LNCAG

Hoping your parrots are just fine. An aside, I heard a new mother's tip years ago about giving a piece of frozen waffle to infants who are teething -- apparently it's coldness is soothing to chew/gnaw on. I mean, those are NOT cooked first. And wow, what a LONG list of recalls. Yeeesh. Hope all are safe.

Great stories of close calls! I adopted my kitten Zuri back in 2007 and was always super careful to check on where all my pets were before I left for work. I thought I had witnessed Zuri elsewhere before I closed the bird room door, but somehow, Zuri slipped in un-noticed. I worked 8 miles away from home but always came home for my hour lunch so I could walk my dog. I came home, walked the dog, checked on my new kitten... and no kitten. I also went into the bird room because I liked to give them a fresh fruit or veggie treat whilst I was home for lunch... and there was Zuri, my tiny 10 week old kitten, laying in the middle of the floor of the bird room -- having been in there unsupervised for 4+ hours!!!! She had all her limbs, paws and eyes intact. I knew darn well she had probably poked her front legs/paws through their cage bars or at least pressed her little face up against the bars! All 4 parrots were standing on the very bottom of their cages watching her! I could have sworn Snickers, my CAG, winked at me like "hey lady, we knew it was just a kitten -- we didn't hurt her! lol But seriously, with a territorial macaw and rambunctious YN Amazon... I was so grateful my new kitten was okay and unharmed. You can bet I double checked her location after that! Though she grew up to never bother the parrots and often accompanied me in there during parrot feeding/cage cleaning times. Like Neoow, I always separated the cats when I let the parrots out loose in the rest of the house.

So pleased this might be resolved -- everyone wants a contented grey! So glad she has you to troubleshoot and fix things for her!

Been through 2 (minor) earthquakes and one sonic boom -- my parrots took it in stride. I had to see the news to even know what had happened each time (east coaster here). But each time when I felt the whole house shake and could see my chandelier swinging -- I was a little freaked out. My dog started panting and pacing (as she did during thunderstorms) - wanting my comfort yet unable to settle herself enough to accept my comfort.... But parrots? Ya just never know how parrots will react. I think my parrots always found some joy through a little drama. lol Would NOT want to know what a serious earthquake would do. (shudder).

Macaws are a little easier to visually sex by the rounder female head vs slightly flatter male head top, imo. But the easiest parrots to visually sex are the Eclectus parrots. lol DNA sexing is the best option for a youngster. With a mature female parrot, well, the laying of an egg is sort of a giveaway.

Mine were all dna sexed. Short of a parrot breed that is sexually dimorphous, I have no idea how to tell until they fully mature.

Wow! You've got your hands full (and your heart!)!

@Timbersmom Your grey is a riot! I always felt mine laughed at my cleanup efforts, giggling to themselves thinking "just you wait lady, I'll have this whole area re-trashed in minutes!"

@neoow I absolutely loved your special travel enclosure -- still fondly remember a video you shared of taking your guy out for a parrot fair/meet-up. You spoil your guy and I loved it!!! Huggs and scritches from me to your sweetie! @Talon Agree re: perching when traveling -- my rolled up towel makeshift perch rested on carrier bottom, it was NOT elevated. It was more just something their feet could grasp/hold on to for stability. I promise I don't drive fast or crazy, but still, wouldn't want them to go sliding about unbalanced when I make a turn. lol

Stainless steel cages sound amazing. I believe my grey/amazon cages had 3/4" spacing between bars (identical King's cages); the macaw's cage I think was 1 1/4 inches. I even think Kodak's (my cockatiel) also had the 3/4" bar spacing but honestly, it may have been just half an inch. Glad to hear someone else here (TimbersMom) tried the Kings cages. They really impressed me, but again, I only had the powder coated ones. Stainless steel remained a dream for me.

Parrots do love their chewing! Anything! Wood, card stock, newspaper, magazines and esp corrugated cardboard! I figure it keeps their beaks in good shape, plus the joy in watching their staff clean it all up!

Wow, at 1/4" spacing I'd be worried about feet and legs getting stuck! Even 1/2" really. Sounds like it would be difficult to climb around in.

What is this advice? Pix are gone and link just showed parrots for sale. Sounded interesting.

I haven't bought a cage in so long, but I know I made sure to get the proper bar spacing for a smaller grey. My macaw cages had wider bar spacing and (this was the 90s) I was told otherwise my grey could get his head stuck between the wider macaw bar spacing. Who knows, maybe all cages these days have the safer smaller spacing (is it 3/4 inch? -- I can't remember now). I was also warned about those sunburst/starburst designs where the bar spacing goes from wide to narrow and heads/wings could get stuck. I didn't have the starburst design, but my grey did get his wing caught once between the vertical bars where they intersected with a horizontal cross bar on his cage and my grey panicked -- luckily I was able to reach in between the vertical bars and support his feet, lift him up and work his wing back inside. He was literally hanging by his wing/underarm joint. He was fine. But I am so thankful I was home and heard him scream. But just something to know can happen. I had my grey 26 years so this was a one-time freak accident, I suppose.

Glad you think she's acting normal again. I truly believe she is still adjusting to her new home. My breeder always duct taped a towel (cut to size) to the bottom of her kitty carriers for traction -- but the tape MUST be well pressed down so a toe nail can't get caught in it. I preferred to roll up a small hand towel into a perch and tape it to the bottom of carrier. Perch should be wall-to-wall. And again, being super sure the duct tape was well attached so no toe nail could get caught. Use good tape like Gorilla tape. I placed this makeshift perch just a few inches back from front door of carrier so my parrot could perch on it but also see out easily. The advantage to this method was I could just leave the rolled up towel perch inside permanently for next time (and wipe up any poop from plastic carrier bottom). My breeder's method also worked well, but if the parrot poops, you have to wash the towel and re-tape it every single time. I backed my parrots in also, but mine quickly learned to spread their wings so they wouldn't fit inside! lol I learned I needed both my hands, one hand holding parrot (with my thumb over one of their feet) and the other to gently curve over their back so they couldn't spread their wings. ymmv lol Good luck!!!

I like newspaper also for lining bird cages. But since you asked about "best product" - did you mean what product to use to clean a bottom grate? You can dry scrape caked on poop with a flatware knife (purchase one from a thrift store bin -- don't use your own good flatware!) and then wipe grate with paper towels (I always keep a spray bottle of water to dampen my grate as needed). You can also layer damp paper towels on grate for 10 minutes or so to 'soak' the poop crud for easier removal. But the best way to clean a grate is to use a steamer to soften poop crud to remove it. I always avoided regular all purpose cleaners because parrots beak everything and I wanted to avoid any chemical residue. If germs are your main concern, use steam or white vinegar to clean your grate. Obviously these methods also work on cage sides/top bars as well. I never worried about germs, I just wanted to get the poop off. My black cage always looked awful -- poop and dust showed horribly! My white cages always looked the best between cleanings.

I'm not sure how long you've have this parrot -- so not sure you can determine her 'normal behaviour' yet in your home. I mean, maybe she was awake more before because she's in a new environment. Basically, she needs to establish her new norms in your home before you assume you're witnessing a behaviour change or not. If she is eating and pooping normally, I would assume she is fine. She could love you and her new home but still be homesick and miss her former home and people. She may have good days and bad days. She's probably quite resilient but deserves time to settle in. Granted, the video you shared showed a sweet parrot, probably experiencing some Spring hormonal fever. But she could also still be adjusting to some major changes in her life. Again, as long as she is eating and pooping, I shouldn't worry. At some point she does need a vet visit just to establish her health status and to get a baseline for you. But for now, I say let her settle in. Just because you knew her in her formal former home doesn't mean you can gauge her behaviour in a new atmosphere, with new routines, people, etc.. From your shared video I felt she was coping quite normally considering all the recent changes in her life.

Glad you removed those perches! You've felt your grey's feet skin, and know you wouldn't want to stand on sandpaper barefoot either! My grey actually had thin red areas on his feet when I adopted him from such perches being used. Healed well, thankfully. My concern with parrots rubbing their beaks on such surfaces is that while yes, it smooths their beaks - a compulsive parrot could thin/weaken their beak if the behavior was done too often. Mine all rubbed their beaks on their wooden perches and that worked fine. Trust me, your girl will scrape/clean her beak on her wooden perches or toys. And you'll know the joy of scraping off the food goo they will leave behind.

I'm really only familiar with Kings Cages -- last purchased cage was 1997 -- so no idea if they're still considered good cages or not these days. I put my last cage outside on the open back porch (been meaning to get someone to take it to the dump) but honestly, it still looks good after 26 years of use and nearly a year outside in the elements). Excellent powder coated finish. From 1996 or '97. But I'm sure others will have newer recommendations! lol

Welcome to the forum! I didn't see anything that made me think she was preparing to immediately lay an egg -- she just seemed flirtatious and perhaps playful -- might have even wanted to regurgitate for you. It is Springtime, when they can act this way, or even become moody and aggressive. Mine always laid eggs on the bottom of her cage, usually with some shredded up paper she created/gathered for the purpose. Not to sound negative, but mine (esp my macaw) acted as if egg laying was uncomfortable, if not painful. She didn't act all playful or flirty immediately before she laid an egg. But in general all my parrots could act bit amorous with me during Springtime (longer daylight), so I was careful to only rub their heads so as not to encourage them believing that I was their mate. Hope that made sense. Extra calcium is a good idea for egg layers. I am sure others will chime in to welcome you also!

I love your decor, but perhaps more color contrast would help them navigate. Guessing they aren't crashing into the dark sofa, or bar stools or the television.

Lovely house! But I can see their confusion now. I have no idea how to make ceilings and walls, well, everything really, feel like the simple enclosed box design of a typical house room. Gorgeous house though -- hope they can figure out someway to safely navigate. I know outside birds can accidentally crash into windows, but they do seem to be able to navigate around or to land safely on trees, lamp-posts, bird baths, fences, telephone lines, etc. without injury. Hoping your guys can learn what maneuvers are safe and what to avoid.

What kind of floors? Wood or carpet sound safer, but some (gorgeous) places have like tile or marble over concrete, which I guess could be bad for crash landings. Hope your guys figure our how to land safely and won't get any injuries.

Late checking back. I only caught that the 'great war trenches' part was humor, figured you were making light of the situation because what else could you do. You're a real stinker! I felt so sorry for Huey dealing with so much, and felt so bad I hadn't known his story before on here. Ack! Thbbft!

I had no idea of what all Huey has been through. Bless you both! People (and parrots) definitely adapt. We adapt or die -- no choice really. Glad he's doing so well!!!! Scritches and huggs to Huey too!