danmcq

They say the large Macaws are the puppy dogs mentality of the Parrot world. Darius is another shining example of that in these great photos you've provided. Thanks Pat, these updates on him are always a joy to see and read. :-)

What an inspiring story of doing everything you can to and taking many risks to get your Grey the best treatment possible. I admire you and your wife. I am keeping Rishi and your family in prayer.

Congratulations Judy!!!!! This has been a long time coming and I know you will do a great job!!! :-)

This is a very good topic Jane. I agree with you and the others, that they should be introduced to new things, places, people and all sorts of critters starting from the time they are just 6 weeks onward. Our Grey and all the the greys and other species of Parrots were having this from the time they were just weeks old. They all seemed to handle it just fine and even the Greys were not real stand offish at new items like toys and the like. Our Grey was introduced to being placed in a travel cage at 14 weeks old and a car ride to our house to spend 4 or 5 hours with us in our home and see his cage and new home. He did not seem at all fearful and in fact was game to explore. We did this every weekend from 14 weeks until we brought him home for the last time. One thing I have noticed in ours though. Is it is not so much going and and not knowing what your going to see that scares him. It's more of something brought into his home that he knows every inch of and all of a sudden I come walking through with a ladder, leaf blower, blow up pool toy etc. He immediately will cheap and stare at it and me as if to say "one step closure and your Toast". But, as long as I tell him "It's ok Dayo" as I walk through, he is ok and just watches cautiously. They live with change everyday in the wild as they fly over new areas, land in new areas and see all types of critters, strange trees, bushes, flowers etc. So change is something natural to them. Just not in there "Tree Hole" home or it's close proximity area of it. Then the red flags go up because it normally indicates danger.

Dave as always is spot on. My Grey had 4 flights moderating clipped on each wing before they would let us bring him home....much to our begging them not to. It took 2 years for those flights to be completely replaced. Also, as Dave said, he still has a mixture of new and old feathers on his body. You can tell by the coloration and wear on them.

Welcome!! What a pair Mango and Rocky make. It's always good to see a loving person taking in a Grey in need of rescue. Under your care I'm certain they will both grow to be all they were meant to be and get rid of any bad habits like the plucking. Thanks for sharing the photos. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing more from you. :-)

Wow, what a shock!!! :ohmy: This has totally taken me by shock. I must say it is a nice shock for once. Especially just getting home from work and finding this out.:-) I truly appreciate all your kind comments. I must say though, there are many here who contribute greatly and been have since the beginning of this forum. I am still just one of many that makes this forum the Greatest African Grey Forum on the Web. The knowledge and diversity here has a breadth and depth that is greater than the sum and creates a synergy I Have not seen on a forum of any type to date. Mix that in with great people from around the globe and you have a community like no other. All, I can say is Thank You All!! :-) {Characters-00020078}

Happy B-Day Jill!!!! {Communicate-000200D5}

Yes, but not due to instinctive skills to find the right food sources in the wild. When they become desperate enough, they will start trying to approach a human because we are their flock, food source and security.

Ok, been putting this off, because it's hard to give credit grudgingly. ;-) I wanted an African Grey. My wife Kim was not very enthused. In fact, I went the first time by myself to the Breeders to view the two clutches of Grey's. Got tons of photos and Kim made sure I understood it was MY Bird, as she did not want the extra work. Well, after spending a few hours there and taking atleast 20 photos. I shared it all with Kim and told her I was definitely getting a Grey and that I would like her to come the next weekend to visit with the Breeders and see the two Clutches. Well, she went, fell in love with them and the rest is history. Dayo loves her, she loves him and I'm the second banana. But, Greys personality are so LARGE, that I'll take 2nd banana any day and all the Joy they bring. :-) Still jealous though that she is the MOST loved cuddle muffin.

Yes, that is perfectly fine. Since this is a new "thing" as far as visiting the others cage and closeness. Just watch them carefully when they interact. Due to both being flighted, either can make for a quick get away if it gets to dramatic. :-)

They normally do it to knock loose the dander and feathers or downy they have loosened while preening.

Tigerlilly is too young for free flight right now. To ever dream of free flight, you must get with a group of professionals that have been doing it successfully. YOu will first need to get your Grey to fly to you on command in your home, then in a larger space like a big warehouse etc. You would need to do this for upto or more than a year working with the pro's. The initial free flights are always done in wide open flat land areas where there are no trees and you and your bird can always see each each no matter the distance. Once this is mastered and returns on command are consistent, then you can move to more semi-populated with tree areas. People I have talked with who own free flighted birds recommend not doing so in busy and noisy areas until the bird is mature and reliable, meaning over 5 years old with tons of training and experience.. You can obtain your dream, it is just not quick to do.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/27 19:36

Thanks for the update Dave. I know I'm atleast 10 of those hits per day. I just love checking in and seeing what they are doing. :-)

That good. You've only had Buster for a month. He is about 20 months old and that means he is exercising independence. Since he was not hand friendly or interacted with much in his previously home. You will need to be very patient and teach him how to interact with you and you will need to learn that as well in reading his body language and eye's carefully to avoid a conflict of interests that will result in you getting bitten. As you ignore something his body language is telling you, he will make the body language stronger and the bites harder because he thinks your just not getting it. :-) Your Grey is not a friendly hand tamed bird used to interacting with humans, like you are reading about in our posts here on this forum. You have a longer and bigger task to reach that point. Just be patient, understanding and most importantly study your Greys body language and eyes carefully and learn when to stop moving your hand forward because you see a bite is going to happen. Thus avoid it. He actually sounds like he is a GreYt bird, likes the human interaction, even scratches!! So thats an excellent baseline to start working from. If you were free from a Cell, would you resist going back in? Of course you would and thus so is Buster. Just wait until it's bedtime (If possible) and he is nice and calm and sleepy. Then he will be much more cooperative in returning to the Cage. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/27 16:54

There is no disconnect between the avian or horse left and right side of brain. If a horse or a bird is leery of something as it goes by in one direction, it will still be leery going in the opposite direction. They still fear it and will go by very cautiously. Here is one of the best articles I have read on the Avian brain put in understandable form form: http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=798 Only an Admin can move a post from one room to another. :-)

GreYt photo story of your family outing. Gorgeous scenery and it is obvious the entire flock enjoyed. Thanks for sharing this!! :-)

Hahahaha Sheila! Blue may be getting up in the years. But he has found it much more enjoyable to make the kill strikes long and slow. Hey, give Charlie a break. With all that meat still on the bone, you never know when that muscle may flinch and hurt someone. Charlie is very wise to let you take care of removing that threat. :-)

Good luck in finding the right Grey for you. If possible, spend plenty of time and see if one gravitates to you and hangs out. If any back off and sit isolating themselves, they are not the Grey you want. They are waiting for their new human to show up. :-)

Sitting puffed up constantly can be a sign of illness. The blood letting biting can also be a result of not feeling well and wanting to be left alone. How is his appetite, playing etc? Are they normal?

Thats good news. The fact that they were items she had played with individually helped tons I'm sure. It's just putting them all together as one toy changed the appearance and she needed to decide if it or her were the "Prey". :-)

This is an old post. We haven't heard from Lisa since this one and only post 6 months ago. It sure would be good to hear from her again. I hope Harley and Her are both ok. :-)

Welcome ShadesofGrey and ChickPea!!! It's GreYt having you here. It is always wonderful to hear of someone providing a good loving home to a Grey in need. It sounds like you have gotten on well with her and are working towards showing her the loving interaction she needs and deserves. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Nice photo sequence of Koko's friendly approach for interaction with Mocha. Koko is sure taking a strong liking to Mocha. Thanks for sharing these!! :-)

Hahahahahahahahaha, GreYt story!! Poor posties. Everyones out to get a piece of them. N0 wonder they "Go Postal".