danmcq

YOu or your husband should be able to tell by looking at the cage if it is powder coated or painted. The fact that a bottle of touch up paint came with it is very suspicious. I am uncertain of how large that cage is, but 500 is a lot of money that should have been a huge cage atleast 48 wide x 36 deep x 68 inches high. You can find really good new cages online that are very large for 400 or less and that includes free delivery.

Welcome Craig, Laura and Jackson!! He sounds like a bundle of joy that has chosen you as the favorite, which most only have one. Others, as you mention only have limited privileges and stroking is not normally one of them. He is acting as a normal Grey. But, your wife should not lose hope. You just never know if one day he will bend his down showing he would permit a scratch or two from her. It nice having you here and looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome Kook and young Grey!! It's GreYt having you here. :-) I am sorry to hear he was not treated well where he was. It's obviously he is in a good and loving home now though. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing those photos when you get a chance to post them.

LOL!!

You should feed him as he requests. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and is in fact a normal occurrence in Wild Greys. It is a fact that in the wild, African Greys as well as Cockatoos for instance, are "Abundance Weaned" long after they have fledged. Two year old Cockatoos have been observed being fed by their parents and other relatives. Greys are being weaned and taught the "ways of life" for a number of years to prepare them not only to survive in a hostile environment, but also for the rules of behavior within their very own flock. Bobbi Brinker the noted breeder has instituted a system of "Nanny Birds" which helps her raise her babies. She has the reputation of producing healthy and well-adjusted parrots. They do love sugared anything. A little is ok, but be stingy on how much you allow. Remember to include fruits also, as many contain a high sugar content with very little nutrition, such as grapes and apples. They need to fill up on good foods containing lots of healthy proteins, vitamins and minerals to maintain good health and a good attitude. Believe it or not, a high sugar, fat or imbalanced diet turn your Grey into a super crazy bird that will bite and behave badly. :-)

The Camera passed!!!! This nightmare is over!!! Thanks again for all your well wishes and prayers. :-)

I am sorry to hear of your Greys illness and pray for a quick recovery. Toweling may be the only way to ensure you are getting the proper level of antibiotic into him. It is imperative that you do so or the treatment will obviously not work. Hang in there, keep the high hopes and let your sunshine and encouraging attitude towards your Grey feel confident also. They are very sensitive and quick on picking up our feelings. I know it's hard to hide, but try to think of you best day and what made you happy that always brings a smile to your face and your Grey will smile with you. :-)

Goralka08 wrote: The subject of this thread is the appropriate Paint to use when refinishing and old rusted cage. Your right, if you want to purchase the ultimate and 3x the price cage, stainless is the only way to go. :-)

Changes of behaviour on Day 4: - He will now climb down from his highest perch place, walk around countertops, fly to other perches and eat/drink from his foods bowls on lower areas. - He is now fully preening, but it's a big job that is going to take him a few days. His feathers are ALL a mess from that event!! - When down, he is STILL very cautious and deliberate in each step and movement. Always keeping a very alert stance if a Dog is within view and will normally start climbing to a higher location driven by residing fear. I really want this HEALTHY fear to remain. - He is is now whistling and talking again, but in lower volume than normal, which I assume is to not bring too much attention to himself from predators (Dobies). - He now will accept going to his cage readily once he's tired and ready for bed. - Any unexpected or loud noise that he never reacted to previously. Is STILL reacted to by a noticeable flinch and quick eye to the direction it came from. - He is now again perching on me, getting head scratches, beak rubs even more so than he did previously. Kim's starting to think he may be switching partners. :evil:

Awwww, what a beautiful relationship that has blossomed between You and Ice. Congratulations and GreYt job Nims!!! You know we expect tons of photos and updates on Ice now!! ;-)

Please do not let my response discourage you. That was not my intention. I just wanted you to be aware that it may or may not turn out to be one happy flock that loves each other and welcomes each others company. That would be the best case of course, but many people do have multiple parrots whether they like each other or not. You may just need to keep them at a safe distance from each other. If you have the room, time and patience to bring these needful Greys into our home, then do so. Their presence will not stop your TAG from continuing to learn to talk from you, whom he considers his mom and dad that he is learning how to get along in this big World from. One introduction will not really be enough to see if they will accept each other or not. It takes a little time for them to be around each other and become acquainted. As I said, follow your gut. It sounds like it's telling you to. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/01/13 14:38

Happy Hatch Day Chloe!! I hope you dreams come true you wished for when you blew the Candle out. ;-)

Welcome Melissa!! It's nice having your here and congratulations on finding a good breeder with a Grey available. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

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

Welcome Bebomo!! It's GreYt having youhere and congratulations on finding a baby Grey. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Hello and welcome pynk! It is truly wonderful that your husband found and was able to retrieve that Grey. She has given excellent advice. You can call local spca's, animal shelters, petshops etc. and ask if anyone has reported an African Grey missing. There may also be some type of local animal or bird rescues that you could call. When someone looses a much loved critter they normally put the word out everywhere they can think of. So one of these places may know about him/her. One other thought, try taking it to a local vet and have the Grey scanned for a microchip, it is possible he/she may have one, although it is rare to find in parrots at this time. It is truly admirable of you and your family to take this Grey in and be so committed to finding it's heart broken family. :-)

There is a ton of incorrect data on the Internet regarding Parrots. This is one of those items. Powder coating is the only way to go for a Parrot with a powerful beak. Everyone in the painting field knows that powder coating is far superior to any type of spray paint. It does not just flake off or easily removed by a strong beak. People use Powder coating for all applications that require a bullet proof hard surface. Your parrot will just flake off regualr paint and if eaten he may die. I know spray paint is a lot cheaper, but is worth the risk of a life? As others suggested, it is normally cheaper to by a new cage or purchase one that is "Like New" used on ebay or other such sales avenue for a good deal. We on this Forum know what we are talking about and NEVER give out bad or incorrect advice. We are all highly educated on our birds and know what we are talking about. If you just wish to find an answer that makes you feel better about going the cheap and dangerous way, then just keep searching the Internet and you can find as much bad and dangerous information as you wish.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/01/12 15:38

Thanks for the update Judy. Toni - We look forward to your return and my thoughts and prayers for you, in the path you have temporarily chosen. I hope it all works out for you well. God Bless - Dan and Kim

I just want to once again thank you all for your well wishes and VERY kind words here. This is so much more than just another Forum. It has become, over the years, a very close family of caring and loving members we all value as a member of our family. We have received more kind words, prayers and encouragement here. Than from either of the companies we work for and have for years with people that place themselves as "Friends". Yet, where are the kind words, encouragement and prayers? They are work only friendships that ends there. The minute you walk out the door. Somehow, our Greys have brought us together and in a way that very rapidly evolves into something much more than just a casual, "How you Doing?" friendship that is truly just a facade with a fake smile in most cases we hear each day in the world out there. I know Kim feels the same way, yet she does not frequent the forum very often. Hopefully that will change, I hope. :-) Also, I would like to encourage all that have not responded to Tonie's post here in the newsroom, regarding her required foot surgery to please do so. She is also one of our much loved members and has been through hell since her debilitating accident that caused this situation. Love to all and thanks again for all you have said!! It is humbling to read all your posts. {Characters-00020078}

Some of the advantages to keeping a parrot fully flighted within the home will be obvious, as they will be the converse of the disadvantages of wing clipping: - If ever lost, the parrot is more likely to have both the stamina and the flight skills to fly back down to the owner when found. - The bird is more likely to enjoy good health, both physically and mentally. There is no possibility of damage being done by a groomer who performs a bad wing clip. For the young bird who is allowed to fledge and fly, even if clipped prior to going to his new home, there will be the joyful and enthusiastic expansion of personality that occurs during fledging, provided that the period of flight allowed is several weeks in duration. Such an initial period of flight will lead to both confidence and coordination. The young parrot allowed flight will remain forever a more athletic creature, and a more enjoyable one to have around, at that. - The owner who keeps his parrot fully flighted is likely to be more involved with his bird. Out of necessity, he will find it necessary to do some training with the parrot, in order to protect his household furnishings and possessions. This training of flight cues is not difficult to do with a bird, and is a lot of fun for both owner and parrot. The majority of my own parrots are flighted, and each responds to the cue, "Off there!" From personal experience, I believe that flighted birds are more fun to have as companions. They are so much better able to reveal their personalities through movement of choice. - Consistent with the need to teach some flight "rules," many owners of flighted parrots go so far as to teach the parrot to come when called. This is known as teaching "the recall." This becomes a huge advantage to the owner of a flighted parrot, because if the parrot ever does get loose outdoors, the owner stands the very best chance of recovering the parrot. If he has also consistently encouraged the use of a contact call, he will have a much easier time locating the bird. - It is ironic that proponents of wing clipping most often determine the necessity of this practice based upon prevention of loss. In fact, a flighted parrot who has good skills and stamina, who knows how to fly downward, who has perhaps spent time outdoors in an aviary, who comes to the recall cue, is in most cases, quite easy to recover. I personally believe this to be the best prevention against loss, far superior to the removal of flight. Lastly, there comes with keeping a flighted parrot a true appreciation for the keen intelligence and magical whimsy so frequently displayed by the flighted bird. Flighted parrots are often more enjoyable, since they are well able to make choices and interact with us at will. They are a lot of fun. By always keeping the birds in our midst clipped, I believe that we blind ourselves to the view and appreciation of the parrot as a flighted entity, which in some cases even leads to the abuse of the parrot. And, certainly, it allows us to hold onto the historic vision of birds as unintelligent creatures. We have all heard of the "bird brain," a most uncomplimentary label. In the end, we, as well as the birds, are the losers.

Well, Judy certainly stated what that piece of misinformation your friend said was. :-) Don't sweat teaching your bird whistles, songs etc. Those are the first sounds they are programmed to do to survive in the flock..contact calling, baby pants, cheeps of I need attention etc. The learn whistles and sounds first. Do try associating food items, actions etc. with the same word(s) everytime. YOu may do this for months, but I guarantee you, you're Grey is paying attention and one day will shock the living hell out of you when He not only says something, but in the correct context. :-)

LaceyGrey wrote: Dayo's reaction to a Dog Bark is a quick flinch and he starts visually scanning the direction it came from. If they enter the room, he watches them like a Hawk. Also, if he is sitting on My or Kim's shoulder for example, when they come into the room. He will stop eating, preening or whatever he is doing, climb up to the highest point and draw close to the body as possible, while watching them intently. It is obvious he no longer trusts them at all, which is a good thing. Previously, he would preen on Kim's or my Leg whilst the Dogs laid with in inches of him. Sometimes we would need to stop him from grabbing an ear with his beak. So he had become very desensitised to them over the last few years.

Hello candy, Paint is not usable for a bird cage. You need to have it powder coated. This is a very hard material the parrot can not just flake off and will protect your cage for years.

Welcome Small and Will Shortz!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Awww, very cute photo and congratulations!! Thanks for sharing this moment. :-)