danmcq

I truly enjoyed this morning jog interaction between Gilda and your Husband. I almost spit my coffee out when I got to the "If he Sh*t on the floor". I can only figure that since she hears him come home huffing, puffing, coughing and sneezing she thinks he is in pretty bad shape so fluids are probably coming out of all orifices. Thanks for sharing this. Oh, I shared this with my wife just now. She said to tell you she thinks the progress you have made with Gilda is wonderful. I have been keeping her updated on the life of Gilda as you have been updating us on this forum.

You have done exactly what each new parrot owner can learn from. Take the time to analyze the greys fear inducers and what triggers them. Then avoid them as much as possible while trying different methods to overcome them while staying calm. It is great to hear that you persisted in doing this and after a year your reaping the rewards. Time and consistency pays off. I would love to hear more from you and also see any photos or videos you may have. Your experience can help others dealing with a phobic grey. Thanks for sharing this.

Since you were told she is 12. There is no way of knowing if that is true or not. The first 4 to 5 years of age you can be fairly accurate in knowing how old they are. But after 5 years, there is no way. Now if you knew who the vet was that she visited, there may be records that could tell you though.

It sounds like a wonderful first day. She is beautiful. Thanks for the update and photos. I hope you keep updating often.

You should be proud. Zazu looks very relaxed sitting there on your hand. Thanks for sharing these.

My installment strictly from my point of view I have been reflecting on when it will be time that Dayo will need to go to a new home I hope in decades, not years. I must say Dayo and our experience is not the "Norm". I have not brought him up over the years to be a perfectly trained bird ( If one has ever existed) according to many books and thoughts outlined in the "Commercial" parrot communities propaganda centers. I say this, because reflecting on how he was brought up, with the generous liberties, routines, expectations, freedom and flightedness. That I MAY have made it nearly impossible for him or jake to find a home that would give them the same freedoms, attention, going to bed (cage) rituals, morning wake up rituals, playing games one on one, giving foods like we do, many rooms arranged to include the "birds" with T-Stands, hanging playing gyms etc. so they can have a space of their own when sitting with us in various rooms. After reading several books over the years on "Training" a parrot or other bird when young to be a "Good Birdy" in a humans home. I have failed. We live together like a flock of equals. Not a home where every thing revolves around our being comfortable and caging the birds when we tire of them. Like 95 percent of homes treat parrots and other birds. The people on this forum are a unique group of people that take caring for all critters as a serious relationship and pretty much live "With" their critters. Not the norm of people just having "Pets" they want to interact with briefly then put them out or in a cage. I have broken MANY so called rules of making Dayo a "Pet" that could reside in a higher percentage of "Human" homes. My only hope is, when the time comes, someone on this forum will take him or we will find a Parrot lover that will give him all and maybe even more freedom and love than we have. I worry about him just as if he were one of my own Son's. Which in reality, I do view him as such. At this point, I would not trust either of my Sons to treat Dayo as we do. They would not like things possibly getting pooped on, chewed on etc. and cage time would become a norm. This is even though they love him dearly and interact with him when they and family come and visit. But, visiting someone is completely different than having them live with you Twenty -Four - Seven. I do have one person here that we both agreed to take each others grey in case something ever happens. But, it's always good to have a back up or two. I hope and pray others here think about the future years or decades down the road in getting prepared to have a wonderful home your grey or other parrots could continue to thrive in and live out the rest of their lives joyfully. Hopefully the book/journal will give the new owners insight as to why Dayo behaves and interacts as he does. He is truly a product of his "Family up bringing".

What a beautiful description of your homecoming welcome. Sounds wonderful.

Thanks for the great post on how you are interacting with Inara throughout the day. It is exactly what and how everyone with a parrot should do when they are home with their birds. It creates a dynamic and invigorating environment for them to live in and learn.

It good news to hear your husband is now interested in Gilda as well. You must tell us what orders or requests are coming from her as you hubby get prepared to go for that run. How can anyone not resist being pulled in by an intelligent being trying to communicate with you?

Welcome Buscher, it's GreYt having you here. Nice introduction. I look forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance.

The problem is "For the love of greys" is out of print. People are asking crazy amounts of money for that book. Truthfully, there is nothing in that book thats not presently available information wise online in forums and other sources. Much in that book is bobbi's thoughts and ways of how she raised greys. I wish I had a copy, I would just ship it to you. But, I gave it away years ago.

Loved the video of this catchy phrase. Now the question is. Is she asking you what quack means? Since it is associated with various sounds you cannot replicate and thus really have no logical connection to a specific sound or event. It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out over time. I say "What the Hell" many times when things don't add up. Dayo says it as well and at appropriate times when an odd event leads him to that response. Thanks for sharing this video. I look forward to many more over time.

Nice photo of Zazu exploring. Keep the photos coming.

Happy 8 month day Phoenix! I'll bet "You Rook (sic) Maawwwwrrrrvelous".

Nice photo of Gilda's destructive powers. She must have had a Ton O Fun doing that. The flying off her cage and climbing back up for another round is wonderful news. As she continues doing this her muscles are building, flight navigation increasing and the goal of her first neck pinch just a few more flights away. I can only imagine the awe struck looks of you and hubby watching all this progress forward at warp speed now. A photo of that would be solid gold.

Nice update on Sam. It sounds like things are going along wonderfully now. Yes she can digest solids. She is slowing being weaned at her pace which is great rather than pushing her like some people try to do. Your doing a GreYt job. I hope you may have time to post some photos as well soon.

Thats good news Carolina. When things settle down with the move and assembling everything, unpacking etc. an update would be great.

Thats wonderful news Shane. Sometimes when people purchase a grey, they just don't know that something might crop up like an allergy to the dander. Grey's do put off a large quantity. It does sound like they have treated and loved this grey with all their hearts. You are very fortunate to have found this grey. I hope your trip has gone safe and look forward to hearing about the homecoming and seeing some photos when you get a breather.

KimKim is right. If you don't have it then use flour and hold pressure as she said. It will clot.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/parrot-confidential/parrot-confidential/8496/ Overview In "Parrot Confidential," the award-winning series lays out the facts. For a whole lot of reasons, it’s a terrible idea.Large parrots can live 80-90 years. They require an enormous commitment of time, effort and money. They’re loud. They’re dangerous. "People will come in," Jamie McLeod of the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary says in the program, "and they’ll say, ‘I want a bird that talks. That’s quiet. And that doesn’t bite.’ And that species has not yet been discovered." The part about large parrots being dangerous is no exaggeration. "Everybody loves the Amazons because they sing and they talk, but nothing can bite you harder than an Amazon parrot," McLeod says. "One day you’re cuddling it and the next minute you’re missing part of your face." "Parrot Confidential" is not an attack on parrot owners. On the contrary, the hour introduces viewers to the best possible owners who are doing everything they can to care for their parrots — but many still find themselves overwhelmed. "They have not been domesticated, as dogs and cats have for thousands of years," said Emmy-winning filmmaker Allison Argo, the woman behind this documentary. "These are wild animals and they have wild needs." They tend to bond with one person and one person only. Which makes it troublesome for other people in the family, particularly if the bird’s favorite has to go out of town. That’s what happened to Russ and Liz Hartman, two well-intentioned parrot owners who came to realize they couldn’t handle Basil, their yellow-naped Amazon. They’re not pets," Russ Hartman said. "You can call them a pet. You can put them in a pet shop. You can dress it up all you want. They’re not pets." "I would never do it again. No," Liz Hartman said. "For my own mental health and the mental health of the parrot. No." Taking on a parrot means committing to care for it for its entire life. And odds are it will outlive you, so you’ll need to make some arrangement for it after you’re gone. "What we ask people to do is put a thousand dollars a year for the life expectancy of the bird into some sort of endowment for the care of their bird for the rest of its life," said Marc Johnson, founder of Foster Parrots Ltd. "So for another 30 years, we ask $30,000." Smaller birds live up to 30 years. They aren’t easy to care for, but they are easier than the big parrots."I think the larger the bird gets, the more difficult the care issues are," Johnson said. "When somebody comes in to adopt a parrot, we say, ‘Get the smallest one you can live with, because you can open the cage. You can let them fly around. You could actually dedicate a room in your house for them.’ And flight is a vital part of their life."That’s one of the reasons that he doesn’t think large parrots should be pets at all. "Just on the philosophical level, I have a big problem with taking a flighted animal, altering their physical state to make it convenient for us, and turning them into a terrestrially bound animal," he said. Argo made a point of including footage of parrots in the wild "so that you never forget that this is where these birds came from." She said she’s hoping "Parrot Confidential" will "open up eyes so that people can make informed decisions" if they’re considering adopting a parrot. Buying, selling and breeding of the birds is completely unregulated, and estimates are that at least 2 million are being bred each year in the United States — down from 5 million a few years ago. "If you feel like you can step up to the plate, consider adopting rather than going to Petco and putting down $40 and just perpetuating this cycle," Argo said.

I am just loving this constant updates on Gilda. She is becoming such a character as she ventures out and experiences life the way it should be...... freeeeeeedom!

Zazu is beautiful. Thanks for sharing this photo.

Romeo cheers those jets on with gusto. I love his laugh as well. Thanks for sharing this.

Flighted birds do not fly in to walls, windows, fans etc. They are intelligent and learn very quickly where they can and cannot fly. The learn maneuvering abilities when the start fledging around 12 weeks old. Do you see wild birds flying to to tree trunks, walls etc? The only exception is wild birds do not know what a window is and think it is an opening, not a solid that is basically invisible. Birds raised in homes learn and know these things. A non flighted bird in my opinion is actually more susceptible to accidents because they cannot fly out of dangers way.

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. Getting a true study of african greys in the wild. We have a few studies of captive african greys which gives us medical insight of anatomy, common diseases, proper diet and cognitive abilities, but thats it. Life span in captivity for example is very anecdotal and sparse. Being an electronic engineer, I look for quantitative data. The larger the data set, the better. All the books and data found on the internet is very lacking in terms of real data over a long period of time and they also use anecdotal references as well with statements such as "It is reported person xzy says their grand father had a grey 100 years old". So presently our most accurate data is from the human populace owning greys that are actually known to have lived for x number of years. The questions I have about about life expectancy in captivity are how much longer will a flighted grey than a clipped one might be. Obviously having a strong cardio vascular system from flight will naturally lead to the chances of a much longer life span than that of a sedentary bird. There are captivity studies that could be done on the life expectancy of captive greys. But, we really need a long term study of greys in the wild. The only existing data in the wild is from short term jaunts following greys and getting small snapshots of their daily activities. They really need to tag or implant a device for tracing and identifying a "Set" of greys and get long term data. Until this is done there will be no concrete data to reference that would give us solid information to use. In regards why we as humans are so intrigued by a creature that uses human language, why wouldn't we be? When you have a creature that can amazingly learn and use spoken language to communicate it is a perfect way of gaining much more insight in to how they think, reason and emotionally feel. Conversely as pointed out, we need to pay special attention to their natural and instinctive use of their language in whistles and sounds they produce which gives us invaluable clarity in to the full spectrum of their massive communicative abilities and thought process.