danmcq

He must be one of those very rare Australian African Greys with a pouch. I have never heard of one doing this before. It is certainly unique and very entertaining. :-)

Thats all great news!! He sounds like a wonderful Grey adapting very quickly to your lving home. Thanks for the update Brad!! :-)

Wonderful photos of the two. I am REALLY staring to feel the baby urge......UGH!! Dayo would kill me and my wife would put the nails in the coffin!! Oh well, I have my babies to read about here on the forum. :-) Thanks for sharing this.

There are threads here regarding terrible twos. But, each Grey goes through it differently. My thoughts are the increased cage time, equals more excitability when he gets out. Our Grey is similar to what you are describing. When he gets out of the cage when my wife gets home. he fly's straight to his favorite perching area and starts singing, talking, whistling and playing all on his own for at least an hour. He is so excited that interaction with with is fun, but it is also the highest percent guarantee your going to get bit with all that energy and adrenaline pulsing through his veins and body. Instead of putting him back in the cage. Perhaps try giving him his space and time to be alone if thats what he desires. They truly start showing strong independence and attitudes once they hit two for the most part. In the wild this is when the are become fully mature and finding their place in the flock.

Bravo, well done!! I loved watching Alfie "Thread the needle" especially in Slow-Motion. He truly is a "Top Gun", very fitting sound track. It just goes to show just how graceful and precise these Greys are once they have mastered their flight skills. Thanks for sharing this, I have marked it as a favorite to watch and share with others. :-)

Welcome Ishmael and TAG!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome Patrick, Amalie, Viktor, Gøja and Charlie!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

JillyBeanz wrote: Awww, Harvey would be welcome anytime. Dayo could give him some pointers on back of neck pinch and fly technique he learned from Obi Won....

Dayo again - I'm doing the best I can with my limited PC time....Dad is a PC hog!!! May your day of foraging and flying the sky's be fruitful. :-) Week 15 - The breeders did something to my wings and I can’t fly all of a sudden! I can only flap down to the floor at about a 45 degree angle. When mom and dad came today and saw that my wings were clipped, I heard them talking to the breeders about having already stated they did not wanting that done. The breeders said it was their policy not to let any bird go unclipped and would not let mom and dad have me, if they had not done it. Mom and dad seemed sad and didn’t talk to the breeders as much as normal today. They brought the carrier though! I couldn’t get in it fast enough. Then we went in that strange vehicle and next thing I know, I am at their house again. I couldn’t wait to get out and was clawing at the door and contact calling them to make it so in a hurry! This time I went straight to the blanket on the floor which had lots of cool foot toys, some fruit, veggies and that furbie I love so much. They have to carry me around now if we need to go someplace, rather than me flying after them like last time. I am a little scared of moving very fast now when I am climbing up or down. I also just lean in the direction of where I want to go and they place me there so I can investigate whatever it is I am curious about. Oh, exiting news, the DNA test came back and I am a Boy! I could have told them that… Mom and Dad were very excited and started calling me “Dayo” right away. They said it means in an African dialect “Joy has arrived”. It sure did for all of us. We are all so happy when together! After playing for a long time, I fell asleep for a while when I crawled under moms arm and laid down on the floor. That was nice, we all just laid there and napped. At least I think they did too. Then we played some more and it was time to go back to the breeders. I don’t like going back there and don’t understand why I can’t just stay with mom and dad. They have that big cage and we have so much fun. So we got to the breeders and said our good buys. I look for them everyday when I wake up. Every time the doorbell rings and people come in, I look to see if it’s them and it’s not. Week 16 - Things are hopping here at the breeders. It’s different today. When mom and dad got here I was hanging on the cage door contact calling like always and they said hi and then just ignored me. Instead they were in the kitchen with the breeder doing something in a huge pot and talking about it. They were in there for over an hour talking and doing things. Finally they came and got me out of the cage. But, they also got another Grey out too that always hung out with mom and dad. They placed me and her both in the carrier! Now this is weird. But, they left me and her in there and they started carrying out bags of stuff from the kitchen where they had been doing all that stuff. Then they talked with the breeders for a long time again and we left. We got to the house and brought all the stuff in they had brought over from the breeders. They put it up in a big white box that was very cold. It looked like little bags of food we had at the breeders. The Dobermans were coming up and looking then smelling us in the carrier. They put the Dobermans in another room, then they let me and her out of the carrier. I noticed right away my cage was arranged differently. The perches were low and some nice soft towels were in the bottom. There were also a lot more toys hanging in there than last time. I checked it all out. The towels were soft and the toys were fun for the most part. There are couple of that I am not sure if they are evil monsters or not yet. So I am staying away from those! The other Grey was checking things out and kept running after mom and dad. Of course I did too! One time dad turned around to walk and she was right at his foot and he kicked her a little. Not too hard though. He got real sad and picked her up and cuddled her. I guess from way up there it is hard to see us standing right at their feet and they can’t hear our foot steps. Me and her played with mom and dad. We played with our toys, climbed around the cage inside, outside and also each played with each other. We always liked each other and also mom and dad. Mom and dad started calling her Leah. We all went in a big room with a huge thing that showed pictures and made lots of sounds for a few hours. Me and Leah hung out on the top of the couch, preened and beaked each other. Then it started becoming dinner time and they made us formula nice and warm like we had at this time of day. I ate a lot, but Leah didn’t eat very much. She also had not been eating much of the food they had out for us all day. This is weird, it’s getting dark and we are still here. Usually they take me back to the breeders before now. We spent a few more hours playing and hanging out with mom and dad. Then they picked us up, very gently held and snuggled us and put us both in the big cage and covered us. They said good night to us and then it got real dark and quite. We are spending the night!! I have always wanted to stay here and now my wish has come true. We slept real good and didn’t wake up once during the night. Before it was light, I heard dad up and doing something in the kitchen. That big box came on and started making noise and I smelled a strong odor and I could see through the cover a blurry image of him lifting a cup to his mouth. Leah woke up too and pretty soon we couldn’t stand it any longer. We started our little baby cheeps and panting. Dad came over and uncovered us. Then he talked to us a while in a gentle voice, rubbed our beaks and gave us some scratches, then went back to watching that noisy box. After a while mom came in and we excitedly cheeped at her too and she came over and got us both out of the cage. We were both so excited we started climbing all over her. Dad came over and got Leah then we all had some snuggle time. I stayed with mom and did not like Leah getting her attention. Then dad got a thing out he put each of us on, one at a time. I heard him call it a digital scale. It had a nice perch for us to stand on. Then he wrote something down on paper. He seemed anxious after he weighed Leah and him and mom talked about it. They fixed us a lot of good stuff to eat like veggies, some fruit and some of that wonderful 15 bean, oats, barley, nuts, seed and flax seed mixture they brought from the breeders all nice and warm. I ate a lot, Leah did not. They called the breeder and talked to them for a while. I heard dad saying something about Leah’s weight going down rapidly and her not wanting to eat. Then they put her in the carrier and left. When they came back, Leah was not with them. I never saw her again. I did hear them say she was fine, just not completely weaned yet. They decided that I was going to be enough to handle and declined to bring her back a week later. Oh well, I am now the only one who will get attention from mom and dad. Except for Jake the conure, who doesn’t like sitting on them and hanging out like I do. He just likes to get treats from them and hang out on his cage or perch. He does keep trying to come and get close to me, but I don’t like that and chase him away. Now the rest of my life’s story with MY FLOCK begins……<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/02/18 13:31

Ringworm is actually a fungus. If your bird did have ringworm, you would note feather loss in splotches. As you know, it is mainly transmitted through cats. I would get to a doctor to diagnose exactly what is going on with those skin spots. Only they can properly diagnose it.

"The only people who don't find it funny are on this site. Pepper is treated like a princess and its not often we even curse around her." Hi Brittany, I just want to put this in perspective for you and anyone else that finds a cussing bird funny. It is not a matter of just people on this site being prudes or zealous religious fanatics as Jaguar insinuated "Amish". No one is personally attacking you or flaming you from reading all these responses. All have just stated common sense "Parrot Etiquette" in bringing up and training one. I am no saint and sometimes when I get mad or frustrated, I let some zingers fly. Well, atleast I did until my Grey Dayo came out with them and in context with something that happen to him. I must admit, I laughed and so did my wife at first. I even posted it here for all to read, but I also advised that I was going to get him to stop saying it. The reason they pick up these words, is because they are normally used with a lot of intensity and in immediate response to something that happened. They pick up our intense feelings, listen to how their flock example reacts and BAM, the next time they encounter an accident or something doesn't go their way, guess what they learned from the flock to say? Yup, those exact words. It took a few months to replace those two words with "Shoot!" and "God Dangit!". But, he now uses those words. I do not ever want my Grey to use cuss words. Why? Because we have children over to our house. Guess what children do? They mimic and they especially think cuss words are funny. I don't want these kids going home and telling their mom and dad the words they learned at our house. We also have company and family over fairly often. I would be extremely embarrassed if a zinger came out while they were here. Also, as I already stated in my first comment to this thread. I care greatly that when I and my wife pass on, that Dayo is not limited in finding a good home due to the language he uses to express himself. You may be young, but you do not know the day or hour you coul dpass on. No one does. So for all that think we are prudes or religious fanatics...... you are so wrong. We care about how our birds interact with people of all walks of life and want to insure a good future for them should something happen to us. Brittany, I have always enjoyed your posts, photos etc. and hope to continue hearing updates from you. :-)

Just check the sodium level. Most pickled foods have a high sodium content. If the sodium is low, then it's fine. Vinegar is actually good for them diluted in water. :-)

Awwww, it's wonderful to hear that Java is pleased and so involved! :-) I can't wait to see the first photos and videos rolled out of them interacting. :-)

How exciting and beautiful Jan! I loved watching the video. Thanks for sharing it with us. :-)

Your doing fine Dee!! We watched Dayo like he was a new born child too and fretted over every little thing. The Sticky Buns would probably be more for your comfort though. :-) I will say, you don’t want him to get into a routine. Meaning change up things daily on when you get him, how you and where you place him, things you show or give him etc. and describe what it is or what you are doing. Like “make coffee”, “lets get cereal”, “get the baby”, “Get the Toy”,“Almond”, “apple” “mmmmmmm”, you get the jest. Keep him mentally engaged in all things and entertained. He will forget about his schedule of how long he’s been away from his cage and soon not even care if he ever goes back. Every Grey is different, though there are constants we can advise you of. You just need to see how he reacts to different circumstances, new items etc. and judge what you need to go slower with or speed up the process.

LOL Dee!! This is a recipe I got from a health food store. We eat them and give both our birds some. They love them. So, it's not something they would get weekly. Omly when we make them and eat them fresh. :-) You could freeze and re-warm, but they never taste like they did fresh out of the oven.

Ok, first get your mind out of the gutter!!!! Recipe: 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees) 1 package active yeast 1 teaspoon Fructose ( better than sugar) 4 1/4 cups unbleached flour 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 1 tablespoon Y.S. Organic Honey 2 teaspoons Himalayan Crystal Salt 1 package Organic Black Mission Figs, finely chopped 1 cup Organic Walnuts, coarsely chopped In large bowl, combine 1 cup warm water, yeast, and fructose. Stir to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in 1 cup flour. Cover bowl and let stand at room temperature 45 minutes, or until mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir in 3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, honey, salt and remaining 1/2 cup warm water until well combined. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 5 to 8 minutes, adding additional 1/4 cup flour as needed, until smooth and elastic. Flatten dough. Press figs and walnuts into dough. Fold dough over onto fruit and nuts and knead until well combined. Place in greased large bowl, turning dough over to grease top. Cover bowl and let rise in warm place (80° to 85°) until doubled, which will take about 2 hours. Punch down dough; cover and let rest 10 minutes. Grease large cookie sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cut off small sections of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Place the dough balls on the greased cookie sheet and let rise until the double in size. Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush each one with a little bit of honey. Makes 60 sticky buns. Serving size 1 bun.

were wild greys.....

katana600 wrote: Awwww, thats just too cute!!! I want a baby grey again now!!!! :-)

Hi Brittany, It's good to hear from you again. :-) Most of us discourage our birds from cussing. If a bird ever needs to be rehomed, that can make it much harder to find to a home wiling to take them in. Perhaps you could try to replace it with fudge. :-)

WOW, nice photos!!!! Thanks for sharing them. :-)

Dayo here - Continuing my story... It's labor-some typing with only 4 digits on each Talon. :-) Week 13 and we’re flying every chance we get when let out of the cage. It’s rather scary, not knowing what’s around that big opening or flapping to hard and seeing the top of the sky as we rapidly approach the 8 foot ceiling. Most times I will turn back to where I came from and land, then fly a circle again. It tried landing on places other than my cage and found some of them just fall over, like lamp stands, standing picture frames etc. For the most part, once I have flown a little, I like to be on the floor playing, eating new things, tearing up toys and having fun with the breeders and especially my mom and dad when they come over. They talk and laugh with the breeders a long time when they are here. They have become very good friends and enjoy each others company. I hear them talking about what I and the others have been doing each day and also the others Parrots here that are growing up. They have many cages they built outside with many types of Conures, Macaws and Greys. We sometimes play the other babies when they are out when we are and it changes the dynamics of what we do and how we play. Some of them are BIG and I try to go buddy up with them and get some preening. Some will and some won’t and run me off. So I go chase the ones smaller than me off, because they bug me. I wonder if that’s what the big macaws think about me. But, my mom and dad played with them, especially the macaws. I really got jealous when a blue and gold laid on my moms chest and then placed it’s head on her shoulder like a human child does. My mom liked it and cuddled it for a long time! Sometimes when there is a toy or a food item I like, I’ll go pick it up and all of a sudden others come around me and want it. I run away and they chase me and try to get it. Most the time I just run and turn until they stop trying to get it. Sometimes though, one of them will get it and then I chase after them. It’s fun, but I don’t like having something taken away from me and the others don’t either. Week 14 and I have continued to enjoy the flights we all get to take when out of that big box they call a cage. We chase each other and sometimes have some crashes. This flight thing is really exciting, but turning and landing on some things is kind of tricky. But, I am learning how to bank, slow down and what NOT to land on. I also learned I can make short hops to get to things quickly before the others. My mom and dad came over today with a small cage and took my outside and placed me in this thing they called a car. I saw and heard very strange things and when they took me out, we were at a different house and they let me out. There was only one other bird there they called Jake and he is a peach front conure. He is a small cute little guy and reminds me a little of the sun conure at the breeders. I saw a huge cage and my parents let me climb up in it and check out some of the new and scary toys I had never seen before. They also played with me on the floor with foot toys and even something they called a furbie. It surprised me when I touched it and it laughed!! But, then I enjoyed it so much a played with it for quite a while. I met two big dogs called Doberman pinschers. They look scary and my dad held them at a distance. We just checked each other out for a few then and then dad put them in another room. I could hear them barking to be let out. I stayed at this new house for 4 hours and explored, played with mom and dad, slept a little, ate a little and then they put me back in the carrier and took me back to the breeders. I enjoyed it so much. I did not want mom and dad to leave without me. I saw something on moms face that looked like a small drop of water as they left. She and dad both seemed sad to leave me at the breeders too. I can’t wait until they come back again.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/02/18 13:21

Yes, they are tasty foods your Grey may just love. :-) If not, GreYt food for you.

Still wanting a hand feeding is fine and some Greys will enjoy that feeding and look forward to it for life. You know they do feed each other as mates and is a very endearing thing to do. They will not over eat like people. The weight is fine and Rudy sounds like one fine healthy and happy Grey! :-) GreYt job!!!

Wow, that will be a GreYt fledging room and you can use it for training like recall, targeting etc. Now I'm jealous!!