danmcq

Hahahahahahahahaha, perfect caption! Thanks for sharing this Ray.

It sounds like Sully's natural instincts kicked in and over time perhaps he had come to recognize the hawk cannot get to him. Dr. Pepperbergs "Alex", saw a hawk outside through the window, started stressing and immediately started telling her he wanted to "Go Back". Alex never wanted to return to home again after that on encounter. Each bird is different and perhaps the stress has subsided now. When we have Dayo outside, a hawk far off coming our way upsets him and I or kim go over and stand by his cage and console him letting him know we will not let anything happen to him. That happens regularly around here with a huge hawk population. If one flies from the other side of our house and suddenly appears overhead, Dayo's jumps straight to the bottom of his cage and hides.

LOL!!! Yeah, a Grey is nothing like a puppy dog B&G Baby Macaw. Believe me, I went though the same reaction from Dayo as you are experiencing. The first time I got it completely on him, after he sat there for all of 10 seconds the "What is this all over me" and the tumbling and biting of the harness began. I had to offer him a few peanuts to keep his beak busy while I tried to calm him and get his mind off off it, as I got it off quickly! Otherwise I would have been down at the hospital getting stitches.

Your on the right path in taking it slow, easy and using treats to make it a positive experience. It great that you backed up and researched before trying further harness introduction. If you have the Aviator, it includes a very good DVD that steps you through the process of introducing it to your bird and more importantly, getting them used to you lifting the wings and touching their body in other places. I am looking forward to your continued updating of this thread.

MMmmmmmm, Candy Corn!!! Thanks for the Tip Talon....Dayo. I like to try and sneak a peanut M&M when Dan and Kim are not close enough to stop me from the candy bowl. Now, I must go exploring the cabinets for candy corn........Thanks for the heads up on it.

Yes, it is fine, although I never use any picked up from the ground. I suppose if you washed them thoroughly they would be ok. I have several neighbors with queen palms and when the palm nuts riped I go around and ask them to cut me down a "Bunch" of them. Then wash them thoroughly in vinegar water, place them in freezer bags and thaw and keep in the fridge as they eat them.

GreYt update Dee! You will probably see those "Cirque de Soleil moves" once he has the room to perform.

Thanks for the additional photo and taking in greys in need of a good loving home.

The others gave good comments in regards the watery poop. Watch it and see how it goes for 24 hours and also the activity level. They do at times have watery poop. One note on it though, if it is just water content is high, but the poop in it is still formed like normal, it is not diarrhea. Diarrhea is indicated by the actual poop portion being non-formed.

A note on Garlic as others have stated. It is not something you want you bird to ever have more than a hint of in a cooked food dish and certainly not a raw clove. We had a member a few years ago whose grey ate a raw clove in it's entirety and he found the poor bird dead in his cage the next morning. He did take the grey to an avian vet for for a necropsy and it was determined the cause of death was from that raw Garlic clove. Be very careful of raw onions and potatoes as well.

I am going to approach this from owning a Grey since he was 6 weeks old and bringing him home at 15 weeks. If you are planning on adopting an older Grey, it all depends on his previous experience and what baggage he brings with him. You can count any of the below as pro's or cons based on what you expect and will put up with. They are highly intelligent and fast learners. Can learn step-up shortly and easily. Most already know it from the breeders. Start Harness training as early as possible, it will make things easier down the road. I am very glad I started him basically the week I brought him home They throw food. Up to age 6 months they are fairly compliant like a baby. They Poop wherever they are. They will bite, sometimes just pressure, sometimes a blood drawing bite. After 6 months they start realizing they have a will of their own and start trying to communicate it by refusing things like step-ups and do so mainly by body language They throw food. year one to two they continue testing and growing in the knowledge, training, vocalizations and speech. They poop wherever they are. Year two to three many just go nuts and try to rule the house. They throw food. Year 3 to 4 they start deciding they need to act like an adult member of the flock. They are becoming more independent to the point of not wanting cuddles too often if at all, less head scratches and are happy to perch themselves in a favorite spot in whatever room and just chill with the gang. They throw food and poop wherever they are, did I mention this previously. :p I taught my grey to turn the kitchen water off.... he graduated to turning it on as well and walking away, which then assured him I or my wife would come to turn it off as he refused and then he got what he wanted .... our closeness and attention. I honestly cannot think of anything I taught him, that I regret though. They are each individuals and have their own preferences and habits that come out as they age and mature.

Happy belated Hatchday Talon. I hope you got spoiled rotten, of course you are everyday anyway, but hey, maybe you got a little "Extra" of your favorite "Forbidden Fruit".

Thanks for clarifying that Paulie. I was scratching my head here at 5 am this morning trying to picture the last time I had (If ever) seen a pine tree in photos or videos of Africa. I must say though, Dayo loves Pine Nuts. I must drip the RPO on Dayos foods and or mix it in with veggies etc. He absolutely hates the taste straight from the container.

Great ideas on ways to get rid of those pesky devils.

It does appear to be Blue mutation. Beautiful TAG and welcome by the way! Thanks for posting the photo.

Wow, AWESOME Toy!!!! You are a true crafts person. I love the extended wing shot also. Happy is a beautiful Grey.

It took a little over a year for it to slowly drift down from the top to the bottom as his beak grew. Here is a photo I just cropped that was taken a year later than the previous photo. You can see it is now down near the tip. I cannot find any pictures I took after this that Dayo has the slight horn coloring in. I would "guesstimate" it was gone about 3 to 6 months after this photo.

HI Drew, It's great to see you have given this so much thought and developed a list of pros and cons. Most Greys will stay away from small children on their own. They do not like the speedy herky-jerky motions a child uses. The most dangerous place a severe bite may occur would be a young putting fingers into the cage. That is where training the young children that the bird is off-limits is crucial. They must learn how to interact properly with another type of pet, than a cat or dog. The 6.5 hours in the cage is no problem. Many greys spend 9 or 10 hours a day in the cage while the owners are working. They key to a happy grey, is plenty of toys they like and foraging items to keep them busy and challenged all day long while your gone. But, the grey you describe is older, has some plucking issues that need to be dealt with and perhaps you will not have the time and money to properly treat this grey in need which can become very expensive Avian Vet visit wise to just ensure a medical condition is not causing the plucking. Also, a grey that has been abused could be a challenge unless you have a lot of patience and time to spend in gaining their trust.

Jay - You are right. I did reference the wrong post, I am sorry. The post you did reference the dog treats in was the one I thought had been edited out, but it was not.

What a wonderful update and mental picture this visit to the vet gave me. I had a smile on my face the entire time I read it. I love this statement " Dr. Jason said, don't look backward, don't look forward, just keep doing exactly what we are doing and that is good enough for me." Perfect! Thanks for the continued updates on Kopi.

Welcome Tina! Thanks for joining to keep Boom in line. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

GreYt photos, very cute and she is beautiful. If she is anything like Dayo, that little squeak mechanism in the bottom will soon be removed.

Isn't it funny how they all have different color preferences? Dayo used to dislike bright red, now he is over that. Makes me wonder how he could stand his bright red tail or perhaps run circles trying to get away from it. Since he just distanced himself from that new perch, your fine and it will not be long before he will get on it for a treat.

When Dayo was that young, I remembered he too had a little discoloration like that as well around that age. I went back through my photo archives and found one to illustrate. It is normal in many greys to have this as they age from infant to 12 months old or so. I do not remember when it just slowly went away, but it did. Here is an upclose crop of the photo back when he was around 7 or 8 months old. You can see it coming in at the top. It slowly moved down as the beak grew over months and just vanished.

Barbara's methodology of introducing new and different colored perches is good. Most Greys are leery of even a new perch if it looks different. Especially an older bird. Just a little time and patience will resolve new items like that. One question, did Tesla Growl at it or screech at all when you first put it in? If so, you may need to move it out of the cage and attache it on the outside for a day or two for Tesla to get used to it at a little more of a distance. If the reaction was not as I described, then it won't be long before he walks right on to it to get the treats he loves so much.