than he is willing to give, he does not want you touching him right now so let him decide when he is ready, you have to build trust with him to bond and it must be earned so have patience and it will come if its going to. I commend you for adopting him and giving him a new forever home but just remember he may grieve for a while about his former owners but if you give him the chance he will come to love and trust you so take your time and let things fall into place. We always love seeing pictures here so if you have some of Skippy you would share with us we would love to see them.

I don't know what your breeder told you to feed him but try some warm oatmeal and feed it to him on a spoon, sort of like handfeeding, even my almost 6 year old Josey will go for some spoon fed oatmeal and it is how I get red palm oil into her.

Don't waste your money on that site.

Some scrambled egg several times a week is fine but not on a daily basis, do not give it to him every day even if he throws a hissy fit, continue to provide him with the foods he used to eat but maybe prepare them in a different way, for example if you were giving him cooked carrots try giving him raw, when he realizes he is not going to get the egg then he will eat what is there. Just because he wants it is no reason to continue to give it to him, he is having a little tantrum to get his way and it is up to you to not give in, would you give your human children everything they want just because they throw a fit.

Congrats on your new addition, your cousin is a wise woman for she knew where he/she will be taken good care of, thanks for sharing some pics with us.

Stay away from zinc as it is toxic to birds. http://www.avianweb.com/heavymetalpoisoningbirds.html

Its too soon for him to trust you, give him some time to get used to all new surroundings and then you will see more of his personality, remember trust has to be earned and time and patience will do it.

I agree Doug, Issac must be really relaxed when in the shower so make the most of it Stephen and keep the updates coming.

Bigger is always better but you do have to watch for the bar spacing for some of those huge cages are meant for macaws that have larger heads, you certainly don't want to get one that your baby will get his/her head thru and get stuck, that would be awful for them and you.

Well I guess you had one heck of a mess to clean up, bet raspberries and their juices were everywhere, you should have taken a pic to share with us, I would have paid to see that.

I know you were very happy to meet the breeder you are going to get your baby grey from and you got a good feel for her and her way of dealing with greys, I think that is awesome she harness trains her babies to flight suits, not every breeder goes the extra mile like that so sounds like she is dedicated to them. Baby birds do grow fast, you have to see them in the first few days or week or two to see them small, bet those she brought with her with a delight to see.