judygram

I think Issac will always be your baby and rightly so, he sounds like an absolute delight to have around and he loves to please you as much as you love to please him. He is one special bird in my opinion and I know he is the light of your life, you both have each other figured out and don't you love it when a plan comes together. Love that Issac.

No I have not heard that one but when you first bring home a young grey you do need to place the perches down lower and pad the cage bottom to cushion any falls for baby greys tend to be a little clumsy until they get more adept at climbing and perching so maybe that is basically what the pet doctor is saying.

Hello Imayes69 and welcome to our family, glad to hear you did your research before plunging into grey ownership, everyone who wants one should be as thorough as you have been. Also glad to hear that your breeder will not sell unweaned babies for we have heard of many who do not, so many are just interested in the money aspect of the business and not the bird's welfare. You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so do read thru them for firsthand experience and ask any questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

Give him time Janet, I know you have had him for a while, this is a challenge but one well worth it when it happens, Louie wants it and you want it, he just needs more time to convince him you are trustworthy, he looks nice there on that perch.

Hello Jaquiscorpio and welcome to our family, Shelly is right as once you join you are a part of our family and will be treated as such. I can imagine that if your grey was a wild caught one then he does have some issues that most of us have not had to deal with as our birds for the most part are hand raised greys. But as you have found out time and patience is what will work the best as they are not an easy bird to win over and their trust has to be earned. You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so do read thru them at your leisure and ask those questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. We love pictures here so if you have some of Sidney you would share with us that would be great.

Please ask all the questions you want, we really do not mind. They are not going to get any benefit from the sunlight coming thru the windows because the glass filters out the UV rays they benefit from. Since you live in a basement apartment you would be wise to invest in one of those UV full spectrum lights to hang over the cage that will give the grey the benefit of sunlight. You can check with online bird sites or google it to find what you need, one such site is www.drsfostersmith.com

Thats a pretty good size cage at 3 x 3 feet, plenty of space to flap wings and exercise and if you can get it cheaper elsewhere then thats great, playtops are great cages.

posted Shanlung I think it is and I guess Josey will never experience sushi since I never eat it but she does get cooked fish.

Michelle, there is two reasons, one I don't give her an entire boiled egg when she gets it and second I think she will ingest more of the shell in the scrambled since it is crushed, I usually only give her a half of an egg at a time. I guess you could leave the shell on a boiled egg if you like but I am in the habit of always peeling them right after they cool off enough to handle.

You could buy two cages but make one a size smaller so they would still match or get them in different colors so they know which one is theirs. They do have a long lifespan so it would be like having a child that would forever remain a child and in your case I suspect a very spoiled one.

Read thru this thread on body language as it will help you to identify what the bird is telling you: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen Yes you need to work on training him to step up and I would do that several times a day for a few minutes each time and preferably in another room away from his cage as they seem to do better with it. I believe there is a thread in the Training room on teaching the step up command.

We used to have problems with ants but we have an exterminator that comes and treats the outside of the house and no more problems but if you place the traps where your birds can't get to them then it should be fine to use them.

Thats right, not all greys are cuddly and some that are cuddly when babies grow out of that stage as they become more independent, you should be prepared to have a grey that does not cuddle and if they do then count yourself truly blessed. Thats funny about the slice of pizza but whats is yours is his too, if he sees you eating something he wants to share it with you, just like a child that sees you doing something and they want to join in, you are part of the flock and the flock shares with one another so yes you will have to be more clever next time.

I tend to think it is a molt too but do you see any bare spots? If there are bare spots then she is plucking but if not it just may be a heavy molt. I would not move her cage out of the area she is now in, she needs to stay where the family spends the most time and the same room as the new grey, if you move her she may be very upset and they like to be where the action is. It is almost impossible to put her where the other grey cannot hear her, even upstairs. If you have any concerns or are worried about the feathers just give your avain vet a call and find out, he/she may want to see her but it could relieve your concerns. Now that I have seen the pictures you shared it does look less like a molt as she looks like it is down to the downy feathers on the chest, give your vet a call is my opinion.

I agree to enjoy it while you can for lots of them grow out of that cuddly stage when they mature and get more independent, like our human children they enjoy hugs and kisses when they are little but let them grow into teenagers and mom please no demonstrations of affection in front of anyone! That video is adorable and she is eating that up big time, thanks for sharing it with us.

LOL, as a general rule they are one of the quieter parrots but there are always exceptions to the rule, enjoy his vocalizations. Yes right now he is ok in his present cage but you should upgrade him to a larger one after he settles in and feels comfortable, they do need room to open up their wings and flap without touching the sides of the cage, we all feel the bigger the better if you have the room and can afford it.

Poor dear, that happens and sometimes its toes but it shouldn't affect her in the long run, just longer for the feathers to come in versus the other two in the clutch. That breeder camera came in very handy then to rescue her before mama had the chance to do serious damage.

Ignoring it is about the only thing you can do for any kind of reaction even looking in his direction will only encourage him and he may be reacting to your commenting to one another so you may have to be more subtle about it.

Usually pet greys will not breed even if they seem to get along beautifully, people who breed greys keep them separate and they do not have much human contact, they like their privacy and they have to have certain conditions to do that. So if you get a female and you already have a male they won't ever breed, hopefully they will get along together and there is the possibility the female will eventually lay an egg but it will be infertile. Wow what adorable baby greys, makes me want to just grab them up and give them a soft squeeze, thanks for sharing the pic.

Hello Nita and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us. I am sorry to hear you are having troubles with Mojo and he is upset his favorite person has moved out but he requires some attention every day and if he doesn't get it then he gets upset. It sounds like he needs some time out in his cage when he gets nippy and you will have to teach him its not acceptable to bite just because he is angry but he is not mean, he just doesn't understand why his favorite moved out and now there is this other human vying for your attention. We have some members here who have dealt with similar situations so maybe some of them will give you some answers that will help you to keep Mojo or at least try before you go the route of rehoming him.

I have to ask what kind of reaction does he get when he makes the chirp sound? Whether its an annoyance or whatever reaction he is getting from you could be serving to make him continue the behavior for you know how they like drama, even negative reactions are attention getters so the best advice is to ignore it. As far as the bowl, you know they don't like any kind of change and a different bowl can be very unnerving for them so no wonder he stayed away, he was afraid that foreign object was going to swallow him up, you would be surprised what can upset the apple cart when the slightest change is observed by them and they don't miss much.

I doubt they will get along so well that they bond with each other, its more likely they won't get along at all or maybe just tolerate each other, more than not its clutch mates that will be best friends. They need separate cages and to be introduced slowly for you know grey's take slowly to any kind of change, the important thing is Georgie needs to remain No 1 bird since he was there first, first fed, first let out of the cage, first spoken to and so forth and so on. He will feel threatened if you do not acknowledge his presence first and will prevent problems from developing when you have more than one grey. BTW, congrats on adding a second grey to your household and I can't wait to see some pictures of the new addition.

Hello Eshana and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you want to get yourself a grey. You have come to the right place to find out all you can before you make the final plunge as you will find first hand experience here with like grey owners and many of us have more than one bird, even more than one grey. You are wise to learn all you can because owning a grey is different from a cockatiel, make sure it is the right decision for you for this will be a forever committment for we do not like people who jump into getting a grey only to find out it is not the right bird for them, so many birds wind up in rehome and rescue situations because too many people jump right in then ask questions later. My grey is bonded to me but she tolerates my hubby, more so now than she used to and he has had to take care of her for a week when I went on a trip so it works for us, he cannot handle her like I can but she will give him kisses when it suits her. I doubt Shelby will get along with a grey, I have 3 birds, a grey, a sun conure and a cockatiel and they do not get along but co exist in the same room in separate cages, they are company for each other when we are gone but they have to be kept separate when they are out of their cage. Lots of times a grey will not get along with another grey but if they do then count yourself blessed. I would check ebay for cages as some of the members here have purchased new cages for less than on some cage sites on the internet. Please keep us informed and do your research so you will not be disappointed.

Hello Quinton and welcome to our family, yes greys are very different from other birds as you have found out. They tend to be quieter than other birds, they take to new things slowly and can get stressed out more easily than other birds but they are an awesome bird as you will find out. They can be nippy at times but I think right now he is testing the waters so to speak to see what he can get away with but with proper training you can nip that in the bud but any bird will bite from time to time. He should have several toys in his cage at all times and extras you can rotate out on a regular basis to keep him busy and occupied because it keeps them out of trouble that way. You have to realize this is just the beginning as you have only had him for 4 days and it takes time to build a relationship with a grey, their trust has to be earned and it can take some time especially with a bird somewhat older than a just weaned baby although Quinton is still a baby at 1 year of age. You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so do read thru them and ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. Now all we need is some pictures of Quinton as we love to admire each other's birds.

When your grey flies to your head put your arms up to deflect him away, if you continue to do this he will eventually get the message and stop.