BMustee

I do love knowing a bird goes to a good home. I could go one for hours about the great homes that have been found for some older birds that have come through our doors.

I would get a tree stand and when you are in your room have him out with you. It sounds like he's getting enough attention so you shouldn't be worried.

You don't even have the right amount of time for a grey, let alone a cockatoo. They need 3 times the attention that a grey or amazon would need and if they don't get it not only will they make your life miserable but your neighbors miserable too. Think Jet engines...thats how loud they can get. Plus, without proper training and handling the larger cockatoos like the Umbrellas, Moluccans, and Greater Sulfurs will turn into pitbulls and bite whoever they are not happy with, and their bite is probably the worst of all the parrots. Baby cockatoos love the cuddling but it is a VERY bad idea to touch them under the wings and back once they get a little older...it's basicly sexual play to them. I get bit at work by cockatoos because customers will walk in and the first thing they do it start stroking the "hot zones" and get them fired up. When they stop the cockatoos get frustrated and start screaming and because we know that they are no longer safe for a customer to hold we have to take them off the floor and sure enough we take the heat and get bit.

I had a similar experiance at my work. It was a 20-25 year old "breeder" that wasn't breeding. He was said to be nasty and not to be a pet but back into breeding stock when he came in. Well, I guess no one told Whyman that because after about 3 days he wanted to be picked up by me all the time and I could snuggle and cuddle him. He was only $300 but it was $300 I didn't have. This other woman that used to work at the store noticed how big his vocab was and wanted him just because of that. He hated her and would scream and bite when she would try to get him out of his cage. She bought him and I could have died I was so upset. I still think about him all the time and wish I would have gotten him. So, if I were you I would try to get the cost down and if they won't budge then start savin'!:laugh:

Most birds that are in their 20's will look like they are in their 20's so if you TAG looks like it's only around 4 then I bet he was a captive bred bird with behavior problems due to the past owners. Most birds brought in on a "black market" are the ones that are worth the smugglers time and effort...like the Hyacinth Macaw...not readily available birds like Greys.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2009/02/11 02:28

Yeah, parrot men seem to be hard to come by...trust me I know.

LMAO! You know your a parrot person when a puke stain on your pants is better than a valintine card.:laugh:

sounds like she has a cateract in her eye. I've seen it in older finches before. I would take her to see a good avian vet to make sure she doesn't have any infections that a good medication could clear up.

Elmo's favorite song seems to be "Elmo's Song" and she likes to watch the clip of it on YouTube.:laugh: Elmo also will get vocal when I have 80's music on. She also seems to like it when I sing, so that goes to show she is tone deaf. Ethel at the store LOVES disco. Anytime a disco song comes on the stores radio he will start dancing and puffing up his crop.

Maybe putting a bowl of food down on the ground and standing back from it will draw him down. You could also try playing a recording of wild greys to see if that will get him interested in coming down.

That cup looks mighty comfy!:laugh: I'm going to guess female too.

HAHAHA!!! That is too funny! I've been trying to get Elmo to say "Aflac!" for over a year now and nothing, and here your Saphira picks it up right from the TV.:angry: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I'm with everyone else. It's much easier to teach a grey to enjoy something if you make it fun. I'm sure your going to do great bringing up a healthy Grey. As for the toweling in an emergency, if it's really an URGENT thing that you need to get a hold of your grey you can do it without the towel. All you do is come up from behind with your hand and grab him around the neck at the bace of the head and wrap the first, middle and thumb around the neck with your other hand holding ether the feet or right above the base of the tail. Don't be afraid to get a firm hold to keep the head from twisting and biting...the airway is incased in cartilage so it's pretty hard to stangle them this way. The worst thing to do while holding is to hold around the body because their lungs don't work the same way humans/mammals do with a diaphragm...birds need to expand the whole chest to breath. When toweling you hold the same way, but the towel is placed loosely around the wings to keep the bird from flapping...plus some parrots are really good at twisting and are still able to bite fingers if not in a towel. I thought I would share that with everyone, cause' I mug birds all day long so it's pretty routine for me and a lot of parrot ouners don't really know exactly how to hold them.

:blush: Oh geesh, you guys are too nice. I can't wait till I can get him DNA'd so I know what to name it. I'm thinking sense Elmo is a girl with a boy name and Ethel we think is a boy with a girl name, I'm thinking to name this baby the wrong sex on purpose.:laugh:

I've had to leave Elmo home alone for 20 hours strait before...when I had to do inventory at my old job would leave at 6am and not get home till 1am. I think as long as they have plenty of food and water then they should be fine.