LNCAG

I agree with Greytness. And yeah, it may well be hormones. Yours may be going through puberty. Be careful how you handle and touch your guy/gal in case it's hormones -- you don't want to make things worse! That said, Greys can suddenly refuse a favorite food -- mine has mostly gone off grapes. But with the info you shared - I suspect it is nothing serious. Hormones may well explain it all -- esp if the regurgitating is a new thing. I would expect (with new puberty/hormones) he/she may suddenly develop a close relationship to a favorite toy, or the other parrot, or to you. Hence my advice to be careful in how you handle or touch him/her. [Greys are complex creatures -- you may never know why the diet has changed. Keep offering healthy foods! The main thing is keeping an eye on your guy/gal, making sure there is no weight loss or signs/symptoms of illness. I mean, if things continue and he's actually losing weight, another vet visit may be called for. But I'd guess it's probably just puberty/hormonal changes.

I started with a cockatiel (Kodak). If you've never had a parrot before, you can certainly learn about feeding routines, snacks, handling, clean-ups ('tiels are dusty!) etc.. The main thing is, if you adopt a less expensive 'beginner' bird -- you can't later adopt your dream bird and then give less attention and care to your first parrot! An inexpensive so-called 'beginner' parrot like a cockatiel is still a 20+ year obligation - a parrot who deserves all the same care, attention and time investment as the 'dream' parrot. I had Kodak 21 years. I truly see both sides of the issue. I am not recommending for or against a beginner/starter parrot. I certainly can't say I regret my 'beginner' parrot since I loved him so much; but I also can't say I needed to start with a cockatiel. Kodak was an amazing parrot in his own right and I always made sure that he felt he was the real favorite parrot here! Every parrot deserves that!!!

Good: a sweetheart who cuddles, who looks to me to see if something 'new' is anything to be afraid of, his cute words and phrases - sometimes used appropriately. A gorgeous wild thing to share my home with. Bad: Expenses, Messes. A baby who never grows up to get his own breakfast, lunch, etc. -- a toddler for the rest of his life (carefree toddler with intelligence of an 8 year old! lol). Biting risk to visitors, cage-time if you go out. Me never taking a real vacation (maybe a couple days max, knowing his care is diminished and out-of-cage-time is usually out of the question while you're away). The vet bills -- nails may need trimming, health must be checked at least every couple years. Broken china, chewed woodwork, ruined antique chairs, dust!!!, floors looking like you dumped out a trashcan, caution house-sharing with other pets, etc.. Ugly: Planning your parrot's future should you die. Knowing your grey never got to flock in the wild with his own kind and enjoying the true freedom of being wild and flying free. Bred to be captive. We do our best, and I do think my grey has been happy. But he got the life I chose for him. I do my best to give him the best life I can. I think he's happy. I hope he's happy. He cannot compare his captive life to a wild free life. I do my best to make his sacrifice worth it.

So glad I haven't upset you. Given how many parrots are re-homed, by adults, I am just super cautious when it's a minor making such a huge decision to adopt. A 13 year old would need excellent family support. I think neoow has written you an excellent post about someone young adopting a parrot -- as well as growing up with a parrot and experiencing life changes.

That crock looks so much nicer than my old stainless steel bowls. And it looks more comfy to perch on -- thicker rim.

That wasn't the reason I made the connection: it's the similarity in A.K.'s case for being able to care for a grey and the case for the 13 year old being able to care for a parrot. Emphasis on 'not using real names" etc.. It's also the youthful writing style. Plus a few other red flags I won't share here. Too many years working as social worker I suppose. I do apologize if I am mistaken. On the main, I try to be friendly and helpful in this forum. Anyway, I can't support a 13 year old making such a huge life decision. But I do feel happy when a child loves animals. I also grew up loving animals myself!

I think adopting a parrot is too big a responsibility for a 13 year old and I hope her parents won't allow it. No hate, please, just my most honest opinion. Too many adults make poor decisions adopting a grey and it fails. Too many re-homed parrots bear out my point. A 13 year old has no idea what her interests and lifestyle might be in 10 years, 20 years. Most adults don't know either. I sure didn't.

I think they live 60 years on average in captivity. But yeah, I often wonder if I'll have him another 20 years or lose him soon. He's healthy, active -- seems quite happy. I do know, given his past, that I hope to outlive my guy. I have it set up if I go first, he will go to our neighborhood parrot sanctuary -- it's an amazing place where parrots can fly semi-free and he'd be with other greys. But I really hope to outlive him, because I believe he is happiest here with me. I'd really hate for him to have to adjust, again, to yet another placement. 3 homes is enough! [edited to change 'he's' to 'he'd' -- yeah, I'm like that -- lol]

My King's cage has doors for the 3 food bowls, and when the little doors are closed, the bowls are locked in place. So mine can't remove his bowl. And Snickers rarely tosses food out of his bowl, thankfully. Not to say he won't pick up a piece of food, take a small bite of it, and then drop the rest of the piece! Anyway, sorry you have this dilemma. [Now my Sami (b&g macaw) will stir her food with her foot, wait for eye contact and then toss the whole footful as far as she can! So wasteful, esp when you know it's food they like!]

I would guess my Snickers was 12 - 15 years old when I got him.

My grey is on his third home -- I've had him 25 years this year (adopted mine in 1997). No regrets. Mine was considered un-adoptable -- an aggressive biter I was warned. But he became a real sweetheart for me -- with the right care, diet, attention, and a lot of love. Mine had been returned to his breeder... twice. First couple I think divorced and second home found him to be a real handful (biting, etc.). The breeder only let me adopt him on trial, she seriously doubted I'd have any luck with him as he was returned to her quite aggressive. I often forget about his past -- he's been such a sweetie for me. I suppose we gave each other a chance! While mine has learned a lot of words and sentences here, he did arrive already knowing many words and phrases -- so by getting an adult I already knew I'd have a good talker (and whistler!). There are certainly no guarantees with a re-homed parrot or a baby parrot. But I admit, I definitely encourage giving parrots a second chance - they so deserve it!

Human toes are peanuts, I suppose! They do like to go for the feet/toes! Thankfully my grey isn't quite so fast, though! My grey walks almost pigeon-toed, but thankfully not quite tripping himself. Anyway, mine's not as fast as your greys!

Yea, I always share my food too! Or if I can't, I give him some alternative treat before I get bring my plate in -- then we eat together! How many people in the world can claim to be part of a parrot flock?

@AcappellaWatched this video several times! I love how greys can be so cautious with anything new! You have a real sweetie there! (edited to add: Just noticed upon re-watch what big steps Dorian takes - esp near end of video!!!! I bet he's a bit difficult to catch when he's free and on the run!!!!)

@TimbersmomYou nailed it! Mine wants some sort of reassurance when I leave the room so he whistles and pretty much demands I whistle back. He gets very loud and squawky if I don't respond. Like you said, it's an "I'm OK, are you?" You and I are each part of a flock! lol

I had a friend on CompuServe with a TAG, and she let her parrot sleep in their bedroom at night (caged). One morning she heard the carpet shuffling sound of her dog entering the bedroom and she sort of braced for the weight of her dog jumping up on her bed. But that jump never came. Nope, it was her TAG who had actually learned to mimic the carpet sound of a dog walking. Parrots are so attuned to such faint noises. Wild animals really have to assess and react to every single faint sound they hear for survival. Interesting to me. Snickers does make soft sounds sometimes, sounds like a door closing, the furnace kicking on, turning a burner knob off, oh, and dogs in the distance! All these sounds mimicked faintly and softly. So often I tune out some of these faint parrot sounds, much as I tune out the actual original sounds from around the house.

Don't know I didn't think of this story before. My cockatiel Kodak (RB) loved to whistle but he really stank at it. The worst whistles ever, and an embarrassingly poor wolf whistle. Well Kodak liked to make up his own songs -- absolutely horrible to hear. Anyway, he'd stand on one leg -- his other foot held up like a hand (sort of like the 'stop' hand position). Anyway, he'd be singing some horrific sounding song he'd made up, with that foot out like "stop, wait for it -- here comes the good part." Always made me laugh until I cried. Damn I miss him! His songs were so bad no other parrot here EVER imitated him -- even they knew he stunk at it.

My CAG Snickers does an amazing wolf whistle. He also knows parts of the whistle song from The Bridge Over The River Kwai (which I taught him). If I whistle that song, he joins in on the parts he knows. But yes, I always give my guy a whistle (usually a wolf whistle) but his return whistle is ever so better than mine will ever be. 2022 makes 25 years I've had Snickers. I guess my whistling is probably as good as it ever will be. lol Mine also does all the sound effects -- a spoon scraping in a bowl, sound of a truck backing up, grandfather clock chimes, and the worst: the sound of the smoke detector, etc.. Oh, and he also does the smoke detector chirp sound it makes when it needs new batteries. No doubt that I have accidentally changed those alarm batteries too soon thanks to Snickers.

1) Years ago when my husband was alive, he'd suffer horrible migraines and was often up in the night to vomit. (Okay, not the best beginning of a story). But I got up one night and as I passed the bird room door, Snickers (CAG) called out "Are you okay?" I ignored him, not wanting to wake the whole crew up. But he kept repeating "Are you okay? Are you okay?" and finally he started making vomiting noises. It was super funny and I didn't know he even knew that noise. Guess he just assumed it was my husband up sick in the night. 2) Once I heard my husband call "What?" and I yelled back that I hadn't said anything. But again my husband called "What?" Took like 3 or 4 of these exchanges to realize my husband was outside and it was Snickers calling out "What?" I laughed but sure felt stupid afterwards -- I had no idea Snicker's mimicry was that good! He fooled me good! 3) I tried to teach my macaw to say "I love you" but she would never say it. Then one she was sitting on the back of my chair chewing up my shirt (she always started with the tags but eventually chewed the whole shirt up). Anyway, she chewed my shirt happily but then accidentally got a tiny bit of skin. I was startled and cried out 'ouch!' She didn't know how to say she was sorry, so instead she said "Well, I love you." 4) The best one I have: Once, I was up on a stepladder (in view of my CAG) trying to replace an HVAC filter in the ceiling return, and Snickers (my CAG) kept saying "Be careful! Be careful!" I only ever said 'be careful' to Snickers when he'd hang upside down from one toe. Guess he really understood what it meant! It's always sweet when a parrot says just the right thing! lol Share your stories!!!

Like many, I like checking in here. I don't really have much to post. Most anything I can think of (stories, knowledge) have already been posted. I like having the forum here for searches though -- a place people can search for answers. I am one of those people more likely to search for existing posts when I am researching something than to start a new post asking something. This forum is valuable for the knowledge already posted here, imo. [I was a sysop on Compuserve from around '92 - '02. I remember how busy it was, the thrill of signing in to see what all was new since my last visit 4 hours earlier. lol But eventually those forums slowed down and I'd sign in only to see no new posts (or replies). People were leaving Compuserve and moving on to the internet back then. And now many Internet forums are slowing down too. ]

My grey got his Christmas popcorn this AM. I'm not a big popcorn fan, so this was made especially for today. Lots of little thoughts for my guys (my cat got wet food (not a daily thing for her), bearded dragon got waxworms, etc.). My grey gets popcorn on Christmas because the parrot breeder I got my macaw from always did this and then it became my tradition for my parrots. Snickers was very happy! He literally ONLY ever gets popcorn on Christmas. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday this year!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! Thanks also to Kevin and everyone for all you do here! I love visiting this forum!

All mine would go on demand with me saying "Be a good bird." I truly regretted that training and stopped saying it. Usually you can tell when your parrot needs to go (subtle little signs they give) and you can just position them over some paper. Accidents: It's not the worst cleanup ever -- in fact, over carpet (forgive me) but you can let it dry and then scrape the end of the vacuum pipe over the carpet-stuck-poop to lift it and voila! (it's the same trick for cat hair balls). Dry IS easier. Please -- no hate! lol

I always view any kind of tunnel/bedding like a nest -- I discourage that (although yours is too young to be broody). If you are comfortable, your grey should be comfy also. They literally have a down blanket built-in that they can fluff-up! I truly believe parrots have a more difficult time with high temps than lows.

@TimbersmomI am so happy you have your hummers! I won't give up trying! I feel I have all the right plants/flowers, lots of bees, no natural predators in my yard, and I do keep the red glass feeder very clean and change the sugar water often. Delighted with your success this year!