Giannine

Wow! Quite the turnaround in little Java! That is very encouraging:D I hope Poppy never starts acting out to that extent...I do anticipate it being 1-2 years before we see her full personality and hope to socialize her well in the meantime

Just signed

There are some good and bad. Almost all overcharge, in my opinion. They have their sneaky ways. Last time I took my Boxer in to get vaccinated and his nails clipped, I made it clear 3 times that was all I wanted but they did an exam and charged me for it so I paid over $100 when I planned to spend $30-something. I was just hoping someone knew of some great avian vet in the Seattle area. Doesn't seem there are any:(

He is just adorable! I have been wanting a conure but am making myself wait at least a year so I can focus on Olive and Poppy and then I'll revisit that idea. I'm happy this little guy found you and I hope your wife is recovering well

That is exactly the reason why it is important to me to have the girls build a relationship with Poppy. She will very likely go to one of them if she outlives me. I will make it a point to have them near me and Poppy say, on the couch, and have them offer her treats and toys

Thank you, Dave. Tracy Bennett's clinic is one of the clinics I looked into that has too many bad and horror story reviews on Yelp. I'm not sure I can take a vet who spells 'Macaw' as 'McCaw' seriously (Bird & Exotic Clinic—Dr. Conger's special interests include surgical and diagnostic medicine. Her friends @ home are Honey Bunny the Chihuahua, Samba the cat, Buster the McCaw). Dr. Onorati's isn't much better misspelling 'state' in his bio ('sate'). Several complain about ridiculous prices (one was quoted over $600 without a diagnosis. Vet didn't know what was wrong), took to another vet and the bump was cleared with a $64 cream. Another lost her dog after it was sedated without the owner's knowledge or a phone call letting her know something was going on. He was only supposed to get x-rayed and have his ears checked. Owner still doesn't know what happened and how her dog died there. Several complaints about rude staff.

I've been meaning to ask you, do you ever have the urge to try finding Jim? For some reason that mystery has popped up in my head several times since reading yours and Gilbert's story. Probably because of how she sounds when she calls for him. To clarify, I mean find him to find out more of Gil's history and past experiences. Is it two homes that she has been in before you? I vaguely remember it was a woman you got her from...? It sounds like you and Gil have been making some awesome gains lately...wow!

I know I should have had an avian vet before getting Poppy but I got discouraged in my search after reading scary reviews of the ones that popped up. Is there a site I can go to or do any of you know of any reputable avian veterinarians around Seattle? I live in Bothell/Mill Creek. Thank you in advance:D

Oh, you haven't seen Mike Tyson with his pigeons then! LOL There was a documentary on Netflix about him and his pigeons...it was actually fascinating and also kind of endearing seeing how much he really loves them and his passion for them. Pigeons are big business. Really! Congrats on your new pigeons, Sterling...how exciting:D

Thank you...you and everyone on this board have been wonderful and I'm glad to have a place like this to come to to get away sometimes:D My mom has always been a reclusive person and I was just telling her on the phone today how I have just realized over the past week that I am much more like her than I realized. I told her Poppy is going to be my best friend for the rest of my life. We were talking about the tiny house movement and how cool it is but as much as I may want one someday, I told her I have to have room for my bird cages LOL I think after my kids are (mostly) gone, I will settle for a small 2 bedroom cottage or cabin in the woods somewhere. I would be happy with a one bedroom but with 7 kids, I am sure I will have a lot of grandkids one day and I'm pretty sure the birds want peace and quiet at bedtime. I was doing some reading yesterday on the noise Poppy makes and came across a couple others who believe it is the bird being affectionate. How affectionate, I don't know. Yesterday I wore my hair down which I rarely do and Poppy was making all of her grunting noises and quick movements and started diving her head into my hair that was hanging down over my shoulder LOL She loved it (goofball). I came to the conclusion she was a bit over excited/happy. I definitely have to distract her because it gets to the point I can't really control her and she likes my nostrils for some reason:rolleyes: I was wondering if some of you may be able to give me tips on how to properly introduce Poppy and the kids as far as easing into the kids being able to give her a scratch or hold her for a couple of minutes. The kids are not hyper (not allowed in the house) or loud and I have taught them to be very respectful of animals and their space. They are really cautious around Poppy because they are afraid of getting bit. Some of the kids are just afraid but a couple of the kids have gotten bit when trying to offer her food from their fingers. They do move cautiously and speak quietly to her ("Hi Poppy") as they approach her. My 7-year-old is referred to as "The Olive Charmer" because she and Olive have a special bond none of us have with her even though she really loves me and my 17-year-old. The poor girl tried to make friends with Poppy and got bit. So did my 12-year-old. She was talking sweetly to her and either reached to give her a rub or give her food (can't remember which) and got a bite. My 15-year-old son wants badly to give her a little rub but is too scared to. After the other bites, I don't allow any of the kids within striking distance of her until I figure out how to properly introduce them. Help?:confused:

I haven't noticed the drooping wings when she does it...I'm pretty sure she doesn't do that part, just the breathing...and she gets pretty "mouthy" while she is doing it. It's almost like she is in a mini frenzy, desperate for something and gets a bit "bitey" in the process but doesn't bite to the extent it hurts. I am going to work on distracting her when she gets like this (which she was about 10 minutes ago). I don't really ever touch her below her neck because of what I have read about it sexually stimulating them. Don't want that:eek: I need to go read the latest updates on Gilbert. I can imagine it probably helps being reminded Gilbert was once a baby with probably only positive experiences with humans. Yours and Gilbert's story cemented my commitment to Poppy before I even got her. It has really illustrated to me how sensitive they are and how important it is to not give up on them, no matter how hard it might get sometimes.

I found a video on Youtube of another grey making the sound Poppy makes:

LOL YUCK! I suppose you can be thankful it wasn't dog poo? Regardless, yucky:p

Timber's baby bird cheep sounds like what Poppy does:) Her breathing hard sound is only when she seems to be excited and is kind of wheezy-snorty (my descriptive words can use some help:rolleyes:)

I can let you know if it's the camera if you specify the coloring:) She has some bright red tail feathers and the darker ones are a pretty burgundy. Her face is always pinkish but several of these pics have an Instagram filter (Lark) which whitens her face and you can't really see the pink flush

Poppy is doing great and seems to have really settled in well. She will be 18 weeks tomorrow and I am still hand feeding her 2-3 times a day. She does this little mournful cry which is how I know she wants the hand feed. She is getting better about eating her fruits and vegetables in the morning before begging for the formula and actually didn't beg for it the last two mornings but did this morning. Poppy is way braver than Olive, our Quaker parrot. Olive is afraid of anything new, Poppy is the opposite. She loves all her toys from the foot to the large toys her breeder thought would be too big for her:D She was getting baths in the sink when she was with the breeder but that is the one thing she does show fear of—me trying to bathe her in my kitchen sink. She does well on a shower perch in my bathroom (suctioned to the mirror) while I take showers but I have not yet tried putting it in the shower with me yet. Any kitchen sink tips? Also, Poppy is quite possibly the most affectionate animal I've known. She is most affectionate when she is begging for her formula. She acts like the sweetest little baby, closing her eyes and laying her head against me or shoving her whole head between my chin and neck lol She does do something which I have wondered about, though...after she has been fed the formula, her whole demeanor changes and she kind of breathes hard like she is in an excited state and she definitely is rougher in her physical contact (though not biting or anything like that) and gone is the sweet little begging baby. Do any of your greys make a hard breathing sound? I'm not sure that's what she's actually doing but that is what it reminds me of

Poppy has some on her upper thighs and I was wondering if that is common. She is only 18-weeks-old, though, so I was wondering if it is a baby thing

Yesterday when Poppy was on the couch with me she shoved her whole head and neck under my chin and alongside my neck. I think if Poppy had her way, she would seriously be on or near me all the time

Giovanna finally got to "hold" Poppy tonight. Not exactly on her hand but on her lap. She has been begging me to let her but Poppy isn't yet always stable on my hand so...Poppy spent about an hour on the couch with us tonight happily shredding toilet paper, shaking her head like a dog with it in her mouth. I also let her listen to some beat boxing since my own pathetic attempts would not do real beat boxing justice. She liked it:D Yesterday as I was in the kitchen cleaning a vacuum part, I heard a wolf whistle so I peeked my head around the corner and did it back, then popped my head back into the kitchen and she did it again. We went back-and-forth like that several times and she seemed to think it was pretty cool:cool:

GreycieMae is so adorable! Her name reminds me of a nickname I gave my daughter, Mercedez when she was a baby. I called her Missy Mae.

This is my youngest, Giovanna, the other "bird person" in our house. She finally got to start touching Poppy yesterday and spent a lot of time patiently talking to Poppy and moving slowly near her so as not to scare her.

Beautifully said. Balance is important in everything we do. Because I've never had a Grey before or even laid eyes on one in-person before getting Poppy, I think that has helped me to have no expectations of her nor preferences for her personality. I am really just enjoying learning her and getting to know her. The littlest sounds she makes are fun and exciting because I see her coming out of her shell more and more. It is like unwrapping tiny presents each day:) The evening Poppy first got here, I felt a feeling of completion and contentment like my family is complete. One day my 7th child will leave home and I know I will have serious empty nest syndrome. I have been extremely content being single the past nearly 3 years and at this point, don't really care if I get married or not. That may or may not change in 10 years:D I first became captivated by African Greys when watching another Grey named Poppy on Youtube. I also fell in love with the name. I remember thinking "Do I want the commitment required by keeping one of these birds?" At first, I was like, no way. That is huge. But then the more I thought about it, the more perfect it sounded—I would have a constant companion, possibly for the rest of my life (I'm 38). Sometimes I think about when my dogs will no longer be here and get sad and just knowing I will have a companion for so many years to come is a comfort to me. Reading Miss Gilbert's thread on here erased any lingering doubts I had. Some of the stories here are so enchanting and really wonderfully illustrate how intelligent these creatures are. I made a vow to myself that I would stay committed to Poppy no matter what. Just a little while ago, she was sitting on my chest on the couch and shoved her little head between my chin and neck LOL She is such an affectionate big baby. She is definitely braver than Olive, our Quaker. Olive is afraid of new toys, boings...really just anything new, but Poppy isn't at all. I can't even put Olive on the kitchen counter because she will scurry up my arm. I just took Poppy into the kitchen and placed her on the counter as I was preparing her formula and she busied herself by looking around and checking things out. I have yet to get Olive onto the large boing I got about a week ago (though she loves her smaller one in her cage), but Poppy went on it today and climbed to the top and stayed there for quite awhile as I was cooking dinner. She loves the huge toys I have all the way down to the foot toys. I hope she stays this easy going but I'm not exactly counting on it:)

I just received a gram scale and weighed Poppy and she weighs 278g at 16 weeks. Not sure how much she weighed before she left the breeder's because her scale conked out but she said she felt good and chunky

Lol This is great! Beatboxing is actually one thing I'd be thrilled about if Poppy learns to do it. I love the Kookaburra

Amusing, amusing stories here LOL:D