judygram

Your baby is special because it is yours but occasionally there is a white toenail just like sometimes some greys have some red feathers on them, I don't know what causes this but it serves as another identifying marker that your baby is yours, kind of like a "birthmark" as many of us have.

I remember that excitement of bringing a new baby grey home and trust me you will do fine, you have been reading and researching but everything will fall into place when that day comes. Just bring him/her home and put directly into the big cage and let him/her settle in, you can leave the door closed or open, just take your cue from the baby, he/she will probably check things out and stay inside or maybe venture out. If you want to use a separate sleep cage then that is fine, you will need the travel cage for vet visits or just to venture outside. Take it slow and easy when he/she comes home and begin the rest of your lives together.

At the time my baby was young enough to have the band put on I chose not to as sometimes it can be a source of irritation or they could possibly get it caught on something. It used to be a way to prove the bird was not a wild caught one but nowadays it is no longer needed for that. I have the band in my possession if ever it is needed. It is a personal decision so ask your breeder what they recommend doing.

I have never had any of my birds anesthetized before and this gives me something to think about if and when this ever becomes necessary, I never knew it was so thought provoking, thanks Dan for providing this for us.

I don't have any experience with Tags as I have a Cag but I just wanted to comment on your decision to get another grey, I think it is the best way to honor Xandir is to give that love to another grey whether it be a Tag or Cag, I look forward to hearing more about which one you end up with.

Ouch, yes that must have hurt and it will be sore for a few days, be sure to keep an eye on it for a while to make sure nothing further develops but he should be fine. No wonder he doesn't want to be touched right now, just like us sometimes when we hurt we don't want anyone fooling with us and you may think he no longer likes you but he will be back to his old self when the soreness goes away. Thats why I love the upper door of my grey's cage, it opens down so no chance the door will swing back and catch a leg, the main door stays shut. Not to worry he does not hate you, he just doesn't feel like getting scratches right now but soon he will, I promise.

There are a couple of websites you can look by state to find breeders in your area: http://www.avianweb.com/recommendedbreeders.htm http://birdbreeders.com/breedersinTX.aspx You can then check them out and also contact your local avian vets for recommendations.

What an adorable little baby grey, love those dark eyes they have and she looks like a real sweetheart. Congrats on the beginning of the rest of your life with an awesome creature and you have been rightfully admitted to the bird lover's club, we all have been initiated into that at one time or another, you just add that to your list of things you do before you leave the house, check for poop on clothing!

I've never known my tiel to have a night fright but its good to know what to do in case it ever does happen, thanks Ray.

Nice repast with the birds, they look happy and well fed, thanks for sharing that with us.

Hello Nikki and welcome to our family. We are so glad you could join us and I assume that is Tango in your avatar, yes it looks like he has a little bit of a plucking problem and you are so right to try to keep him busy to keep him distracted away from pulling out any more feathers. I would imagine you have had him checked out by your avian vet to rule out any physical reasons for the plucking so more than likely it has become a habit that is hard to break but providing him with plenty of things to chew and foraging opportunities may help. Please feel free to share more pictures of Tango as we love photos here.

Its nice to see they can play and have a good time while they are in close proximity to one another, thanks for sharing.

Hello Tracey and welcome to our family, you have quite a diversive "flock" of animals, more to take care of but more to love. I used to have finches, they are wonderful little birds and I loved to watch the male dance for the female during courtship. We have an other birds room where you can share some pictures of your flock.

Hello Birdistheword and welcome to our family, my you do have a big flock of parrots. I am sure they reward you greatly for all the time you spend taking care of their many needs and wants, I couldn't imagine myself with so many but I admire those who go for what they want, must never be a dull moment in your home. I would like to see some pictures of all your flock, we have an other birds room where you can put them.

I have a couple of those collapsable travel cages to transport my birds, my grey travels with me when I go visit my son and his family, it is a 4 hour drive one way and she does just fine, she plays and chats to herself. If you don't have anything but the dog crate right now it will suffice until you can get a proper travel cage which you should have in case she needs to go to the vet or just out and about. There are lots of threads in the bird food room where you will learn what to feed her but if she only wants the seed right now then just let her have it and you can slowly work on getting her on a better diet. Homemade toys and playstands has a lot of ideas to make your own toys from common things you find around most households so you do not have to spend so much on toys but it sounds like she is going to be one lucky grey.

Hello Teri and welcome to our family, so glad to hear you are going to give Virgil a new forever home. She might indeed remember you for they have good memories but when you get her let her take her time in settling in to her new home, don't rush her, just let her set the pace for what she will allow. She has spent a lot of her life with one person and she might even grieve for her past owner but you can help her get past that. A grey's trust has to be earned so let her get to feeling comfortable, allow her to come out of her cage on her own, you can ask her to step up but if she hesitates then back off and try again later. Since she is an older bird it will take longer for her to get used to you and as she opens up you will see she has some baggage from her former life, they usually do and she is set in her ways so certain things you may not be able to change but just accept her the way she is. Please read thru many of the threads here as you will learn a lot from the many members, firsthand experience is the best and you may find helpful answers to questions you didn't know to ask until you bring her home but do ask any questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can. When do you plan on getting her? Please share some pictures of Virgil when you get the chance to take some.

Yep those sounds are best described as Dan so eloquently puts it "Pterodactyl" screams and yes with practice you will be able to distinquish the difference between them, it is so amusing to hear them play that way.

Exactly, they can have the most fun with things that don't cost a cent, you had already consumed the contents and was going to throw it away but not before Misty has fun with it, you have a nice setup there looks like, thanks for sharing that with us.

Like Dan said it is perfectly fine and it has another added benefit of keeping them used to getting foods by a spoon that may come in handy one day if one gets sick and has to be administered meds that way.

Carrots are always good to have around and also get some leafy greens such as kale, mustard and collards, also the tops of beets are nutritious also, sweet potatoes is another good one to offer, some greys love those sugar snap peas, the ones you eat the shell, you can usually find small bags of some of these veggies you can get for your bird even if the rest of the family won't eat them.

They are back today to finish the job but Josey is going thru her morning chat right now, guess she feels more comfortable with just the hammering as they finish putting the shingles on. Yesterday it was louder with the scraping off of the old shingles and such, soon it will be over and I don't hear any of their sounds being repeated by her, just her regular ones, sorry folks.

I echo Dan's sentiment that this forum is a better place because of your presence, I always look forward to what you will come up with next as a topic either just to be making a statement or something for discussion, keep them rolling on Ray.

It was a match made in heaven thats for sure and I love hearing how Issac continues to amaze you with his grey ways, you are truly blessed Stephen.

You have definitely lucked out with them getting along but in my opinion each should have their own cage to call their home, when they are out and they want to be with one another in one of the cages that is something else but the day could come that one will be aggressive to the other for whatever reason and one or both could be physically harmed, I wouldn't want to take that chance.