danmcq

Hello Jac, They normally do select a "Favorite" in the home. It seems your the one and the rest of the family will have to be content with just being friendly, offering treats and hope he comes around a little more in the friendliness department. If they would also help out in feeding, cage cleaning etc. That would help in his view of them also as being key parts of flock as close ties he can count on. Others will chime in also as Pat already did with good suggestions. :-)

It's great to here the Nursery is taking care of you very well and making things as right as they can. It obvious all that can not remove the hole in your heart or the pain you feel. The good out of all this, is as you and others stated. Leg Bands can be hazardous to our Avian friends. Please stay in touch. It does not matter that you no longer have a Grey. :-)

It's very admirable that you are still continuing to search for the owner. :-) It's also good to see you are researching all you can on proper care of a Grey and are already pretty much in love with him. Really like being torn between two worlds at this time. That Grey is so lucky a person like you found him. :-) Your doing a great job!!

The additional photos are great. There's definitely some interest by Cosmo there. He's eyeballing that new Bee toy. Thanks for posting these.

Welcome Tammy and large Flock!! It's GreYt having you here and congratulations on obtaining a baby Grey. I'll bet you can't wait to see him\her when they are pulled from the box. :-) Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos of your flock and that baby when it's in camera sights!!

Welcome Gooddoggie!! It's GreYt having you hear and reading your nice introduction. It sounds like Jeepers is displaying an intense love for you and also he may be showing some sexual behaviour. When he is acting like that, you need to ensure you do not touch him and stimulate him further if it is a sexual display. They definitely will regurgitate for those they love intensley. How old is Jeepers? Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos to. I assume your Avatar is Jeepers. :-)

Don't give up!! :-) Make sure you do it in shorter sessions than 30 minutes. Do it in 5 or 10 minute sessions. I would suspect the reason he didn't take the treat, is he was more concerned over what your hand was doing rubbing his leg. ;-) Also, the size of the perch you have him on when trying to get the step up training completed does not matter. The key thing you are building with him right now is trust in you and also trust in that finger, hand or arm is stable and will not let him fall. Just stay consistent and make it fun with you voice, facial expressions etc. If if you only get the slightest response from him, praise him for it. That's what positive feedback is all about. :-) You did mention he was beaking your hand. This is common and how they test everything for stability, texture etc. There's a huge difference between beaking and biting, you would definitely feel the difference. ;-)

The best way is to go to the breeders at least once a week as they grow and let the Grey pick you. They will over a few weeks start to weed themselves out as one or two will keep coming to you out of the clutch(s). When you notice one seeking you out, be sure to check the leg band so you can confirm which one or two consistantly come to interact with you. If you are able to do this, you will not be disappointed once you get your Grey home. :-)

You are a special person to have seen that poor Grey in the pet shop and acted upon you gut feelings. Most people would never view it like you did. :-) Karma to you. I am sorry to hear both you and your Grey went through such a traumatic experience with the supposed "Bird Expert". Toweling is a very scary event for a bird that has not been desynthesized to a towel and learned to trust and play with them. It is not surprising that just the sight of that scary thing that attacked him induces fear and strong reaction. You have been doing everything correctly in building the trust, that you must if you wish closer interaction than you presently have. But, as others have already said, that will take months and patience, which you have already displayed. Actually the way he interacts with you presently, is pretty good for a bird that has been cage bound in a pet shop for all the people to poke, prod and bang on the cage at. Like you commonly see go on in a pet shop. It truly sounds like he chose you from the get go sensing there was something in you that the others did not have. They are very intelligent and sensitive creatures that sometimes almost seem to have a true ESP ability about them. You mentioned keeping him in the computer room. That is good as long as you spend a lot of time in there. Normally the optimal placement of a Cage is in the living area where most the people are and interact with each other through out the day and evening. They truly like to feel like they are a member of the flock and being where the flock normally congregates is that spot. You will definitely learn patience, as you mentioned that perhaps that's why he came into your life. :-) One thing to note, is that they are a joy and blessing to have around whether they become a shoulder rider, cuddle muffin or not. Only time will tell that. Just like people, everyone of them has their own personality. But, I can tell you that they bring a joy and add a dimension to any family just being themselves and entertaining you with their antics. :-)

LOL - That was Hilarious!@!!!! Just added another weapon to my arsenal for those pesky telemarketers calling. :-)

Welcome rbtjawjaboy1, Styx and Happy!!! Wow, it sounds like you are really taking the responsibility of housing your birds in a large area very seriously. ;-) Kudos to you!! Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing those pics you promised!! :-)

Welcome DaveK!! Wow, your family sure knows how to treat a Dad!! Congratulations on getting the cage and go ahead to fill it with an African Grey. You've come to the right place to research and also receive answers from experienced bird owners to help you as needed. It is certainly no small responsibility to take on and hopefully you consider it a lifetime commitment to this very intelligent and loving creature you are considering bring into your Flock. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Welcome Mandy!! It's GreYt having you here. :-) You came to the right place for researching and receiving good advice when needed from our members here. Hopefully you will find it to be a friendly and enjoyable community. Looking forward to hearing more of your new TAG and seeing some photos of her/him when you get a chance.

Thanks everyone. Were back and now it's just wait for 5 hours and drive back to fresno and have the harness and memory dumped. She's doing good, just very tired ....

You will need to move them off so much seed slowly to where they are only eating around 10 to 20% seed. You can do this by removing the seed bowl and leaving only the pellets or veggies/fruits in the cage for them to eat. It will take awhile, but you can accomplish it by slowly giving leas and less seed. Also, start offering various bean mixes also. They are a great source of protein with out the high fat content.

Great post and Photos Dave. The Grey on your German Short hairs Tail is very COOL. :-) Those are high energy hunting dogs, to say the least. We had one 30 years ago that used to go on 5 mile jogs with me.....still couldn't wear him out. ;-)

I'm taking Kim (wife) to Fresno this morning to have one of those new capsule cameras you swallow and they take pictures until being expelled at the other end. She is an 8 year cancer survivor and has been showing up VERY Anemic over the last 5 months. They have done the normal scopes at both ends and now need to get pictures of the entire intestinal system to ensure she is not bleeding somewhere down that path. It is an interesting procedure. You go in, swallow the capsule. They strap a belt to your with a receiver/recorder and you go back to work or home and return 8 hours later and they remove the recorder that captures all the images wirelessly. Then they download all the images and review. They should get back to us in a week or so with the results. You of course must fast the entire day before and in the evening drink a solution that makes all the "Stuff" come out so the intestines are completely cleaned out. Needless to say, she has been up pretty much all night and is rather irritable and snappy to say the least. But, I know I would be the same way and understand. :-)

Luvparrots - Actually, we are of Scottish origin. McQuilliams were at one time in the 14th century semi-hereditary Constables of Ulster. There are many references to them in the Annals of the Four Masters and the Annals of Loch Ce. Their principal castles were at Dunluce, Dunseveric and Glenagherty. Our family migrated to the USA in 1891. But the Irish have been long time friends and allies and we embrace their culture. Sheila - Cheers!!

Oh Pat, I am so sorry to hear of the wound your Conure received. I hope she is ok this morning and the vet gets her patched up properly.

My Grey absolutely hates my Conure. The Conure at first tried to buddy up with Dayo, I suspect due to Conures being a bird that will naturally flock with other species as most the new world parrots do. Fortunately, as Dave said, these little guys are much quicker and agile then the Grey. Jake will fly away most the time before Dayo nails him. Dayo several times has been flying around and then very abruptly just try to land on my Conure. There have been 2 instances where he succeeded and grabbed the conures tail feathers as he was flying away. One of the times, Dayo had such a good grip on Jake's tail feathers that Jake was flapping away and being held in mid-air by Dayo hanging on until the feathers were sheered off close to the tips. Since then, Jake is much more watchful and if he sees Dayo even flying close to him, he leaves before he can be landed on.

Hi Jodie, LOL - That is a funny mental picture. When my Grey was younger, he would crawl inside a 12 pack Pepsi carton in his cage, lay down and fall sound a sleep. All you could see were his feet sticking out of the box sometimes. I am not certain if the very deep sleep you are describing in your Grey though, may not be an underlying health issue. You say he has done this since a baby, so I assume he has been to the vet throughout his 3 years and nothing could be wrong health wise. It is interesting that the move into your living room as amplified the behaviour. Do you think he may stay awake longer and is in need of sleep? Others here will chime in and will have other experiences and observations too. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/12/30 14:24

My Grey hates my Conure. Fortunately, the Conure is fully flighted and much faster than Dayo in maneuvering to escape. I also have 2 Dobermans that get excited when he flies and being sight oriented, they become seemingly very interested in snapping him out of the Air. Dayo, if we do not watch him carefully, will walk right up to them. Even though he has been cornered in a split second screaming his head off as I have run to his rescue. This has happened twice. :ohmy: The Dogs do stand back about 3 or 4 feet, but I do not trust them at all and keep them at a distance for his safety. Whats odd, is Dayo calls them both by name, come here, whistle whistle, come here...... As if they are buddies. You just never know when dogs like mine will decide to snap faster than you can see. It would only take one time.....

Hi David, They will not over eat. Obesity can become an issue only by a Grey that is not playing and eating too much junk food like nuts and foods off of human plates. The key is to just limit the Nuts and Human foods to a very small percentage of his daily intake. Believe it or not, if you watch them eat, they waste atleast 60 percent of it. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/12/30 14:00

Well Happy Hatch Day Zeus!! He has made wonderful progress under your care. His bath time description is funny and good to hear of a Grey that actually makes fun out of it. :-) Thanks for the update on him!

Welcome Jodie and Jacque!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more about your Zoo and seeing photos when you get a chance. :-)