danmcq

Congrats on Smokie poicking up even more words and sentences.:-) It's good to hear all is going well. Thanks for the update.

JillyBeanz wrote: Buuuuuaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha, YOU CALLED THAT RIGHT!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :side: :side: :side: :side: :side:

harmonicaman68 wrote: Thank You Steve. That was exactly the information I was looking for. :-) I had wondered, the times my Grey spooked, "what if". I know there are a million "what if's" in our minds as we grow and also raise our own children. Just for the record. I am a large advocate of the Aviator, it is hands down the best compared to any other harness. Your DVD is top notch and is invaluable with the training provided in it. Hey, leave the stuffed Parrot alone, he's a great prop!! :-) In regards raising and exposing birds to as much as possible when young. There is no doubt it is highly important to reduce or atleast minimise the possibility of the bird being more phobic of new things than they are by nature, as an African Grey is known for. We have taken our Grey out on a harness since he was 18 weeks old. I must say the first weeks were always a new experience for him and there were many screams, panic flights etc. for the young lad. As a 2 year old, he has learned to cope much better over time with experience. However, life is full of surprises each day and new encounters. Like a Harley blasting by with straight pipes. Talk about a panic attack for the Grey!! ;-) We do try to visit quieter places where such events do not take place, but we also want to expose him to busy and surprising areas as well to accustom him to change and the unexpected. I agree wholeheartedly with your promulgating keeping a bird flighted, out as much as possible and getting the full use of the marvelous cardiovascular system birds had specifically designed for those long daily flights in the wild. I am hoping, of course, that my Grey will live to a ripe old age that is average for a wild bird of 50 -60, which is much longer than what you have stated. Thanks for your great replies. I am sure others here appreciate them too and may well have many questions also. :-)

GreyT find!! Very interesting and not much bigger than a persons thumb. Thanks for posting this. I had never heard of them before. :-) Karma to you!!!

Oh what a wonderful ending!!!! :-) Thanks for updating us and letting all know there is always hope of having your lost bird FOUND by someone as diligent and responsible as you and your daughter in finding the owner. if possible!!!!

Harmonicaman, Thanks for posting Steve's reply. He is right, that woman is going to have a pain that will never go away. My wife and I discussed this incident and talked about how we could never forgive ourselves for making such a devastating mistake. I am sure that woman's conscience is harder on her than some of these replies. I do have a question though, if you could pass it on to Steve. After thinking this through and our outings with Dayo on the harness for the last year and a half. Every so often he will freak out at something and take of flying fast and end up, of course, going in circle's as I try to keep him safe. My worst fear is, one day he will get that line around his neck in a loop as he is freaking out and snap his neck. Is there any reports of this happening? If so, I will not risk the harness any longer. It would just hurt too much to lose our Grey in an accident we could avoid. Thanks - Dan<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/08 16:14

SchroedersJen wrote: Boy, you got that right. Dayo went from 527 the day we brought him home down to 433 over a period of about a month. Over the last year and a half, he has continually gained weight and has leveled off at 480 +- 10 grams, with weight taken after the first morning Poo Bomb.

JillyBeanz wrote: Most birds waste 90 percent of foods. Both our Grey and Conure will pick a piece of whatever vegetable up, take a beak size bite, then toss it. Every once in a while, you will see them with a whole piece in their Talon and eating it. Then the rest is pick up and toss, until they get to the next veggie they want to eat. Now fruit is a different story, atleast in my two birds. If it is something they love like Apple, Grape, Coconut, Cantalope, Water Melon etc. They will hold and eat every last bit of each piece and toss nothing but the skin away. Pellets, they bite and crack, eat what is in their little beak and the rest explodes all over the place. So, I smash the pellets, Harrisons and fruity blend into to smaller pieces and they pretty much eat what they beak completely. It has cut WAY down in waste of Pellets. Note: As others, all the foods types are in separate containers, except fruit and veggies. I mixed the two together when I give them a little fruit.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/09/08 15:51

This morning, the Dobermans were alerted a few times and Dayo decides in all his wisdom of the "Terrible Two's", that "It's Ok".

Thats a GreYT update. What a cute photo of Echo giving Chiku and little preening TLC. :-) Thanks for posting the update and photo.

Awwww, congrats on the Jardine and the first word!!! Thanks for sharing this and looking forward to updates and photos. :-)

That s scary when you see that type of action. Since both are flighted, each can get away from the other. As Judy said, they will work out this on their own with your supervision to ensure no one gets hurt. It took a while for our Grey and Conure to work out a semi-relationship. But, the smaller bird can fly away swiftly and turn faster than the Grey to stay away from harms way.

Hahahahahahahahaha, how funny!!!! Thanks for sahring this. :-)

Absolutely beautiful photos of your Grey and the fantastic habitat you have put together for Her. :-) Thanks for posting all these wonderful photos and the update.

Those are GreYt Toys you made out of those Coconuts. :-) I just drain the water, bust them open and cut out the meat. The birds go loony over the meat. There are good oils contained in the meat for them. Now you've given me an idea. :-) Karma to you.

Great Video Pat. Darius has become so attached to you. It is obvious you and he have a very strong bond already. Thanks for sharing this. :-)

Amazing! This animal can imitate the call of at least 20 different bird species but that’s nothing compared to the fact that it can mime the sound made by photo camera shutters, car alarms or even saws and chainsaws. The Superb Lyrebird (Menura Novaehollandiae) is a pheasant-sized songbird, up to 100 cm long, with brown upper body plumage, grayish brown below, rounded wings and strong legs. It is the longest and third heaviest of all songbirds. Enjoy...... http://pufone.org/blog/lyrebird-mimics-every-thing-bbc-video/

Nice stand, it looks like she is going to enjoy it immensely. :-) Thanks for posting the photos.

What a sad and unfortunate story. You tried and unfortunately were just a little too late. Karma to you for doing the right thing.

Loved the video. Emma is such a character and smarty pants!! :-) Thanks for sharing this video. Karma to you. :-)

Very sad story and infuriating at the same time. It is unfathomable to me to understand how anyone could do that to their Parrot of any type. I guess people do not realize the dangers involved and some don't even know that birds sometimes do die from heart attacks just by being toweled at the vets to under go "Tests or procedures". Even Animals will sometimes die of fright leading to a heart attack, Humans too for that matter. Thanks for posting this warning Jen. Hope people will read this and then watch the video and heed those instructions to a tee. People must also understand, they may NEVER get their Grey to accept a harness.

Nice photos of your trip to the petstore. Thanks for sharing them. :-)

He is a beautiful baby Grey!! He will learn his landings with a little more practice. It's good that you are having him target your arm and he is hitting it. :-) Losing a little weight is normal, especially when they are fledging as he is. They intentionally reduce how much they eat to make flight easier. It sounds like all is going well. Thanks for the update and photos. :-)

Congratulations!!! Sephora is a beautiful Grey and from the photos seems very happy and comfortable already. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing more photos. :-)

I feed Dayo the High Potency Coarse and break them up also. This cuts down on the "Bite the whole Block and pieces shoot everywhere. He eats the smaller pieces much more efficiently. The reason I do this is two fold 1) Less waste 2) The Coarse is specifically formulated for Greys, the fine is formulated for species such as Conures. I also buy the hot and spicy coarse. Greys love that "Hotness" and it encourages them to eat a little more of them.