danmcq

Welcome Ferduno!! Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome Sam and Ollie!!! It sounds you have done a wonderful job of hand feeding and raising Ollie. The only way to try and stop the pooping on you or the furniture, is to train him to poop in a specific place, like his Cage, the trash can a playstand etc. It will take patience and time to accomplish this. You will need to pay careful attention to his body language to detect when you know he is about to poop and quickly have him step-up, carry him to where you wish him to do so and either keep him perched on your hand or perch him where you want him to go poop and say "Go Poop" or "Bombs Away".. what ever you wish. But , just make sure your actions, the place and your words are always consistent. he will learn this over time and some have even picked it up in just a few days. As noted by Judy, there are also threads that cover poop-training. You can find them by doing a search on this forum. It's good having you here and looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Wow, now that was a scare for you!! What an intriguing story through of her obsession with RHG's. :-) I assume the RHG that she landed on at the Condo took her their assuming she was lost. That is very admiral behaviour. Most people would have kept the beautiful and friendly bird and not said a word. You are very fortunate. I have never seen or heard of this behaviour before.

Nice cage Bronxboomer. A new cage/home is a shock to there system and it will take a while for him to become comfortable in it.

Wow, from the decription, it certainly does not sound good for human or Parrot consumption. LOl Judy - Well said. :-)

Very cool videos of Sam. He is quite a character and progressing nicely for an 11 month old!! :-) Thanks for sharing these videos.

Ouch Kitty^3!!! Sorry to hear that. Always be on guard, you just never know when they will nail you. :-)

I know you were Fairy. :-) Mel - No Dayo does not say those things. If I taught Dayo those phrases, my wife would kill me. :-)

Setting up the Cage and any new items like toys etc. you are going to put near your Grey is a good idea. It will certainly lower the shock in steps, rather than all at once. Since your grey prefers your hubby anyway. Your spending time with the new Conure will not really be observed as much a threat. As it would be if your hubby started paying too much attention to it. You will need to make sure you keep the conure away from your Grey and let them get used to each other at a distance. The Conure by nature is a very social bird across several species. The Grey is not and only flock together. You will need to be very cautious with any close interaction between the two. Your Grey could kill the conure or take off a leg in the blink of an eye. A conure is a VERY small Parrot and you will be hard pressed to find a harness he could wear. You will really need to research that online and see if the aviator or feather teather harnesses for example go down that small.

I would suggest tying on leafy veggies like Mustard, Collard etc.... any big leafy veggie that is both good for them and they love to shred. :-) You will not find any birds or Parrots, for the most part out in the wild shredding or chewing on leaves. They know by instinct that they are toxic in most cases and probably taste like crap. :-) Be prepared for a big mess if you want them to shred, because they will!!

LOL - Greys do love their Cheese.... of any type!! Your right on the weight loss. But, in our case it's a little different. We changed what we buy and eat (More healthy stuff like fruits and veggies) due to Dayo wanting to consume a portion of everything we have. So be default, we eat better and less because we still take the same size helping, but Dayo either tosses, eats or thrashes atleast 1/8 of it, if not more. :-)

Birch and Mulberry are fine. Most "Dangerous" trees that you find on lists are there due to the tree's leaves, fruit or bark. The wood itself is not Dangerous in most cases. Woods such as Pine, Redwood and Cedar That are very aromatic due contain substances in the wood that can be harmful to your Parrot. The key to look for is what does the wood itself contain.

Conures are good at making friends with other Parrots. They are very social by nature. If your Grey is social as you describe, a conure would be a good fit into the flock. Conures run 200 to 350 depending on the type you select. They are much smaller than a Grey and do not talk much, but they can a little in a much higher pitched voice that is sometimes difficult to understand. A DYH is a Double Yellow Headed Amazon. They would not be a great choice for companionship in most cases and are around 800 depending on the breeder.

Welcome whiteflower23 !!! It nice having you here. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

Welcome Vida and Budster!!! Your Grey sounds like a real joy to have around. My Grey also puts notes together in varying lengths and combinations when He's just Vocalizing his heart out and life is good. :-) Looking forward to seeing some videos of Budster!!

Welcome EinsteinsM0M !!! It's GreYt to have you here. Looking forward to hearing more. :-)

Welcome Christian!! Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos when you get a chance. :-)

That is truly wonderful Ozzie. :-) They each pick up words and sounds at their own rate. Yours is an exception for certain. Is is always nice to hear of other Greys stories and brings a smile to our face when when read them. Thanks for posting this.

darth_mint wrote: Don't feel bad for communicating in a way that he understood. Thats how they learn.... cause and effect. He wants to communicate with you and is learning what is acceptable or not. Once he figures out it's just "Hard Beaking" that is shunned, he will only do so if he truly wants you to leave him alone. They are as intelligent as a 3 or 4 year old child. They understand cause and effect instantly. The only time you will not see fairly quick results is if it is a learned behaviour, something new they must evaluate, or their will is very strong and it will take persistence to overcome. You are doing a wonderful job and showing the patience it takes to see positive results. :-)

Thats is great progress Lauri, Congratulations!! From the Vet acknowledging the change in him and the way he is responding and interacting with you. It seems he is feeling the trust and safety in this new home and flock. Your patience, persistence and love are paying off. :-) Thanks for the update.

One thing to note on Grey's and what they CHOOSE to say. They use all their Chirps, whistles, noises etc. for a purpose, to communicate or attract attention from the opposite sex when trying to attract a mate. From the beginning, I have always associated my words with what I am doing or what I am offering Dayo. For example, I always say "Make Coffee", while I am doing so. he has heard this hundreds of times and never says it. It is not something he desires and must find the activity mundane and non-important to him. Every time I am preparing meals, veggies, fruits etc. or offering one type to him, I will say what it is. Grape, Apple, Broccoli, Peanut, Almond etc. He only says his favorite choices..... Apple? Almond? Water (if he wants a drink). Example, I was cutting up watermelon and cantaloupe. He watched and as I was clearly done putting them in the bowl and offering them to him. He looked in and said "Apple??". So I went to the fridge, got an apple and sliced a little up. Guess what he devoured first before trying the melons? Apple!! He also says activities that he wishes to do, when he wants to do them. Example - "Go outside??", "Step Up??" (While lifting his foot), "What are you doing??" as he watches us do some task....etc. I think my point is made. Association, as pointed out in Dr. Pepperburgs studies is key to having them say what they want to say. It is either for the anticipated reward or something they want to communicate. Example at night-night time as your covering the cage.... Goodnight, I love you........ Dayo says this often, only at that time. So, give this a try, if you haven't already been doing so. Also, as other have said, some are not as vocal as others, some will only talk when they think they are alone, some are late bloomers and start spewing out words at 3 or 5 years etc. It just depends on the Grey.

LOl Fairy!! Thanks, I think?? :laugh: B)

Hi Di, Actually it sounds like he is doing just fine at trying and eating a variety of foods you've been offering. They all have their favorites and will eat those while leaving the rest. But, keep offering the variety you are. They change favorites as time progresses and also seem to eat what their body is telling them it needs. Example - There are times they will eat broccoli and leave the grape of apple slices. There are times they will eat the soak and cooked mix and not touch the veggies or fruits. They really seem to be in tune with what their bodies truly need. Now of course, a tasty cinnamon roll is always a big hit and you must stop their attack for their own good ;-) Bu in all seriousness, it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job and your Grey is accepting and trying a variety of fruits, veggies and legumes etc.

judygram wrote: No Problem Judy. Just start trying to get Josey when you know her body language is telling you to "Back Off". You will then be a full member of the "Bite Me" Club. :-) Of course, there is one catch to the bite me club, it's blood in and blood out...... ;-) Buuuuuaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahaha - in my best Dracula laugh. :-) You are blessed that Josey is so gentle with her powerful beak. There are many here that wished they had that problem. :-)

My Names One Eyed Jack and don't call me Joe.... ;-) Look at that hair-do, sorry about that...... Were you born this stupid, or did you have an accident..... Your one fry short of a happy meal :-) Ok, I'll stop...... ;-)