danmcq

Dave always gives great and true comments from his decades of experience as a Grey breeder. I can comment a little on this in a little different perspective of watching clutches of Grey babies go from hand feeding to leaving to a new home with a new owner. Everyone of the Greys I have watched reach that weaned and leaving stage had a different personality. Some were cuddle muffins, some will sit on you and preen, but not so much touching and lastly some were stand-offish and did not show any desire to be stepped-up or handled other than by the breeders themselves and sometimes that was a challenge once they were 10 to 12 weeks old at times. Your new baby grey is still very much a baby, just not a cuddle muffin. It is going to need you to slow down to it's pace and respect it's space. It's is going to be a slower process with him becoming comfortable in the new home, cage, flock and maybe other critters in the home. Once the anxiety of all these new things reduces a bit. You will see him a little less anxious and more curious about getting closer and possibly some touching or stepping up interactions. I know most the stories everyone reads of people bringing home their cuddle muffin babies and thinks that is how they all are, but to be truthful, there are many with the same anxiety levels as yours and those new owners must deal with it in terms of love and patience in large quantities. Otherwise the baby ends up in a rescue in 12 months because the new owners say the bird was uncontrollable and a biter. This is probably true, but the reality is, they made the condition worse, by not respecting and working with him. They feed off of emotions and are very empathic. This is what they use to survive in the wild and it is still intact to it's fullest extent. Just give your new baby lots of time, space, patience and love. It will work wonders on how your new baby perceives his new world with you.

Perhaps the name of "Cowboy" would be fitting. He will be bow legged and have a "Can Do" attitude functioning just fine, due to his adapting to this as he grows. As others have said, he does not know he is "Different". Thanks for sharing what the vet diagnosed this as.

Thanks to everyone here for all the great thoughts and comments on this topic. I am personally of the opinion as others on choosing not to use such a body suit.

What a wonderful story and guide others can use to to make their bird feel like a bird and keep on building up those muscles so that when even the slightest bit more of lift is available, they can start using it to actually partially fly once again. Thanks for sharing this and congratulations!!!!!

Dayo has a rose with a hint of sugar snap pea, butter bean with fennel accents and of course a hint of cracked and red chili pepper aroma.

??? - What does the smells of the other forums have to do with our clean and fresh aloe scented greys here? I can only assume the other forum does not bathe often ?

Just a wild guess on the cage behavior when you put him back in, then try to take him out again.... He is pissed off! Dayo will act like that as well sometimes when we cage him for times like company came over for an hour or we leave for an hour or two in the middle of the day etc. Half the time he will only come out on his own. We know right away the minute we open the cage door and ask for a step-up. If that foot doesn't rise high in the sky, we just leave the door open and walk away askig him to come on. He will think it over a few minute period, then climb out on his own and then all is as if he was never caged. Maybe try doing the same with Murphy.

One of the realities of a grey as they grow older month by month and year by year, is the preference of one person normally being the cuddle muffin and the other has limited contact previleges. This is true in our house as well. I wanted Dayo and bought him. But, as he aged from month to month it became very apparent by 6 months old that my wife was his selected cuddle muffin. I took bites then and still do now at times, but once you learn all the body langauge and learn their sucker punch moves, like bend down for a scartch and then nail you when you try, you learn what you can and cannot do with them. If you significant other hates him, it is truly sad. Perhaps a limited expected frinedship can be continued. The only limiting factor to that, is if she is fearful of him, he can sense it. My grandchildren all fear Dayo due to the bite he COULD inflict, not that he actaully ever has. Guests that come over will interact with him if they feel comfortable to do so and those that fear a nip (never blood letting to them) just talk to him sweetly and interact with him from a distance. It is very rare for a Grey to be freindly like a puppy dog with everyone. It's is just not how they are wired in the wild intincts that still exist. They do not have one domesticated cell in their body. I truly hope your and your household can learn to interact with him on the levels he allows and come to enjoy it.

My Grey did the same thing the first 3 or 4 times I got the harness on him when he was between 20 to 25 weeks old. I gave him a shelled peanut to keep him and his beak busy while I removed the harness. The key is to calm yourself down and him down by using something they love so you can get it off without having a few fingers nipped off. If your get upset (Which I did the first time) their excitement heightens along with your s and you start feeding each others panic. I know one person that freaked out and cut the harness off!!! Stay calm, use your brain, speak calmly and give him something he loves to work on with his beak and mind,.

I am glad you all found this entertaining and also insightful in what a parrot, regardless of size, can do if they truly wish to attack someone. Since Teresa bought up "Kung Fu", perhaps they should rename that Sun Conure to "Grasshopper".

Looks like you had a wonderful trip Judy. The photos were beautiful, thanks for sharing them! How was Josey when you got home?

This Sun Conure is one spunky and protective little firecracker...... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312268/Beware-parrot-Feathered-hero-Jack-launches-savage-attack-scare-gang-thieves--saves-pet-pals.html

Good photo example of aerodynamic lift principles Jay! Thanks for posting it. I hope all with clipped birds see this and realize their bird can still fly when scared and the adrenalin kicks in or if a breeze kicks up. No one should take their bird outdoors with clipped, un-clipped wings without having a harness on.

Hi Ryan and thanks for the update. I am sorry to hear of your respiratory issues, but it sounds like you have it under control and are taking measures to minimize the dander you see flying off Paco when he shakes. A humidifier will also help to make the dander fall quicker to the floor if you keep the humidity up around 50 or 60 percent. The first years molt is the largest for all birds. They literally just about molt out every feather over the first year to year and a half. Azzie gave great advice on being aware of the dog due to possible instinct kicking in when something is flapping and moving.... BIG FUN to a dog to snap at. Thanks for this update!!!

I believe as the others state in regards people who have owned Greys or other Parrots for decades. They have had no reason to go to a forum and are probably later in years as well. The reason people go to the net on subjects is for instant access to answers to their questions. We have seen many members come as they acquired a new grey, then never post again after the received the help and support they needed. We usually never hear from them again until they need help with something else. I just wish they would pop in and say hi with at least an update every once in a while. We remember all who have crossed our paths and think about them now and then wondering how it's going. One thing that is true, I believe of all parrot owners, is that we are unique in the sense of just how much we cherish these sentient beings and enjoy sharing that love with others of our "Flock". Once a member of our Flock, you will always be remembered as one of us......

LOL, looks like your are going to have to place extra door locking devices to keep those two criminals locked up.

What a bittersweet update. The good news is presently he is in the best place to properly care for him as he receives the proper medicines to fight off that severe staph infection. I am so sorry it has turned out that he will no longer be able to be a part of your life. It is sweet in the sense that the vet is going to absorb the costs of care and once healed finding him a new home to care for him. I am so sorry it has turned out this way, but I have no doubt, Smokey continuing to live is more important than the loss you are now feeling. You have my utmost respect and admiration.

Dave is always spot on with his advise. Just to add additional information straight from a highly regarded Avian Vets mouth, that confirms Dave's comments, I offer the following quote: Dairy Products and Birds We always are receiving questions about dairy products and birds. What forms are acceptable to offer to pet birds? Which dairy items should not be offered and why? Because there are always on-going questions, we thought it was time to go over the dairy dos and don'ts! Birds are not mammals. While birds are warm-blooded animals, they hatch out of eggs. Pregnant female mammals provide nourishment to their young through the placenta. Once the infant mammals are born, the mother produces colostrum, which contains many antibodies and supplies the newborns with essential nutrients for the first few days of life. Next, the mother produces milk, which is a combination of water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and other components. Baby mammals receive their complete nourishment from mother's milk for variable periods of time after birth. Mammals have enzymes (lactase) specifically designed to digest lactose, or milk sugar. Birds, however, are a completely different story. Bird embryos are enclosed in an egg during incubation. This means that when the egg is laid, it must contain all the nutrients and fluids necessary to sustain the bird until it hatches. Once it hatches, the parent birds regurgitate foods that they have eaten to feed the chicks, as they do not produce milk. The food is stored in the crop, an out pouching of the esophagus. In some species of bird, such as the pigeon, the lining of the crop sloughs off, and is fed to the chicks. This is called crop milk, and which is a misnomer, as there are none of the components of mammalian milk as ingredients. Interestingly, both the male and female pigeon and dove produce crop milk. Like mammalian milk, crop milk is very rich in fat and protein, but unlike mammalian milk, it lacks carbohydrates and calcium. The chicks receive crop milk for the first few days after hatching, but later, they are fed increasing amounts of other types of food. Crop milk has no milk sugars in it whatsoever. It makes sense, then, that milk and products containing milk would be totally foreign food items to a bird that spends its time in the rainforests and jungles of the world. Birds eat seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, shoots, leaves, blossoms, nectar, flower petals and such. Nowhere in its natural environment would it ever be exposed to milk, cheese, yogurt or other products containing milk. It should also make sense that birds would not have developed the enzymes necessary to digest milk sugar, lactose. What happens if a bird ingests milk or products containing lactose, the milk sugar? Since it doesn't have the enzymes necessary to digest lactose, it will often pass through the bird's digestive tract unchanged. Because it is a foreign sugar, it may draw fluids into the intestinal tract, resulting in diarrhea, if ingested in large amounts. Small amounts of milk and products containing lactose are probably not harmful to most birds. Some milk products do not contain lactose, such as cottage cheese and other types of cheese. Generally, it is thought that it is safe to offer yogurt and cheese, although products that contain lactose are probably safe, if offered in small amounts. Interestingly, live culture yogurt does contain lactose when it is produced; however the live organisms in the yogurt consume the lactose, eventually removing the lactose entirely from the yogurt before it is consumed! Cheese products with onions or garlic in them are best avoided, because of the risk of Heinz body hemolytic anemia. Many bird owners, it seems, enjoy spending time in the mornings with their pet birds. Often, a bird may want to share breakfast with an owner. We get many questions about whether or not it is alright for a bird to share a little cold breakfast cereal and milk, or oatmeal made with milk. If the bird is just ingesting a small amount of milk, this should pose no problems for the bird. But, caffeinated morning drinks should be off-limits to birds, with or without milk added. There is some concern about some soft cheeses potentially causing crop impaction in birds. While I have never seen this occur (and I do feed my two greys and Meyer's parrot mozzarella cheese almost every day), this may be more related to the volume of the soft cheese being consumed than anything else. So, when choosing foods to offer to your bird, use common sense, and don't provide one type of food in abundance or to the exclusion of all others. If you have any questions, always ask your avian vet for advice related to diet tailored for your specific bird.I have been asked about the possibility of giving a bird a commercially available product developed for lactose-intolerant humans. The answer to that question is a resounding NO. The two compounds that lactose is broken down into by these products are toxic to birds! While dairy products can provide a bird with necessary nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D3, we should choose carefully what items we offer to our pet birds, to ensure their safety. When in doubt, check with your avian vet regarding safe and appropriate food items to share with your bird. Margaret A. Wissman, D.V.M., D.A.B.V.P.

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear this. It is a parrot owners worst nightmare. The only way to know what the cause of death was, would be to have your avian vet perform a necropsy. You need to get this done asap if you decide to sue to the body deteriorating quickly and if it goes too long, they will not be able to tell the cause of death. I would take a few days or weeks to morn, but that is completely up to you on when you feel you can handle taking in a another grey. You have my heartfelt condolences. I started a new topic in this welcome room so others will see it. I hope you don't mind and welcome by the way.

That is going to be a huge change for him. As you probably know from having experience with your Hanh's Macaw. You will need to have plenty of toys he likes, find out what those are so you don't scare him. Greys are very timid about new things and are nothing like a macaw. Also, having foraging items like treats and food wrapped in paper or foraging toys will help in keeping him busy during the day and having TV or radio on for background noise. It's great that you know the owners and can ask all these important questions to make the transition as comfortable for him as possible.

The first things you should do, is just let him settle in and get used to the new digs and flock. At 7 years old he is going to have many things already set in his ways and "Rules" were established long ago by him and his previous owners learning to interact with one another. The first thing you need to do is assure him he is safe, his cage IS HIS place of safety and you will not encroach upon that saftey zone unless you see he is offering entrance by a hand. Just go slow with tons patience as he gets used to his whole world be rocked and previous flock vanished. I guarantee you it is going to hurt him emotionally for a while as he sorts it all out. I cannot emphasize enough that you must let him come out in his own timing. The biggest mistake people make with a parrot is flooding them with requests they are not ready for nor welcome. It causes severe damage to a relationship you will be trying to establish and lengthens the process. IF you husband is the one HE interacts with at your friends house, then let him do the interacting for the most part when it comes down to seeing IF he wishes to come out of the cage and whom he chooses to stay with in that new environment. I have no doubt he will be loved and give toms of it in return to you all. It's just a time thing.

Olla, back at you Diego! Loved the video, thanks for sharing it.

Cute videos, thanks for posting them.

Welcome Crystal and family! At 7 years old he is sexually mature. It will take weeks for him to get used to his new home and flock, but it sounds like you are way ahead of the game in already having a Macaw and know what all parrots do in terms of living arrangements and personal time they require heaped with lots of patience and love. I am looking forward to your update on this.

Welcome Congodayo! Looking forward to hearing more from you. You are the first owner I have ran across with a Grey named the same as mine, namely Dayo. GreYt name!