danmcq

Hello Motomazzo, Your Grey definitely needs a regular bath and you are doing the right thing whether he likes it or not. Most Greys hate water, but a few actually enjoy it. However, I personally would not hold on to my Grey while misting him. The reasoning behind this, is that he will eventually decide he can just bite you hard and you will of course let go. I bath Dayo in two different ways depending on whether it is summer or winter. In the winter, I take him and place him in the bottom of the shower. I make sure I have the exit blocked and Mist him from a spray bottle with Aloe juice until he is soaked. In the Summer, I roll both my Parrots in their Cages(one Grey, one Conure) out onto the Pool deck. I then have a water nozzle I set to "Cone" and spray it straight up in the Air from a distance and soak them and their cages down real good. After Dayo and the Conure are both done. I mist them both down in their Cages real good with Aloe Juice. Once done, I set the nozzle to "Jet" and blast all the cage grates and perches to thoroughly clean them. Then towel dry the cages and let the birds soak in some Sun for a couple of hours. Hope this helps. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/07/01 20:03

Dayo has very distinctive darker gray side markings on both sides near his ears. I noticed these coming out as he has been moulting. They are not stains. I will get photos as soon as the batteries are charged for the Camera. This has peaked my curiosity, as I have noticed these side markings on other Greys photos at times.

Ok, I have one, but don't expect a lot....I am a "Guy" you know ;-) Breakfast - Honey Nut Oatmeal - - - - - - Get a half cup of Oats Add 3/4 cup of water and boil. Stir in a teaspoon of Honey. Slice up some Almonds and mix it. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of Red Palm Oil and stir it all up. Serve!!!! :-)

Welcome Jenny and Coco!! It's GreYt that you have rescued Coco and are providing him with a good loving home committed to make his life a long and happy one in stable home. Your doing the right thing by letting Coco have his privacy in his Cage while getting used to the new surroundings and protected from a wild animal (he views as such) the Dog. :-) You bet he knows what step up means!!! You can't blame a guy for not wanting to go back into "Lock Down" after just gaining his freedom. ;-) He is a very intelligent sentient being and it seems wanted to get himself in the cage (if he HAD to go back) on his own power. Time and patience will reward you with a well mannered Grey as you continue to gently show him attention, good food and nonthreatening appearances or requests. he will and probably does yearn for up-close and personal attention. But, he must first "Trust" you. There is a TON of information here on this Forum regarding the rescue and care of a Grey and we have several members that have done so very successfully more than once. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Hello Codysmom, As Bmustee correctly said, working a normal job and your Grey being home alone is not a problem. We both work 40+ hours a week also. In fact, I work in San Jose all week and drive home on Friday afternoons, most the time. My wife leaves at 630 in the morning and does not get home until around 430 in the afternoon. Dayo, of course is like a child bouncing up and down in gleeful joy at the front door as mom/dad arrives. The important thing here is consistency. They know the home schedule and in fact seem to almost demand a good schedule for everything. They even seem to know it's a weekend and that your home for 2 days for some full-time attention and day long out of cage time too. You'll be fine and your no different than most of us Grey and other Parrot owners. After all, someone has to go work, make money and lavish them with GreYt toys, exotic foods, big-bigger-biggest cages and playstands!! :laugh:

Have a GreYt vacation Di. Of course your baby will remember you and welcome your return. :-)

Hello Frank - I am sorry to hear of Xena's passing. She lived a blessed and wonderful life in your care. The pictorial memorial is wonderful. Thanks for sharing this moment with us. You know we care.

I subscribe to Bird Talk and love it. The articles are always great and the feature Parrot species showcased always contain good information and nice photos. They always have a wealth of information in them.

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha - Good one Dave!!!

It's good to hear that you don't think it's your fault Berna. I know you care for those babies just as if they were your own. :-) Every loss of life is always saddening, but it is the way of all the Earth. It is a hard fact of life, that none of us ever get used, because life is so precious. You have chosen a hard path, but I know that you make a difference everyday in the life's of those Parrots, the store workers and also the customers as you cull out the bad prospective Parrot purchasers and assist the well informed and experienced ones. I truly do hope it is not the virus and the other babies make it.

Thats a wonderful start and good to hear that Zahzu is so far "Pluck Free". I am so happy that you and Zahzu are both feeling better. Looking forward to hearing of the "Nutty" (no pun intended) snacks you are making up. They make give us some good ideas too. :-)

Berna, I am so sorry to hear of your traumatic experience in feeding the babies. It is very sad to lose such a helpless baby that gave no warning. It is a very common experience to large scale breeders, that know it is a part of life that can not be changed or avoided in most instances. If it is due to the Polyomavirus, all the other chicks are in danger also. As well as any other non-vaccinated chicks that clutch has been around. Please let us know the out come of the necropsy and how the rest of the chicks are doing. Also, I would assume that your store knows the breeder the chicks came from and can follow up with them?

As others have stated, they do seem to vocalize when either your not in the room or not really paying attention to them. Dayo has this same tendency and it seems that they are either talking to themselves or just amusing themselves. :-) You would recognize the "Contact" call, like a short whistle, wolf whistle etc. So it seems your Grey is just amusing himself. If you decide to purchase an adventure pack. You may want to check out the ones with mesh Stainless Steel view windows. Greys can chew right through the normal mesh that most come with. They are pricey though, but in the long run you won't lose your Grey and you won't have to buy another adventure over and over when they chew through the mesh. :-) You may just want to try taking the stand in your room when you are going to take a nap and see how that goes.

Welcome Kitty cubed!!! ;-) It's GreYt having here and looking forward to hearing more. :-)

Hello Sunshine, It is a wonderful thing you did in rescuing Coco. I wish more people would turn to rescues, rather than purchasing a new baby. But, rescuing does take some experience or at least attending classes that most rescues now require along with a "Hotline" to a rescue contact fro assist and help when needed. It sounds like you have and are doing the research needed to bring Coco along and you have a good grasp of the time and patience principal needed in helping a rescue become the sentient, intelligent and wonderful being they are deep down inside. :-) I look forward to hearing of Coco's progress, photos and videos when you get time to share them.

I agree, a young baby grey just buzzes around from one interesting thing to the next. It all new, exciting, scary and strange. They do grow out of it though, as you asked Lyn. Just enjoy those precious baby moments and laugh. The just don't last long enough and soon you will be missing them. :-) Dave - I suspect it is the length of time for the Grey to move the distance of the gap of a paper clip. Zip....... NEXT item!!! :-)

BUUuuuuuaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, going crazy you say???????

Well, considering Harley is only around 14 or 15 weeks old, it will be a while. He will start doing more styles of whistles, chirps and that little adorable panting sound they make as young ones. Then they will finally start to mimic sounds like phones, home alarm chirps from doors and windows etc. You'll know when he gets close to uttering a word when you hear him mumbling very low in volume. When he starts that, he is calibrating to get it right. :-) Dayo started mumbling around 11 or 12 months old. Said his first word loud and clear at about 13 months old. Then you can't shut them up. They think they need to tell you everything.

I fear it is too late for Tracy, she has fallen into a silent stupor. :-) <br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/06/30 18:15

Ah, the Princess of Ireland, of course. :-) You must kiss her diamond studded leg band as you bow gracefully upon first approach. B)

Nice photo of Bella getting her "Climbing Legs". :-) Thanks for sharing it.

Time and patience to build a strong "Trust" between you and the Grey are the two most important aspects in being successful in gaining what you desire ashleymarie. You are doing a great job in searching the web for all the information you can obtain. But, books are also very helpful and informative as well. M2MM has referenced two good books. There are also many other books as well that you may consider and reference. M2MM - Karma to you. You have been contributing good advice since your arrival!! :-)

Welcome Ddixon and Homie!!! Looking forward to hearing how your vet visit went. Ask all the questions you wish. :-)

Welcome Bamewm!!! Time and patience will be required to let your newly adopted Grey become familiar with the new flock and home. Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos of your Grey when you get a chance. :-)

It is wonderful to hear you were able to see a truly good Avian vet that knows what to do and how to do it. "Dr Evil" is a fitting name for the abusive and Ill tempered previous vet. I would probably use a combination of words for him, but I can not post them here due to them being banned words. ;-) Sedatives may not be a bad idea for the short term, since Zahzu is obviously very upset right now. But, long term would not be an idealistic option. Your new vet should be able to articulate his "healing" plan to you in a concise and well thought out process. The first thing to do is get you bird balanced out on both sides and removing the agitating feathers that remain. Once this is done, hopefully the plucking to try and "Right" the issue by Zahzu should be resolved and the sedatives will calm for the necessary time period. Please keep us posted. This is great information that others will be able to reference also.