LNCAG

I just checked and it was me and 18 guests. (Unless other members were incognito, of course)

Afterthought: I am very active on Arachnoboards -- a very busy forum! How is it possible more people want to chat about their tarantulas (which are pet rocks, not an interactive pet, and certainly feared by most people) and yet a wonderful grey forum like this one isn't that active? It just seems that for every tarantula owner there should be thousands of grey owners, yannoe? Greys are so loving, cuddly, interactive, intelligent, independent, creative, etc. -- tarantulas just sit in their enclosure waiting for food drops. If older members are willing to commit to more content here, then I can certainly try to post/respond more (and not just lurk and read). Lurkers don't really help a forum grow. I suppose I never posted much here because there aren't always a lot of threads I feel I have something valuable to contribute to; and the threads I start tend to not get past page 1. I do remember being so excited when I first discovered this forum --C'mon -- a GREY FORUM? What's not to love?

Thanks for keeping it going this long. I notice it doesn't seem that busy here, yet it's a really nice forum with some great and helpful members here. Grey owners should have a safe & friendly place to read anecdotes, share stories, teach newbies, warn about dangers (non-stick cookware, certain foods to avoid) etc..

Snickers doesn't like anyone but me. And he has bitten others (or lunged at and tried to bite them if they were too quick for him). I've always tried to be upbeat and positive (since he draws off my emotions) but no go. Hates everyone -- even people he's seen a thousand times. He even hates my Mom who has fed him when I was on vacation. She told me she has to quickly toss food in his dish and close the food door FAST because he lunges! Wish I could socialize him better -- I won't live forever. My plan, thus far, is for him to go to a local sanctuary upon my demise. But I've wondered if I was gone, if he'd then choose to like someone else he's met before (someone he perhaps only really disliked because the weren't me -- but yet someone he is already familiar with). No idea.

My grey has rejected his new replacement stainless steel bowl -- it was too "shiny." Won't get within 3 feet of it. Back to the old dull dented ones. Today, as a treat, I approached him with his jar of almond butter and a spoon; but because my foot heel hurts (Plantar fasciitis), instead of standing there for 20 minutes while he licked the spoon, I just dropped a dollop into his bowl. He was not amused. Took one taste (and he knows he loves this stuff)... yet he decided to punish me by not eating it from a bowl. smh

I had to chuckle at this section. Sure, my grey will step up on command -- even poo on command if I say (dumb choice of phrase) "Be a good boy" while holding him over paper. But that's it for his so-called "training". I find myself repeating what HE says. I find myself answering his "whatcha doing" with an actual answer (I'm reading" I'm watching a movie") as if he really understands what he's asking or even cares a whit about what I'm doing anyway! I find his loud squeaking sends ME rushing to find him his desired treat/food/toy/chewing object or to retrieve some dropped item (I am the maid here). My grey (had him 22 years) runs this house and he knows it. *I* flunked Training 101, not him. As long as he's out of his cage with toys and food available: he's happy. Me? Well... I deal. I am only thankful he doesn't bite me (because I swear if he was human, he'd probably be an abusive spouse). Sorry for chuckling, but training??? My CAG is already too smart for his own good. I think my CAG is the trainer and *I* am the trainee. [no offense for a seeming rant -- I am as sane as possible given 22 years with my CAG -- lol]

Never have I had to sit next to an ex and their date. Sounds... awkward. A miserable way to spend an evening. I've stayed home for sick pets (but I didn't call in sick, just explained I had a vet appointment and needed day off)

I'm ashamed I've done it. I am also very guilty of losing sleep staying up reading also. 'Never have I evers' are generally a confessions of things that aren't our finest moments like mine was. Sometimes someone will do a 'never have I ever' with a rare accomplishment (like hiking the whole Appalachian Trail -- but then, you're almost always guaranteed all Nay replies). Anyone else have one?

Someone states 'never have I ever' in a statement with something they've done (mine was calling in sick to work to finish a book - which I have, sadly, done) -- then others quote the statement and answer yes if they've also called into work sick to read a book; or no they haven't done this. (This can also be a drinking game where if you've done the same thing too -- you take a drink; if you haven't done it -- you don't drink -- but this is a message board so let's not go there. lol After the first "Never Have I Ever' has been responded to by as many as want; then someone else starts a new one and we all chime in with our yes and no's. Usually the "Never have I ever" statements are things we don't usually admit to doing, they're very human confessions (but we won't get too awful -- these are good boards!)

Never have I ever... called into work sick just so I could stay home and finish reading a book I just couldn't put down. So -- never have you ever done this?

An update would be nice. Poor bird. In 21 years of parrot keeping (30 years if zebra finches are counted) I have never had a bird fast.

Figures their feathers would be so incredibly crafted. Parrots are amazing. I save all my parrot shed wing/tail feathers -- put 'em in a vase -- they're too cool to just throw away.

I did ask Alexa "Canna Hassuh water" to which she couldn't understand command; 2nd attempt she gave me a definition of water. Then I asked "Can I have some water" to which she replied "I've added water to your shopping list." So, I guess the SnickMan won't be placing any Alexa orders afterall. lol (I do use Alexa for shopping list -- I had forgotten to add that above)

I've never used Alexa to order anything. But I gotta admit -- if Snickers can figure out how to place an order -- he deserves to receive a package in the mail. lol (edited to add: Given all my training with him and water requests -- we'd probably receive a 24 case of bottled water -- now that would be clever indeed!)

Hehe SterlingSL! I use Alexa to play music, to set timers and alarms for me, give me the weather report and the news (news from sources *I* choose); and she controls my lighting -- esp for my bearded dragon's UVB lighting (whose on/off switch broke -- I'd have to plug in/unplug by hand without Alexa's help). But she also controls other lamps -- nice if I wake up in the middle of dark night and request a lamp be turned on (or just ask her what time it is so I can calculate how much more sleep I can get -- lol). That said, I don't feel like I use Alexa as much as I thought I would. It sounds like I use her for a lot -- but really -- probably less than 20 minutes a day of actual interaction (not counting time music actually plays since after request, I might let music play a few hours). Maybe it's control -- Alexa does what I want -- tv (which is an annoying distraction and racket to me) has it's own programming beyond my control.

Sorry, old thread revival. Back when hubby was alive -- he could do very little near or in Snicker's cage -- even offering a peanut was taken as an affront by Snickers and could get hubby a bite if he didn't complete the peanut drop quickly. But I have never had this problem with Snickers -- he doesn't care if I am reaching in his cage to move things, refill things, change papers, etc.. I can even do a wipe down of cage bottom with my head inside cage. He will usually show curiosity and visit whatever area I am in/near -- I sometimes even get my hair preened if my head is in enclosure (you know, bent down cleaning something inside/wiping down back wall) -- I don't just randomly stick my head in his cage! lol Why does my grey consider me a friend visiting and anyone else as an invader to be attacked? Even though his bowl doors swing outwards for food and water refills, it's nearly impossible for me to travel because he is so threatening to anyone else caring for him a few days -- he is nipping the whole time someone else tries to refill his dishes.

I despise tv so my poor parrot never gets to watch it anymore (well, I turn it on every 4 years to get election results). But my grey thrives on any music or movie being played. Far from being jealous or disruptive of outside noises/video -- he considers it is being played for him. I know he was used to tv in his former home, because he could recognise the Cadbury Easter bunny commercial and Snickers would do the 'brrrok bok bok bok brok' sound before the bunny in the commercial did it (this was in the 90s when hubby watched tv all day -- no idea if that commercial is still around -- might youtube it and play it for Snickers). But this happened right after we adopted him, so hubby and I knew he had already seen that commercial before and memorized it. Snickers adores music, so I went ahead and bought the MP3s from Amazon of Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song (Day O)" & Harry Nilsson's "Lime in the Coconut" for Alexa/Echo to play for him. He head bobs and dances to both songs. I keep thinking wouldn't it be amazing if he learns the Alexa requests and then starts requesting Alexa on his own to play them for him? Hey, I can dream can't I?

I loved her work with Alex!!! I even have (somewhere) some early magazine clippings about her and Alex; and of course, she wrote a book. I loved the keys with different materials & colours training! What I am now doing with Snickers is I am also saying 'water' when refilling his water bowl and when he takes a drink from it. His latest evolved phrasing, btw is "Canna hassuh water" (which impressed me since it is in a question form he came up with entirely on his own) We'll see if I can help him learn what water is -- not associate it with my drinking glass or his bowl -- but to identify the substance itself -- in any container. Maybe later I can reverse things, as Pepperberg did, by offering different items and letting him identify which is water.

Thanks for all the replies. Yes -- it's so clear now that he probably associates 'hassuh water & canna water' to drinking anything from my cup. To connect it specifically to the water itself would mean including his own water bowl (which he doesn't seem to include here). He's already learned a few meanings before like "be careful" and "are you okay" but those he figured out on his own. This was my first time I was trying to teach him a word=event association myself. I will plan more carefully what I teach him next, so I don't commit myself to more than I meant to. lol

So -- overall -- is this him truly understanding he asking for water -- has he actually learned to request water specifically? (albeit abusing his water privileges somewhat -- lol) Or, he is only associating 'water' with my attention, not understanding the request means 'I want water' not 'come here" ? Thanks for the replies. I honestly don't mind him requesting water -- but I need to know if this is purely attention seeking (which he also gets plenty of) or if he's understanding he is asking for water. Thoughts?

I thought it would be a good idea a while back to teach my CAG Snickers what water is, by saying water whenever I let him have a sip from my glass of water. At first he only occasionally requested water which I immediately rewarded to ensure connection was made: water request = water offered. Big mistake. Over last couple months he's become a very water-demanding creature! He says "Canna water" and continues to demand it if ignored. His first request of the day (usually in the afternoon) seems to be genuine thirst (yeah, he has his own water bowl) but he will take a good 10 - 12 swallows of my water. But his later requests appear to just be demands for my attention - with only a sip taken, or more, grabbing cup edge and refusing to let go. I've even deliberately filled his water dish directly from my cup to show it is the same water. Last evening, when I offered him some apple (his favourite fruit) -- I dampened his apple cubes under the faucet before offering them. He ate most of it. So I knew he was NOT thirsty but he kept demanding water anyway. Just to make me walk over for him to barely take a sip. So -- what do I do? I created a monster. Do I just continue to say 'no' and ignore him when I know he's not really thirsty? Or, is it possible he doesn't really understand water at all, but just connects it to me giving him more attention? (Yeah, I didn't think this training through... It's just I have more time to devote to him these days and had never really worked with him before with this type of training).

Court indeed -- made me laugh! :rolleyes:

My spouse has sadly passed now. But Snickers absolutely loathed him all those years after our adopting him. Whether that was Snickers remembering their first encounter or jealousy based, I guess I will never know. They say greys can become one-person parrots -- Snickers definitely is. Just remembering Snickers antics towards my late spouse actually brought a smile to my face -- Snickers could be a real jerk and I had forgotten that! lol I also know Snickers was in a bad home before he was returned to the breeder's -- the former owners divorced and Snickers can recite bits of conversations/arguments from that early home. (Actually, he hasn't done that lately, thankfully!) Snickers is very afraid of objects -- I can't walk by him with so much as a shoe box or can of coffee in my hands without announcing I need to get by him, while walking slowly & baby-talking to him, and turning my body to stay between him and the 'scary object'. He was definitely damaged goods -- which made our connection all the more special to me. Thanks for asking -- I do love my Snickers so much -- it was meant to be with us.

My Snickers had been returned to the breeder and was considered unadoptable -- he was like a permanent resident at breeder's. He was described as a biter, hated all people, etc.. The breeder wanted to sell me a baby CAG and used Snickers as an example of how well they could talk. Well, I wanted Snickers -- not some baby CAG I'd have to raise. My husband was against adopting Snickers and the breeder was very reluctant to let buy him. She basically made his adoption a trial period. I had never met Snickers before and was resigned my new parrot would simply be a talking but un-handleable parrot. We ordered a Kings cage for Snicker and had to wait for it to arrive before we could pick up Snickers (obviously). When cage arrived, I stayed home completing cage assembly while my husband went to pick up Snickers. It took him forever to return -- but return he did. Bandaged. He said it took 3 people at the breeder's to get my Snickers into his carrier. My husband said the breeder wanted to cancel everything but my husband told her he'd never hear the end of it if he came home without my bird. Hubby was very dead set against the bird based on all that happened when he picked Snickers up (to be fair -- Snickers took a huge chunk out of his hand). The breeder had advised my husband that (since Snickers bit if handled) we line up the door of the carrier to the door of the new cage -- and pray he walked into new cage. He didn't. I was never afraid of anything with feathers (yeah -- I realize how dumb that is now). But anyway, I reached in the carrier and said "step up" and he did. No biting! Today, I would see my immediate success with Snickers as a rescue scenario -- poor thing had been traumatized with lots of people removing him from his safe haven home there. Whereas I approached him with my bare hand -- not a perch aka stick -- and I suppose my voice must have conveyed I loved him already and didn't fear him. Anyway, Snickers took a chance on me. At that time, I didn't realize my luck with handling him was probably because it was a rescue scenario. I just knew I felt blessed and special. lol This was in 1997. I love my Snickers and have absolutely no regrets! I will say, he loves me a little too much sometimes -- he is quite intense.

I avoid letting my grey ride on my shoulder because even though he is a gentle sweet loving parrot -- if he should get startled -- I don't want an injured eye (or any facial bite). I know he wouldn't hurt me on purpose, but I can't control everything in our environment all the time. Thunder outside, cat knocking something off the table, etc.. Since I can't guarantee there won't be some sudden noise or something that might make him react poorly, it's just not worth the risk to me. Just my 2 cents worth -- good people will weigh in differently, I am sure.