Laurie

Hi, and welcome! At 18 weeks he might still just have a little of his baby "clumsiness." Human toddlers fall down all the time, birds will too as they practice moving around every day...

Hi, and welcome! Mischevious, huh? Looking forward to some funny stories...

Hi, and welcome! We look forward to hearing more from you...

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Tari.

Dan for President! Who's with me?

Wow, Klaus has never been one to get on anyone's head. He is a shoulder-boy, he was so persistent about that that I gave up and there he sits. But he's never been interested in getting on my head. He does like to "preen" my hair, though, which I think is funny...

Thanks for the replies, guys! BadKarma - I gave you some good karma for your honesty. Lisa - thanks for your reply - especially the funny from your 6-yr old. And congrats on raising unselfish children! Judy - you're helping me get into the spirit, now! Dan - have you ever considered running for a public office of some sort? Even your "signature" quote makes so much sense, and would appeal to so many people... Thanks

That's so cute, he thought Cosmo was his baby...I love daschounds (sp?). At a previous job, the owner of the company had two of them, and she brought them to work every day. They were so fun to have around! I love the picture of Cosmo with his leg & wing extended, Klaus does that all the time - aren't they graceful? Jimmy, this may be unnecessary advise, but I'll throw it in anyway. I know you don't want Cosmo to fly because he could hurt himself. But they do need to flap, so make sure you don't tell him "no" every time. If Cosmo is on top of his cage flapping, let him flap. If he's on your lap, he hasn't got much to hold onto to just flap and not fly, so there's where you'd want to discourage it.

Yes, I would definitely say give no reaction at all, except to turn your back if convenient. Klaus doesn't really squeal, but he squeaks from time to time, and I laugh and say, "Who put a squeaky toy in my bird cage?" Fortunately, this is not enough encouragement to make him get annoying with it...

Welcome, Kek ... thanks for sharing your story. Klaus was already clipped when we brought him home, but I know it'll need to be done again in time so I appreciate you sharing your story so we'll know what to look out for.

Ziggy's post got me thinking... How do you all cope with the Holidays this time of year? Does anyone else find it stressful like I do? We're here for each other the rest of the year, let's help each other get through what (let's face it) can be a trying time. What do you dislike about the holidays? Also, please say what you love ... I don't want to be a total Grinch here! I'll go first - What I don't like is how materialistic my son is. He has some pretty high expectations, and my husband goes right along with it. I swear, he's convinced our little guy will have the worst Christmas ever if we don't take out a second mortgage buying elaborate, expensive presents. I just got done trying to tidy up my basement, and it's a joke! There are what seems like thousands of toys down there that my son never plays with. We have two (count 'em, two) telescopes that we never use. With one, I can remember trying to use it, but we couldn't figure it out. Anyway, wow I kinda got off on a rant there. My goal in life is to convince these two that material things are NOT the key to happiness. If that were true, with all the stuff we have packed into this house, we should be positively giddy! What I love about the holidays are the lights, the music, the get-togethers, the food! Oh yeah, the food! Though I was raised Catholic, I'm not currently what you'd call super-devout (I consider myself a Christian). So, yes, I love that we're celebrating Jesus' birthday, too. I look forward to seeing what you all love/hate about the holidays...

I do hope you all have a very safe and very Happy holiday season! Has anyone shopped for presents for their bird yet? Let me know what you're getting your greys...

Hey, thanks! I can actually see what I'm typing now... :woohoo:

When I want Klaus out, I just open the door and he comes out ("out" is definitely better than "in" - in Klaus' opinion). We've had Klaus since July, though so he's very comfortable. You could try just opening the door & see if Sandy comes out on her own.

The basis of Klaus' diet is Kay-tee Forti Diet, which has a lot of seeds in it. I put that in the bottom of the bowl, then go from there depending on what I have in the house. For breakfast, he had the base of Forti-Diet, and on top I put some shredded carrot and some trail mix (dried banana, dried papaya, raisins, nuts). I usually put a NutriBerry in there, but I'm out right now (need to go to the store!). Also, usually for one of his feedings I throw in a peanut in the shell. For variety sometimes I throw in a few multi-grain Cheerios. I agree with Reta, variety is key.

Aaaaaw! Thanks for sharing!

We went to the in-laws for dinner, but I did bring home a little container of sweet potatoes just for Klaus. I've heard over & over that they love sweet potatoes, but we really don't eat them around here. So I brought some home so he could try them, and he wasn't very interested...Strange!

Will do, Judy - thank you!

That's funny! Klaus doesn't seem to have a preference for music. Mostly what I play is alternative; when the kids are here they put on disco and dance in the kitchen. I have danced a little with Klaus on my shoulder, but he doesn't seem to get into it. I'll have to try Christmas music, we have a station that plays nothing but at this time of year...

Klaus' water bowl is attached to the side of the cage near a perch, so he can't knock it over. He does bathe in it though! We change it twice a day.

Aw, what a cutie! Love the name...

Klaus sleeps on his food dish quite a bit. I have found poop in there, but I just wash the dish and give him fresh food. I'm sure everything's fine...Cosmo is lucky to have such a good daddy!

Hi - I have a grey, two dogs, a cat, and a hamster. It all works somehow. The dogs come in very handy picking up all the food my grey drops. All the other animals were here when we got the bird, so he's never known anything else.

Hi, and welcome! Don't be shy - send those questions! This is a very friendly, patient, and informative group...

Yes, now that I know Klaus likes it so much, I'll shop for soups marked "low sodium." Do you think those would be ok? I'm not much of a cook myself (my husband does the majority of any cooking that get done around here). He does make soup, but his is pretty salty, too. Oh, I forgot in my original post, when I was first opening the soup, Klaus was on my shoulder watching my every move and when he saw the soup he gave the longest, most appreciative wolf-whistle I've ever heard him do. He cracks me up! Again, this will be one of those "once in a great while" treats, and I will shop for a low sodium kind, too, if you guys think those are ok.