danmcq

Welcome Leroy! It's always a pleasure to see someone doing research and asking questions before taking the leap into having a parrot. Since this is going to be a "Classroom Pet" and staying there during classes. You should be aware not only of what Jay has written, but also that any parrot species can become very loud and annoying at times. What will the ramifications to your class be when this occurs on a daily basis? I can guarantee you it will interrupt your class due to the kids getting a kick out of it and laughing, which will only encourage any parrot to do it longer and more often. They love reactions and once they receive one, they will keep increasing that behavior for fun and excitement. The other thing you need to be aware of, is that children by nature love to stick fingers in cages. A Parrots powerful beak has the ability to quickly penetrate deep into a finger and snap a tendon or blood vessel, especially to this small and soft hands of children. Another thing children inevitably end up doing for excitement is slapping the cage or sticking an object into it such as a pencil or pen. Over a long term period, any parrot could become very aggressive and emotionally damaged. A Zon or any Parrot in the right knowledgeable hands can be wonderful life long companions. Zons are very outgoing as Jay has described and a joy to be around. One thing you should know about a Zon versus a Grey. I have been around many Zon's over the last 4 years and can tell you they are 10 times noisier than a grey. They will just sing and chatter to no end at times. As they reach sexual maturity, they also become a challenge to manage and thus the rescues Number One species... are Zons. I am involved with a rescue that presently has 37 Zons up for adoption. Most of them reached sexual maturity and the owners were just not ready for the changes much to the detriment of these poor souls now in rescue. Some worse mentally than others. Under good fostering care with tons of patience and love, they are normally brought back to the state of being a good companion bird for the right owner. Some will never be a cuddle muffin for up close and personal interaction, but they are still a joy to interact with on a less personal level. They know the baggage each bird has and which would be the most receptive to an environment you are planning on keeping it in 8 hours a day, five days a week. One other thought on classrooms. Birds are highly sensitive to any airborne chemicals. Chemicals in a school and classrooms used for cleaning and disinfecting could kill the bird, even though you cannot smell it. No parrot owner uses strong cleaning chemicals in their home due to it. There is a ton of information on this site and the internet on birds and poisons to them. My best advice to you, would be to go to a rescue and speak with the caring staff about your thoughts and intentions. They will be able to guide you to the right bird and teach you what you need to know. Your intentions are admirable, but I would strongly suggest deep thought into to what you think the long term outcome may be.

Welcome Josie and Flock! It's GreYt having you here. I sure look forward to hearing and see all that you have to share with us about your flock.

Thanks for the update Mark! You certainly cannot be careful enough with this type of fumigation.

The changes in size and feathering from week to week is almost shocking to see if you take weekly photos for example. Just think about a human growing from birth to fully grown in around 16 weeks.

I would like to see this calm down a little and not turn into a who said what etc. The posts have all been respectful in my opinion so far and I hope it stays that way. The only reason any of of us bother with commenting perhaps what is perceived in a negative way, is that it could be perceived as "Normal and Ok" to a new Grey Owner and just decide to take their new clipped bird outside for a beautiful session as depicted. We feel obligated to point out that it is something that should be done with a lot of thought and preparation using the proper tools and precautions to ensure this new owner knows the risks, how to circumvent them and take their bird out knowing it will be safe and not fly away unexpectedly. I would like all to understand that we do so in a caring way, not an accusatory or mean way, although text appears dry and chaste with no tonal or facial expressions to indicate how it is being said. Thus the need to use the emoticons to "Temper" our comments at times so they are taken in the spirit intended. I hope this comment of mine is taken in the right way by all.

I use and reccomend the Aviator harness. It comes with an excellent DVD that goes through how to get your bird used to it by slow and gentle introduction, along with how to correctly place it on them. My grey did not like the odd nature of trying to place it over his head, lifting wings etc. It took a lot of patience and time to get it on fully the first time and then several attempts afterwards until he got used to it. Each Grey is or other bird is different in how long this takes. But, one thing is certain and that is the younger they are, the easier it is to introduce it to them. Even now, there are times he does not want it on period, I respect that and just stop and try again another day he may desire to go out.

Yes, the harness training goes much easier when you start young, whether clipped or not. It took a year for all my grey's primaries to molt out and come in nice and full. However, as a few came in he began to have fairly long flights.

Kudo's to you for caring so much about taking care of this Grey and especially knocking yourself out trying to confirm who the actual owner may be. Dave is always spot on in his replies. I would lean towards Dave's thoughts on doing nothing in regards banding or chipping until you decide the Grey is going to be a member of your permanent flock due to no confirmed owner being found.

You've been given great advice on this. Nothing I can add. I am looking forward to your updates on this thread.

I have to say in regards poker faced bites, I thought Dayo was the King, perhaps not. Most times I see the body language and stop before he even tries, but then there are those times, you would swear he was a stuffed bird or accepting the approach for a scratch or step-up, then BAM it's all over but the screaming . Just kidding, my only response is to say "No bite Daddy", turn around and go get a paper towel and keep pressure on it until the bleeding stops.... He does not sucker punch his cuddle muffin, namely my wife.

LOL! Well I never hear a sound from Dayo's pooping, just hear the splat or feel it on my shirt if it's a large one. Never heard of them actually creating a "Sound" as they do it. But, evidently it is common or you guys are feeding lots of beans ....

Oh poor dear, I wish you all the best in finding the right solution per Dave's advice.

Looking forward to hearing what the Avian vet has to say. The others gave great responses. Thanks for the update,

Beautiful Photos of your 6 week old Grey. They are so cute and everything is new to them. They grow so fast and are dependent upon you for everything. The behavior you are observing is normal and they do take naps often at the infant age. I am looking forward to seeing many more updates, questions and photos. That baby is certainly in the right hands and thank god someone like you with previous experience got him.

LisaMarie, Please accept my apologies for something that is seemingly going on here. I am not sure what it is, but people are people. Please know that I certainly hope all goes well with your precious new baby Grey and appreciate the fact that you have come here and privileged us with the honor of trying to help you with anything we can. If no one else is stepping up to help you I will. Just PM me if you don't wish to ask questions publicly.

Happy Hatch Day Georgie!!!! Boy does time fly! I know you will be spoiled rotten today and you should be, enjoy!!!

That's GreYt!! I ditto wanting to see videos.

I want to set the record straight here on disinfecting, versus just daily cleaning of cages. As others have already said, a vinegar solution works great not only on cages and stands, but also when on household surfaces. With that said, it is by no means used in disinfecting in terms of an item that a bird or person with a highly infectious disease ether bacterial of viral. Doctors may use a vinegar based solution as ONE of the washes they do before surgery, but it is not the ONLY solution they use. This is straight from disease controls website regarding the disinfectants used to kill all bacterial and viral contamination found in hospitals: "" It is difficult to determine the number of hospital-acquired infections that may be prevented by use of registered disinfectants. However, there is a great deal known about infectious microorganisms, how they spread disease, and what can be done to halt the spread of infections. For example, it is believed the most important factor in preventing the spread of diseases in hospitals is related to how often and how thoroughly HCWs wash their hands. Disinfectants and other factors may also play important roles. EPA-registered sterilants and disinfectants used in healthcare facilities are presumed to play a vital role in reducing transmission of harmful microorganisms from surfaces to people.1 A number of disinfectants are used in hospitals, including: alcohol, chlorine and chlorine compounds, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, iodophors, phenolics, and quaternary ammonium compounds. These disinfectants are not interchangeable.2 The proper selection and use of disinfectants is essential for safety and quality control. Disinfectants have various characteristics that must be considered before one is selected for a particular use.3 Alcohols demonstrate variable effectiveness against some bacterial and fungal species. They are good general-use disinfectants that are fast acting, leave no residue, and compatibly combine with other disinfectants (quaternaries, phenolics, and iodine) to form tinctures. Aldehydes are effective against a wide spectrum of bacteria and viruses, are sporicidal when used properly (10-hour contact period), and demonstrate activity against vegetative bacteria, spores, and viruses. Activated Glutaraldehyde requires limited and controlled use because of its toxic properties. It must only be used while wearing a ventilated hood. It has limited stability after activation (for alkaline glutaraldehyde). Chlorine compounds are good disinfectants for the clean-up of blood or body-fluid spills. They have a biocidal effect on M. tuberculosis, S. aureus, other vegetative bacteria, and HIV after 10-20 minutes, 1:5 dilution (250 ppm) for bacterial spores and mycobacteria. Diluted chlorine bleach stored at room temperature in a closed plastic container will deteriorate by one half after one month, neutralizes rapidly in the presence of organic matter, is good for decontamination of HBV, HCV, HIV, and the clean-up of biohazardous spills. Undiluted bleach is good for surface disinfecting after possible contamination with the CJD virus; however NIH recommends 1.0 N NaOH. Iodophor is effective against vegetative bacteria and viruses. It demonstrates poor activity against bacterial spores, however it has a rapid biocidal action. It is effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms, some viruses, and tubercle bacilli, and is most effective in acid solutions. It can vaporize at 120º F to 125º F (should not be used in hot water), and its effectiveness can be reduced by organic matter. It is stable in storage if kept cool and tightly covered. It is still active if the solution is brown or yellow. Mercurials demonstrate poor activity against vegetative bacteria and are not effective on spores. They are toxic and not recommended for use. Phenolic compounds are effective against vegetative bacteria, fungi, and lipid-containing viruses. They have low solubility in water, are stable in storage, are germicidal against Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms and tubercle bacilli, are effective over a large pH range, and have limited sporicidal activity. Prolonged contact deteriorates rubber, and can cause skin and eye irritation. Not for use on food-contact surfaces. Quaternary ammonium compounds are acceptable to control vegetative bacteria and non-lipid-containing viruses. They are stable in storage, have no odor but act as deodorizers. They are non-irritating to skin but skin or eye contact should be avoided. They are effective at temperatures up to 212º F, are effective against Gram-positive organisms, are bacteriostatic in high dilutions, are ineffective against tubercle bacilli, spores, and viruses, are more effective in alkaline than acid solutions, are neutralized by soap, and their effectiveness is reduced by organic material.""

Gabby sounds like a normal poker faced Grey to me. They are great at getting in sucker punches. You did the right thing as Dave said, by just stopping the interaction and moving on. Not that Gabby cares, because that's what she wanted.

Welcome OMGT500 and Taz!!! It's GreYt having you here. Thanks for the compliments on what you found on our forum so far. One day is nothing in rehoming a grey or any other bird for that matter. Greys are much more cautious than other species and being brought into a completely new home, new people, maybe a dog, cat or other birds is a whole new world to Taz. The cage is the only place he probably feels safe right now and actually by sticking your fingers in there expecting interactions, you are invading the space he thinks of as his. Ay only 1 year old, he is still very much a baby and is now separated from his previous flock that hopefully he felt secure and loved in. The first question I have, is where did he come from and do you know how he was interacted with and treated? Where he came from and the environment dictates what he knows and will come to expect at first from you. Only time, love and patience will bring out who Taz is know and as you go, you will be able to guide this some what AFTER you build trust with him. The first thing you need to do is just sit nearby, read, watch TV and talk to him in a kind in gentle voice. Greys are very empathic and know your emotions. If your afraid, they will be, if your nervous, they will be, if your happy, they will feel calm etc. I would suggest that you go to our Training room and read the body language thread. This will give you keen insight int what Taz is telling you by his body language. IT is something you will use to know before you move a hand or lift a finger what your grey is telling you. They use body language in the wild and with us constantly. It is the key to unlocking the trust and building a good relationship with Taz. I look forward to hearing much more from you. Please ask all the questions you wish. We have a great group of members here that love to help people with their greys or other birds.

Dave asked great and critical questions, as well as giving excellent responses. Jay's suggestion of kind of starting from the approach of treating your grey as a new re-home is good advice as well. Like Dave stated, you just do not know what your grey may have encountered this time at the location you left him at for 2 weeks. Any incident that frightens a grey severely will have days or weeks affect and they will act differently until they feel safe and secure in resuming normal up-close and personal interactions. As the others said, just be patient, let him know your not going to force any up-close and personal tries at getting him to interact with you until he is ready and you'll know because HE will will come and request it. Also, at 3 years old, I can guarantee you, he is going to slowly increase the personal/alone time he likes and decrease the cuddle muffin interactions. It will all become more and more based on what HE wants and when, not when and what YOU want. It is just the natural aging process kicking in of a young child becoming independent, respect and welcome it as it comes.

Oh Jesus Tweedle, this reminds me of how my Dobermans just love to snatch up cat poop when I take them for walks. I try to watch closely and stop them before they can get to it, but sometimes they are just to fast at it. The cat poop concerns me so much is the high possibility of worms or other nasties it may contain, never mind just the though of eating poop.......... Excuse me while I go barf now...

Great looking toy, they do seem to enjoy the cheapest toys to find parts for and build, don't they? Thanks for sharing this! When I empty any container, bottle, coffee can etc. Dayo loves to play with the tops, and also shove or roll them around as fast as he can and listen to the crash bang or dink dink dink sound they make and many times follow in flight to the floor to push and chase around. It's amazing watching them make up all the various games and activities they enjoy on their own. It also just keeps the laughs rolling.

LOL - They all seem to chatter more to themselves than when someone is present. Thanks for sharing this, Emma is such a sweetheart!

Welcome Donald, Stella and wife to our forum! It's great you even found answers you had not thought of the question yet. Looking forward to hearing more.