danmcq

Very nice action shots of Zzero!! Thanks for posting these. :-)

I agree with Jane08. Clipping your Grey will not stop the natural phases of maturing, learning boundaries, becoming rebellious (wait till the 2's!) testing you and also just letting you know they have their own thoughts, wants and desires. What this means is, if you clip his wings. The only thing that will change is he can not escape as readily and will be more dependant upon you for movement around the house to some extent. I know it's a pain, but clipped or not, they all go through these personality changes as they grow, learn and mature. Even clipped there will be times they will bite the crap out of you. Such as, they have something they do not want to give up, they are somewhere they do not want to move from etc. The only thing you can do is remain consistent, calm in your responses and do the same thing 20 times in one hour if you need to letting him know your mind and rules are not changing. Remember that they feel your emotions. If you get upset and angry, they feel that an wil protect themselves from such a dangerous threatening emotion. As stated by others. When you can use a distraction to get your Grey to do what you want it to, do do. If you must remove him from where he is, either use the back of your tightened hand to force a step up or a perch. Just don't give up and follow through everytime.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/02/27 18:57

The others are correct in recommending a vet visit. Can you provide a photo close up of those black spots? Are they moving, meaning they are a living parasite? One thought on the vet. If you do determine they are a mite or some other living parasite. You may not need to pay for a vets official office visit. YOu may be able to just take your bird in and let a helper see what parasite your talking about and just sell you the correct treatment.

LindaMary is spot on. It is completely normal and the highest honor you are receiving from your Grey. :-)

It is not a good situation, your right. If they force you to take him, which I hope they don't. Make sure you pay very close attention to your Greys weight by measuring it each day using a digital scale. Offer him lots of different types of foods with different textures and colors like veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds etc. You can spoon feed him formula, just make sure the temperature is correct. You can also buy some human baby food for newborns and warm up a little to spoon feed also. There are a tone of veggies and fruit selection in these. Your Grey will like some and maybe not others. Always keep offering wide variety of things whether he eats them or not. Their tastes change rapidly and what they would not eat today, they may tomorrow or the next day. Please keep u s updated on this and of course any help you may need can be found here on the forum with all our knowledgeable members being more than happy to answer all your questions. :-)

Unless you try to eat the pans, you'll be ok. ;-)

The others have all given great advice and comments. That was a traumatic event for your Grey to experience. Breaking those blood feathers was very painful, the excitement and anxiety felt around the house while your hubby was determining what to do, then placing him in the carrier, then the strangers man handling him, causing severe pain while pulling out those feathers etc. was a real SHOCK to smokey. He will come around, but right now he is trying to make sense of all that and just isn't letting his guard down for anyone right now. Time, patience and love overcomes all things and your Smokey will be back to his old self in weeks or months. You'll see slight changes day to day and week to week. The good news is your smokey made it through thanks to your husbands quick thinking and actions. Looking forward to hearing how all is progressing over time. :-)

What a neat video. It's just too bad the Greys owner does not have a good singing voice or know the complete words of the star spangled banner. ;-) :-) :side: Thanks for psoting this!!

Welcome Tonepaq!! Sorry to hear of your bad experience with your first experience in purchasing a young bird. The picture of him is wonderful and he is a good looking Grey. Hopefully it will not take too long for him to completely wean in the pet store, but it does sometimes not happen until they are 16 to 20 weeks old. Looking forward to hearing updates on your Grey. :-)

Welcome Heather Bobby and Orinoko!!! It's nice having you here. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Welcome Poochbabe!! It's GreYt having you here. :-) What a roller coaster of a story. Saddening, but then with a touching new beginning. Thanks for sharing the dangers of Teflon used in or on anything. It just can not be stressed enough that it is NEVER safe. Looking forward to hearing updates on you new rescue. :-)

Welcome littlehawk!! It's GreYt having you here. It is always so good to hear from someone that has taken in a rescue. They truly deserve a loving home such as yours to give them the good care and love they need. You are certainly doing all the right things to address the plucking issue. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

The True Green Technology behind "Bird Safe" non-stick cookware is call Thermalon. Look specifically for that name when checking out the non-stick cookware you are looking at. It is tested safe to 850 degrees. Here is a link to the company that invented it with the description of the technology used. The site has other interesting facts regarding Teflon and it's dangers as well. http://www.thermolon.com/technical/technology A few shopping links: http://kitchen-dining.hsn.com/todd-english-thermolon_c-qc_a-2117-4808_xc.aspx?prev=hp!4808&rdr=1&sourceid=googbg&cm_mmc=Paid%20Search%20Brand-_-Google-_-Cooking-_-thermolon http://cgi.ebay.com/-GreenPan-8%22-Open-Fry-Pan--Non-Stick-Thermolon_W0QQitemZ280311463292QQcmdZViewItem http://www.bizrate.com/cooking_baking/products__keyword--greenpan+thermolon+cookware.html

The New Cowboy Boots......... ;-) Elderly couple, Margaret and Bert, moved to Texas. Bert always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots, so, seeing some on sale, he bought them and wore them home. Walking proudly, he sauntered into the kitchen and said to his wife, 'Notice anything different about me? Margaret looked him over. 'Nope. Frustrated, Bert stormed off into the bathroom, undressed and walked back into the kitchen completely naked except for the boots. Again he asked Margaret, a little louder this time, 'Notice anything different NOW?' Margaret looked up and exclaimed, 'Bert, what's different? It's hanging down today, it was hanging down yesterday, it'll be hanging down again tomorrow! Furious, Bert yelled, 'AND DO YOU KNOW WHY IT'S HANGING DOWN , MARGARET?' 'Nope', she replied 'IT'S HANGING DOWN, BECAUSE IT'S LOOKING AT MY NEW BOOTS!!!! Without changing her expression, Margaret replied, 'Shoulda bought a hat, Bert. Shoulda bought a hat.'

I am sorry to hear you had to clip Alfie. But, it is totally understandable considering the other option , getting rid of your wife....Oops, I mean your wife may have given you an ultimatum .....to get rid of him. I am glad to hear Alfie has bounced back. It's no fun having a Grey with an attitude towards you, regardless how short a time it may have been.

Welcome Martha and Emma!! It's GreYt having here. Offer all types of different veggies, fruits, bean mixes etc. Then keep offering the variety. Sooner or later they will start eating some of it. It does take a little time, but it happens. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Try picking up Human baby foods. There is a huge selection of veggies and fruits you can warm up and try on her. After surgery and antibiotics in her system right now, I'm sure her appetite is not what it used to be. But, it will come back as she heals and starts feeling better.

Congratulations Luvmygrey!! I know you are thrilled and those words will continue to expand. :-) Thanks for sharing this exciting moment.

Got a welder? ;-) I know you'll figure out a way. :-)

Oh Sheila, I am so sorry to hear that. Your right, you will have a full plate for a while in helping your mother through this. Please know you, your mother and family will be in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless - Dan

Acappella wrote: No, he is learning from those bumps and bruises. It will not be long before he will become very adapt at lying. Perhaps start targeting for him to do short flights from his cage to you or to a chair for example. This will help him build confidence and learn landing etc.

The best way to encourage greys to talk is to make it exciting and associated with something you are doing like "Lets get some cereal" or "Be right back" or the description of an object like "Apple", Almond, Peanut, Ball etc. Ensure you use the word(s) consistently with the associated action or item. They will pick up on that on your excitement over it each and everytime you use those words. It could take weeks or months before you start hearing them, but you will. An example is, my Grey had heard the word Apple every time I gave him a piece. Months later my wife was chopping up veggies like broccoli, carrots etc. My Grey looked down, then looked up and said "Apple!!". She ignored him and continued, He walked right up to the bowl, looked int and said "APPLE!!" again. She finally got the message and cut a few pieces of Apple for him. The key is consistency over and over. Thats when they realize what you are saying is actually useful to them and a way to communicate with you. :-) You will notice when you say something new and with meaning, they will be staring at you very carefully and listening. It has gotten to the point now, that my Grey will understand and use an entirely new sentence in 2 to 3 days after I have used it consistently. Once they start, they can take all you feed them learning wise.

It sounds like Casper is quite a character. Your right, it is humbling to know just how intelligent these sentient beings are. With your attitude, it will not be long before Casper will be interacting with you too. Now your Son, well he's already on Casper's list of lower level flock members. :-)

Well Congratualtions Amanda!! As Judy said, don't fret over any eggs at this time and IF she ever does lay one several years down the road you can cope with it then. For now enjoy her and don't fret. :-)

Judy and others are right. Your Grey thinks you attacked him. I know and you do too, that it was an accident. But, not in your precious Greys mind right now. It will take time to build that trust back. It is wonderful and actually pretty much a miracle that he is nor squashed flat and dead. I know of a man that had a similar falling accident, his Grey was not flighted and was of course directly behind him on the floor looking up when he fell. The bird died instantly, much to the heartbreak of that poor man and his wife. Please stay in touch and bounce anything off of us you wish in trying to build that trust back.