tommiekris

I think I am going to increase my intake as my eyes are starting to feel their age!! What a wealth of information!!! As for Onyeka, he seems to love cooked sweet potato and acorn squash with cinnamon, now I can offer weekly varieties!!! This is exactly what I had hoped for with this thread! Thank you very much for your research!!

This week Onyeka is trying his voice a bit more with a few whistles, his growler voice, and baby honks. No loud stuff yet. He has also started hanging upside down to give his wings a workout. He also likes to show me how well he can flap each time I bring him out of the cage. He just holds on to my hand and hits the afterburners. More wood toy dismantling and sampling foods. He seems okay with sink showers and just loves his head scratches. He is an amazing baby, huge!

Great information! I like to cook with turmeric, cumin, paprika, peppers, ginger ect...good that there are some health benefits too.

I would say that you could babysit Onyeka for a weekend but my inner Golem kicks in and I realize they would have to put me in the nervous hospital if I had to go without my precious for that long.

Starting this post to get some thoughts/information on spices and herbs (not the smoking kind). As a former Chef I know that these are used for all kinds of purpose. Spice, in culinary world typically refers to the seed/fruit or root of a plant while herb is the leaf/flower of the plant. For example Coriander the spice is the seed from the coriander plant which is also where we get Cilantro (leaf/stem). The Dill plant is another example. Anyway, my general question centers around use, are there any favorites, are there any health benefits or do the birds even care? Thanks!!

I'm gonna try some squash/sweet potato mash maybe with banana. I think I will experiment slowly offering each separately and then start to combine ratios. Sounds fun anyway. I read somewhere (can't remember if it was here or somewhere else on the interweb) about sprinkling cinnamon on sweet potatoes or winetr squash. Is there any health risk or benefit to this? I know this is a veggie thread so I may start another on spice/herbs to get some thoughts there. Thanks!!!

BlackOpal, I hope your still with us! As a new Grey parront/servant/student/ myself, I know what a resource this forum is and the amount of knowledge found here is priceless. More info. here than at any university. I look forward to Chicken's contributions.

Thanks, I couldn't be happier or more relieved so glad Onyeka was raised by experts through weaning. He seems to be very willing to bond. More stories on the way!!

I'll try grilling some zucchini and peppers soon and see how he takes to it. Thanks for the tip! Onyeka does usually try most veggies I've offered, he likes corn, carrots and green beans, loves banana and apple chunks, & seems willing to at least try anything as long as I try it too. Yes, he usually waits till I've "tested" it first He's only been with us just over a week and has me trained. I don't know if that means I'm a good student or he is a good teacher. Probably the latter.

Nice! I love that she skypes! Yes, the kids are getting to know each other, in fact Onyeka allowed Gracie the cat to wave her tail in his face without much fanfare while he was sitting on my lap. Close supervision of course. Onyeka is making more gurgle sounds this week and last night melted my heart to a puddle when he stretched out his neck across the palm of my hand & rested his beak on my finger. There was no tension in his neck he just allowed himself to be vulnerable and then took a nap. Two nights ago he was sitting on my lap (on the floor) started to doze off and gently tumbled into a somersault, ended on his back and stayed there looking at me as if to say "I meant to do that".

BlackOpal, you still out there? I hope so, please keep us updated on your crew!

Exciting! Zoe looks super intelligent. Great pictures, beautiful.

Onyeka throws his veggies to the dog who eats them. He wouldn't touch them otherwise but for some reason thinks it's manna from heaven if Onyeka tosses it.

Chicken from Turkey! Did anyone else catch that? Love it!!! Blackopal, so excited for you! We can't wait hear your stories about Chicken! I for one would love to see a pic of the crew including Shelly. I imagine you have access to some amazing food items in Turkey? Fresh markets, wonderful sights and sounds? I dream of experiencing the culture & environment there!! You have some great adventure awaiting you, Chicken, Shelly,Heidi, and the rest of the band. Have you seen these: http://www.celltei.com/pakobird.html? I may invest in one as it would be awesome to bring Onyeka wherever I go. I thought of you with Chicken and the beautiful area you live in. The turquoise coast, spice, fruit and nuts in the markets, the beautiful skylines, amazing music and art. I am thrilled that you chose a grey to share that with! As for toy advice, I wonder if you can cruise the open markets looking for nuts, fabrics, materials, woods, and other natural products to fabricate into toys. Just keep in mind if you use metal that st. steel is a safe bet. You might be able to create some very cool Grey gadgets out of natural products some of us would really be interested in!! I'm sure if you have any questions on what is safe and what is not, you can find the answer among these folks. Ideas too. Lets us know what you have access to!! Can't wait for Chicken to get his butt home with you!!!

Yes it seems all of my furry & feathered kids are quite spoiled. You should see my pug. He looks like a barrel with a face. He wanted to get a close sniff of Onyeka last night and got a close up of his beak! Pugs snort and sniff everything with their face planted against whatever they sniff. They can be intrusive, at least mine can. Onyeka didn't bit or nip, instead just displayed his quickness and his beak as if to say "I don't particularly enjoy pug breath". Gracie our cat, is from the no kill shelter where she had been her entire two year life living in a small cage. She is now the queen of the universe who "graces" us with her presence as she chooses, dictating which window blind she wants raised to peer from. Gibby the green cheek conure likes to take a random chunk of my finger as a flesh sacrifice from time to time and frequently demonstrates her beaky proficiency on small carrots which are suspiciously finger sized. Spanky (pug) is in his old age and we had just lost our boxer in November. I'm guessing the flock will see some loss and gain over the years but one thing is certain, no matter what role they fill they will always be monarchs with special powers of rendering their adult humans into nurturing servants.

The cargo net is from http://www.aronico.com/ I have it attached near ceiling on one end with wall anchors and the other end attached to his play stand. The play stand is on casters so it is mobile. With this configuration I can wheel the stand out a few feet from the wall to extend the net and when not in use push it back snug against the wall (so the net lies flat against the wall). This way it doesn't take up too much space when not in use. The stand is the key and I ordered a heavy manzanita stand pre-constructed in a kit. The stand was the largest expense aside from the cage but should last a good many years. I am recovering financially from the process but well worth the temporary budget hit. I am in my 40's and have wanted a grey for 20 years or more so I expected to devote financially to the endeavor. Onyeka is a bit spoiled I admit but the joy I receive in his companionship cannot be measured. I think of his welfare as a priority and the return is in the blessing I get with each interaction.

I decided to move here to the Nursery room to post updates. Onyeka has been home just over a week and he has been settling in wonderfully. He seems very attached to me and loves to spend time exploring. He enjoys head and neck attention and would sit for hours with beak gently resting on a finger while receiving this attention if I let him. Eating everything, loves to chew, loves his toys. Most of his verbalization is still baby noise but within last day or so has been experimenting with low gravel voice. He has improved his balance and not nearly as clumsy. He can even fly from my arm to his play stand from several feet away where his afternoon fruit treat awaits. He really likes to be in the action and I'm considering a pac o bird from celltei. We are still in the honeymoon phase but I am very happy with how he is willing to form our relationship. He calls (whistles) when ever I leave the room and I make sure to call back. He has learned how to untie simple knots (from leather strips) and disassembles his toys in this way. Likes to chew on his wood toys and is beaky beakster with everything exploring textures, tastes, and whatever he can. I will have a close eye on this little adventurer.

Thank you all!! I look forward to learning as I read through the forums and will be sure to post updates in the Nursery room!

He is not shy off the camera!! Im sure he is "recording" the "click" of the shutter!!!!

glamour shots!!!

he agrees!!!

Great suggestion!!!! old towels at thr ready!!

He has been exploring this morning, he has "inspected" all the toys and favors the rope perch. He is still getting used to the height of the cage but seems comfortable and preens. i can tell hes tired. we'll have a relaxed day maybe Gibby the conure will do some training sessions with me while Onyeka warches from his palace.

He got in late last night so we got him to his cage to rest. He decided exploring was more fun. He is huge and such a tiny baby all at the same time. Not frightened or shy, he wants to be near me honking like a canadian goose. He is georgeous, light silver, clumbsy, observant, and cautious whike also bold and strong!!