danmcq

I like Sophia, also how about Christiana? Good luck with picking a Nmae. :-)

Nice video of both Congo and Ace getting a healthy vegetarian breakfast. They are both great looking critters. :-)

LOL Mark, Kip is a hoot!!! Thanks for sharing that. :-)

Very informative post Dave!! Anyone considering a rescue should read it very carefully, unless they have experience with rescues. I personally appreciate the rescues that insist potential adopters attend classes and also meet with the prospective adoptee to see how they interact over a few visits. These types of rescues realize that not everyone walking through the door, have the knowledge or the commitment necessary to take in a Parrot with sometimes very aggressive behavioural habits from the tons of baggage it is carrying around.

LOL!!! GreYt photo Carolyn, should enter that in one of the Parrot photo contests online like at Birdtalk.com or DrFostersmith.com. :-)

Cool video of Congo practicing her name. Thanks for sharing it. :-)

Siobha gave good advice. Somethings to consider also: 1) You are presently injured and apprehensive when approaching your Grey now. They as all critters can detect that instantly. This then transfers to them being nervous and protective of themselves. So, unless you are not apprehensive or nervous when you decide to give him a treat, don't do it. 2) If you do approach with a treat and he lunges, turn around and walk away with the treat. Do not reward him for bad behaviour. 3) When your with Gavin and Harvey attempts to bite or in fact does bite , Gavin needs be the one that disciplines Him sternly. Harvey does not care if You dislike Him, but he does want to please Gavin. So if Gavin enforces his dislike of aggression towards you and maybe even tells him sternly NO, then returns him to his cage, Harvey will get the message rather quickly that if he tries to bite or attack you, Gavin will take away his time by returning him to the cage. 4) If you do use a stick to pick him up, block the path he will take to bite you with you Other hand balled into a fist with the back of your hand to him. he will not be able to get a good bite on it. Using sticks is not really a preferred method to get you Parrot accustomed to hands or not biting them. But, if you must, then so be it. 5) If he can physically fly to try and attack you, then the only way to resolve that is to place your Arm in his path so he must land on it. Then Block him from traveling up your Arm with your Other Hand as described above. This is going to take some time to get resolved, but it can be. :-) Also, Gavin must be the one to start teaching Harvey that he is not allowed above the elbow for now. At Least until he learns to be well behaved. he needs to get used to being handled. Have Gavin to repetitive steps ups with Harvey making him step up from hand to hand several time in a row. Give a fun break and do it again on a daily basis so he just learns to comply. I hope at least some little tidbit in this response helps you in some way.

I agree with Judy and Siobha. The beak looks normal. Trimming is rarely needed, if ever. As long as he has wood to chew on and perches, the beak will maintain itself.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/10/18 15:46

Very nice photos of Koko. Thanks for posting them. :-)

Best wishes to you and your family Yvette. You will be in our prayers. Looking forward to hearing from you when you return. :-)

Welcome Annmarie and Sterling!! Thanks for rescuing a Grey and giving it a loving forever home. I wish more would rescue. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Can't wait to hear how the homecoming went and seeing some photos of the event!! :-)

I agree that rescuing a Parrot or other critter is preferred for an experienced person or one that has done their research, knows how to cope with the baggage and understands it is a commitment out of love or a person that is willing and desires to learn all they must to properly care and provide for them. In regards banning the breeders, I disagree. This would then start up a huge demand on the black market for illegally smuggling in the Parrots in demand and charging large sums of money for each. It would then promote the capture of wild Parrots that are already getting close to the extinction level. Most small breeders do a great job and the only people that normally find them are ones that are aware of them and have researched the species they are interested in to prepare themselves for providing it a loving forever home. Some breeders are also very concerned about each of their babies. They watch the new potential buyers interact with their new baby when they come to visit, teach them how to handle them, feed them, train them etc. If they find that the potential buyers are not interested in learning or caring and interacting with the Parrot properly, they will refund any deposit and advise the people the bird is not for sale any longer. What I do have a BIG problem with, is the Petsmarts and other Mega Stores that deal only with large breeding farms that pump out these babies by the 1000's in very cramped, dirty, unloving facilities and make a quick buck environment. These mega stores then put them on display to the general public in their stores across the country and when a child or parent see's the beautiful parrot in the display, can not resist the action of buying it with out knowing anything about them. Thats where the majority of the rescues come in from. They buy a parakeet sized cage for their large Parrot. Then they get them home, start realising that the bird poops on furniture, bites them, their children, guests and also screams loudly etc. and it just becomes a nuisance to them and they throw it away like they do all other unwanted critters. Then those mega store bought birds end up in the rescues. It is not the breeders causing this problem. It is large commercialized businesses and stupid people buying on a whim.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/10/18 14:23

Congratulations Pat!!! Between adoptions, rescues and human newborns, you are becoming the largest flock in the USA....maybe the world. You are going to have so much fun with them all and a lotta love!!<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/10/17 22:47

Nice video Roger. Congo and Ace are really looking good. :-)

Eeeeewwwww, why would you grind Oatmeal up into a dust? That doesn't sound good, but Ive never tried it. I do love Oatmeal though and so doea Dayo. LOL - Yes, you never know on this forum, where a witty comment to ones post is lurking to be happened upon, with wize guys like myself and Dave around.

Very nice, I see he is ready for trick or treat. :-) Thanks for posting these great photos.

Wow, cool image editing work on this. Yes, everyone needs to votew no matter for whom, it's what a democracy is all about. :-) I personally enjoy the freedom a democracy represents and appreciate all that was done to establish it and maintain it. :-)

Very nice Roger!! Thanks for posting this photo. It's good to see you back on the forum and giving us all this eye candy. :-)

Ok, in reading all your posts, I get the following information regarding your almost 2 year relationship with your Grey: 1) You have never been successful at getting him to step up 2) He has always either sat on your head or shoulder 3) He lets you partner give him scratches and kisses. Does this mean your partner has him on his hand or lap? 4) He has always been such a loving bird. How so, if you have never been able to get him to step up, sit on your hand, arm or lap? Please do not give up on Max. I know you have received a terrible bite, perhaps with permanent facial scaring, but please try to overcome your fear. Reflect upon the love and joy you have received from him. The bottom line is, he is an unruly 2 year old, untrained and never required to conform to any ground rules from what I can glean from this thread. It will take time to get the ground rules accepted by him, but they must be established. 1) Do not allow him above the middle of your Arm 2) If he wants to be on you or your partner, he must step up onto your hand or arm only. 3) If he bites when trying to get a step up, put him back in his cage or if still in it, close the door and walk away to another room. Tell him "No Bite" sternly while staring him directly in his eye(s) so he knows you mean business. These 3 things will establish the ground rules to properly interact with you. Once you get these working, then further bonding and contact such as scratches, consistent step ups and the like will develop over time. The trust and respect for one another will take some time to rebuild, but it will happen. I hope this helps.

Wow, if the Vet can not find anything wrong, this is a tough one. Do you think it could be related to the loss of Chaz? Did you have a Necropsy performed on Chaz to determine the cause of death? If so, maybe that could provide a clue. He stopped talking and chirping, but is he normal in all other ways such as weight and playtime? Sorry I have more questions than answers, but if the vet says everythings fine, this is tough.

Very nice photos. Thanks for sharing the rest of your extended family with us. :-)

Very nice cage !! Baxter is truly loving it. Where did you get that rope that seems to be made of straw? I'll bet he does some shredding and has BIG fun with that. :-)

Great post Kaedyn. :-) Karma to you.

Well, it's the "FIFO" principal, first in, first out. So I would suspect the black oily 730am poop, was the remnants of the Grapes. But, if you want to be certain, taking it in for analysis would certainly give you the exact composition of it. I could almost make a color splash portrait with Dayo's multi-colored outputs. Yellow = the eggs, Green = Harrisions, seeds, nuts, Reddish = Cherries or red colored pellets and a gold color = squash, carrots and other similar colored items consumed. :-)