BMustee

Mines doing the whole noise but I can't for the life of me get him to do anything on command. I tried to get him to do the noise for my sister and her husband but it ended up just being me going "pew pew pew peeewwww" all night. :laugh: I'm sure that was fun for them to hear.

I have that on my Myspace page...I got my grey to learn the lazer beam noise Einstein does in this bit. I'm going to try to teach him the whole thing. I think that this shows a happy parrot that gets loves and attention...I would pride myself having a relationship with my bird the way the trainer and Einstein are togeather rather than Ruby and her owner.

I've read that Greys can change their humans at different times, but it's all up to the bird. I've been working with my grey to like my boyfriend so just incase something were to happen to me and I was not able to care for him (like a hospital stay) he would be able to care and love on him for me. I have my boyfriend show dominance over him by ignoring the screaming and biting and have him talk in a calm soothing tone that “it’s alright, not going to hurt you”…this has worked wonders and he now will cuddle with him as well. There is still the occasional screech and nip but nothing that lasts over a second or too, then it’s back to scratches. Let us all know how the training goes because I would love to hear any tips and tricks you find out.

LOL...good joke. I'm with pretty much everyone here and think that teaching a bird to say four letter words like Ruby does says something about the person teaching them. I didn't watch the video posted here but I have seen many of the videos before and I must say that even with my nasty mouth I was shocked when I heard Ruby say some of the words she was saying. I watched a video of just the guy that owns her and I guess he got a lot of hate mail for his videos and he went on to say that her living situation after he passes has already been arranged with someone that wants her…so this does show some responsibility on his part. I never cuss around my Grey and I won't even leave the radio or TV on a station that may say things that I don't want the bird to say. He seems to like the political talk radio right now so the only thing I need to worry about is him becoming a republican. :laugh: As for removing the post I say it should stay. I do think this debate is healthy and shows just how most people feel about this type of language. As for “young eyes and ears” on the forum, it is the parents responsibility to know what their kids are looking at. I’m only 22 and have no human kids but if/when I do I would not let them on the computer without my supervision. I believe that giving kids free range on the Internet would be more irresponsible than teaching cuss words. I have a video here that I think EVERYONE would like. It’s on the parrot Einstein doing a routine. For anyone that’s a real prude there is a fart noise… http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6142198543063636013&q=african+grey&total=2512&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=5

I feel so bad about falling asleep with the bird out because of the "rollover" deaths that can and do happen and I'm glad it was me that got the injury and not him. The only other time I have been asleep with him in the bed was when he figured out how to unlatch the cage and he flew over onto my headboard. Needless to say thats when the lock was put on his door. I know I'll never watch a boring PBS show with him out again after a bad night of sleep. Believe it or not after the claw was removed it really wasn't that painful...no ice required. It felt more like I had something big in my eye for a few hours. I flushed it with cold water while holding the lid away from the eye to be sure there wasn't anything still under there. The girl at the eye doctor didn't think it looked infected because it's not red or anything...I can just feel the scratch on the lid.

OK, yesterday I was watching TV in bed with my Grey and the both of us fell asleep...me on my side and the grey on my head. I'm not sure what happened...if I moved or the grey did...but somehow he fell off my head, slid down my face and was grabbing for anything that he could get his foot around to catch himself. Well guess what he grabbed? My top eyelid of my right eye. I'm not sure how I managed it but I was able to roll with him as he latched on and had him on his back with my face over him. It was a good 30-40 seconds before I was able to calm him and remove his toe from inside my eye without more damage. I'm pretty sure there isn't much more than a scrach on the inside of my eyelid and it should be better in a few days but I am worried about infection so I asked a girl working at the eye doctors inside the WalMart what I should be watching out for. Needless to say I got the "what the ____" look from everyone that could hear me and the girl I was asking was a bit speechless and had to have me repeat exactly what got in my eye. This got my thinking...has anyone else had one of these horrible Murphy's Law injuries by their birds? {Feel-bad-00020080}

Mine will talk all day long when it's just me but as soon as I have people over and I try to get him to make his noises I get nothing...all my guests just get to hear me making the noises that I "say" the bird makes.

That was absolutely beautiful Talon. I think that puts into words what all of us here and all over the world are thinking. I have been interested in animal intelligence research for years now and no one stands out to me like Dr. Pepperberg and Alex. Considering the impact that Alex has made in everything from the scientific community down to the hobbyist parrot owner, he will be missed in the avian world just as much as Earnhardt is in the Nascar world, or John Lennon to Beatles fans. I’m sure that if the ancient Egyptians were right and your afterlife depends on your memory living on, then Alex will live on forever.

No problem Joe...I'm betting pretty much everyone knows who he is but some of the guests may not. Plus I thought that was a cute story about the kind of bird Alex was. I'm going to be watching all the sites on Monday to find out what happened to him. I hope whatever it was didn't spread to Griffin and Wart.

I just did a quick google search and found something on it. For anyone that does not know who Alex was you should read this. http://www.deadnotforgotten.com/blog/

OMG!!! I can't believe it...that’s horrible!!! Where did you hear about it Teri? Alex was such an important part of parrot research, it's such a shame he's gone. I would be inconsolable if I was Irene...I hope she is doing okay. {Feel-bad-0002006A}

Welcome Atlas! God...I don't think I would have the "man parts" to just let my birds free fly like that. I do take my Grey outside with me but he can't fly more than 10 feet with his wings clipped. My sun was fully flighted and I would take him outside but he has Velcro syndrome and would never leave my shoulder. That would be amazing to be able to do though. I would be very careful with a new bird...I'm betting yours would probably take to it, but I would be more nervous about the new one trying something.

xxBeccyxx - Thats good to know that he's got a good start on talking. I didn't get a Grey because of their ability to talk but I got so excited when he started doing my laughs...I think he was about 4 months when he started doing them. The father of my CAG was from a parrot refuge, and is not tame. I guess the people at the refuge tryed to tame him but couldn't so they gave him to the breeder to live out his days with a girlfriend. He cognetivly will call for Jack (the breeder) when he sees him...he never calls anyone else Jack...and he will also ask for the foods he wants by name.

My Sun would do the same thing. He would run down my arm...wings out, tail spread...into the water that was bouncing off the car, get sopping wet, run back up my arm and shake off...He would go round and round with this till he was pooped. I'd love to get my grey to get that excited about water.

I was first thinking of naming him Stalin cause I'm part Russian and he was one bad dude, but my boyfriend was like "you can't use that name...It's Blackballed!"

Same behavior every time no matter where he is...I can be out of the room and if someone walks by him I hear him start screaming at them.

EVERYONE is hammering me over his name!!! I got to come up with something soon!!! I've noticed that he has a real cruel sense of humor. One time I was working in the kitchen with him on a chair back and I slipped on a melted peace of ice he had thrown on the floor. I caught myself before cracking my a-- on the floor but all of a sudden I hear him behind me laughing and laughing! He also plays assassin with his stuffed animals. My boss told me one day he was walking past the cage leaving the room and saw him biting the throat of his stuffed rhino, and when he came back a few minutes later he said the bird was trying to berry the toy under the towel at the bottom of the cage...needless to say my boss now jokes that I should sleep with one eye open! I'll also catch him yelling at the finches. He'll watch them go from branch to branch in their flight cage and it almost seems like his trying to give them orders like they are his minions...this may be the beginning of a hostile take-over. :laugh: I've been thinking he should have a "bad guy" name…or a German name. My Sun’s name was Otto, so I was thinking something kind like that…a short, easy to say name that rolls off the tongue and sounds good when used in a scolding…not to say I yell at the bird, but if it don’t sound right when saying for example, “Otto…Drop it!” then it normally doesn’t seem right as a name. That’s part of my screening process. Anyone know any good German or bad guy names? P.S. – I’ve already looked through all the baby name sites at least three times now.

That might be it...he did barf for me before so I know he "loves" me. I have his cage in my bedroom so he's not in a high traffic area, so i don't think that is it. What is so strange is that it didn't come on stowly like most behavior problems...it was just like a snap of the finger. One day he was fine the next he was acting like everyone had it out for him.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2007/09/06 21:57

Kudos again on the physical therapy Dave. I know that there was never a wing injury on my CAG but I sometimes see his wings overlap a little bit...mainly when he is standing really tall and holding his wings tight. It was much more noticeable before I clipped him, but he has never had a problem getting lift. I would be calling the vet to get a check-up very soon if I was you. The time he fell in the toilet he was flapping like a mad man going down, but the angle he fell at must have kept him from gracefully landing. I freaked and scooped him out as quick as I could to make sure he didn't hurt himself. You know, I should repost that in the forum topic for getting you Grey to take a bath!<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2007/09/06 21:09

Mine is just shy of 6 months and he doesn't "talk" yet but has a good sound affect vocab... He does: Sexy Whistle Lazer beam ::bew bew bew beeeewwww:: my giggle my laugh evil laugh Three Stooges laugh both dogs barks Finch noises Burps something that sounds like WOW...does ONLY after going potty and I think a couple more but I can't think of them right this second. Is this pretty good for a CAG thats only 5 months and one week old?

His main problem isn't with handling; it's with people just walking past him. For example, I'll be washing dishes with the Grey on my shoulder and my father will walk by. The bird FREAKS out and will scream at him and sometimes try to get on top of my head for higher ground. The only people that handle him are the people HE agrees to go to. I never force him into a situation he doesn't want to be in because I don't want him being phobic of everything. He seems to really like my boyfriend and will let him wrap his hand around his head for the total head rub, but sometimes gets fussy for a few seconds...nothing serious…so I know the “I’m dominant and you don’t scare me” technique works with him. I don't let anyone try to touch him if I know that they will react to his behavior and reinforce it, so that’s not an issue ether. His wings have been clipped for a few months now and he's good with commands...he just hates people walking past him...that’s what I don't know how to correct.

When my Grey was still hand feeding my work schedule changed and I had to start bringing him to work with me. He had a blast coming in and helping my type and use the mouse and meeting new people. Then one day out of the blue he started flipping out anytime anyone got near him. I'm not sure what started this but I kinda think it may have been due to outside reasons. I work in an appliance shop and there are techs in and out all the time. I think someone may have taunted him to the point that he became phobic...I was not always able to be right next to his cage. I instructed my boyfriend to ignore the screeching and bites (he doesn’t bite hard...yet) and let the bird know that he was more dominant and that he was not going to hurt him. This has worked for the most part but he still will act like his is going to bite before he puts his head down for scratches. He seems to also like my sister because I never have any problems with him when she handles him, but anyone else that gets close to him gets screamed and lunged. This is the only real problem I have with him and I would love to be able to have him with me when I hand out candy on Halloween, but it's not looking good as of now. Can anyone help?!?

My Grey Loves to leap off the cage and on to the bed, finch cage, chair, my head, and pretty much everything else. I clipped his wings about a month after he started to fly. Everything I read said you need to let them learn to fly and do it gracfully before you clip or they will be very clumsy for a very long time. I had a Sun that never learned to fly when I got him so as soon as I had him trained with all the commands and knew he would stay with me I let his wings grow in. My CAG did take a fall once even after learning to fly with clipped wings. A few weeks ago I was getting ready to go out so I was in my bathroom with the bird on the shower rod and he was happily playing with the curtain rings. He got a little to roudy with them and fell off and landed right in the toilet. I really should have gotten a picture of it cause he had the cutest look on his face looking up out of the bowl.

Thats so funny...finches and a Sun is how I ended up with my CAG. I started with a single set of Zebras, and now I have a set of Owls and Stars. The Sun Conure unfortunatly had to be adopted out. He lives with a very nice couple on a farm now along with a flock of Ringnecks and Quakers. He was attacking my 18 year old cat without warning or reason and sense I've had that cat sense I was 4 she took precedence. I got my CAG not long after and he has been everything and more that I expected. There is one horrible thing though...I can't pick a name for the life of me!!! Everything I think of doesn't seem to fit him and knowing that I'm going to have him till I'm in a nursing home doesn't help. Any suggestions would really help me out. I'll have to get some new pictures of him on my computer...all I have a a few from when he was a baby on here now. His eyes are just starting to get lighter.

My Grey is about 6 months now and I tried the slow intro to the shower but he wants no part of it. He LOVES to sit on the shower rod when I'm taking a shower...he laughs at me when I'm in there, nice bird huh...but the second I get the ricochet mist to hit him he gets freaked out and flys off. I've tried taking him out in the rain as well but as soon as he realizes that there is water falling from the sky he takes off and crash-lands on the porch (his wings are clipped). This is so different from the experiance I had with the Sun Conure I had before...that bird would scream and scream if he knew I was outside washing the car and he wasn't out there with me...I couldn't get that bird away from the hose to save my life!!!:laugh: