danmcq

Hello Rebecca and welcome! GreYt questions. Leaving the baby greys with their parents until 3 or 4 weeks old is a good practice in my opinion. They are then removed and hand fed by the breeders from that time forward to weaning. Some breeders do give the option of taking home your grey before fully weaned. In many states this is against the law. I personally would never take an unweaned grey nor would I recommend it for anyone that is not completely experienced at hand feeding birds. If something went wrong and your baby grey dies, the breeder would not refund your money due to it being your fault. So if you do go with this breeder, let them wean it first.

Thank You. Kim and I appreciate that. But, I do not want this thread to to become about us. It is about our much loved Greys and other parrots and critters future. It is critical for all Grey owners to understand the importance of having plans for their Greys and other critters, should the unexpected to happen.

I understand your feelings on this topic and have the same worries and heart felt pangs when thinking about it. In regards greys being kept with us humans. Well all these thousands being hatched in captivity need loving homes and would never survive in the wild. So I feel good about being able to give Dayo a loving first home. Dayo will live decades beyond us. Our lives have been changing drastically over the last year and a half with my wifes side affects from previous chemo and radiation treatments 12 years ago. She is now permanently disabled (We are thankful though, the alternative would have been death). We are having to downsize and purchased a mobile home (our home is being foreclosed on) we will be moving in to in about a month after I have a handicapped ramp built she can use her walker to get up to the deck and enter it. I also just had a neck lymph node surgically removed to be biopsied and will know the results in a week. We just had to give our last Doberman Chloe to our son (He and family love her and it's a great place for her) because dogs over 25 pounds are not allowed in this lovely lake and tree community. This has caused much heartache, but we had no choice. Thank god Dayo and Jake of course are going with us. But, what is shocking is how fast these life altering changes can take place and turn your life upside down. Thankfully, when the time comes that we can no longer care for Dayo and Jake properly, they both have good homes we have already arranged for in advance when that time comes. Still just the thought of this worries me and breaks my heart knowing in the future (hopefully at least 5 or 10 years from now) they will need to move on to another loving home. How fast life can change? In one year: - Wife started having medical issues, tons of Lab work, Xrays, CT-Scans, MRI's, Nerve conduction tests etc. - Put on Disability. - Loss of very large income and medical insurance through her company. My company only covers employee's not family members. - Start paying 1300 a month for medical insurance - Start paying huge medical bills until deductible met - Go through Bankruptcy - Go through home work-out over and over until finally denied - On and on one thing after another So, it is imperative to have plans at least for the very much loved creatures you share your life with in advance. Your life can be turned upside down in a very short amount of time.

Do you also specialize as an avian vet? If not, this is not the correct forum to be posting your advertisements.

Try the "Broom" methodology". Had a cat once that would attack our youngest son each morning when he was 3 and would come walking out all sleepy eyed from his bedroom. That damn cat got into the habit of literally attacking him by latching on to his legs with claws dug in and then biting him viciously. Couple of times swatting that cat off with the broom stopped that behavior post-haste. Either my son or the cat was going to end up severely hurt if the broom didn't work...

True enough Steve, it is a common saying. Spock is just too "Logical"

Congrats and blessings on adding another rescue. The dynamics of this well bring out the best in both of them. I look forward to hearing much more on the two of them as time progresses.

"Oscar is such a funny guy, I asked him tonight "Are you really sure you want to bite me, Oscar?" and he said "Yeah!" and then I said "Well I don't like it" and he said "Oh!" Coincidence, maybe, but his timing with regards to this conversation (we've had it a few times) is impeccable." / Believe me, Oscar understands clearly. "I don't know how controversial cage covering is on this forum" / It's not controversial at all. Everyone has their own preference and reasons for covering or not covering the cages. I have always covered my birds cages at night for decades. Why? First because my household has always been early birds getting up around 5am and sometimes earlier. Also due to AC running during the summertime and heat running in winter. It seems most the time there is a vent in the ceiling close enough for a draft to hit their cages.

Yes! That is exactly what I have done since bringing Dayo home at 15 weeks old. Use the name of every vegetable or other food item. Use the names of every action. Use the name of every appliance etc. Believe me, Gracie is way ahead of you and already knows more than what you are hearing her use presently. It seems that Gracie is on the same word and phrase use as Dayo at 20 months. Teach them by describing everything just as you would a human baby. I stopped counting words and phrases at around 600+. They pick up new words in one day at Gracies age. You will also start hearing her pick up 3, 4 and later 5 syllable words. Like "Humidifier" 5 syllables. Dayo knows the name of every appliance in the house and what they are used for. He even tells us when the coffee pot has finished perking by saying "Coffee's Done". Be ready for shock and awe Jeff!

Congrats on taking in Ellie! This is going to definitely add to the dynamics in your home now and will be very interesting to follow as this expanded flock becomes "One".

Happy HatchDay Jake!!

Good comments by Wingy. The pecking and testing is Greyt! Holes bitten through shirts are normal, they love to chew things. You willend up with "Parrot shirts" you'll wear when your going to have your grey on you. Getting them back in the cage is hopefully a matter of placing a favorite treat you show them and then place it in the cage. If your grey is on your arm, just walk slowly to the cage and place them in it. This is learned through trial and error to see what works.

The others have given good comments and thoughts. First, the cage is Larry's home and place of safety. Most Greys are at various levels cage aggressive. This is understandable because it is THEIR home you are trying to invade with your fingers. This is not the place to try and interact with them by sticking your fingers in thinking you can pet or scratch them like a dog. Greys are still wild and not domesticated over thousands of years like a dog. You need to get to where Larry will come out of the cage and it is on these neutral grounds he can decided how close he wishes you to be and IF he has any desire at all for a scratch for example. You can use a short perch for example to get a step up outside the cage. Maybe this is what you are calling a chop stick? But, as others have already said. The first thing you need to do is build trust over time with lots of patience. The second thing you need to do is learn grey body language so you know when to stop moving your hand towards him because it is through this that he is physically telling you if you proceed a bite will happen. Please read this topic we have here on this forum by clicking on this link. It will help you in understanding grey body language: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen

I enjoy your posts trancework. Complete and informative with good thoughts and descriptions. Nice writing style.

As wingy said, let her come to you. You can also have a little foot toy or a grape, almond etc. with you that may encourage her to come and get it as well. Just slow as you go with hand interaction right now.

LOL Ray, very inventive on your part! No Nicknames for Dayo. When is good: Dayo When calling him from another room: Daaaaayyyooooo When he is letting out his Pteradactyl side on me; DAYO, NO BITE!!!

It's GreYt that Miranda is settling in so well. They do listen with recorder accuracy and are capable of producing any sound or word with perfect accuracy. Have you let her out of the cage yet? As others have said, step up begins when they are just weeks old.

GreYt videos of Alfie enjoying that play area. I enjoyed the verbal interaction. LOL on the third video. Nothing like some upside down play. Whats with greys and those spastic feet when they are battling a toy? I believe it is Grey Kung Fu. It throws the opponent off getting them worried about the foot action while the beak comes in and slices and dices the enemy. Thanks for sharing these.

Losing a loved pigeon is just as painful as losing anyone that is considered a family member. I found a pigeon just sitting in a dirt lot one day when I was 9 and slowly walked up, bent down and took him home. Fortunately my parents were receptive and let me keep and nurse him back to health. I Named him Jiffy and as you describe of them riding on shoulders, he did too. He would even fly after me while riding my bicycle down the street and land on my shoulder. Pigeons are amazing birds to have bless your life, as you stated.

I totally agree.

The best thing to do is avoid a bite by knowing where and when they happen. The running at you across the couch or seeing her coming at your feet are both avoidable. I know all about the offering a treat and getting a quick bite instead. Sometimes you can read their body language and move your hand before it happens. But, a grey also knows how to put on the best poker face in the world and bite with lightening speed at times. It is those times you cannot avoid them other than just learning as you do offer a treat that there are miniscule signs in the body, eyes and talons if they are receptive to it or not. It takes time to learn these signs. But I know you will.

LOL Jeff, you will become a hermit living way out in the woods isolated to ensure Gracies only companion is you. Seriously though, they do become infatuated with some new people they meet at different times. When we have guests or family members over, many times there is one Dayo picks up interest in and will want to make acquaintances with them. If they are comfortable with him as well, he will hang out with them rather than us while they are here. Your description of Gracie wanting our dads attention when he is there sounds pretty normal to me for a lot of well socialized greys.

A fine set of Hatchday photos. Alfie is one good looking Grey. Thanks for sharing these.

Happy Hatchday Alfie!!

Congrats Gemma. Dave gave good advice on the formula.