danmcq

Awww, what beautiful photos of Ragga and gang. Thanks for posting these. :-)

Welcome Cyndi, Lil Einstein and Kiwi!! It sounds liek you have all kinds of adjustments and excite in your home with this new addition. Looking forward to hearng more and seeing some photos of your flock when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome kymberley and gismo!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you geta chance. :-)

I am sorry to hear you were persuaded into taking your Grey home unweaned. The best thing you can do now, is just focus all your energy and frustration into learning all you can about taking care of your much loved baby and enjoying that early age with him. We are all here with many people and tons of experience should you need it. :-)

Pat and Dave both gave right on advice, as they always do. I have a similar relationship Dayo. He does not bite my wife (his cuddle muffin), but does bite me. I have learned to read his body VERY WELL and avoid a bite situation most times and don't let the opportunity happen. However, they become very clever and learn to "Mask" their body language and they are SO FAST that your hit before you know it. I have also received a couple of face bites similar to your husbands in a similar "Faked" I love stance and action. I no longer put my face close enough for him to bite. It's just not worth the risk or the possible scaring from a bad bite. He will sometimes put his head down when I ask if he wants a scratch, but then the minute I touch his head, he flips it around a nails me before I even know it. I have learned now that the only body language discernible, are his eyes having a particular "stare" to them and it is not pinning at all, they remain constant and in a fixed position. Your husband is going to have to really start paying attention to the most minute details and just stop if he even feels he is being setup. Your Grey being 10 years old is much more accomplished at faking people out than younger Greys. He probably prides himself in it and has notches on his perch of every "Kill".

LOL - Well thats good news. :-) Thanks for sharing that.

It sounds like Houdini is a very adventurous and outgoing Grey, congratulations!! The flip side is, you will always be wondering.... NOW where is he, just like a young child when you notice it's quite and you don't see them. Robin gave GreYt advice and comments on what works for her FIDs. Keep offering veggies, small quantities of fruit, bean mixes etc each day. They turn their beak up to them one day and the next day or three days later they are eating like theres no tomorrow. The "Monster" sound you describe, is it like a scream or a growl? If it is, he is still a little afraid and the uncovering may scare him a little until he gets used to it. He sounds like one fantastic Grey! :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/08/04 15:48

Actually, Spock would cheat. He would pull out his scanner and see exactly where every piece of food was and it's composition.

I thought I would pass on something I do to keep things interesting and provide some additional exercise to our Parrots. I have multiple feeding areas in my house, besides just the cages. There is a small T-Stand with bowls in our living room, large T-Stand with bowls in our family room, Tree Stand with bowls in our Family room and a perch on our kitchen bar. I place different food items on the different stands and leave some empty. When the birds decide they want something to eat or a snack, they will fly from stand to stand or one room another and see what is perhaps in a food bowl. They will also go to their cage if they find all the other areas empty. I keep food or treats rotated in different areas at different times. Of course, when the birds are in their cages, there is always food either in a bowl or a foraging device for them.

I love the way they look when sleeping. Thanks for sharing this. :-)

Tango wrote: Tango - Please tone down your aggressiveness when addressing people here. You are not being treated that way and I do not want this type of behaviour to become common or acceptable on this Forum. There are better, less inflammatory words or comments you can use to get your point across. Thanks - Dan

lovethatgrey wrote: Positively!!! This place would not be the same without Jake. We love him with all our heart. :-)

I hope you have nothing but goods news Caroline. Perhaps the sound you are describing is the scream they sometimes make when flying and excited? After that experience, Keeko could be just letting others know he's coming through and to stay out of the way. :-) Looking forward to hearing how Keeko made out.

Thats wonderful news, thanks for sharing it Sheila! :-) Hopefully Marie will be able to enjoy her trip a little more now with less worry.

Tycos_mom wrote: Very smart Macaw. ;-) Dayo hates it when I bring out "The Perch" as well and just complies. Harley is beautiful Pat and under your care, I know he wil become all he can be. :-)

LOL! Love the photo and caption!! :-)

Talon wrote: It's exactly the same in our household as well Penny. If we're home, the birds are out of their cages from Sun up to Sundown. Barring of course if we need to leave for all the various reasons that might come up during the day. I suppose the key is, if you start this type of expectation from the beginning with all your critters. They know things can change daily and do not expect a routine to stay exactly the same every day of their life. I do know though, that all the books and scholars do agree that there must be some kind of baseline routine and schedule that is maintained for the parrots and the household. So everyone has a good idea of what to normally expect in the flocks and packs of the home. Example: The "Norm" in this house for feeding the Dobermans is 5am and 4pm. If we do not feed them by say 415, the Dobermans become restless and nudge us, Dayo (CAG) will start saying "Let's feed the dogs", then whistle for them and call Chloe and Bentley both to come and eat. This example clearly illustrates all critters know schedules, what time it is and what normally happens at that time. It is the same in the wild with flocks of birds and packs of Dogs. They raise at a certain time (Normally before sun up) and start rallying together and preparing to take their trip together for food and water. It is a basic instinct in all of creation, time and schedules for everything under the sun. I believe this is what Judy is pointing out. I am not trying to speak for her, but it is promulgated throughout many books written on Parrots and other Critters. We all read and hear information and apply it as we translate all that data into our environment and lifestyle. It is rare that any two individuals will read the same book or hear the same comments and apply it identically. The same is true in this thread and the comments made by all of us. Consume them like a Watermelon and spit out the seeds you dislike.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/08/03 15:52

Welcome Noctor!! It's GreYt having you here and looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

lovethatgrey wrote: True, raising our human childern was WORK and Joy, but sometimes it was not joyful at all, depending on the circumstances. The same holds true for Pets of any type.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/08/03 00:24

It's GreYt to hear Indy is doing well. This thread certainly reminds us all to be vigilant in checking all our Parrots toys, connectors etc. Anything can become a danger to our loved avian friends.

Leia wrote: Many younger people starting a family it seems can not handle the time they need to spend with their new baby in the early years AND spend the time necessary with their Grey to keep it happy. If your thinking these things now, two Greys would certainly not be a good idea in my opinion unless your planning on them potentially becoming a pair. This of course, would not really occur, if at all until they were 5+ years old. Greys only flock together in the wild and seem to be that way for the most part in our human homes with other species of Parrots. Conures and Macaws for example flock with other birds in the wild and more readily tolerate and accept other bird species. But, for the most part, getting another species bird as a buddy for your Grey is not a good idea.

Sheila, your such a loving Mom to Charlie. :-) It's definitely not your voice (certain you said that in jest) and I do know there is no "Age Limit" on when they stop learning new words and actions. The reading I have done on Greys and their abilities well past 30 years of age, indicates they continue to learn new things. It seems the commonality in all Greys, is they learn things that interest them, pleases the person working with them and lastly benefits them. Like asking for food, items, people or actions they desire and want. They do not seem to just pick up "Chatter", unless they just like the way a word, noise, whistle, song etc. sounds. Even at the young age of 2 + years, Dayo does not just pick up chatter. He does pick up all the above things and when I spend a block of time with him, multiple times per day or simply on the days I am home focused on one thing, like counting items, kisses etc. One other thing is they really key off of your excitement level and rewarding them with excited comments. You know how sensitive they are to your mood, tonal fluctuations and also your facial expression. It's a combination of all these things that contribute to them learning and doing so with eagerness. Look at Alex and Dr. Pepperberg. Alex was still learning concepts and words at his age of 31. I've watched your videos of Charlie and he is a fantastic bird that is very well spoken. It's just finding the key to unlock his interest in what it is that you wish for him to learn next. :-)

Thats a great name. :-) Now you just need to find some super locks for everything.

Our limit is two as well. The reality is, if Dayo would have been our first Parrot, rather than Jake our Conure. We would only have one, namely Dayo. He requires so much time and attention, along with the work we are putting into insuring he understands what we're saying, counting, actions etc. There is no way we could spend the time we do with him, with out Jake being a very independent (suspected wild caught) bird that just comes when he wants something like food or to hang out in the Living room when we're watching a movie. Dayo views any other bird getting attention as a threat to his time and attention. He can become quite nasty and mean anytime he thinks Jake is getting attention, other than if he is with Kim getting scratches. Then I can interact with Jake closely when he desires it.

I wish you well in taking on "Harley". Harlequin Macaws need a lot of TLC and out of Cage time. Hopefully he and the rest of the flock will get a good schedule sorted out that keeps them all happy. I don't know how you do it Pat, but God bless you for taking in and providing a wonderful home for all those FIDs! :-)