danmcq

Awwww, so cute!!! Thanks for posting the photo. :-)

LOL @ Lambert - Greys are NOTORIOUS at hiding body language just so they can surprise you. I love the way you put it... WHAMMO!! Others - The head twisted upside down is certainly a silly stance and most the time seems to be an offer to get "STUPID" with them. :-) The Tail wag - Well Dayo just doesn't do it. But, it seems many Greys do. :-) This a a good thread on the "Abby Normal" body language or lack there of. It truly compliments the of Body Language thread that deals with all the "Set in Stone" language all grey owners should know.

Hi dmkrieg. GreyWings asked important questions and gave good advice. Your grey should have a high quality seed mix or pellets available 24-7. The items you listed are mainly snacks, not a good diet for a grey or any other parrot. Could you expand a little on the complete picture for us? Thanks and looking forward to hearing more. :-)

gracefuldancing wrote: Welcome Pax and Jade!!! You will not experience any of that on this forum and I can guarantee it. :-) You will find this to be a very loving and caring community here that loves others critters as much as they love their own. When you laugh, we laugh, when you cry, we cry with you. Looking forward to hearing a lot more from you. :-)

Welcome gracefuldancing and Jade! It's GreYt having you here. :-) Karma to you for taking in an older grey. The others have all given excellent advice in not making any changes quickly. The most important thing to do is make her as at home as possible and finding the thing she is used to, as you are doing a great job of already. They all need to go to a new home when their owners pass on after a long and loving life together. It is a sad situation and thank god Jade found a caring person as you to give her a home to learn that love exists outside the previous flock with open arms by the right person. :-) My Grey will probably be in a similar situation in twenty years (Hope I live that long) and will need a loving one as well. Thats the problem with a critter you love that has a life span as long as a human. I am looking forward to hearing how all is going and getting to know you and Jade much better. :-)

Hi Debbie. What a cute mental image your description paints of time on the floor. :-) I love his way of letting you know to "Hey, Back off". Since he is clipped the floor is the only place he can strut around safely and get to all his flock. Thus the love for the floor and flock being there and available. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance.

Welcome to the forum! Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos if you are visiting your new grey while being reared. :-)

Awww, nemo is a cutie and will blossom under your care Erika. :-) Some Pet Stores are very good stewards and take very good care of all the critters they have. Especially the privately owned stores.

particle77 wrote: Great Point! I couldn't agree with you more! We see that type of "good breeding" taking place everyday. Those are good breeders and care about the quality of the critter they are providing. A responsible breeder will discontinue breeding a "Pair" when they see a genetic weakness crop up if it significantly impacts health. I know Doberman breeders that provide both the black and red dobermans. That use pairs of breeders that produce both black and red in the same litter. Thus elimination the downfall of only breeding two reds together and the possible health issues it results in. They understand the significance of keeping the gene pool varied and strong. Unfortunately, there are irresponsible breeders that only care about the dollars, irrespective of the poor health of the pair(s)they use for breeding.

Jill - I like that RAG, technically though their species would remain that of a CAG. Just of a different color, like us humans of different colors :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/14 21:42

particle77 wrote: Oh, true. I didn't intentionally make that jump at all. I just meant to imply, it would not happen due to it being such a diluted gene at this point. That it only naturally occurs as a few red feathers here and their in a small percentage of greys. Now if the female and male greys started thinking it was desirable to seek out mates with that trait specifically, POOF, in a few generations you would start seeing greys with largely pronounced red coverage.

Thanks Jill!! I agree that anytime selective breeding is done to amplify a specific trait such as coloration using close family lines produces health issues. I is similar to breeding Dobermans to obtain what is called a "Fawn" color. They all have serious skin, allergy and thyroid problems etc. that requires prescription drugs after they are around 2 years of age for the remainder of their lives. This type of selective and unnatural breeding technique always produces a weaker animal. This would never happen in the wild where the diversity of gene pool guarantees weaknesses such as these are not amplified. The weak die and decrease, while the strong live and increase. That is a basic law of nature. Thus, not "Red" Grey is found in the wild. One of my first questions to this breeder over a year ago was, have any health issues been observed. The response was: None are old enough to determine that yet....

LOL - That is whacky! Answer - Yes, he is a read tail "Bird Dog".

JillyBeanz wrote: Jill - Since you would love to discuss it. Please do!! :-) This is certainly an interesting thread and the more opinions, information and facts added to it will only make it more valuable for referencing.

LOL - Guess that will teach the Son-in-Law to never doubt the wisdom of his MIL.

The TV is left on a channel such as animal planet when we are gone. It provides background noise for them that helps the atmosphere of the home seem a little less empty. They learn nothing as far as words go though from it.

I think the accent came from Ricky Richardo of the "I love Lucy Show". :-) Next will be "Honey, I'm Home!" Thanks for sharing this Carol.

My take on this question: All critters if abused by a certain gender will be very cautious to anyone of that gender. It was abused by a woman, it will probably take a long time for that critter to fully trust a woman. the same is true if it were a man. They learn many things they feel are important to their survival and happiness growing up and during their lives. These things they have had to deal with that made them feel threatened, perhaps actual pain, starvation etc. leave impressions that will never go away fully. They can be overcome with time and patience, as we all know. But, they will never be completely lost underlying feelings. I have one Doberman for example that was abused by a man. To this day, if I get angry and raise my voice, though NOT directed at him. He will go hide somewhere and if he can't get away fast will start urinating. It is sad to see the life long effects abuse has on critters. But, at least we can all help and love them whether the ever fully return that love or not. They will still be thankful for the safe and sane environment they are in with their new loving family. I do need to add, this Doberman is glued to me at all times and wants to go everywhere I do. So it is possible to gain the full trust and love of a critter that has been abused by the same sex as you. It took almost 2 years to gain this valued trust, but the wait is always worth it. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/13 22:24

What a cute write you did on your website. Thanks for sharing that. :-) Some body language I hope you never come to know.... 1 - Jump 3 feet and nail your finger: Leave my friggin toy alone infidel!! 2 - Fly in a 180 and nail the back of your neck bringing tears to your eyes: Don't EVER take something away from me I just got, whether it's dangerous to me or not...I WILL DETERMINE THAT, YOU FOOL!!!

Obviously while you are out, Alfie has been talking to the Queens secret Grey. Good job Alfie!

Oh Boy, it is a tough situation. When you heard the whistles. Were they ones Sinbad always produced? Since Sinbad did have a band and this grey does not. I doubt a non bird person would even bother to try and get it off. My grey will "Cheap" as you describe and desperately act like yours for someone to come and let him out when he is in his cage and see's us or someone else. That cheap is common to most all greys, but I am sure not ALL greys would react as that grey did. Some are much more shy of people. This person could have gotten the grey in some type of trade or from a relative that could no longer care for it or just didn't want it. Since you know where he lives, where he works and have started a dialogue with him. I would use that to continue conversations and try and carefully try and pry out of him precisely how he came to own it. Perhaps reminisce about your Sindbad and how much all parrot people love there birds and love to share stories about them etc. Ask him how long he has had him and what tricks he knows, ask if he is flighted and if he enjoys that .... Just general talk, you know what I mean. This way he will not immediately go on the defensive and avoid you. One thought also for your consideration. This guy did not steal Sinbad. If it is Sinbad, he found him and has done nothing criminal. So if he did want a 1000, it is not rewarding a criminal. It is giving a good reward for a person taking in your bird and saving it from probably death through starvation or a bird of prey attack. I do hope this will give you a quick answer of whether or no that is Sinbad.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/13 15:17

I do not agree with selective breeding, but it has taken place for thousands of years and it will never stop. The term "Domesticate" has several meanings to different people. I can only think of an example posed in the form of a question: If Dogs are "Domesticated", why in one generation they become "Feral" and hunt in packs and stay away from humans, just as they did in the beginning thousands of years ago? Second question: If we consider Dogs as an example. Why is it, their natural instincts kick in at times to attack and kill other species such as cats, rodents, birds etc? They are considered "Domesticated", right? It seems to me the word "Domesticated" is more of each individuals understanding based on life experiences, rather than a set in stone definition. It seems everyone understand the word "Tamed" though. So if we use that term, any critter you can interact with at some slight personal level is tamed to varying degrees..even tigers and lions. But, the still have wild instincts. I do not believe the instincts all critters have could ever be bred out of them. They each have their individual species characteristics and those will never change. Domesticated or wild. I consider my Grey and Conure "Tamed" as a clearer definition. They both still have ALL thier wild instincts intact.

Welcome to the family here uly! Karma to you Caroline!!! :-)

What a wonderful story with a happy ending. It's GreYt that you wnet through some much expense, research and paperwork to bring your flock member t obe with you. Charlie is a trooper and will always be with his much loved family now. :-) Thanks for sharing this important information.

Welcome Rustina and slave!! It's GreYt having you here and looking forward to all those photos and stories. :-)