Laurie

Hi, Christina ... Welcome! Love the name "Calvin"...

Well, a genuine hockey fan Ok!!---- --------- Dave Yes, sir ... I've been a Red Wings fan since the mid-80's (WAY before it was cool). GO WINGS!

That was ... I don't have a word for it! Each one was more ridiculous than the next!:blink:

Welcome, Jazz! Nice picture, thanks for sharing...

Aaaaw! So, far Klaus wolf whistles a lot, which is hilarious. I'm sure I'm "lookin good" when I stumble down the hall in the morning with my robe on & hair sticking up. He seems to think I warrant a whistle, though! Also, it cracked me up the time he stole one of my frosted mini wheats right out of the bowl of cereal I was eating.

I never reach into Klaus' cage to get him out. I open the door and he comes out by himself. I'm no expert, but I take a nip to mean, "I don't like what you're doing ... knock it off!" So, if it's not essential (ie you're late for an appt and have to put him away) I would back off. On the other hand, I don't think the bird should always get his way through nipping. Your house will be chaos! Use your judgement and decide when it's worth taking a nip and continue whatever you're doing to let him know who's in charge. I'm a firm believer in mutual respect, you should each get your way about 1/2 the time. My husband wears a glove so that Klaus can actually be put away when it's time for him to go to work. (We work opposite shifts, so I'm not there to bail him out.) Also, I read in my parrot book that you should always approach with your hand from the side/back of the bird, not the top/front. A top/front approach puts them on the defensive and they'll bite without even thinking about it. Works for me!

Welcome! Glad you're here...

That is awesome! I haven't even thought of trying to teach Klaus tricks ... just assumed he's too young. I'll have to try the head-shaking thing. And I'd love to know the technique for teaching them to wave "hi."

Hi, GreenT! My bird (Klaus) acts as if he is trying to get out of his cage quite a bit. He is 7 months old and has been with us for 3 months. His "I want out!" routine pretty much consists of hanging on to the front door of the cage with his beak while scratching on the floor with his feet. Unfortunately, I don't know how to make him stop (except of course, to let him out!). He does give up after a time. I'm not sure, but I think once they really get the hang of the household routine, they kind of know when they should expect to be out.

One of the things I NEVER do with Klaus is move my hand toward him from the front. Always from the side and/or the back, lower than head-level. My husband and son get bit constantly but they cannot get it through their heads that the bird will intinctively go into "defend" mode if something's coming straight at them (or at them from above). I read this in my Grey book when we first got the bird and followed the advice. I do get bit from time to time, but not because I moved my hand toward him from the top/front of his head.

Great story, CD! I often THINK about doing something like that ... just starting out slow and building up daily. When I was very young, I used to be able to do the Russian dance where you crouch down really low, then pop up with arms & legs spread, then right back down for another one. I don't think I could even do that ONCE now! Your story has inspired me. Maybe I'll try ... one today, two tomorrow... As far as recipes, Makena, I'm clueless! I was hoping to get a rundown of "do's" and "don'ts" as far as what to eat. I mean aside from the obvious...milk shakes & fries aren't going to help you get skinny!

Actually, I think Klaus has different moods every day. Sometimes he spends his entire "out" time snuggling on my shoulder. Other times he's a holy terror. I just figured it was moods, just like we all have!

Ha! The other day I was eating a bowl of frosted shredded wheat, and Klaus hopped right over and helped himself to one right out of my bowl. He's such a health nut, though, he ate all the wheat part and left the sugar part...

Hi, Elise - I have Klaus (my grey), plus two dogs, a cat, and a hamster. The hamster doesn't come out much (doesn't want to, actually) but when he is out, I protect him from Klaus! My dogs and cat are all pretty mellow creatures, but I still keep a good eye out and never leave Klaus unsupervised outside of the cage, because you never know.

Hi, Joey. I'm fairly new to having a grey myself (I've had Klaus for about 3 months now). I guess the biggest thing I would want to stress to a new grey owner is patience. When I give Klaus a new toy, it sometimes takes him 2 days before he'll play with it. I've offered him foods sometimes several times before he'll try them. When I'm putting him back in his cage for the night, the process sometimes takes 5 - 10 minutes because I'm giving him extra pets. Of course, he doesn't want to go in, and I won't just stuff him in there. I'm as loving and gentle as I can be. Out of everyone in my house, I have the most patience, and Klaus definitely likes me best. Wow, sorry to ramble there! Anyway, you'll find lots of great information here, too. Welcome!

Hi, Stuart, and welcome! I love the name Enzo. We look forward to hearing more from you...

This is a great idea! I am far too disorganized to stay on any set program, plus my schedule allows practically zero time for exercise. But I will definitely be popping in here to see what kind of tips are coming in... I can use all the help I can get!

I have never been a "bird person" so to speak, but I find it very easy to figure out what Klaus wants. With all the great info you'll find here plus some sensitivity to your bird's body language you'll be fine! Welcome to the club!

Yes, Klaus does this, too. Especially just before going to sleep.

Well, I'm glad I didn't completely ruin my bird by letting him have some specks of chips. To me it was like those rare, rare occasions when you let your child have a cookie before dinner. I promise to keep it to "once in a while" (for us and for Klaus!).

Hey, Bernadette! That's my grandma's name, too. I just love how the singer belts it out: "BERNADETTE! You're the soul in me..."

Hi, all... Well, it was bound to happen. We were eating potato chips in front of Klaus. He tried a bit. He LOVES them. Luckily I almost never keep them in the house. I only let him have teeny-tiny bits, but man did he go crazy for them! Have any of you ever let your bird have a little something that's not the greatest for them? I mean, of course nothing toxic, but something you'd rather they not make a habit of?

Q-tips! I hadn't thought of Q-tips. Perhaps I'll give Klaus one now. (He's currently destroying a pen that's had the ink part removed.)

Hilarious! I love the one from Radar...

Yeah, Unchained Melody is awesome. I also love "Bernadette." I think it's by the Four Tops, but I could be wrong. It's a Motown song, anyway. My wedding song was "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey. I also love "Angie" by the Rolling Stones. Oh, and I love the Cure, too! One of the best bands, ever I tell ya! The songs that can make me cry are "Arms of the Angels" by Sarah McLaughlin and "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. I'm getting misty eyed just typing it. Those aren't really love songs, though, just sad songs. Oh, and we've gotta give it up for the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin (You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman)! I could go on and on...don't get me started on music!