terryspear

So here is a picture of the stroller with the perch attached to the seat base and a picture of the stroller/perch combination with a net basket around it. We purchased a light-weight laundry basket [for about $5.00] and cut out one side. Then we just put the stroller top down over it. We have to make sure to attached the basket firmly to the stroller if we ever get Corey outside in this because she might be able to knock it off if she ever hit it with her wings.

Quick update on the Corey stroller experience. Corey does NOT like the moving stroller. Apparently, moving the stroller makes the stroller evil. She even flies out of the stroller [and lands OK on the ground] in the house and she is very reluctant flyer. Hopefully, we can get her through the "the stroller is evil" phase. P.S. I will post a picture of the finished stroller when we get there.

Hi Katrina and Karen, Thanks for the replies. Like Alfie, Corey does not usually want anything to touch her wings or back. We have thought of a backpack carrier but thought we would try this first. We only have about $20 invested so far so if it doesn't work out, we are not out a lot of $. Unlike Timber, Corey likes to go outside. We take her to the backyard in her travel cage [as long as it's not too hot]. She really seems to like to look around and preen. It's hard to get her out of the travel cage when we bring her inside. Progress has been slow on the project to get Corey used to the stroller. Seems like there's always something else to get distracted with but if we make progress, I will post. Thanks again, Terry

We've been thinking of how we could take Corey outside with us for a walk. We decided that we could modify a baby stroller for Corey [which we purchased at a thrift store] and place a net enclosure around the area where Corey would be sitting so she couldn't just fly away if something spooked her. We are now in the process of getting her used to sitting in the stroller. Next we will try to get her use to being in the stroller when we move it around the house. Side note: There is no chance that a parrot leash would ever work with Corey and we could simply keep her on our hand or shoulder. Thanks for any ideas.

This is a picture of Corey playing with my husband. John wraps her up in a t-shirt and bounces her above the bed in a birdie sling. She loves it: makes chicken sounds. It's only taken us 20+ year for her to be willing to be on her back. When we first got her [as an adult] she would NOT step up to our hand. It "only" took about 6 months before she was willing to come out of her cage onto our hand. Like you guys say: it's "grey time".

What great pictures! Thanks. Wish I could find something like that where I live.

I hope you have a wonderful trip. Fingers crossed that when you return, everybody settles back into peace!

I forgot to ask! Anyone else have ideas about toys that Greys like?

Hi NewMamma, I had to replace our Grey's cage at the beginning of 2022 because Corey was starting to bite the paint off her cage. I was very concerned that this paint could be toxic to her and it seemed she immediately recognized my reaction to this new development which made her more prone to bite the cage bars. I didn't want this to be a way for her to get attention. This meant I had to look for a stainless steel [SS] cage. As others have pointed out, SS cages can be very expensive. Kings Cage has very nice SS cages but they were more expensive than what we could afford. Here is a link to a SS cage I found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N94VTHF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This cage was called: Prevue Pet Products Large Stainless Steel Play Top Bird Cage This cage is made in China but since it was made from SS, I wasn't too worried about the metal or paint it was made from. It has held up well for the last 2 years. The only thing I don't like about the cage is that the bars are a very small diameter but Corey has learned to navigate the bars just fine. My husband modified this cage with a few parts from her old cage so Corey wouldn't freak out when we got her the new cage [and fortunately she wasn't interested in eating paint from these parts]. The old cage and the new SS cage were exactly the same dimensions. Our bird doesn't really like change and the last thing I wanted was to spend $800.00 and have her reject the new cage. After my husband assembled the new cage [including adding a few parts from the old cage], we were able to switch the old cage with the new cage. Corey knew something was different but it wasn't THAT different and it all worked out. Good luck with your Grey, they are wonderful creatures. Corey's Mom

In the last few years, I have taken to saving paper brochures and magazines and making them available to our CAG, Corey. Corey bites and shreds the pages of these paper “toys”. They are easy to replace and if she poops on them, I just tear off the page. We let her stay on one of the counters in our kitchen so she can be with us [not the counters where we are preparing food] and I put these magazines/brochures on the flat surface there. When she tears them up, I simply sweep up the paper pieces. Also, I put them on top of her cage and fasten them there with 2” binder clips. [See picture/you can only see a small section of one of the binder clips that fasten the brochures to the top bar of the cage] When she wants to be on top of her cage, I frequently find her just resting flat on the brochures or magazines [if she’s not tearing them up]. I have never seen Corey actually consuming any of this paper material so [at least for Corey] this seems perfectly safe. Corey's Mom

That's an interesting idea, Kevin! Corey might be willing to try something like that. Corey's doing OK now. She's a little wobbly when she's first gets on your hand but if you move her toe back, she's better. Wow, coming from the Middle East, that's wild. I'll need to look here on your website to see if I can find some background. Thanks for your idea!

Funny, SR SeedBurners! I did think your explanation was "strange" but I didn't get the humor at the time. And, thanks again for more photos!

Wow SRSeedBurners, Huey looks great! I had no idea that they could adapt this well. Thank you for post and especially the photos. Like you, we've tried to push her back toe where it "belongs" but that doesn't last long. Corey continues to improve. She has probably figured out how to adapt to the change in the conformation of her left foot. We have an easier time of getting her to step-up and she doesn't seem to "ball up" her left foot as much when she moves. Thanks again, everybody!

Hi Everybody and LNCAG, I thought I would provide a bit of an update and it's good news! Corey seems to have done better these last few days. I'm not sure if it's the pain meds OR if it's that she is adapting to the rotated toe [to the front of her left foot]. She is much better when she comes to "step up" on our hand . It's kinda like she can get a better grasp. And, she seems to be vocalizing more normally and being more of her playful self. When we realized that she had a hard time perching [couple of years ago], we modified her sleeping cage and now the perch is only a few inches above a soft layer of newspaper. She seems to be doing pretty in this cage now. As has been pointed out to me, Greys are smart and thus adaptable. I am much less stressed now that I was a week ago. Thank you so much, Terry

Hi LNCAG, Thank you for your input: a ground perch! Who knows, we may have to go to this in the future. I have been thinking about how to fashion something that allows her foot to slope forward. She might not have a choice in the future. I do have to write that she appears more comfortable on the pain med now. Maybe, if we are lucky, and the sudden drop in her ability to perch and walk was a result of a bad fall [that we didn't see] we can more or less go on as we have been. Now, Corey doesn't seem so uncomfortable with the daily activities of life. Thanks for posting!