Laurie

Aaaaw, what a sweetie! You're doing a great job!

Just wanted to wish you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful I found such a great place to share stories about Klaus and get some great tips and advice.

Klaus & I shared a bowl of Campbell's vegetable soup for dinner tonight. He LOVED it! It was hilarious, he sat on my shoulder and waited for me to send a bean or a pea or a noodle his way, enjoying every bit. My trusty dogs were close by, getting everything Klaus dropped. Needless to say, I'm a mess - I have soup all over my top & pants. I think the soup has a higher salt content than we'd like for our birds but I didn't give him too much, and we had a blast...

Great job with Edgar, Hannibal! That's awesome... Klaus does kisses, too. Not every time, but he pretty well knows what "Gimme a kiss" means. I just started doing it when he's on my shoulder and his beak is in a good spot I'd say it and give him a peck on the beak. After each successful kiss, I give him a big "Good boy!" and he puts his head down for a pet. Now, sometimes I say "Gimme a kiss" and he "kisses" my nose or somewhere that's not my lips. But, hey he's learning!

Oh, and thanks for the chuckle, Dave. (Mr Spock) Trust me, in this house, the bird splashing a little water around is the LEAST of my worries...:laugh:

Thank you soooo much guys. I even referred back to my trusty book, but it just talks a lot about how they don't like it, with some tips & tricks to try. It doesn't say it's a MUST (like avoiding avacado). I don't know why the breeder said they don't need a bath. Probably so I wouldn't march back to him with the bird about 2 days later demanding a refund because we hate each other! I was also having misgivings because I'm here in Michigan and it's getting darn chilly here. I keep my house between 65-67 degrees, but I know I wouldn't want to get soaked & be left to air dry this time of year. Thanks again!

Klaus insisted we give you karma for this one... He and I have watched many greys talking on YouTube, but this is the first time he's been this interested. He was mesmerized, and chattering right back. I think he's in love...

Hi, and welcome!

Hi, and welcome! You're in the right place for great advice and nice people!

Ok, I've read a lot about bathing on this forum. Most of what I've found is HOW to bathe the little buggers and still maintain a relationship with them. I've seen a small amount of material about whether they actually need a bath or not. Unless I haven't dug deep enough, the opinions are split. I'm still conflicted on the subject. My breeder said they DO NOT need to be bathed. So, help me out here guys... Does anyone agree that they don't actually need a bath? Can I get some input as to who does bathe their birds? If so, how often, and how do you accomplish this? So far with Klaus I don't bathe him. I have offered a shallow bowl of water several different times, and all he's ever done is peck at it a little. He bathes himself using his water dish, which looks awkward and not very effective. Though if this works, and he's happy with it, I can certainly leave well enough alone. As always, I can't thank you all enough...

Hi, and welcome. Sorry, I can't help with the cage. But I'm glad you're here!

Hi, and welcome from a fellow Michigander!

Enjoy your day off, honey! You deserve it! :laugh:

Aaaw, what a sweet bird. Klaus flies a bit, too. Don't know what to do about it. Today, he flew from the floor to the side of his cage, grabbed it with his feet for a safe landing! So that was cool. But I do worry when he flies into walls that he's going to hurt himself. I only hope he'll get smarter as he gets older and realize walls hurt and have nothing for his feet to grab. As far as petting from the front without him biting, I don't know if that's possible. When I first got Klaus, the breeder sent us home with a book. The book said always approach with your hand from the side/back. From the front/top will put them into an instinctively defensive stance. Can't fight instinct. Since I've read that, I've always followed that rule and Klaus rarely bites me. He does bite my knucklehead husband and son, because they insist on approaching from the front. Klaus lets me know when he wants his head petted by putting his head down. Then it's ok to pet. Thanks for sharing the video!

That is soooo cute! Actually, I've never heard of it. I would think the bird would not like the noise. Klaus is still not a big fan of the vacuum.

Hi, and welcome!

You were not wrong to let your friend know that her children's destructive behavior is not acceptable. I'm raising my eyebrows over the statement that her husband won't allow her to bring his kids to your house. Allow her? What? Perhaps your friend can leave her kids home and come visit by herself. I'm sure in a relationship as long as you've had, you will work through this. I think it's possible to continue the friendship with the new expectations in place. Good luck!

Ola! Welcome here...

Klaus is out from 6:00 pm until 9:30 pm on weekdays. On the weekends I let him out when I get up for approx 1 hour while I have coffee & read the paper. Then I give him breakfast and he happily climbs back in for that. Then, to stay consistent I let him out again by 6:00 pm and he stays out until we go to bed.

Oh, yes ... it's VERY much like having a toddler in the house. Before settling down to pay the bills I made sure there was nothing dangerous on the counter. I'm constantly birdie-proofing! :silly:

I am so sorry to hear that. So much of the info I know (or think I know) about greys and their diet is random, stuff that I think I might have read or heard. In the case of garlic, I think I read that it's not good, also that onion is not good. Thank you for sharing...

How exciting! We look forward to hearing all about it...

Klaus likes to hang out on the kitchen counter. So yesterday when I was trying to pay some bills, I let him hang out there (you know, it's hard to explain to your creditors that your bird ate the bill). I had an empty plastic Kool-Aid pitcher sitting out there, and Klaus was investigating it, chewing it, etc. So all was good. When I finished what I was doing, I went to check on him and he was on the other side of the pitcher where I couldn't see him. He had managed to open his container of NutriBerries, and was happily chowing down. The little scrapper! Never underestimate what they can get open and get at! He cracks me up ... at least it was a nutritious snack! :laugh:

That is insanely cute!

Thanksgiving is next Thursday. My mother-in-law has her Thanksgiving dinner on every year at noon (the poor woman starts cooking at 5:00 am - yikes!). So we always go over there, then watch the football game. I'm just thrilled to have a 4-day weekend coming up!