judygram

I look forward to seeing some more pictures of Murphy when you get him home Thursday.

Well hello Mango, she is getting prettier every day, can't wait until she is fully feathered, she is a lovely little thing, thanks for sharing her with us.

Yes we do have members here who have more than one grey and some of them get along with each other and some don't. Do plan on having a separate cage for each bird and slowly introduce them after they have had time to get used to having the other one around, I would plan on keeping them in their separate cages when caged for they each need their own space to call their own.

I don't know anything about Senegals except they seem to have evil looking eyes, at least the ones I have seen have them. I would be leary of that bird in the pic myself. Sunny never gives a warning, no puffing up or anything, she just grabs ahold of my skin and bites down hard.

I think you are right Caitlin, kittens need their mommy to lick their bottoms to encourage them to eliminate but a warm washcloth will suffice.

Well now here is a club I can join as Josey has never bitten me, she does gently nudge or beak me sometimes but as far as a true bite, never. I don't know that I am doing anything special, I think it has mostly to do with her disposition, I got lucky when I got her, some greys are quick to bite and some aren't. She has her ways of telling me she doesn't like something I am doing with or to her and I respect her body language but she is fairly easygoing. I truly don't know what a grey bite feels like but I am willing to take other's word for it. Now my sun conure can and does bite me sometimes as she can be nippy and she has a quick temper but she has never broken flesh or brought blood.

She might Pat but I really don't know that much about the interaction of two greys but it would seem like it is going on right now if Tyco is helping Adaya with climbing around. You hear so much about two greys that are not clutch mates not getting along too good but so far your two are, you may have one of the exceptions to the rule.

Sell the snakes for a grey, greyt swap, works for me.

Thanks so much Dave for a well thought out post and I can surmise it in a few words, WE create the problems with these birds, at least those of us who don't really understand what we are dealing with when we get one, I know a lot more now than I ever did but I may never know as much as Dave does but he is so willing to share his knowledge and I am akin to a sponge, I am going to soak it all up.

Oh Spock you are so bad, you will have to poop on Rollo again tomorrow and see if he wakes up then, he is being a party pooper. Another tip, instead of tipping over the cereal boxes try chewing thru them for the yummies inside, that will really freak Maggie and Jay out. :whistle: B) :laugh:

Your baby is very cute and adorable, but then I haven't seen too many that weren't, thanks for sharing that with us and now that you know how, may we see more when you have them.

I believe you can cut them with a hacksaw blade, my hubby made a pvc playstand for Josey but he took it to work and cut the pieces on something there, maybe some kind of laser cutter or depending on where you live the place that you go to to get the pvc pipe will cut it the lengths you need. Don't worry about asking potentially stupid questions, we have all been there and done that.

That will take a while as the flight feathers do not molt out at the same time, it could be a year before he has all his flights to be able to fly. You do have to take precautions to keep a flighted bird safe but you may see a dramatic difference when your bird is able to soar thru the house.

Congrats Janet, I only have 1 grandson and 2 granddaughters, no more for me, thats it.

Thats great Brittany, why don't you try saying bye in a quiet voice, very softly and maybe instead of yelling bye Gizmo will say it softly like he hears it, give it a try and see what happens.

Yes but leave his door open so he can come out if he wishes, he will probably want to be around you if you are the only one at home. You can also put a couple of toys, maybe a foot toy or two on the outside to entice him to come out on his own and do look thru the bird toys and playstand room for some ideas and suggestions for foraging toys to keep him busy, they usually like things they can destroy or chew up. He is starting to relax some now if he is saying more words, I can imagine you will hear lots more in the coming days and weeks.

You will, you just have to be patient and let it happen, greys are very cautious creatures, it takes them a while to get used to new and/or strange things but the rewards will be worth it. My Josey will be three years old later this month, I got her as a just weaned baby and she bonded to me fairly quickly and easily but we do have other members who have taken in older birds, even older than Sydney, many years older in fact, they will be on soon to give you some tips and advice to maybe help you to make this happen.

That is a myth as far as I am concerned that a rehomed or rescued grey will not bond with a new owner for we have seen it many times here on this forum. It just may take longer to accomplish is the only real difference. I agree with everything you said Stephanie, it all boils down to are you prepared to take on a baby or an adult grey that may or may not have baggage. There are wonderful companions out there looking for a new home that would make excellent pets but for someone who has some experience dealing with the possible issues that might come up. Baby parrots or greys need someone who knows what they require as far as food, cage, toys, vet bills and the time committments to keep them happy and healthy and there are people who should not get a bird, regardless of age or where it came from just because they are too ignorant of what they require. You have brought up some good points Stephanie and this was well thought out and well written, thank you for posting this and I look forward to hearing more thoughts on this subject.

Why don't you try just opening his door to his cage and allow him to come out on his own to the top of his cage and maybe he will step up for you then. He may be more receptive to stepping up from that point instead of right inside his cage door. Some greys get territorial about their cages and don't like anyone putting their hands inside to get them. As far as the shrieking is concerned you will have to ignore it or if he continues to do it you can turn your back on him, they don't like to be ignored. But I think them most important thing here is to try to establish trust with him for without it you will have a very difficult time like the previous owners did. Allow him time to settle in and get to know you better and you to get to know him and it will happen but you must be patient with him for you cannot rush it or force it.

Welcome Sydney, now that we know his name. I am familiar with the chicken clucking sound as I hear that a lot and of course they will mimic other sounds and he probably does talk but he has to be more comfortable in his surroundings to fully open up his vocabulary so look out for that in the coming days, weeks and months.

Hello Doubletefarm and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and this grey, btw what is his name? Thats great that you took in this grey but you do need to read and learn all you can about this magnificent creature so you do provide what he needs to be happy and healthy. This journey has only just started as you have had him for only two days, he needs time to settle in and feel comfortable before his true personality comes thru. I would imagine it was something the former owner did that make the grey react the way he did and they don't easily forget. You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so do read thru them at your leisure and do ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. We also have many knowledgeable members here who can give you some advice on working with him to get him to trust and bond with you, some of them will chime in with their ideas and suggestions. We love pictures here so if you have some of this grey you would share with us we would appreciate it very much.

I think he will love getting back outside but he may not like the aviator any better than the feather tether, they tend to not like anything on them but if they want to enjoy the outside then it is a must, thanks for sharing that with us.

Thanks Carol for that indepth information on the care and feeding of a python, I never knew it was as involved as that, they have special needs too then, definitely not for everyone and definitely not for me. Yes greys can be demanding creatures and have their needs but if you love them like your children, in other words they are part of the family, then caring and providing for them is not a chore, I only wish I had gotten me a grey much sooner so I would have more years to enjoy her.

Hello Cocorocks and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Coco. I hope the fact that greys are known for talking is not the main reason you got her for there will be some that never talk but at 14 weeks of age she is not really old enough to start. My Josey did not talk until she was a year of age, some talk at a few months old and some may take longer than a year. What if she never talks, will you love her just the same? You should be providing out of cage time now, she would enjoy some time spent with her flock and the amount depends on you but it should be for at least 3 to 4 hours daily. I wish you would reconsider wing clipping, I will include a link to a thread started recently about clipping versus not clipping and most of us here on this board do not clip our grey's wings, they are birds and birds are meant to fly but you as their caregiver have to provide for their safety in your home, which means you have to be on guard when she is out of her cage that doors and windows are not left open or she can escape and you might never see her again. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/134631-arguments-for-&-against-clipping.html#135057 There are things that you can put on windows, like static clings that will help to prevent her from flying to the window, just put them at random places and she will get the idea. Please read thru the many threads for lots of useful information and do not hesitate to ask questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. We love pictures here so if you have some of Coco you would share with us we would appreciate it very much.<br><br>Post edited by: judygram, at: 2009/05/03 15:29

I guess that wood just tastes better huh but you're right it can be replaced easily enough.