sandra902

i like it that your dayo plays like that. young merlin was confined in a too-small bunny carrier for weeks before he was finally surrendered to rescue so i think he was robbed of that playful part of having a 'fort'. but who knows i might be limiting him in my own thoughts! so his little fort is not covered in splats?

what a funny little habit! i was enchanted with the photo of the grey peeking through the hole in the newspaper. now i find merly will peek at me through the center of his rope wreath. he will also peek at me through the little ring holding one of his hanging toys. why are they fond of peeking? just a curious observation. -s

you know you are a bird person when -your whole family inquires about merlin first -they sign off conversations by saying 'oodle' '...name brand for the bird and walmart for you...' NOT SO! name brand for the bird and THRIFT SHOP for me! plus i find a lot of good toy stuff there while i'm at it.

what terrible news but what hopeful news as well. yes indeedy how lucky to be alive! alesia, thank you for thinking of us, and keep us posted. and LMG thank you for passing this along to us. -s

hey joe i thought i read somewhere that a couple of those big outfits were merging. i don't know much more than that however so i guess i'm not much help. here at the monkey house we have the stations that come with our digital cable and i like those real well. -s

miss jeanese, i just want to add that we all will be cheering you on and want FREQUENT updates on mc kinzie and you! there are a lot of us on this board who have rescued and we can all offer each other a lot of support. i myself take good care to keep an eye on lovemygreys as i learn a great deal from her. and i will learn a great deal from you too! i'm a first time bird mamma so i am starting at square one with mr merlin. we are both finding our way together and i know i will learn a great deal from you since you are 15 months ahead of me! funny that, all the other animals in the monkey house prefer me, but merlin prefers daddy-man just like your mc kinzie. merlin can be a little anxious, so when i introduce something new, i let him observe it for a few days or a week first. like his ladder. he really seemed to think it was a bird-killer so i hung it well away from his cage but within sight and that really seemed to help. does your mc kinzie like music?

sweetie, what is your name? maybe i had too many vinos before i came to the boards...if so, sorry. anyway, let me tell you dear one, that even from a rescue background i never ever expected to learn the meaning of eternity until merlin my AG came home! he came to me from parrot rescue in october. my friend was fostering him before he came home to me. he is only 3 years old but had been neglected for who knows how long. he enforces a very strict 'no touchy birdy' policy. but bless his heart, he has really been blossoming and letting his silly clowny colorful self show. he plays peek a boo with me, he takes treats from my hand, he encourages interaction but there is no touching the bird. so you are way ahead of us! the road here is very long and full of potholes. it is slow going. you might turn a dog around in weeks but a birdy i have found takes months and perhaps years. but i must ask myself, is this about me? or is it about merlin? well the answer is clear: this is about merlin. so with that in mind, is merlin happy? yes. is he safe? yes. does he have a secure and stimulating environment? yes. so if it takes me however long to finally be able to handle him, so be it. enjoy your bird every day. enjoy every day that you are giving your bird a happy, healthy, stimulating environment. put your timeline aside and just enjoy the gift of each healthy happy day. your little lady will blossom too as best as she can. and you will have the huge satisfaction of giving one of our little ones a new start and a happy ending. THANK YOU for rescuing! i salute you and applaud you. rescue is not easy but the rewards are there. keep a journal, won't you? i find when i recollect merlin when he first came home and the difference now, it is a big pat on the back when i need it. really helps those moments of discouragement go away quickly. -s

miss judy thank you for all your good work. here is to the next 10000 posts! i especially like your 'welcome' posts. a perfect way to welcome and to direct newcomers. -s

hey miss lucy, let's get the ball rolling and have a little fun suggesting names for your birdy. one rescue i was in line for was named 'sterling' i sure liked that name, it was dignified. what kind of music do you like? how is your house decorated? what hobbies do you have? favorite authors? big daddy always says he is changing all our animals' names to 'riley' because they all live the life of riley. the possibilities are endless! but give us a little to go on and who knows?

my merlin is a feather plucker and it's not so bad really. i don't know any different and i adore him whether he plucks or not. granted you won't see a photo of him any time soon but then i don't photograph well myself either. and thank goodness he doesn't pluck to bare skin i don't think i could handle that. he just looks kind of frowzy is all. i will admit when i find a feather in the bottom of the cage i will ask him what that is all about. but i don't treat him any differently than i did my daughter when she bit her nails (i bite mine too). "hey whaddya call this anyway" not a big drama but a simple question. and i always reinforce how brave and handsome and smart he is so he hears that much much more than the odd mention of a loose feather here and there.

if you're washing the toys anyway, get yerself to the local thrift store. how's about $.59/ea for teething toys! st vincent depaul. i grabbed them ALL. and merly loves them! he's giving them the gas as i type this. and they all came with plastic quick links i can re-use about 100x! that'll beat e-bay any day. and it's almost rummage sale season too!

oh boy miss lucy now you've done it...floodgates OPEN! i smell a New Contest! Mods! Admins! whaddya think! now let's see a snap of this guy -s

ok so i am musing about the term 'ungrateful americans'...what a funny thing to say! ungrateful for what? that is my thought for the day. oh and isn't that an odd thing to say as an insult? i would have expected 'arrogant americans' or something like that. i married an alien so i've heard that one before ha ha ha! yes! 'i married an alien!' coming to a drive-in near you!

well good for you miss lucy! eating together is a good way to get to know each other. and yes to go to a certified avian vet will often involve a bit of a drive. the 2 recommended to me are an hour each way. one north, one south. now let's talk names! what fun!

PPS. merlin likes the blues channel and the big band channel. not so much the salsa y merengue channel. i chalk that up to my singing. maybe some music would be helpful. at least that is what we thought when we brought him home. i also play the light classical channel a lot and every now and then a little blast of bluegrass. he seems to like harmonica and higher-pitched trumpet. you'll soon find what your little guy likes.

Miss Lucy, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking on this little fella! i am a rescue mom too and what you are doing is invaluable and will be more rewarding than you can imagine. all good advice above. have you changed his name? my merlin originally was 'simon' which i did not think fit him at all. when he was in his foster home before he came to me i had his foster mum work on his new name. just a thought. i have been active in dog & cat rescue and in that world, a new name helps the kritter have a fresh new start. not sure how it works in the bird world, but merly does fine with his new name. and who knows? maybe they poked him or teased him while calling him his old name. we are all cheering you on, may i ask where you are generally located? i am sure there will be a good birdy store nearby and a good parrot rescue that will be happy to advise you along the way. plus we are all here to help 24/7! now has anyone else asked for pictures? if not, get snappin! PS nerlin enforces a very strict 'no touchy birdy' policy. but we are working on that. and i build his toys in front of him so he is not afraid of them. but that is on another thread and will patiently wait until you are ready for it. i feed harrisons adult lifetime coarse (blue label) plus he gets a couple el paso nutri berries morning and nite. his other bowl i use for the wet food...fruits/vegetables/etc. then his other bowl is for filtered water (not tap water). but i use a brita pitcher so i'm not paying for bottled water. there are some threads about air fresheners, candles and non stick pans you might want to read up on pretty soon otherwise you are doing GREAT taking him to the vet right away. then all the stressful stuff will be out of the way at the get-go. before you get to your birdy store there are lots of things he can eat that you eat. plus eating together is a great exercise socially. he'll learn Good Things Come From The Hand. my understanding is to just watch your fat, sodium and sugar. now i am sure i speak for the group when i say we are all eager to hear much more about you and your little fella! what IS his name anyway???

good morning i was really upset when i found this thread still here! but yes now that i have read it through, i agree it should be kept. and really! telling an african grey forum how an AG acts? scammy mcfraudsville. -s

now THERE is the face i was wanting to see! thanks claire. and judy here is something funny. i do forget and say 'merlin holds such and such in his paw' i'll get it one of these days...

thank you thank you claire! (i LOVE rotties) my GSD, inga, has bad hips too. she will be 8 this year and still going strong (knock wood). i had bad hips but had a total left hip done in 2004 and still have a few miles to go on my right one before it needs doing. but yes the larger breeds do not live as long...except my old english sheepdog that put everyone to shame and lived til 14! i know i've told this one before but when the vet asked what was our secret, the best i could do was that she liked the neighbors trash. the mastiffs are gorgeous and i will probably drool as badly as they do when you post a snap of the rottie...

congratulations claire and welcome! i myself would like to see pictures of your doggies. hope that doesn't get me drummed off the forum ha ha ha! -s

oh falconeer i am very sorry over tonto's loss. thank goodness he was with you at the time, a small comfort i am sure.

oh my yes i have learned SO much already! and the may issue will be invaluable with the summer months coming up. it addresses fruit flies and other summertime pests. big daddy always laughs because i make him look at the 'centerfold' every month.

hey JDR yes i just got the may issue in yesterday's mail. i got the subscription through a fundraiser my niece was involved in to help defray costs of her soccer team going to sweden this summer. so i got a good rate and i helped my niece as well. the postcard in the mag says 24 issues $44.00 and i am sure you can subscribe on thier website. big savings if you are paying $4.50/each!

oh you betcha how exciting! and it is funny but i always read magazines and catalogs back to front so i saw that immediately and ran upstairs to post. congrtulations, miss heather, you're a star!

hey miss judy it's in the may issue with cover story of 'the secret to a happy conure' just arrived yesterday so you should be getting your copy soon i am sure if you subscribe. and i think in fact it IS our harrison! the human is heather strella in california