danmcq

Just introduce them slowly and calmly. First get your baby grey home and settled into his cage, which will be a huge change for him to begin with. Have the other pets in a room or outside. Once your all settled in, bring them in probably on a leash so you control the speed an how close you let them come to the cage. The first thing your grey needs to see is there are other house occupants and what these odd creatures like look. Keep the dogs far enough away so that if they tried, they could not jump on or paw the cage. The cat, well your going to have to watch that closely to ensure it does not get on the cage and try to claw your bird. How this introduction and future interactions between all is unpredictable until the first meet and then figuring out a plan to keep all in harmony with no one getting hurt. The first meeting if kept smooth and comfortable will break the ice. The most important thing to do is ensure that it is calm and not threatening that would send you baby into a flapping screaming flight for life. They don't forget such events and it would make getting any type of working relationship between them much harder.

DNA is the only way to truly sex a grey.

His speech is clear and sound effects are awesome. I totally loved the video and update on Issac. He is such a wonderful energetic guy with a ton of personality. One thing though, I don't know about you, but I can only handle all that from just one grey. Thanks for sharing this.

Welocome and thats wonderful!!! Just maybe he is warming up to you enough that soon you will be able to let him out. That would be wonderful. :-)

As others suggested, I would go visit the grey that i sonly 45 minutes away and see if you two are a match or not. You could do this on a weekday and just visiting is not a commitment on either parties part unless your both compfrtable with each other. The 3 hour trip will probably be a weekend trip.

How wonderful that you brought these breeding greys into your home. If they are a breeding pair, they will not be interested in developing a relationship with humans at all for the most part. They of course can and will still learn words if they wish. I would be great to see photos and hear more about them as time progresses.

You recieved great advice from all. It's good to hear you thought about the pros and cons and decided to just let Sam settle in a little more before condsidering adding another grey to the mix.

Welcome Kelley and Flock! There is a ton of information in each of the respective rooms for each topic. It's always wonderful to hear of a grey in need of a new home finding one such as yours. The photo you provided of him shows a very healthy and happy Grey.

Wow, thanks for the very enjoyable read about Marcus and his flourishing under your loving care!!! A couple of comments: ** I believe he is wanting to beat our dog up and is in training using the bell as a punching bag!! ** His comments and reactions while watching TV indicate a very deep understanding, cognitive ability and use of the human language, right on!!! ** The model rival method seemed to work well for Dr. Pepperberg and Alex, as her book clearly describes in an intense learning session where abstract concepts such as learning ABC's. ** learning your names, address etc. is a great thing to teach. I have no doubt based on his cognitive abilities that he will pick it up quickly. ** I love the fact that it worried him that he may be "left behind"" while your were trying teach your names. Poor guy, there is no doubt he never wants to be separated from you.

The only problem with with the chip implants, is 99 percent of people who find any kind of pet do not take them to a vet or shelter to have them scanned. Some will post an add in the Lost/Found section of the news paper, post it online such as craigs list etc. The main purpose of chipping is and always has been for the spca's and animal controls to be able to scan and find the original owner should the dog or cat run away and be found/taken to the shelter.

I purchase the mini pumpkins, scrub them good and let dayo and jake just go to town on them. Raw pumpkins are fine. Also, both LOVE pumpkin pie!

Unfortunately, if Brad is his "Favored" person, there is nothing you can do to stop the contact calls when Ruby wants to be with him. This is natural for all parrots to "Contact Call". You cannot stop Brad and Ruby from interacting unless you leave Ruby for example in your bedroom and never let her see or hear Brad. Of course this would be cruel to Ruby because they need to be where the "Flock" is during the waking hours when home. This is a tough one and you are all going to need to just sit down and talk this out together as a family to come up with the best workable solution for all, which of course includes Ruby's well being as well when discussing the various possible solutions or meeting half way.

I know what you mean Janet, but really it is not that Ana Grey wants to escape outside for her freedom. It is to go where you do. The issue with birds flying away from open doors is because they are aiming for the shoulder to go with you, but many times due to the door and quicks movements as we go out trying to ensure they do not get out causes them to miss the shoulder landing spot. Then as they fly past, nothing is familiar and is scary to them.. not perch or tree stand to fly to, scary things they have never seen everywhere and thus they fly and fly. Ana Grey is waiting by the door for you, because she expects you to return the same way you went out. Dayo and Jake both do this when one of us go outside or into the garage as well. In fact, just 2 days ago Jake was on my wifes shoulder and she walked out through the patio sliding door and I was out there sitting and enjoy the view and as I looked at her when she came out, I FREAKED, but did not show it because I didn't want to do anything that would alarm Jake. So I just said to my wife, "Jake is on your shoulder, turn slowly and open the door and go back in". As I watched Jake, his focus was on being with her where ever she went, not to escape but to be with her. He was more than happy to go back in with her. I personally believe no bird wishes to escape and be free, unless they were wild caught. Birds hatched and raised by humans view us as the flock and naturally want to go where ever the flock does (Us). They do not understand why they are not allowed "out" where we go. They will never give up trying to go with us and Dayo actually begs to go with us. He will lift his foot standing in the window looking at us and say "Want to go outside" and he does not mean in his cage, he wants to be with us. Anyway, this got much longer than I intended, sorry. In regards bands and identification, that is a big issue if there is no band, but as Jane suggested, an us us could tell them the phrases, sounds and whistles our bird makes. Micro chipping is certainly the most fool proof way if the bird is found and taken to a vet or shelter where they have a scanner capable of reading that particular chip type, which most are now "Standardized".

Dayo will still do it to this day, mainly with my wife. When he was from 6 weeks to about 6 or seven months old, he would do it very often. After that it has become on the the rare occasion when he is chilling with my wife on her lap.

I would definitely get that Tiel to a vet asap.

Awwww, love baby photos. Yes, that is the "Got Gurge?" greeting.

It's great hearing from you again! Thanks for the photos and update on the flock, they all l ook wonderful and happy. Please come back more often.

Dave said it all and the others al gave great comments as well. Those baby talons are sharp as a razor until they starting and exploring as others said. Also, welcome, it's grey having you and your new baby grey here.

I believe it has everything to do with their natural wild instincts. They pay very close attention to the tone of voice we use on each word. I thought it was just me going mad, but I say "I hear you" like you would to a young child in various tones when he contact calls for me when I am in another room. Many times when he hears me, he will whistle the exact notes I use when saying that phrase and of course he will say "I hear You" at times as well. Tone and rhythm are key to many things in their world. This phrase is not the only phrase he will whistle back, as well as speaks at different times. Small tonal nuances mean very different things in "Parrotese".

Thanks for sharing Rosa's comments on going for a walk. Aren't they just amazing?

Yes, they will drop down feathers quite frequently as they preen. Your grey hole under his beak is normal.

Oh She is beautiful and looks fit as a fiddle. Congrats Paul!!! Thanks for sharing all these photos. It looks like a match made in heaven.

Dayo likes pretty much all types of music. He responds most physically to music with strong drum beats by dancing, bobbing his head and beat boxing to it. To more instrumental music, he will normally start weaving side to side and/or whistling along to it. There is no doubt, they love music.

YES!!!! It is important that they understand their attempt at communication was received and understood. It reinforces them to endeavor at understanding and communicating as much as those sponges we call brains can absorb. It will start developing exponentially after a while and the will even start making up their own phrases with words they have learned. It is both hilarious at times and awe inspiring at times. Actually, it sends chills down my spine considering just how deep their understanding goes, whether they ever speak a word or not...... THEY KNOW!!

Your right, just an old wives tale. I whistled tunes like mayberry rfd, Popeye the sailor etc. from the day Dayo came home at 16 weeks old. He has a full compliment of whistles and a present word vocabulary approaching 500. He makes up his own whistle tunes now and I always tell him "Good Whistle", when he gives us a long melody and he basks in the praise. So WHISTLE ON!!!!