danmcq

Very cool, congratulations on the first words and phrase!!!

Well, I opt to continue the "Rumor" of Churchill having a parrot that was 104. Now, to continue the rumor with a bold faced lie, but you can't prove it. .... According to my sister's aunt (whom are both dead so you can't confirm this)who was a friend of the blacksmith that dated the chamber maid who changed the paper in the cage, the parrot no longer is in his right mind being over 104 years old and saying over and over "bury it in me winnie" or was that the chamber maids howl? hmmmm!!! I don't know..... <br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/21 00:42

What a unique photo. It's surprising he isn't reacting to it. Thanks for sharing it. :-)

Thats GreYt news! Thanks for updating us and please post more often as you have time. :-)

Julie - Glad to here it was just a flesh wound and not serious eye damage. They are unpredictable at times. Especially if they want your attention and your focused on something else, like typing in this forum. :-) Mine also have what I call "Crazy Time". Don't know how else to explain other than like a young child that just goes bonkers with energy running all over the house like a mad man. When Dayo gets like that, I don't let him stay on my shoulder at all. I know I can't trust him and neither can kim at those times.

GreYt photos of Dorian, you and home. :-) Thanks for sharing them.

The others have given good information. Greys are very adaptive and will learn to live with a new schedule. They would rather be in the home they have known and consider as theirs and their flock. Just make sure your grey has plenty of things to keep him busy with toys to chew made of wood and foraging toys filled with surprise treats as a reward for the work to get to them.

Yes, "For the love of Greys" by Bobbi Brinker is an excellent book to get start with on general information. I will also say this forum is the best source for real-time information as you have questions.

I have a ton of experience in working with addicts of all types. I was an alcoholic for several years and over came that in 1998. I have been a minister in an outreach since then and worked with hundreds of heroin, crack, meth, vicadin, alcohol etc. addictions. It is a tough road. I will say he must do it for himself. An addict saying they are doing it for someone else is not being true to themselves. It was "Himself" that came into the addiction and it can only be "Himself" that can kick it with his determination and with the help of an organization be it religious or not that has tons of experience and the right tools to deal with getting them through the tough battle. No one can tell you or choose for you. You must make the decisions regarding yourself and personal health, safety and sanity. If you need to talk, post here or PM me.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/21 01:18

Dayo here - Ok, Dad got off his soap box, so I can finally continue... :-) Now the rest of my life’s story begins as a member of MY FLOCK at 16 weeks of age…… Well this is great! Dad is home all the time, but Mom goes to work. I miss Mom during that time. I heard Dad say he had taken two weeks of vacation to ensure “Dayo” bonded with him. He said I was his idea and was his bird, Ha! I love mom and like dad. He is fun to play with and kick around the house, but mom is the one I love to cuddle with and get scratches. We have these big creatures here called Dobermans. . They are always walking up and sniffing my cage and sometimes get real close to where I am. I almost beaked one of them but Dad said NO and pulled them away from the cage and made them sit. I feel sorry for them, so I throw food out of my cage and watch them eat it. Dad puts the Dobermans somewhere and gets me out of the cage. We play on the floor together with lots of cool stuff. I have these little foot toys and even a talking furry thing the call a Furbie! I learned he talks and if I touch him in certain places, he makes sounds and moves. It was kind of scary at first, but I decided I could knock him over and climb all over him….BIG FUN!!! Then after a while they took Furbie away because I was trying to chew parts of him off, shoot! When I get tired, I walk over and get under dads arm right next to him and lay down to take a nap. I think dad takes one too, but I’m not certain because I’m asleep. He is always a wake and looking at me when I wake up. Then after a while he puts me back in the cage and lets the dogs out and plays with them. I can chirp all I want and he won’t let me out! Doesn’t he know who I am? King of the Jungle and Ruler of the Air! Well I tell you, things are going to change around here. I like to ride around on dad’s shoulder wherever he goes. I sit and watch on the this big box with pictures he calls a computer. I think I saw him writing something and putting pictures of me on it. He put it in a place called greyforums. Sometimes when I get bored I climb down his arm and walk around on the desktop where the computer is. There is lots of neat stuff on it I like to try and play with. Some of my toys are there too, but I want to get a thing called the mouse, keyboard or ink pen. I have been fast enough to pop a key or two off that keyboard. But, then dad took it away and snapped it back on to it. I look forward to when mom comes home after work and call for her the minute I hear the garage door open and the car pull in. The dogs do to because they are running all around by the door and wagging their tails. Mom always says hi and pets them first. Then she comes over to me and says hi and talks sweet to me. After she gets ready, she always makes me some hot formula or what they call baby food that is carrots, yams, green beans or other tasty stuff. She feeds it to me from a spoon. I get kind of messy when I bob my head uncontrollably sometimes and mom wipes my beak. We always have a nice evening sitting together, cuddling with mom, getting scratches and sometimes I fall asleep for a while. Then they start turning off things and lights. Then Mom carries me to my cage and dad follows as she puts me in. They both talk sweet to me and tell me good night and Jake too. Then they cover our cages and the whole room gets dark. But, there is a little light they always leave on that I can see a little through my cage cover. I can’t wait until I hear them in the morning getting coffee before they uncover my cage. I wish I could go where they go instead of my cage. But, they say it is for my own safety. One day, just a few days after I came home. Dad put me in my carrier that he takes me places in. We were in the car for a while. Then when we got out we went into a place I had never been. It had people and other critters of all types in it. He talked to a person then we went and sat down for a while. Some people were coming over and talking to dad and looking at me. I don’t know who they were. But, they seemed nice enough and smiled, so I guess they were ok. Then dad picked me up and we went in a small room. In a few minutes another person came in with a white coat on. She and dad talked for a minute. Then she opened the door of my carrier! Well she seemed nice enough and I stepped up onto her hand when she offered a step up talking sweetly to me. She looked me all over, in my nares, under my wings and at my behind. Then she put me on a scale kind of different from what I am used to, but I was ok with it. Then she scooped up some of my poop from the carrier! Now how weird is this person? She gave me a good treat, gave me back to dad and left the room. She came back after a while and seemed happy and so did dad.I think I kind of like this lady. Maybe I will see her again. Then we left and went back home. Boy was I happy to see my house again.Dad let me out of the carrier and we hung out, ate some food and played with toys until mom got home. This same scenario went on for almost two weeks. Then one day a bunch of people came over and children too. I like people and climbed on some that offered, even the bigger children. The little humans are very fast and jump around. I am not too sure, but I think they are a little scary. I don’t trust them. They all seemed like a happy bunch and were laughing and talking to me and others. It was fun having all these people here and excitement was in the air. We ate good food and yes I got a little bit too. Then they all left and it was just our normal flock here. Then on the next Monday, dad left saying goodbye to me and that he loved me. I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t see him for 4 days and nights. Then he came home and boy was I happy to see him! I was happy having mom all to myself, but dad is one of the flock and it was good to see him back and know he was ok. This keeps happening every week and I am getting used to his schedule and my having to stay in my cage all day with no one is home until mom gets home after work. They do have lots of toys for me to play with in my cage, that I like to chew the wood off of and some foraging ones that have nuts like almonds in them that I have to work at to get one. So it keeps my occupied when I am home without them. This thing they call a phone rings every night when dad is gone. Mom talks and then I hear my dads voice coming out of this thing. I can’t see him but I want him so bad. I try beaking the phone, cheeping and panting as I hear him say hi and how he loves me. Then after a while he tells me and mom goodbye. I miss him…<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/02/18 13:47

OH how truly sad. Please pass on condolences to JOe. I would rather think a lost bird was living comfortably somewhere than find it had deceased. :-(

You have done a wonderful job Robin. You certainly set the example of someone going ALL OUT no mater what it takes to get a rescue back in tip-top shape. Karma to you. :-)

Oh Jesus! How scary!! I am certainly glad that peck did not damage your eye. Dayo once pecked really hard at my eye. Fortunately, I had glasses on at the time. That was a long time ago and he calmed down since then. Well, other than the occasional welt in the middle back of the neck after taking something from him he claimed as his own.... :pinch:

Pomegranate juice is GreYt. I drink an 8oz glass daily for health. I also drink a blend of Pomegranate blueberry, apple and grape juice daily. Both Dayo and Jake love it. The BIG PLUS is no mess....well other than your face and shirt when they shake the drips off their beaks. I have been keeping this a secret and laughing at peoples posts regarding the mess eat the pom seeds makes.:evil: But, the jig is up and now the world knows about juice. I do need to mention. All the juices I drink are 100 percent and include the pulp etc.

Welcome Troy, Jason, Pongo and the rest of the flock!! It's GreYt having you here and thanks for the very informative write up. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing photos when you get a chance. :-)

I agree with Greywings. Most Avian Certified vets that have done a ton of work with African Greys. Agree that they need a higher oil and fat percent of diet than many other parrots. In regards Aloe, that is also recommended by many of these same vets due to the dander and dry skin issue most greys suffer from. The problem I see with people that have not done a lot of species specific research will answer with a "Check with your vet first", rather than giving a direct comment basically because they don't know. It's called passing the buck. ;-) I will say, any species Parrot that is clipped and does not get a good cardio workout as they were designed to do. Will eventually suffer cardio vascular disease.

Gus is a very good talker! Totally enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this. :-)

It appears destiny was at one with you and provided the perfect match. Congratulations!! :-)

That is totally awesome!! Happy Hatch Day Willis!! :-)

OMG, that is hilarious!!! Thanks for the morning laugh. :-) Poor Alfie, he sure took it calmly and did the right thing to get your attention. Very smart Grey!!

Karma to you for neing such a good sport about it and an outstanding performance! :-)

In surfing Youtube, I ran across one of our very talented family member that never bothered to post this wonderful video of Her and Alfie "Performing". Scotland just keeps amazing the world with hidden talent coming out!! So now, without further ado, I give you our own very talented Lyn and Alfie!!! YOU two take a bow as we all stand and applaud you!! {Communicate-0002011B}{Feel-good-000200BB}{Communicate-000200D5}<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/18 15:51

Beautiful Rare Blue Zons. Thanks for posting this Jay! The only thing upsetting about these beauties, is they are indeed VERY rare in the wild and like all rare birds in the wild. People can't wait to rob the nests of such an thus reduce the very low population in the wild. Here is the background on these: "At one point during the importation era, the search for the “mythical” Blue Amazon reached nearly epic proportions. Two wild pairs were found that produced this color mutation, but, although each pair occupied their same nests each season, a clutch with a blue baby might come only once in many years. Voren’s vocation put him in Honduras at just the right time to acquire two young Blue Mutation Amazons from the separate wild nests in two consecutive years. In another stroke of luck they turned out to be a male and a female! At that time they were the only pair of Blue Mutation Amazons in the world. After years of expeditions, this pair was two of the only four specimens that existed in aviculture. The other two were long-term captive males that were proving difficult to pair with normally colored hens. The years of anticipation became fruitful when Voren’s Blue Mutation Yellow-Naped Amazons became the first pair in the world to produce Blue Amazons in captivity. His project would allow him to place pairs of these fabulous birds in some of the worlds top breeding facilities. Three other reputable professional facilities have now successfully produced blue offspring from the blue bloodlines supplied by Voren’s efforts."

Oh, what a wonderful update Caroline!! Tully is sure happy and secure in his new loving home. :-) Thanks for posting this.

Hi Mary, You wrote: "Do you have any advice on helping him cope with these changes to make the transition smoother and quicker for both of us?" Yes, please do not worry about spoiling him. He is very apprehensive, nervous and unsure of many things right now. The best thing you can do is reassure him constantly, let him ride on you shoulder (If he is a shoulder bird) where ever you go so he does not think he is being abandoned or separated from his flock. He fears this because he was separated from his flock and it "Rocked" his world of security with the flock. When any Grey is afraid and nervous, they will not speak or even whistle at all in most cases. It is a natural instinct to be quite when in doubt of their safety. Just speak to him soothingly at all times, remain very calm and be happy to take him with you at all times when you can. I'm positive others will chime in with many more good comments as well. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/18 14:56