Giannine

Ohhhhhhh! Gotcha! LOL Thank you for answering because it has been driving me a bit crazy trying to figure out if it was a commonly known bird-related abbreviation or not. Sterling, thank you for sharing. Poppy has been home for 8 days now and so much has changed just in this short period. I was afraid and not confident at all when she first got here, now I am confident and enjoy spending time with her. I also wonder if this want of hers to be physically interactive all the time will evolve into her being like GreycieMae those couple of years. My 7-year-old daughter, Giovanna is the other bird person in this house and tamed one of our Parakeets and our Quaker adores her probably more than me. She has been trying to get Poppy used to her today by slowly approaching her on her cage top and very slowly moving her hand toward her to see if Poppy will allow her to stroke her head or neck. Poppy seems to like her and is accepting of her attention. Giovanna has been begging to hold her since I brought her home but I wanted her to get used to being handled by me before allowing anyone else to touch her. I would have to agree that being very hands-on would likely play a large role in how she now interacts with you

Good advice...I am actually very surprised Poppy is as cuddly as she is. I don't know if she will stay this way but I just spent about 15 minutes on the couch with her and the whole time, she just lay (crouched very low, resting her stomach on me) and rubbed her head on my hand and in between my fingers. She is way more affectionate than our little Quaker, Olive, who is a rambunctious, ornery little busy-bee. She just absolutely loves to be right on me snuggling and getting rubs/scratches. I would say she is extremely affectionate, not just for a Grey, but just in general. I actually don't really have a preference for an affectionate bird or an independent one who doesn't need or want a lot of physical interaction. My full house plus editing work keeps me busy but Poppy is always within very close range and can see me. It helps that she likes to play on her play top and with her little foot toys, so I guess she is a good balance of both:) I've been meaning to ask you, what does HRH stand for? I have been trying to figure that out:confused:

I remember reading that recently about Gilbert. It has been quite a long road for you both. I have planned to get her a harness and put one in my cart on Drs Foster and Smith's site 3 times this month, then changed my mind because I have 5 kids to buy school clothes for so I am waiting until September but do agree the sooner I start working with her, the better

For some reason, Poppy likes to shove her beak between my fingers and just sit there. She also likes to shove her whole head in my hand so that it is cupped around it and hides her face/eyes. Do any of yours do this? I posted these pics in the Poppy thread but wanted to ask this question separately...

Oh my:eek:

Going to order some now:)

For some reason that one is my favorite. It makes me laugh every time she says it because she sounds so cute.

Poppy likes to shove her beak between my fingers and just sit there. Anybody else's do this? She also likes to shove her whole head in my hand so it covers her face

LOL I would be in big trouble if anything happened to my laptop. It is the only computer in the house and I use it daily to edit!

Along with 'Peekaboo', she now says 'Step up', 'Good birdie' and yesterday she loud and clear started saying, 'Whatchadoin'?' She is 5 1/2 months now and so much fun...I love all her chatter and noise

Poppy is doing really well. I have been extremely careful to go really slow with her and allow her to get used to me. Starting 2 days ago she started shoving her head between my thumb and finger to get a rub. Tonight she perched on my hand for about 15 minutes wanting her head and neck rubbed the whole time. She really didn't want to go back in her cage and made little crying noises but it was time. I do know to show her a realistic amount of attention that will be the same amount she gets in the future. I definitely do not want a "velcro" bird lol I want her to play independently so she spends most of her time on top of her cage. I'm waiting for her to become more and agile and better on her feet before having her spend time on the tree stand, boing, and orbits I have

LOL it was you I remember talking about the stink eye! Poppy did great today. Not covering my hand and arm with a towel really did make a difference. Today every time I asked her to step up, she shoved her head between my thumb and index finger for a head rub lol She really enjoys being held (perching on my hand) and getting head and neck rubs. She wasn't as quiet as she has been and is making a little bit of noise. Olive makes enough noise for the both of them:rolleyes:

Whoever made the tree did score some of the branches with some diagonal lines, though not enough. I don't have any useful tools to rough up the wood myself so I may try using a knife to add more. I've read (on here I think) how vet wrap can leave a sticky residue after time which I don't want. I have almost bought some several times but then held back

I do remember reading on here someone gives theirs the evil eye when doing something he/she shouldn't and how that is effective so I will try that, as well

You describe exactly what I go through with Olive, the Quaker. She hops from my hand to my shoulder and refuses to step up and will climb across my back and up my hair to the to of my head which I don't allow. She does this chattering noise that sounds like she is talking back and just get ornery. Poppy, on the other hand, is doing great. I am now calm and confident when I handle her which has made a world of difference in how she responds. She is still taking everything in and very quiet but we've heard her make a few sounds that sound like sounds E.T. makes:) I can't use treats as a motivation for her yet because I don't know what she likes and she isn't yet motivated by food. I do praise her a lot when she steps up and when she goes into her cage

Oh, I meant to thank you for the perch on the door tip. I plan to do that. So when she clamps down on my finger, roll it toward her then rather than out toward me? I will admit, having a Grey is far more complicated than a Quaker!

See, the thing is, Poppy wants me to hold her and tries to avoid being placed on her play top or anywhere else when I get her out of her cage. I have not interacted with her nearly as much as I'd like simply because I am trying to give her time and space to get used to this new household and all new surroundings and activity. Also, the "teething" or testing out my fingers and hand kind of intimidated me but I followed the breeder's advice today with great success. She clamped down once but I stayed calm and firmly told her no. Today was definitely better than the previous 2 and I felt far more in control

Yeah, Poppy slipped and fell off but that may very well be due to the fact that she is still clumsy getting around

Hi everyone, I got the birds a Manzanita tree stand that isn't sandblasted and have always read and was told to use sandpaper to "rough" up the branches a bit to make them less slippery. The problem is, sandpaper smoothes. I sandpapered side-to-side and back-and-forth to see if that would make the branch rougher but it doesn't. Input? Advice? Edited to add: I suppose it is a tad bit rougher after being sanded than with the natural red bark on

She is awesome. She has answered every single email and question with patience and encouragement. She and her husband owned a pet store in Ohio for about 30 years, then retired to Florida. The birds keep her busy...give her something to do with her time

This is the advice the breeder just gave me: Lets go back ward on this....Take her out of her cage on you hand...Tell her step up..She knows this so she should do it... If not take her out of her cage..Do not let her come in and out on her own....Place her on the floor...Tell her to step up..Offer your hand by her ankles so she steps up....then do the "Ladder"..Step up..."good girl" when she does....Do this 3x..then place her on her tree or whatever.... End of lesson ...... Next....tell her step up and pick her up....Cuddle her to your chest...Tell her good girl.....Put her back on play tree etc... Do this off and on when she is out....Look at it like it is a birdy school lesson.... Do not allow her to be on you when on couch...Hold off on this till she learns the basic behaviors.... She is young and likes to be active.. So let her be active on her play things or in her cage..... Remember like when you get a puppy...they need lessons on behavior.or they are bratty and end up in the dog pound!! Same with birds..they are what you make them to be...She is so young and you can train her to do soooo much...But take your time...She has a long time to live....

I agree that sedating the bird constantly is not a good idea at all. Poor thing will be like a zombie all the time. I would start researching reputable avian vets in your area and switch. Please check back in and let us know how you all are doing. And welcome!

Thank you for your input Sterling and Dave. Sterling, you are correct, she is not flighted. I place her on the play top when she is out of the cage. Dave, I have no plans to allow her on my shoulder. As of now, the closest I have allowed her to my body (other than perching on my hand or arm) is resting my arm against my stomach while she is perched on my arm and I am sitting on the couch. Her fixation on biting my arm and hand when she sees them has established that boundary. There's just no way. She will be calm and fine, then suddenly becomes very intent on getting elsewhere on my body so she can bite. The only way I am able to stop this is wrapping her in a towel and placing her back in her cage.

I absolutely love the smell of lemongrass

Hi everyone, Poppy has only been home for 2 full days now and here I am already seeking advice. Poppy will cling onto her cage door and make repeated noises until I open the door to get her out. She will hurry onto my hand but when I attempt to put her on her playtop or a perch attached to the outside of her cage, she side steps up my arm to avoid it so I will sit on the couch with her and speak quietly and softly to her. Earlier, she allowed me to stroke her head for about 10 minutes as I was talking to her and was closing her eyes and very content. The problem is, she goes after my hand or arm when she sees them uncovered. I cover my arm and hand with a small hand towel when I handle her after she seemed to be on a mission to bite them her first night home. I was holding her a bit ago after she begged to come out of the cage and all was fine for a few minutes but I could see she was looking for a way to hop off of my covered hand and onto my chest, which she did, then nipped at my nostril then went for my left arm and hand. I covered her with the towel and placed her back into her cage to calm down. She seems to get into an excited state when this happens and I can't quite figure it out because she really seems to want me to hold her when I do. I have been trying to go slow with everything and not overwhelm her or push myself on her. I have read enough on here to know that it can take quite a bit of time to gain their trust. Any advice is welcome...I look forward to hearing your input but suspect I need to go slower and maybe not hold her yet...?