dicky601

Hi Lucy, I am not a long time owner and expert, we have had Herbie for 9 months now and it is his first birthday this month. But I hope what I have learnt might be of some help, we have fed Herbie a number of different foods, he loves toast and porridge in the morning and pretty much anything else he can get his beak into the rest of the time. It might be coincidence but we had some health issues with him recently, he picked up a bacterial infection from somewhere and along with antibiotics the vet recommended Harrisons pellet food (you can find this online from many pet retailers). He has since got better (down to the medicine I'm sure), but since being on the pellets he seems much more calm and more affectionate than ever. We still also feed him fresh veggies and fruit. My girlfriend makes a lot of purees for him, made from vegetables and fruit and often hand feeds him from a tea spoon. Our vet told us that hand feeding can help continue the bonding process and even though your bird is much older than Herbie it might help bonding (once he is comfortable to have your hand near him).

many happy returns Harrison, lovely looking young lady

Happy new year all. Would like to thank everyone for the help and support this year, and wish everyone and their birds health and happiness in 2008. Best wishes, Dicky, Gisela and herbie

Thanks for the help. Really interesting link, will have a good read of that. And thanks for the tip Dan, I had already started to use that and it does seem it work. Also I have read that Greys need 10-12 hours sleep a night, Herbie often gets around 8, so we're going to try putting him to bed earlier. Thanks again.

Hi Guys, Things had been going well with Herbie up until a few weeks ago. He is still getting on very well with my girlfriend (although he nips her now and again), but he is biting me very badly. It is not all the time, and he can often be playful and loving with me. But out of nowhere he will bite me, and very very hard. He has drawn blood on a number of occasions. I am trying not to show fear but is getting difficult. I am wondering if as he is growing up he is starting to try and be the man of the house. We have lowered the height of his play Gym so that he is below our eyeline - this has resulted in him trying to sit on top of the door all the time. We keep taking him off and putting him back on his play gym, this can be difficult for me to do sometimes if he is in the mood to bite. I'm not sure how to handle this. Our breeder had told us to say no in a stern voice at him when he does something wrong - would I be better to ignore the bad behaviour altogether, say nothing and show no reaction and make a big thing of every time he is good? If anyone has any advice or experience at this age (8 months) then please let me know. Thanks, Richard

I "except" "you're" point of "few"

Herbie has been doing this for a couple of months now. We ignore him and have found that if we close the door to his room he seems to stop. I'm not sure if this is because he thinks we've gone out and so there is no point getting our attention.

good point - will not let him out of his pumpkin!!!

Just to let you know that Herbie seems to be fine. Thanks for all the help.

Thanks guys, we spoke to the Vet and she said he should be OK. Just need to keep an eye on him for 24 hours. Fingers crossed.

We have just found Herbie munching through a mars bar - I dont think he has had much of it but am obviously worried. Have read that this can be fatal - does anyone have experience of this or any advice. We are also contacting his vet.

You might find keeping her cage door closed when you are not trying to get her used to your hand. Parrots need to feel secure and in the long term having boundaries. Leaving her cage door open all the time could confuse her and make her insecure. I would definately go with the perch in your hand rather than gloves or socks.

If it helps with your nerves you could use a perch to step up onto and then progress onto your hand when you feel comfortable. Greys are attracted to certain colours and yellow / gold is often popular. We used a bright yellow perch which worked well, and still do now when Herbie seems reluctant to step up onto our hands

Herbie does step onto our hand when we put it in the cage, he is very keen to come out. I think you are doing the right thing by leaving her in her cage sometimes when you are in. It is difficult to ignore the scratching but I think worth it in the long run. Herbie seems to be starting to understand that whilst we like him to spend lots of time out of his cage with us, it is important for him to speand time in his cage whilst we are at home. I also think it helps the parrots realise who is boss (not them!!).

If you believe the bird Psychologists, you should not allow a bird above your eyeline as you should be the head of the flock as far as the bird is concerned. We have made a point of never allowing Herbie to be higher than us, whether it be our shoulders, his perch or sitting on furniture. He is still only a baby so I will see how it goes but I had a senegal parrot previosly that I let sit on top of doors etc. It got to the point where he would only sit high up in the room. He became a nightmare, extremely violent and impossible to live with. I guess only time will tell if this approach with Herbie will work.

Herbie does exactly the same thing, I posted something here a while ago as I was worried about his face turning pink. He is 4 months old now and is starting to do it less, but sometimes (like last night) will do it for ages. I have found the best way to deal with it is ignore it and close the door to the bird room, I think he thinks we have then gone out and stops trying to get our attention. We are trying to ignore all bad behaviour and really laying it on thick with praise when he is good.

I have trid teaching Herbie to wave, he almost got there and then seemed to lose the plot Any tips Bmustee as you seem to have cracked in record time??

Herbie does it when he is having a cuddle and feeling sleepy, I have read it is a sign of contentment and he certainly looks like he is.

sorry beccy, I spelt your name wrong.:whistle:

Becky, it a cotton bud tab (although I'm not sure what they are actually called in England (which is shameful as I am English!!)). They are the little cotton wool tabs on either end of a plastic stick.

WE are trying to bring Herbie up as socially balanced as possible. We have introduced nemerous friends and their children to him and so far it is going very well (both male and female)We did not want him to become a parrot that hates strangers. Both myself and my girlfriend spend equal time with him and make sure we spilt the nice things (treat giving etc) and bad things (telling off for biting, puting in cage when he doesnt want to etc). So far it seems to be going well, although he is still a baby and obviously things can change as he matures, but hopefully the way we are treating him now will help him become a balanced and sociable pet in the long term. I previously had a senegal Parrot which loved me but hated my ex girlfriend (to the point of attacking her), if I knew then what I know now I would have got rid of my now ex girlfriend I bought the senegal from a pet shop and I dont think we were his first home, I spoke to a vet and they suggested he might have been in a home where the female was nasty to him. As we have had Herbie from a baby (bought direct from a reputable breeder), hopefully we have a chance to bring up a parrot who will be happy and content in a loving home. Although at the end of the day, as others have said, there are no rules to this, we are dealing with personalities which can vary as much as one human to another.

Thanks for the links Toni, interesting.

Sorry, there was meant to be a picture of Herbie sat on the draining board surrounded by dishes, had some technical problems.

Herbie is very keen to be involved in washing the dishes, we have to take great care to make sure the detergent is rinsed of everything. I'm hoping to teach him how to dust and then I need never do house work again!! Post edited by: dicky601, at: 2007/09/26 22:37<br><br>Post edited by: dicky601, at: 2007/09/26 22:38 IMG_1008.tif

Herbie is only a baby and has just started to feel the need to clean his beak. He has started to let me clean his beak by hand with a paper towel although he also enyoys wiping it on anything he can. He also manages to develop quite a food beard, the little feathers on the front of his face get covered in bits of food. He had his first shower last week and let me gently wash his face with water