danmcq

Nice stand shane! Thanks for posting this.

You should be proud. They learn very quickly when fledging. Haven't heard an update in a few days. Would love to hear how things are going.

LOL! GreYt photo and nice caption! Thanks for posting this.

I doubt she would slide off if you just point your fingers to the floor. She has a grasp with her talons and beak. If she flt the need to stop sliding, the bite would become strong and so would her talon grip. If she is flighted I would flip my hand up rapidly and launch her. When Dayo once in a blue moon decides he is going to go for the gusto on my hand, I launch him to avert losing a larger chunk than is already being taken. If she has not flighted, then of course you don't want to launch her and perhaps cause a hurtful crash landing. Bring your other hand up to distract her bite and protect yourself in that case and get her in the cage quickly to a perch.

Defo on keeping your grey in a different room. The vapors could certainly be lethal. You will need to ensure those vapors are not in your room. If they are, then housing out in your RV or other place would be the safest. The data sheet warnings: WARNING: Combustible liquid and vapor. Harmful if swallowed. Inhaling vapors harmful. May cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation. PRECAUTIONS: Keep away from Sparks and Flames. Do not smoke, extinguish all flames and turn off stoves, heaters, electric motors and other sources of ignition during use and until all vapors are gone. Avoid contact with mouth, eyes, skin and clothing. Wear chemical resistant gloves and clothing during handling. Avoid prolonged exposure to vapors. Use with adequate ventilation. Prevent build up of vapors by opening all windows and doors to achieve cross- ventilation. Wash thoroughly after handling. Store container in a clean, dry area. Follow all warnings and precautions with empty container as residues may remain. Do not reuse container without professional cleaning. FIRST AID: If overcome by vapors, remove to fresh air and call a physician. If necessary give artificial respiration or oxygen. In case of contact, immediately flush eyes and skin with water and call a physician. If ingested, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Immediately contact a hospital or poison control center. Remove contaminated clothing to prevent further exposure. FOR INDUSTRIAL USE ONLY. SEE MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

You cold purchase the longer perch online and cut it or you could also make your own by going to a local store like lowes, home depo etc. and buying round wood dowel, cut it to length and either miter the ends to fit over bars or you can also purchase hardware that will screw in to the ends on one end and have threads on the other end you can place washers and nuts on to secure them. I had the same issue with my greys new cage when I purchased it. So I made my own.

It's good to hear an update on Avah. Good job in demanding she be taken to the vet for treatment of that crop infection. They always develop a bond with one person in the household and many times also a gender preference. Your doing good at building a a relationship with her, but it will not be as strong as with your husband. In regards the biting, taking her back to the cage is probably an event she does not look forward and especially by the person she's not bonded with. When a bite occurs you should never just let them keep digging in with that powerful beak. Take immediate action when it starts by rolling you arm back and forth to throw her off balance so she well let go to right herself. Also tell her "No Bite!" as your rocking your arm. When you say you panicked and let go of her, do you mean you had her talon pinned between your fingers? If so the rocking a litle harder will alleviate the bite as well in most cases. But if they clamp down even harder, then you do indeed need to let go or suffer a major bite. Avah is still very young and I have nno doubt with persistance and time you'll develop a good understanding with her.

Welcome Stephanie and flock. It's wonderful your parents were able to care for Buddy while you were over seas. I have no doubt he will be very happy to be reunited with you. How long did you have him before you got orders to go over seas? I am positive you'll do all you can to alleviate the plucking issue. I'll be Saturday cannot come fast enough. I am looking forward to hearing more from you.

Birds need a variety of perchs of differing diameters and textures for optimal foot health. Because of the locking mechanism found in the bird’s foot, they can develop pressure points on the bottoms of the feet from constantly standing on perches of the same diameter. Bumble foot is used as an all-encompassing term for issues involving infection or inflammation of the foot. Over time, this can develop into pressure sores, called pododermatitis. Sores can then become infected, resulting in deep lesions that can be very difficult to cure. Your grey is showing pressure points at this time. I cannot tell if it is just red or actually secreting a little fluid. If it is wet, I would take your grey to an avian vet. You do not want an infection to start. If it is not wet, change the perches and the pressure points will go away. You need to really keep an eye on this. To maintain proper foot health, a bird must be provided with perches that are appropriate for the bird’s feet. The majority of the bird’s weight should be balanced on the ball of the foot, and the toes should curl around the perch at a gentle angle. If perches are too narrow in diameter, it will be difficult for a bird to properly hold on to a perch, so the bird might appear to be rocking back and forth in an attempt to balance. A bird should be able to balance on a perch without the toes completely touching each other in a circle It is better to err on the side of having too large of a perch rather than having one that is too small. But to accommodate the feet and prevent problems, a variety of perch sizes is vital. I recommend offering natural branch perches (or synthetic ones that look like a natural branch), which have a natural variation in the diameter. If you choose to collect natural branches, make sure that they are clean and free of insects, fungus or wild-bird droppings. Clean and disinfect them prior to introducing the perches into your cage. Braided rope perches are a comfortable choice for birds to rest on; however, all porous rope or cloth perches must be cleaned and disinfected periodically to prevent the build-up of organisms within.

Good post Baileyspapa. Very true. My dogs would sit and wait for Dayo to toss food items out of the cage. I know Dayo was aware of it because he would sometimes toss then watch to see which dog got the item. They certainly are messy! Now that pomegranates are in season, Ive been placing towels around their cages when I give them some in with there morning veggies. They can certainly toss those seeds a fair distance. You don't want stains from that on your carpet or walls.

Oh yeah, peek-a-boo, ball throwing and catching back and forth, paper wadded up are all big fun. They can become pretty accurate at tossing things back to you if you work at it.

Nice job. They love to feel accomplishment. Thanks for sharing this.

Good post Stephen! Sterling: Raz has encountered some serious issues over the years. One time on the beach while free flying Carly Lu, Carly Lu decided she liked the way a guy looked sitting on a beach front property on an over looking deck. She flew to him and hung around. Then took off after him when he went in. During Raz's search for him, she wound up lost for 3 or 4 days. Finally after great efforts on Raz's part a local avian vet called her and informed her someone had called asking if they knew of a lost grey and whom their owner could be. There have been several hawk and other predatory bird encounters as well. Carly Lu was very fortunate in them. I personally do not even take my grey out on a leash (major fight getting it on, but still do) do to the very high hawk population here in the central valley of california. I had to parent hawks with 4 siblings living in the trees surrounding my home. I watched them daily try to snatch birds, squirrels etc. They are very persistent and good hunters and of course eventually get their prey. In regards the "Asian guy" That is shanlung. He did not free fly his grey. It was on a very Looooong line attached to a harness shanlung built himself. I guess you could consider that free flying, but he did have control over where his grey flew and how far.

Baileyspapa gave great advice. Try not to scare him and provide a safe environment so falling and flapping does not damage the wings more. Is it possible the previous clipped only one wing? Some perform that type of clip so they can only fly in circles. It is not the proper way to trim birds and only morons in my opinion do that. When clipped, each wing should be the same so they can maintain a controlled flight to the floor for example. In regards broken or clipped feathers. Birds are the feather masters at maintaining them. There is no need to have your grey go through the stress of having them removed by a vet. The grey will either remove them himself or they will molt out over time.

A hiss is not always a warning from a grey. Dayo for example does it because he is anxious, not as a warning. He is excited and wants something. A growl however from any grey is a warning meaning an attack is immenent if you or that toy does not back off.

Well said Stephen. I know for a fact Isaac enjoys his life with you immensely and vice-verse. I know exactly what you mean.

Hi Stephen! I would purchase a parrot again. This Parrot Confidential will hopefully be seen by some people thinking about purchasing one and decide not to after all so another parrot in need of rescue does not happen. I would do it again because when I purchase or adopt a critter of any kind, it is with unconditional love and I will be their final home. Now granted Dayo is going to out live me. Being the person I am and the responsibility I take very seriously. I will ensure they go to a home that knows what they are getting in to and have the same philosophy I do about adopting a critter of any kind. Breeders are breeding and these birds all need a loving and caring home. So do I feel guilty? No, absolutely not. Does it bother me with the knowledge that my parrots will not enjoy the life of a wild parrot as they were meant to be? Yes! Thus the reason I do all I can to provide all I can to ensure they are flighted and enjoying life as much as possible in my home, taken with me places I and my wife goes as much as possible etc. We are their flock and so is my immediate family that has come over since the day we brought Dayo home. He welcomes them to our home by name and talks about them when they are gone. We as a society need to be more responsible for the critters being bred in captivity for our pleasure and our pleasure ONLY, need to ensure these intelligent and sentient beings are treated with the respect, admiration and love for all that they are. The Puppy Mills, parrot breeding "Factories" that produce parrots or all kinds by the hundreds of thousands each year and sell them off to pet stores across the country need to be under strict government guidelines and shut down if they do not follow those guidelines. I wish all other countries in the world would ban the import of wild caught parrots and that wold stop the capture of them in the wild. The $$$ would be gone and so would the poachers for the most part. With the number of breeders around the world, there is no reason I can see that importing these wild caught parrots should not be banned. Anyway, off my box now and need o do some homey do's for my love muffin.

She would rather be out with you than in the cage. This is true of all parrots. Leave her bowls where they are. On the bottom they can become contaminated to easily. The average amount of weight an african grey will lose when they are fledging is 10 to 15 percent. Thus if she weighs 400 grams before fledging she could lose up to 40 grams for example.

LOL, yes our grey and conure will chat, whistle and produce many sound affects to let us know they want out.

Free flying a grey is really not recommended due to them being rather skittish and becoming alarmed easily. There are a few who have and do free fly their greys, but not without some pretty scary incidents. Only a professional could help you in actually preparing and helping you train your grey for free flying indoors before ever venturing out on the first outdoor flight. Here is a link to a person that does free fly her grey. : http://carlylusflightblog.com/ Raz has a ton of information of this site.

It's wonderful to see her trusting you that much so soon. Thanks for sharing this.

Luna trusts you, but not family members yet. It will just take time and your family members just being nice to Luna, talking to her while close and offer a step up perhaps with a favorite treat to entice her. It is all about building trust.

Congrats on the first flight! Young greys will certainly sleep on the bottom of the cage. It's wonderful that you are posting every detail. We love hearing about our members greys and also helping when needed.

Welcome Grumpy and Cockey, it's GreYt having you here.

It looks like Cockey is settling right in. It's also good to see you have provided play areas for him through out which is important and fun for them to have. I look forward to hearing and seeing a lot more from you. Thanks for sharing these.