danmcq

GreYt photo of the two! They seem perfectly happy to dine together. A good meal always tastes better when shared with friends. :-) Thanks for sharing it.

Welcome Matt! It's always good to see someone researching and asking questions BEFORE they go purchase a Grey or any other "Pet" for that matter. Somethings you need to know, if you don't already about owning a Parrot: 1. They have powerful beaks that can inflict wounds requiring stitches. ON a young child like you have, they could actually damage a finger crippling the use of it for life. 2. They do not normally like very young children darting about flailing their arms and laughing or screaming. 3. They require a minimum of 4 hours out of cage time with one on one attention by their owners. 4. They make messes with their food by slinging it out of the cage against walls and on to the floor. 5. They require a large cage, lots of toys and need to be in the room you and family are in most when you are home. They need to feel like a part of the flock whether in or out of the cage. Otherwise, they will result to feather plucking and develop behavior issues you don't want to encounter or deal with. 6. They live long lives of 30 to 60 years, have the intelligence of a 3 to 5 year old child and require mental and physical stimulation. 7. The require specialized diets that includes daily mixtures of veggies, nuts, seeds, fruit occasionally and all this costs $$$ along with very expensive toys they will destroy in just a few days. These things must all be supplied continually or you will end up with a very unhappy, malnourished and possible aggressive attitude after a while. 8. They are not like a domesticated dog or cat that is happy just to get a pet, scratch from a human every once in a while. They are still basically wild and relate to humans as such. 9. Many Parrots in up in rescues due to people thinking they want a parrot that talks and acts like the ones they see videos of or have watched on a tv program. This is just a few second time slice of what is required to get a parrot to do that and does not reflect the nature at all of keeping a Parrot 24-7 for decades. 10. Your friends will not appreciate your Parrot as you and comment on how you are crazy. 11. You will have poop on your shoulders, floors and also holes chewed in your shirts, buttons bitten off, curtains chewed on,remotes destroyed, keyboards keys missing, any wood they can reach chewed on etc. It is what a parrot does and you will never change their natural behavior. If I have not made you stop in your tracks and decide that a parrot is not for you at this point in your life. Then congratulations! You are joining a great great group of parrot lovers. :-)

BaxtersMom wrote: Dayo and Jake get along as long as Jake does not get in to Dayo's "Zone". I would estimate that zone to be about 12 inches. Dayo will tolerate it for perhaps a minute or more, then chase Jake off. Dayo is jealous of Jake when Jake plays with any of his toys, is on our shoulder, leg or arm and will fly over and try to shoo Jake off. I and Kim normally block this and protect Jake to show we respect his need for personal time on us and can feel that we will protect him from harassment. Dayo was jealous of the attention Jake was getting in taking a bath and tried to spoil it for him. Dayo will not get in himself most the time and will just sit once he has finally gotten Jake away from the water and bask in his sense of a job well done. Whats interesting. Is I know they both appreciate each others company. If it were up to Jake, they would be preening buddies. But, Dayo will not allow that closeness. He will call Jake by name. tell him "It's Ok", "Come on Jake" etc. if he can't see him for a while and Jake will come flying in like the loyal friend. :-) Then Dayo will shoo him off if he gets to close. I can not figure out what has made this change in Jake after so long. But, it is an even bigger joy now to have him around. We have loved and respected him from the day I brought him home, but this is just a feeling of somehow, some way, a break through has happened, due to some unknown lock that was opened. Maybe it was a hidden room in his brain that had a pre-set time like a bank vault.

Jake, the suspected wild caught peach front. Has come a long way in the last 4 years trying to get him to trust and accept us. So if anyone is wondering how long it COULD take for any sign of a bird finally deciding to trust you. Just take this as an extreme example. He will now fly to our shoulders, ride around, nibble and tickle our face and ears etc. he is not to the point of letting us give him scratches yet. But, he has truly come along by leaps and bounds in the last 6 months. He is also saying in the best very high pitched and scratchy Conure voice, Hello, Hi, How are you, good boy and I must say this completely has taken us by surprise. I first could hear him practicing starting about 3 months ago. No clue why he decided to try, but it is endearing to know he wants to be a "Flock" member. :-) He is trying to get a bath in this video, which he dearly loves. They must be in doors now due to the cold temperatures. Dayo just can't stand Jake getting this kind of attention, so of course tries his best to interrupt it.

I have seen your tail. I just thought it was from such rough play. We all know your a hooligan! Now your trying to blame it on a Grey? Shame on you.

Yeah, I was surprised at his responsiveness also. But, when he is on the road, sometimes it is a day or two. :-)

Yes - Just put on some Bon Jovi and watch for the crazy war dance. Actually though, yes, based on the white area pattern around his eyes, head shape, coloration and lastly his body language.

Possessed Cat! http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/Cat_Possessed_With_Demons/?m=new#279885

I have been following Sid's blog and site for a while. He is a great guy with a ton of experience in training birds. So I thought I would share this link for those of you that might also want to follow his writings, stories and experiences. http://avianambassadors.com/BirdTraining/

I don't think it's odd behavior. Nikki is wanting to be involved and helpful. :-) I and Kim do not take Dayo into the bathroom with either of us when doing tasks like that due to the same issues...Grabbing tooth brush, grabbing comb, grabbing blow dryer...grabbing other things :ohmy: and just generally trying to help. But, they have no idea they are really being a nuisance and make it impossible to complete any task in that area.

Congratulations on the progress! You are doing a GreYt job of being patient and loving allowing Marvin to explore and interact at his pace and safety zone that is obviously becoming more and more open. Karma to you!

Yes, you need to be careful in which peanuts you use. This is a very touchy topic with some people and they will not feed a peanut regardless of safety. I feed my parrots peanuts that are human grade and roasted. The key words are "Human Grade". Believe it or not, humans can become sick also from peanuts if they are not roasted properly. Peanut is nutritional and human grade as well. However, both should only be given as a treat or a minimal potion of their diet. Other nuts such as almonds and walnuts are much more nutritious and safe for them. The #1 pellet maker Harrison's has peanuts and sunflower seeds in their coarse variety and is what many people feed their Greys. Nuts are a staple of Parrots and the protein and oils are healthy for your bird. Especially during molting season and cold weather. This is just my thoughts on the topic and others will give their thoughts as well pro and con. :-)

A key trigger seems to be jealousy of Phone, computer, other parrot getting attention, reading a book or paper.... anything that has our attention etc. and THEY want us to pay attention to THEM ONLY. Dayo and Jake will both do similar things like little nips or try to chase the "Other" away.

Wow, nice setup. Thanks for sharing the photos. :-)

Nice photos of Owen and what a beautiful bird room. :-) Thanks for posting these.

Very cute video of Tango. It sounds like he is whispering to me. Loved the song duet at the end. :-) Thanks for posting this.

Welcome Lambert and Flock!! It's GreYt having you here. :-) Wow , you went from zero to 6 parrots in one year. That must have been quite a change in lifestyle to suddenly have so many masters you now report to. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing lots of photos and videos.

LOL!!! Cool... B)

Great post and a good tip on training your grey or other parrot to link positive results when lifting their wings, like the "Eagle" or "Tickle" game. Thanks for sharing this article!

Alfie, your Mom is SLOWLY cooking you!!!! :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: Just kidding, looks like you enjoy the breeze. Thanks for sharing this video and the "Knee Shot. B)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/01/09 00:55

Don't know how I missed this photo of Alfie all this time, but it is "Birdtalk" material. You should submit it. :-) Great photo of just how determined these little brats are at getting their favorite treats.

GreYt photos of Salsa being a hooligan. Spock - Good to see you reasoned it out using logic that Salsa is, well, a Zon! :-) Thanks for sharing the photos and a fun read.

Thanks for the photo and the link Sheila. I found it very interesting. :-)

A sour smell can indicate a crop yeast infection. It is not normal for a bird to have "Bad Breath". The only exception, is if they ate something like a piece of garlic bread, strong herb etc. and you would know instantly what that smell was from. If that sour smell continues, a visit to the vet is in order.

They have very sensitive hearing. We are very quite at night and in early mornings. I can get up at 3am and walk in the kitchen not making the slightest sound and my grey will flutter his wings letting me know he as aware I am present. The only other explanation would be ESP. :-) There is no doubt that little noises through out the night would alert them. They do nap at different times of the day as you say. I don't think my grey or my conure have ever slept for 12 hours without waking momentarily. As you state, in the wild the noises would definitely alert them as their very lives are at stake.