danmcq

Yes, but we always stuck to veggies like squash, green beans. LOL @ having a baby!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

OK, got it! Thanks for the better details. The first thing I think of, is she may want a spoon feeding of formula of something with the same or a little thicker consistency like baby food warmed up. Try it and spoon feed it to her. See if that stops the begging. :-) We had to do this for Dayo the first couple of months he was here. Then he just got to where he no longer begged for or wanted it.

I would cover the windows. He will not fly into anything by accident that appears solid. In his cage, depending on how freaked out he is at each explosion, he could damage blood feathers flopping and crashing around in it. When Dayo freaks out at something like that, we he usually flies over to us once he has made a lap or two and we just gently tell him "It's Ok" and he will just sit on one of our shoulders and press himself against our head tightly until the scary thing stops. However, each Grey is different. Only you know your Grey and how to best deal with this. :-)

I think your wonderful Jill! Your kind of the female Steve Martin if you will. I always enjoy your posts. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/30 20:54

Oh No Jay, what a terrible thing to happen to you and your wife! It just RILES me up when I hear of something like this and makes me want to open up a Can-O-WhoopA$$. Fortunately, the great commentary by Spock and photos, along with his mostly perfect logic stopped my out of control spin-up. I truly am sorry to hear of this incident.

Aly wrote "Is there no end to the antics of these birds? " No!!! Awwww Awwww Awwww :evil: What a wonderful Grey she is. You will never be bored. :-) Thanks for sharing this wit us.

Could you video this or describe it very clearly? It could just her way of indicating she wants out and wants to be with you.

Dayo - My life in a Human world, as a Congo African Grey Parrot My name is Dayo. I wanted to share my life to this point. The reason for this, is my Human Parents both will pass on before I will. My future home will need to know my background to understand me and interact with me properly. My Mom and Dad spent years teaching, loving and caring for me. I am a sentient being, intelligent, talkative, comedian, demanding and most importantly fully flighted. I enjoy my freedom most of all. Now, on to my story. I am a Parrot species called “Congo African Grey” (CAG) that originates in the Congo Rain Forests area of Africa. We are known to have life spans up to 50 or 60 years in the wild. However, the average in the dangerous and tough life of the wild is around 30 years. It is thought the average is 35 to 40 years in captivity. However with a healthy diet of other than just seeds and nuts enhanced with Pellets, Vegetables, Fruit and plenty of exercising like flight and playing, we are expected to live close to our wild maximum life span in captivity. At some point in time of the distant past, my Parents were captured and shipped to the United States. A Parrot Breeder purchased them legally over 25 years ago. I do know this was made illegal by the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992. The Breeder placed my parents in a small 3 x 3 x 4 cage with a small nest box in it. They lived out the rest of their miserable lives (compared to the wild) in captivity. I do not claim that all Breeders provide this type of living condition, but most do. Also, there are many hundreds if not thousands of breeding pairs that were born in captivity and never knew what it was like to be in the wild; therefore being in the company of Humans and their environment is natural to them. Wild Grey at Tree Hole Breeders in Cage with Nestbox I was hatched on the 28th of April 2007. The first memories I have, is of feeling the warmth of my mother and father keeping me and the rest of my Clutch toasty warm and safe under them as they would sit and droop their wings down to keep the area enclosed and warm. They also fed us great warm food regurgitated made especially just for us. Then one day when we were about a week or two old, while my parents were out, I felt a strange warm “Something” pick me up and it also picked up the rest of my clutch!!! The unfortunate part is, our eyes were not yet open when we were taken from the nest, so we do not know what our parents looked like. I guess I and my clutch were lucky; some babies are taken from their parents before they even hatch. However, some Breeders leave the chicks with the parents until 3 weeks of age. We were then placed in a plastic container with material on the bottom and placed in a warm box with added humidity, it was called a Brooder. It was really a rather small place, but so is a nest of a wild African Grey Pair, which normally sets up home in the hole of a tree. I never felt the nice warm underbelly of my parents again and miss the gentle nuzzles, feeding and pampering by my parents. But, the things handling me and the clutch are gentle, but their hands are a little cold compared to the warm bodies of our parents. 1 week old Chicks Hey, there’s another clutch of Grey’s in another Brooder right next to us and about the same age!! How cool is that? They put something on one of my legs that crimped around it. I heard them call it a Leg Band that will identify me and who the breeder was. It feels rather strange and I don’t like it much. It was also strange being held like that and was actually rather scary. But, while we were all out of the brooder, but remained in the container, they fed us each some pretty good tasting formula and it was warm too! I could hear them talking in high and happy voices to me. They also held me for a while and gently stroked me. It was comforting and made me feel safe and secure. Both clutches in Brooder When we were getting fed, I kept having to push against the others to get mine too! I later learned I didn’t need to worry, the loving Breeders made sure we each got fed every time. They feed us 4 or 5 times over a 24 hour period. Of course, we’re only 3 weeks old and now have eyes open and can see these blurry huge humans feeding us. They are very gentle and talk to us in very exciting voices. But, we can’t stay out long, we have no feathers and it gets really cold after a while compared to our brooder. I am 6 weeks old now. I and the clutch are still getting fed 4 times in a 24 hours period. The Breeders let us out of the plastic box and place us on the floor to play , and we also run around and check out these strange looking items they call toys. There is some food items there too like different vegetables and fruit. We love the long time out of the brooder! We are changing and instead of bare skin, we have downy feathers and other full feathers growing. Everything is white and shades of gray. Even our eyes are black! I also have this little bright red line of dots (feathers) coming in across my butt!! What’s up with that? My Red Dotted Butt Some other Humans came over today I have never seen and they sat and played with us all for a few hours. I and one or two others checked them both out and I let them pick me up, once I had walked over to them. My clutch mates, except one, all just seemed to stay away from them and run around on the floor and explore some and eat the fruit and veggies, but I liked them for some reason. They are really nice people and are very gentle with me. I really liked chewing on a shoe lace or two and also on their shirts. They pointed something at me and also at my clutch that made a real bright flash several times while they were here. These Humans are huge towering like trees. I have to look straight up and focus my eyes really hard to see all the way up to their face and eyes. Just their feet are larger than me! When they reach out to get me, it looks like large tree branches bending out towards me. I wonder how big I am going to get and if that’s what my Parents actually looked like? Oh well, I’m too young to worry about this stuff. It’s play time! We’re 8 weeks old now and the same people keep coming back every week. I run over to them when I see them. I really look forward to these visits. We were all transferred to the big cage at 7 weeks. So both clutches totaling 7 Greys are sharing it. It’s interesting living in a big enclosure. We can climb all over the place and all the way to the top. It has a few perches at the bottom we can get on and sit. It also has some nice towels and blankets on the bottom. They feel soft when I fall. I am clumsy sometimes and just lose my grip. Here all we are at 8 Weeks out on blanket It’s interesting getting to know and socializing with the other clutch. Sometimes, we beak each other too hard! One of us had a blood feather bitten and the Breeder moved him to another enclosure for a while so he could heal. I guess we are still learning how to use our powerful beaks properly. He is ok now though and back with us. For the most part we each tend to stay close to our own clutch in the cage and sleep next to each other. When I see those people that come over and they walk in the Room. I always run to the front and climb up the cage door and peep and whistle at them. Some the other Grey’s would call too and want their attention, but I was always hanging on the front of the cage door so they would get me first. One or the other of these humans would pick up other Grey’s as well that wanted attention. The breeders also played with us everyday and we had lots of interaction. My Feathers are now becoming very full and those Red Dots on my butt have turned into pretty red growing tail feathers. I like them!! The people coming over I play with liked all my feathers they carried on over my red tail. 8 Weeks – Notice how the other clutch stays isolated sometimes There is also an 8 week old sun conure that is normally out with us running around too. He’s a quick little bugger that gets to stuff before us sometimes, but he’s a cute little guy. We put up with him, but chase him off if he gets in our way. There are also 5 Cherry headed conures about 6 weeks old in a cage we watch and peep at. Then there is a monster of a bird, it’s a Greenwing Macaw named Barney that sits on a stand and watches over us. His age is around 30. He sometimes rattles the walls with one of his squawks’ or loud Hello’s. Two of us were drawn to these people called mommy and daddy. The Dayo and Other Grey getting attention I like chewing on Dads shoes Me and Mom at 8 Weeks We are being raised by Humans, in a Human world and rely upon them for everything. Even though we have the instincts of an African Grey Parrot, we are naturally drawn to Humans and learning how to get along in the only world we know. The Breeders knew this was crucial for our placement, happiness and thriving with our future Human owners. They have been very careful to ensure we are learning all the basics like a Cage is our home, primary food area and place of safety, to step-up, know what a towel is and play with it. They also keep giving us different food items and toys with different textures and colors. But, as with all us African Grey’s, there are some things that we just look at from a distance for a while, before we even think about going near it. I like the Breeders and the way they love us and take care of us. But, something was different about these humans that kept coming over. I don’t know why, but I seemed drawn to them, especially the one now known as “Mommy” the other is called “Daddy”. He’s ok, I like him too, but not as much. I am getting more attached to them each time they visit. I’m going to fast forward to 12 weeks now. Since weeks 8 through 11 continued on as they were, except we are getting fed formula less often, eating pellets, mashes, vegetables, fruit etc., and we continued to grow very fast. I heard them call it abundance weaning. I don’t care what they call it, I call it Good! I am now flapping my wings a lot; due to some uncontrollable urge that I’ve had for the past week to hang on to something and just flap away! Boy do they create a lot of wind and I can feel my feet pulling against the bar or finger as I do so. I let go once and took off. Boy was that scary; I landed well very soon and walked around thinking about what just happen. The breeder seemed very happy and was talking to me in a very high and happy voice. All the others in the two clutches are doing the same. The Breeder said something about not needing a thing called a fan to keep them cool. They also turn all the ceiling fans off before any of us or other Parrots are let out. My Dad and Mom, always checks the metal thing around my leg when they come over and I walk up to them. I heard them say, yep its number 001. There’s another Grey from the other clutch starting to hang around them to and getting picked up. They check its band too and say, yep its number 006. This is starting to get me jealous, I always go back and forth between dad and Mom when 006 is with one of them. I usually try to get Mom to just pick me up and 006 can have Dad. While my Mom and Dad was over visiting. We were hanging out on the floor playing and a very small dog came running in and spooked us. We all quickly flew up to the sofa, chairs or other item about 3 or 4 feet off the floor. Then we saw it was just the little dog we are used to seeing him run around the house while in our cage and quickly returned to the floor to play. I guess it was just instinct to fly when we feel threatened by a quick unexpected movement. It felt pretty good to fly and my Mom and Dad carried on like I had done something amazing. One odd thing happened that alarm me while sitting on my Dad’s chest. He was sitting on the floor with his arms supporting his upper body. All of a sudden, the biggest Grey from the other clutch flew across the room and landed with his beak biting into my Dad’s hand making a hole and drawing blood. The Breeder asked my Dad if the Grey just attacked him. My Dad said yes, but didn’t know why. After that, my Dad always called that bird “the Grey from Hell”. This Grey would from then on, growl at the Breeder and my Dad even when they would just approach the cage to get us all out. I heard my dad say, that if the Grey’s attitude didn’t change, it would make a good breeder possibly. The Breeder laughed. I don’t know why! But, that larger Grey was always a loaner, hanging out in the back of the cage and the others from its clutch would sometimes huddle around it. The Breeder sent samples in from all of us today for DNA testing, to see what sex we are. My Mom and Dad have been talking about something called a “Name”. They have been researching appropriate African Dialects to find just the right one for me. They are going to wait until the DNA test comes back. I wish that other Grey would just stay with the rest of its clutch, I want ALL the attention! When Mom and dad left today, the breeder had to hold me because I kept peeping and trying to fly after them. I miss them now every time they leave. The Breeder told my parents I keep looking and peeping for at least 10 minutes after their gone.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2010/02/18 13:11

What a wonderful update on Adaya!! She is such a beautiful Grey that is truly flourishing under you loving up-bringing and care. Her cognitive abilities are impressive for such a young age. It just shows what a GreYt job you are doing with her. :-) Thanks for this update and looking forward more!!

What a wonderful update on Jim!!! You and Maggie have done such a GreYt job of making him feel the love, patience and consistency he was lacking. I can't wait to see the videos when the start rolling out. He is one intelligent Grey that truly has come out of his shelter and is interacting fully as part of your flock. :-) Karma to you!!

What a wonderful story! It's GreYt to hear Beau is on the mend, weaning, flying, but the plucking hopefully will stop when the irritation of the crop burn leaves. It's wonderful to hear you are getting him very soon and have all the preparations underway. Looking forward to the next episode of this series!! :-)

Jooles Wrote "I'll try anything though as my hands aren't a pretty sight atm." Well, you could do what I do, I no longer use my fingers to scratch Dayo's Head. I use my fist and back of it to rub his head when he puts his down for a scratch. Sure enough, once the first or second rub takes place he tries to bite but can't. :-) I accepted long ago, that my wife Kim is his love muffin and the only one he wants to spend night time hours getting scratches and cuddles from. Katana - That is a hilarious "Series of unfortunate events". Could help but laugh. It would make a great video hahahahahahahahaha. Oops, sorry, I mean i feel your pain and hope your toe is better. :-) The T-Shirt just never received that many ideas to go to market. The other issue was find a supplier that would do it for a reasonable price.

Well, it was not so much bravery, as it was a nessecity. Since she was blind, she would only go when lead and did so with full trust and confidence that she was following us along a safe path. A normal sighted horse, I would have never done that with. Too much chance of them getting nervous and spooked seeing a dead end and high walls, even if sedated to calm them.

Dave - Do you offer sugar cane. I ask because of the way your post is written. If you do, I'll buy it. I can never find it in a store. I look for it constantly.

Yes, they do it often when relaxing. :-)

I'm with Talon and Talonsis. We had horses for years. One was basically blind at 25 and just followed people around, otherwise it stayed in it's little area where it knew water and food was and navigated surprising well there. When the time came, a back hoe was order and a ramped down hole was dug 9 feet deep. She was lead down, hugged, wept over and injected. It was a very calm ordel. She still remains in that pasture with a marker. It was very peaceful and a closure we could live with. God bless you and please know my thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time.

Dave is spot on and Sheila as well. Most Breeder Greys have not spent the time with Humans to learn to talk or have a reason to. The parents have no bearing on speech ability. Humans won't learn to talk either if they have not developed in a normal family learning verbal skills and developing that portion of the brain at the early ages between 0 to 6. Feral humans or those kept locked up with no human socialization are retarded mentally and brains scans also clearly show a significant part of the brain associated with speech is atrophied compared to a normal child. So to sum it up, it the Parrot is socialized very young and given the mental stimulation and reasons to encourage to talk, they will. However, some never will as others pointed out.

If a Parrot bites and it hurts, it a bite. However, a true bite that draws blood means they really mean business or they got a very soft area like you lip or soft flap of skin between your thumb and index finger. If you've been bit, your a member. Everyone has different methods of dealing with a bite. You just need to find the method that works for you, like placing in the cage immediately and walking away or even just sitting by the cage ignoring them. The best thing to do is learning their body language in and out to avoid a bite most the time. They are very good at fooling people to, like when your offering a treat, they calmly move towards it and right as the approach the hand BAM they nail you, you drop the treat etc. Thats when I pick the treat up and just walk away. Of course the first thing I do is say "No Bite!". I have done this since the first time he clamped down harder than just a little warning pressure that he didn't like something I was doing. But, you will never stop your Grey from biting completely and you know that they know you don't like it and they do it anyway. If I require a step-up and it's not negotiable, I go in with fist balled up, fist turned in strecthing the back of hand skin tight and point that at him as I move in. he knows he can not bite the hand then and steps up as I just push against his under belly until he does so. You just have to learn what works best for your Grey, Everyone is different in this department. But, as I said earlier, it's best to avoid one. :-)

Awww, what a beautiful Grey!! Thanks for posting the photo. :-)

Another Great Video of Tobie!! It is certainly a perfect example showing that Tobie KNOWS exactly what he is talking about and even when he is going somewhere. This is another that going in my favorites. I think I have given enough videos of Dayo for a while. :-) But, he does laugh at things he thinks are funny in context. One other thing he used for the first time in context that was new this last Sunday. Was we rolled both their cages out about 9 in the morning for sunning and showers. Around 12, it was 90. Dayo looked over and said " Dayo Hot, wanna go inside?" We almost fell over, then complied! He was not yet exhibiting the signs of being overheating i.e wings held out and beak a quarter open. Now, I would really like to see all these other people here. To start cranking up those video cameras and letting us see their awesome Greys and other birds in action. :-)

Wow, tough crowd of fellow Parrot Owners...... I guess there's just no "Bite" sympathy here. Sorry Julie. :laugh: This is starting to sound like an AA meeting, "Hi I'm Dan" and I got bit today. Now the rest of the "Bite Me" Club can chime in. :-)

Congratulations on Cookie!! Looking forward to hearing more and seeing photos when the homecoming happens. Please pass on my sympathies and condolences to the Breeder. No matter how many times they have things like this happen, it breaks their heart. That is the down side of being a Breeder.

No Sheila, Charlie is not the only one. For the Grey owners with 6 month or less year old Greys. They are babies and pretty much accept what you put in front of them. This changes as they age, in most cases. If Dayo does not associate a new toy with something similar he has had before. It will be a good week or two before he will play with it. It took three weeks for him to get on his new tree stand. he wouldn't even fly over the Evil looking thing. He would fly way around it. Sometimes even screaming like a pterodactyl. Now 6 months and not touching the cargo net is odd, but it took Dayo a year to try out a boing I had hanging in the family room. The ice breaker was him chasing Jake, the Conure. It drove Dayo insane that Jake could fly there and Dayo would not follow. Finally one day, Dayo was so focused on chasing Jake, that I believe he landed on it, before he realized he was on the Evil Cork Screw from Hell. From that day forward he has spent time enjoying just climbing up and down it. :-)

Awwwww, it's "Ok" Jooles. Your Boo boo's will get all better and tonight you can have a few glasses of the cure all....... wine. :-) Now, that I've soothed you and assured you, reality check. Sometimes they just have pissy days and they bite to see what kind of day your having, to ensure your is pissy too. ;-) Now if your Dogs bite you, you are really going to have a hell of a day. Parrots bite, blood spurts, people scream or fake that it doesn't hurt and life happens. :-) I know you will really enjoy that wine!! Tomorrow will be another and DIFFERENT day, I hope!!!<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/29 20:25

Welcome OfficialMark!! It's GreYt having you here. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.