Headhunt

Julia - thank you! Yes I do way too much cooking for them but it's okay for right now. I enjoy seeing what they like and feeding them. They are still so young (just over three months) so it's time to bond a little. Of course the bonding works better when Maggie isn't trying to eat my wedding rings. They are in a new cage and just figuring out how to climb the various limbs and branches to their food. Sorta cool to watch them figure it all out. Like when your baby is connecting dots from crawling to standing to walking. (Okay I have officially lost my mind.) I have to work now so I can keep these two living the life they have become accustomed to! An awesome day to all . . .

Okay - so I'll just see what they like. I am hoping they like garlic as we are big garlic fans here. Yes corriander and cilantro are from the same plant - I think cilantro is the leaf on the corriander plant. Jack and Maggie seem to like things served to them individually and are not so keen on stuff mixed together so my hope is that some spices will encourage them to eat period. This individual serving routine is a drag.

I am wonderng if I spice up their food, I can get these two to eat more of their veggie/rice/whatever else is in the fridge mix . . . what spices would you all recommend? I use cinnamon in the morning with their cream of wheat or oatmeal and they like that. How spicy can you go?? also a decent recipe for birdie bread??

Red eye gravy . . . haven't heard anyone talk about that stuff since I was a kid. Texan dad and West Texas barbecues with ribs, salad with red eye gravy, corn on the cob. Just made chili this weekend . . . grits . . .hmm. used to be that if you lived in NYC (or basically above the mason-dixon line) you couldn't find grits but that is not the case anymore. thank you again to everyone for your suggestions. Have a great monday!

Thank you all for your suggestions. Good question re: husband. Sadly there is a bit of a noah's ark phenomenon here but I've been with him 20 yrs so I must be okay with it (which really makes me pathetic). Have tried mixing food with these two but they haven't liked it so much - maybe I tried too much when they were too young. They didn't like birdie bread either . . . by the way another question . .. what should the consistency of birdie bread be? dry, more moist?? and what about banana bread that I make or pumpkin loaf? can they eat that or not?? The recipes I use are from scratch, low salt, etc. I don't use commercial, prepackaged stuff.

They are beyond messy . . . but like I said they seem pretty happy and well adjusted. Not very skittish, very curious about everything and love to get our of their cage and go exploring. And everyday they get a little more gorgeous. Feathers are coming in really nicely and I feel like I've been sucked into a grey vaccum when I talk about them like this. Very opinionated creatures that's for sure. Thank you for your reassurances. It means a lot to me. I was serious when I wrote that I didn't want to kill them (or keep wasting so much food - I cook more for them than my family now!)

I am feeding them ZuPreem fruit pellet and the Tropican maintenance but like I said they seem to eat it some days and not others. These two, Capt. Jack and Maggie Mae are going to be the death of me. It's like having babies all over again. Knew there was a reason I didn't have a third child!!! another question (sorry I don't know where to go) - water. If I give them little cups of water, it goes everywhere. I read in one place that bottles are HORRIBLE ... in another publication, it's ideal. :unsure: An aside, I find what is out there about African Greys, do and don't lists, etc. are sooooooo extreme and confusing. Very grateful for this forum (go google!!). Seems like a sensible place to start.

My husband brings home many things for me (and then goes off to his office) . . . two basset hounds, two cats, two children (i helped on those), orchids galore. Question if I don't give them oatmeal this evening for their handfeeding, what would be a good alternative? if i could have a rotation, then i wouldn't feel quite so overwhelmed lol.

New to forum and need advice . . . or at least some reassurance that I am not killing these two birds. Okay so hubby brings home two african greys on mother's day then about 52 days old. They were fine on handfeeding glop (yuck) for a bit but then seemed to be pretty keen on new stuff. So their routine now is: oatmeal in the morning with pumpkin puree or squash, maybe some steamed kale or spinach, slightly soaked pellets. I clean them up and put them back in medium sized cage with a piece or two of apple and some pellets with cheerios and maybe a piece of brocoli. By mid-day they are hungry again - today they got an egg with shell and a bit more oatmeal (they go nuts for it) with some mixed veggies and two grapes. Dinner will prob be something along lines of oatmeal, pellets, squash, couple of almonds chopped up . .. sound right? they also may get a few peas or lentils during the day . . . they also like quinoa and brown rice. I will also sprinkle wheat germ on their food occasionally. They still like to be handfed but then reject me outright and eat on their own. (fine by me) Finicky twosome - one day they will kill me for brocoli and the next they poop in it. :huh: they don't seem to eat a lot of the pellets and they won't eat the hand-feeding glop anymore . . . so my concern is that they aren't getting the right balance. don't have a scale but they are getting bigger by the hour it seems and they poop like crazy. Seem alert, content and all that good stuff. another query - how much are they supposed to eat more or less? I read stuff on the net and it goes on and on about 6 fruits/6 veggies, organic this, and so on but there's no minimum listed ... if anyone can let me know if I am at least in the right direction, that would be great. Thank you sooo much. Gwyn<br><br>Post edited by: Headhunt, at: 2007/06/14 19:12