danmcq

It's good to hear all is going well with Lily and flock. She sounds like an intelligent and loving girl. Looking forward to hearing more. :-)

Welcome Haggis and congratulations on that baby grey!!! What a wonderful experience that must be. :-) Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. Thanks for sharing that video.

Welcome Natasha!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing those photos. :-)

Welcome udbluehen!! The towel probably frightened him, as you suspect. Some of us do take our Greys outside. But, they go out only on a fight tether, in a cage or in a carrying pack. Even though a parrot is clipped, they can still fly if spooked by something.

A horrifying event can change their behaviour for atleast 24 hours or more. Dayo was terribly frightened one day. When we came home, it was apparent. He would not step up for Kim or I, did not vocalize at all and would not except treats from us. This lasted a full 24 hours plus another half day or so. Our daughter-in-law had been over with a few of her kids that day. We called her and asked if anything happened to Dayo, the answer was, No Why? We explained and no was still the answer. We knew better by Dayo's actions and behaviour. We explained our main concern was perhaps he had eaten something "BAD" or fallen etc, as she was getting VERY defensive. A week later,a young one from her clan spent the night (6 yr old) and he started telling us a "Story" of Did you know what happened to Dayo? We're like no, did something happen to him. He explained his older sister had gotten Dayo out of the Cage while their mother had left them there alone. His sister could not catch Dayo to put him back in the cage before her momma got home and she knew she would be in BIG trouble. So, she chased Dayo all over the house while he was screaming, he wound up under his cage and she used a stick to push him out from under it and then sacked him in a sheet and dumped him in his cage!!!! :evil: :pinch: :evil: !!! Needless to say, I purchased 3 lengths of chain and 3 padlocks. All the openings on Dayo's cage are chained and padlocked when we leave the house now..... So, a bad fright can definitely change their behaviour, but it is temporary, thank god!! :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/09/04 20:44

Thats great news Jadewolf. I am glad it has worked out so well for you both. I know what you mean regarding Grey hairs that seemingly come attached with an African Grey Parrot. It seems to be a virus that goes unseen until the Grey hairs start popping out. :-)

They do have their own mind and if they do not wish to step up, they won't. It could be that he knew he was on slippery ground and was afraid to let go. You could try coming in from the back and make him step back, which I do sometimes with Dayo when he does not wish to step up. The other option is to either just pick them up with your hands (If you know he won't bite hard) or towel him. You may want to look at putting some vet wrap or similar material on that shower perch so he will feel he has a good grip and is not focused on just hanging on too the perch. :-)

Welcome Gabriel!! Berna hit the nail on the head. Your Grey is in need of more attention from you, not less. A second Parrot would be viewed as a threat, that is taking your attention away from your present Grey. There is never a guarantee that two birds will ever get along or be able to be out of their cages at the same time with out harming each other. Make sure you Greys Cage is full of toys he loves to play with. Put some wadded up paper in the bottom, or some pop sickle sticks etc for him to shred. Hide food inside paper cups etc. to promote foraging activity. This things will keep his mind active and body getting exercise as well. Most of us do work and are gone all day while our Greys are at home. They are just like a child bouncing up and down when we return home in excitement. But, they know routines and accept them as long as they are consistent for the most part. It's great having you here and looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

What a ordeal Berna!! It is wonderful to hear that Elmo has been brought up in a way that he has learned to expect the unexpected and go where you go on trips to different locations. Well Done!! It good to hear things are getting back to normal now and Elmo is back and happy as a Lark. :-)

LOL Casper, I could not help but laugh. I am postive it freaked you out at first in trying to figure out how to get it off. :ohmy: :laugh: Those bells in the cat type toy balls are too large for a Grey to swallow. Dayo plays with one constantly and loves it. He did get his beak stuck in a Coke can the other day though. It was very funny and he got it off himself with a little can bashing and foot work. One thing to remember, birds know what is edible and not. If they are playing with something or shredding something, they are not swallowing the pieces or it whole, unless by accident. Your husband messed up. I would have yanked that ball off the beak and just been sitting there with a smirk on my as if nothing ever happened. ;-)

Welcome Dustin!! It's wonderful that you have rescued a Grey!!! You can find a ton of videos on youtube. just do a search for African grey in the video section. There are also many very experienced Grey owners here and a ton of information contained in topic on this forum that are also search by keywords. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Thats wonderful news Jackboy, thanks for the update!!!!

Thats great news Sameera!! It sounds like you are doing everything possible to keep your baby from plucking. It is encouraging to hear she is slowing down, if not out right stopping. Hopefully, once the irritating feathers molt out and new ones grow in, this dilemma will be over. :-)

Well, they do try to bath when driven by natural instincts, in an unnatural setting...the cages water bowl. :-) To quote a much loved member here (Daveoo7 aka Mr Spock).. "Technically and normally, they don't need or want a bath in the house when WE wanna give it to them. In the wild, they live in cannapies. It has it's own moisture. They bathe when nature tells them to bathe. In the house a bird jumps in the bowl to bathe when nature tells it to do that. Bath or not, they get very dusty feathers and in the house, they can't flap that dust away like they do when in the wild. They do need to have that dander removed periodically by the owner. A bath or a good misting usually does the job. Many people get frustrated because their bird doesn't like baths but it does have to be done periodically but not as often as you might think. This a very true scenario which is seen over and over again and not just with greys. It's nature telling the bird to bathe---This is your front row seat although, for some it just might be a rerun-- 1--There's a fresh bowl of water in the cage. 2--the owner sees the bird jumping in the water and flapping. 3--the owner says "oh sh*t, ther's gonna be a mess shortly. Let me stop it" 4--The owner immediately gets the bird and thoroughly bathes or mists the bird until it's really soaked. 5--The owner is happy and puts the bird back in the cage. 6--5 minutes later, the owner hears a noise and checks it out. 7--There's the bird jumping in the bowl trying to bathe. It's nature and instinct that's causing that to happen because the parrot is a wild animal." With the wit and humor of Dave setting the tone now, I will tell you, it is a trial and error on bathing/showering/misting etc. The bottom line is you need to do it and your bird needs it to sooth the itchy scratchy skin and get the dander off those feathers building up. You can try the pie pan you used, but make it fun. Place a little ball with a bell in it like a cat plays with and play with it in the water as your Grey sits close by and gets interested. He may then go start playing with it and find that the water is fun too. You will still need to mist him with 100% Aloe Juice to get him thoroughly wet all over and he probably will not approve. Let him bite the tip of the mister every once in while so he thinks he is getting his licks in on that terrible demon from hell. Try placing him in a cold bath about an inch and a half or two deep making sure you block his exit and that you can prevent him from harming himself should he start to react to it and panic. Mist him inside his cage so he can not get away if you have to. Roll his cage outside and spray him and the cage down out there. then finish up by misting him thoroughly with 100% Aloe Juice. You can also place him in a small cheap cage to confine him and mist him in it instead of the large cage. There are several different variations of all of these that you can and should try to see which he likes best, if any. The bottom line is, he gets a both/misting whether he likes it or not. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/09/03 15:31

I would switch him to the larger Cage. At 16 weeks old, he should be fledging and have pretty good capabilities and coordination. The larger Cage will also let him flap those if he does fall to land without harm. I would imagine from 10 weeks on he has been climbing to the top of the cage inside anyway, as most do. You'll have over a week with him to get used to the larger cage before you go into surgery and he should be feeling comfortable in it by then. I wish you well and please keep us posted on this. :-)

Welcome DarkMocha!! There are several seed mixes available without peanuts you can purchase at most pet stores or online. Many also have pellets and other various shaped pellet type items in them also to help give your grey a wide variety to dine on during the day. Also, they love fruits and veggies. It is important to give them helpings of them each day also. If they were kept in travel cages, I would imagine they spent most of their time out of those cages and roaming about their home with the owner. Try and get as much information as you can from the rescue on your Grey and his previous living environment, foods etc. It will help you greatly in transitioning you new grey into your home. Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome Labrat!! I can assure you, Zahara or any other name you decide on, will not be too difficult for your new Grey. You will be shocked at the intellectual abilities of these Greys. If you think the digging was a different behaviour and concern for you. Just wait until all the other things you are not expecting start occurring!! :-) It's great having you here and looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos.

Welcome Jimbot and Dow!! Congratulations on getting a Grey. Once you have him home, I would like to get early morning market trends from Dow once he gets his bearings in the new home. ;-) :-) Looking forward to hearing more.

Welcome Stephanie!!! It sounds like your life is getting back on track and your feathered children are returning to the nest too. It sounds like you have been able to continue a distant relationship with your birds and that will help immensely in the process of them becoming accustomed to their new home and flock. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Welcome Skippy and flock!!! It's GreYt having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Yes, in a nutshell. As I said above: "If he his VERY bent on not complying, come in with your other hand behind him while keeping him busy with the hand in front. Push under him from behind and he will half to step backwards and up onto your hand. After doing this several times, he will learn when you are demanding a step or just asking if he wishes to." Once you have successfully on your hand, bring the other hand up and make him practice several repetitions of steps ups. Do this several times a day. Once you stop the step ups, just let him hang out on your hand or Arm. The closer interactions will come once you have accomplished this. :-)

Some will go back to their Cages on their own, some won't. You will just need to have him step up, lock his talons down with your thumb and carry him to the cage. It does not sound like he is spending much total time out of the cage and relishes every minute when out. I would suspect, that is why he has no desire to go back in to it. In regards your fathers chair. First, you should never leave any Parrot alone and unsupervised. Besides the chair eating, he could also bite through a power cord and electrocute himself or get into something else that could cause him harm. The best thing to stop the chair chewing, would be to purchase a playstand, put lots of toys and food on it and set him there when you wish to place him somewhere out of his cage. Being locked in a Cage, just sitting in it and staring out at the world. Is no replacement for out of cage, up close and personal getting head scratches, sitting on shoulders and just hanging out with their flock. eing Caged is more like an animal in the zoo, behind bars and very frustrated at their small world they are confined to. While watching all passers by enjoy the freedom to roam and explore the entire outside world. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/09/01 16:09

If the feather stopped bleeding on it's own, she is fine. Just keep an eye out for any further bleeding. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Welcome Keito!! Your Grey is still very young at 15 weeks old. I can only assume you brought him home when he was 11 weeks from the information you posted. They do screech and cheep quite a bit when young and in need of something like, attention, food etc. They will also do so if something is frightening them. You will really need to pay attention to the cause and effect principal here. When does he do it, what is he near, what quiets him etc. These will lead you to the cause and what he wants. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

This is a great source for anyone looking for an Avian Vet around the world. Thanks to all of you for posting these. :-)