Laurie

Forgive me if the is old news to some of you, but I recently picked up two of Stephen King's latest books: "Blaze" and "Duma Key." I finished "Blaze" and it was awesome! He writes a note at the beginning how he didn't like it or didn't quite know what to do with it when he first wrote it, so it's been sitting in a trunk somewhere since the 70's. I am SO glad he got it out of the trunk - it is that good. I'm maybe 1/4 or 1/3 through "Duma Key" and it is really good, too. If you're a fan and you haven't read these yet, stop what you're doing and run (don't walk) to the bookstore! I am just tickled pink to have something really good to read again!

I feel your pain, sister! I just went through it myself. Hope you're back soon!

Klaus has done this, too. We have a cat and think she may have gone past and suprised him.

Nice pictures! Karma for you...

I use a Swiffer on the kitchen floor. Klaus isn't in the kitchen so I'm assuming it's safe. The liquid that comes with that smells kinda nice. I also will burn a candle (again, away from Klaus only) and I've never noticed the scent make its way all the way over to him. I use regular cleaners (like Lysol) in the bathroom - I keep the fan on, door shut & window open. You can still smell it a little, later on in the day, but I don't think it's affecting Klaus. When I dust the living room furniture (this is where Klaus is) I spray the Pledge into the rag being careful not to let it disperse into the air. I would say some scented stuff is ok in moderation (and with proper ventilation).

Hi, Lace & welcome. You are in the right place for friendly people and a ton of great info about greys. I was never a "bird person" but my son & husband wanted a grey. I agreed that THEY could have a bird, but I would not feed it, clean up after it, etc. Within the first few days of having Klaus home, he had "chosen" me and I'm now a fully converted bird person. I did nothing to encourage this, by the way. While I was pleasant to Klaus, I pretty much ignored him. That's probably why he had to have me - LOL. So, I'm proof that you can start with a grey, but I think my story is unusual. I wouldn't advise it for just anybody, but it can work. Feel free to throw out any questions you may have - don't be shy!

Whew! Thank goodness everything is ok!

Suprisingly enough, I didn't get toys especially for his birthday. He gets a new toy pretty much every time I go get food for him, so he's got plenty. But I did make sure he got his favorite treat!

Usually the key to figuring out biting is to determine why. I've heard it's unusual for a grey to bite for no reason. Is he stressed out? Is he biting hard or just exploring with his beak? Try being especially mellow - slow & quiet - when interacting. Lower your head a little, stick your neck out, look at him from the side view and narrow your eyes. This makes you appear friendly. When bringing your hand toward the bird, always approach from the side or back. An approach from the top or directly in front can make them defensive. Hope this helps! (I'm not sure about the clicker, I've never used one.)

Hi, and welcome! Love the name Biggles!

Great job, Joe! Now, if you could just learn to type...

Hey, all! My little post has come to life again! Well my dr appt is next week. If I remember correctly they have you take Wellbutrin for about a week before quitting, so I estimate my next quit date will be around the 26th of March. Ish. Yes, the last quit was cold turkey (by accident) and I cried a lot. Since it wasn't appropriate to cry at work, or in front of my son, I would bawl in my car (learned to keep Kleenex there) or lock myself in the bathroom at home. Why the crying? I don't know! I'm not normally a big cryer. I want to re-read Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking, too. I think that will help. I lent it to my mom-in-law though because she's trying to quit. Get this one! She is trying to get life insurance and they quoted her an insurance premium. Then, they told her if she was a non-smoker they'd cut it in HALF! She asked how long she had to be smoke free to get the non-smoker rate and they said one year. She said she'd be back in a year. Also, FunkyGirl, I liked your comment about lighting up not being an option. Somewhere I saw something written about no excuses for smoking. Not a bad day. Not bankruptcy. Not death of a loved one. Not a hurricane or mudslide. Not a terrorist attack. It went on and on and was actually funny when I thought about it! Best to all of you - keep up the good work!

Klaus takes little "bird-naps" all day long! I wouldn't worry...

Aw, he's such a sweetie! He probably wishes Mommy would stay home & play all day instead of going to work. But Mommy has to work so she can buy treats and toys! It's probably just me, but lately he seems like he's acting like a little more mature fellow. A little less "velcro" (refusal to be anywhere but ON ME when he's out of the cage). Tonight he played like a perfect gentleman on the outside of his cage while I helped my son with his homework. Is it wishful thinking, or do you guys think at one year they start to mature just a little? Thanks for the nice hatch day wishes, too!

That's awesome! I love how they're like little kids ... they wait until you're on the phone and then go nuts! :laugh:

Just remember not to spend too much! Greys like to deeeeestroy! Most of what Klaus plays with are throw-away things like milk caps, empty yogurt cups, toilet tissue rolls, etc. Good luck!

In the wild, greys (and many if not all) birds scratch about on the ground to unearth hidden food. Coco may be bored, foraging, or wanting out (or all three!). It's very normal - I've heard of lots of greys doing it on this forum. Klaus used to do it a lot when he was a little younger, but has stopped for the most part because it doesn't get him any results. (ie We don't let him out for doing that, if it's not a good time to have him out.) Hope that helps!

Today is Klaus' hatch day. He is a one-year old! We celebrated by giving him a nice bowl of oatmeal with baby food sweet potatoes mixed in. Then he started grinding his beak & looking sleepy, so now he's taking a nice birthday nap!

You did it! Coco looks like a sweetie!

Hi, and welcome! There's a lot of great info to be found just browsing around this site. If you can't find an answer, though, don't be shy - post it! There's no such thing as a "dumb" question here. Everyone is very knowledgeable and friendly. Welcome aboard!

Thanks, Dan - it's good to be back. My computer is flying now! My bro-in-law just wandered in to ask where the closest location of a certain store is, and bam-bam-bam ~ got it for him without hardly missing a beat! Prior to fixing this old girl, it would have been a catastrophe...

Aaaww! What a sweetie! Thank you for sharing.

I'm jealous! So far, Klaus seems not to care if there's music on or not. And when I dance while he's on my shoulder he seems to prefer I didn't. Maybe he just needs to hear the right song! We listen to mainly alternative, rock & sometimes disco.

Hi, and welcome! We're glad you're here...

Yep, I'm still back! So far, so good... I'm so proud of myself! You guys know I'm a technical idiot. I don't even know how to post a link, and I do not even own a decent digital camera. And yet I pulled this off! It's a miracle...