Laurie

Great job! It's always so nice to hear about breakthroughs... These birds are awesome.

Yep, Klaus was clipped when I got him. He can fly a little, but not very well. That's another thing my husband and I differ on - I don't especially want to keep him clipped. I think it's unfair and can be damaging psychologically (not to mention physically when they're clipped too much and they fall like a stone). Husband seems to think if we don't clip him he will absolutely fly away this summer. Even though I have no intention of taking him out without his harness (the theory is: He'll be out of his cage in the house and someone will open a door, and out he'll go.) Personally I think if that were to happen he'd be fairly easy to catch. What do you guys think? Now I'm getting paranoid! LOL

Thanks, guys. I promise not to get carried away, but I just somehow thought they were a little hardier than my husband seems to think. He goes nuts over the littlest things...

That is awesome! LOL Klaus doesn't really jump. But the ones that do, it sounds like they are having a blast! Thanks for the smile on such a dreary Monday...

Hi, and welcome! You are to be commended for taking on such a challenging bird. We look forward to hearing all about her - and please feel free to ask questions. You will not meet a more friendly or knowledgeable group of people. And we LOVE to gab about greys!

Hee-hee! We get that question a lot. It certainly does seem puzzling when they start doing it, right? Yes, Klaus used to do this (and still does sometimes at just over 1 year old) to let us know he wants out. If it's not a good time for him to be out, I just ignore it and he stops eventually. I figure he's getting some good exercise kicking like that!

Very cute pictures! My son is 11 and our bird was actually purchased for him. Alas, the bird became infatuated with me and isn't a huge fan of my son. This was VERY disappointing to my son, but I keep reminding him that at the age of 2, Klaus will probably drop me like a hot potato. Then maybe he will favor my son. Who knows? Anyway, welcome!

DH and I were debating ... Temps are in the 30's to 40's here. He says if we take Klaus outside (to get into the pre-heated car) for a car trip, that this could be harmful to him. I say if we heat the car, put him in his travel cage, and wrap the travel cage in a blanket for the short scoot from our door to the car, he should be fine. Not that we're planning on taking him anywhere right at the moment. Just wondering, what do you guys think? Thanks!

Hi, and welcome! Don't worry about not knowing how to use the site. Everyone is very friendly and helpful, so feel free to ask questions - even if they're just about how to use features on the site.

I am an Administrative Manager. Very low key stuff. I like it because at previous jobs I could barely go to lunch without everyone acting like it was a disaster. Forget sick days or vacation. Now I take all my vacation, take off when I don't feel well, etc. My boss is very cool and actually doesn't work in my building - she's clear across the state at our parent company. Plus, they sent me on a cruise last month - how can I complain? Really, my only complaint is the commute (37 miles one way).

Yes, my prescription allows for lots of Wellbutrin (I think a couple of months worth). I've already thought about how it will be without it. Hopefully I'll be in good shape before its time to stop. And yes, I can definitely be lulled by chocolate, Dan!

Klaus does bob his head and he does pant sometimes. Usually the most noticeable panting is right after some serious flapping. So I don't worry about it because I know that's normal respiration during/after strong aerobic exercise.

Hi, Gail! You are in the right place for friendly people and excellent advice on greys. There is a "search" box - type in the topic you most want to know about and you should be able to pull up threads. Or, shoot your questions at us - we'll be there, trust me! We love to gab and give advice on greys... Glad you're here - welcome aboard!

Wellbutrin is a mild anti-depressant. Drs started prescribing it for depression and then started finding that their patients who were smokers were suddenly quitting. It's a marvelous side-effect, discovered by accident from what I understand. There are a few possible side effects, one of which is dry mouth which I did get and which made it all the easier to put the cigarettes down. If cigs are kinda nasty in the first place, choking one down with an unusually dry mouth is almost impossible. For me it is safe, and I think if I had come down with all the possible side effects I would still stick with it because nothing is worse for your health than smoking (that's how I feel right now anyway). I was a little moody the first two days on it but my body has adjusted and I'm not moody at all now. So far, I am having a calm and wonderful quit and I am very happy. Hope that helps!

Shoot! That's terrible... I hope she's better soon!

What happened to the good old days when radio was free and we didn't need this high-falutin' radio that you gotta pay for? I'll be dad-burned...

Oh, and FunkyGirl, I did get the Wellbutrin cheap thru my health insurance. I don't know if they offer anything else, but I didn't want any patches. I know they help others, but I just want to be off nicotine in all forms! Thanks again...

Can someone play the theme from "Rocky" in the background please? Thank you... I am on Wellbutrin and it is working fabulously! If I compare this quit with the last one in February, it's like night & day. I continued smoking while taking the Wellbutrin and, as promised, before long cigs started to taste gross and make me feel ill. It wasn't too difficult to stop after that. The last quit I did (which failed) was pretty much cold turkey and I was a basket case. So, MUCH smoother this time around. Thanks for your support, all! I shall keep you posted...

One super easy thing I do for Klaus is take an empty toilet tissue roll, crimp one end shut, put a treat or two in, then crimp the other end. He loves ripping it up to get the treat. Just remember wherever they eat, there will be a mess! I give him the treat tube in his cage.

That's awesome! I can't wait to see his little shower curtain...

Maybe soak in super hot water? Sorry, I've never built one of those before...

Hi, and welcome! I've found the best way to get Klaus to try new food is to let him see me eating it. Anything I have is automatically delicious! Or hide it in some oatmeal. Klaus cannot resist a nice warm bowl of oatmeal.

Tres bien!

It's on again! I quit last night at 8:40 pm. Almost 24 hours now and I'm doin' alright! I keep thinking about my hero, Allen Carr, who points out that people don't want to quit because they don't want to deal with the cravings. But if you smoke a pack a day, aren't you really dealing with 20 cravings a day? So, what's better here: Not smoking and dealing with a few cravings a day, or smoking and having to give yourself a fix 20 freaking times a day? I love, love, love that book and I wish every smoker would read it. It's helping me tremendously!

Hi, and welcome! I'll bet you'll win Izzy over in time! Keep us posted...