BMustee

I have the low-flow toilets. The water is much to low for Elmo to go under the water. She fell in one time while she was playing on the shower rod and pretty much only her tail and feet got wet.

Yeah, I would just talk to the owner about the "relationship" and maybe mention the grey does not look happy and go from there.

Well, now I know it was not just a fluke. I was in such a hurry to get to work this morning that I must have forgot to latch Elmos cage. I walked into my room as soon as I got home and saw the cage door WIDE OPEN!!! My heart jumped a beat and I started scanning the room for her. All the while all that is running through my head is "Oh no, oh no, ooooh no!" Then I walk into the bathroom hoping to find her on the shower rod, and where do you think I find her...ON THE TOILET!!! I was SHOCKED!!! Yes, she had gone in it again and had must have sat there and preened for awhile because there were a bunch of down and little feathers in the water. I bet she stayed in her cgae most of the day and when she thought I would be coming home went to the John and waited for me.:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Elmo is going to be the death of me...I'm telling you!!!

It's funny...she trained herself really. The first thing we do when I get home is take her out of the cage and hold her over the potty and she goes. She seems to like the splash and I make a big fuss over what a big bird she is and say "YEAAY...You went POTTY!!!" She getts at excited and has been giving me kisses the last moth or so after she goes because she is so happy she went like a big bird. It's really just getting the bird into the habbit of going in a place you want them to go...and making it a big deal.

Here are some new pics I took of the baby the other day. I cant believe how big he is...he weighs 900g!!! Thats more than a Hyacinth baby would at his age!!! We all think he is going to be a FULL size Greenwing.

Here is Elmo on the potty!

As many of you know Elmo will not "go" in her cage and loves to go to the toilet like a big bird as soon as I let her out. Well, the other day Elmo was in her cage for an hour or so while I was getting some things done. I let her out when I was done but I didn't take her out, I just left the door open for her to run around on her own. I got up on the bed and was about to start surfing the web when all of a sudden Elmo takes off flying into the bathroom. I got up expecting to find her in the tub or on the shower rod. I walk into the bathroom and there is Elmo on the toilet looking into the bowl where she went poopy! SHE WENT TO THE POTTY ON HER OWN!!! And to top it off she was making "potty" noises to go along with it...HAHAHAHA!!! Man, she is one smart but weird bird! I got a few pics too...now I just need to find the cable for my camera to upload them!<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/10/09 06:25

Yeah, you can post video. Most people make a YouTube account and post a link on the forum.

I don't think ANYONE here can get sick of hearing about greys!

It's like the grate for the floor of the cage that goes between them. We have a HUGE cage like that for the breeder pair of Hyacinths at my work and we use the divider to keep them safe on one side while the other is being cleaned. The female is for sure wild caught and does NOT like people near Omar (her mate) or her cage so the divider is also a safty device for us as well. BTW, they are both in their 30's so when she was imported it was still the norm and CITES did not yet have the ban on it...just wanted to mention that so everyone didn't think we're dealing black market birds.:laugh:

{Feel-good-0002006E} Ear lobes...the other white meat!

LOL...ohhhh I can go on for days about Elmo, and trust me non-parrot people do get sick of it. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: But Elmo is my baby and I think everything she does is amazing!

I have yet to have any charges to my cards, but when I use it online I only use Paypal. One time I lost my card...I think the cashier forgot to give it back to me...but when I relized it was gone I called the bank and they went over all the charges and all were mine and the sent me a new one.

Are you poking around in the box? Many birds will stop nesting if they are disturbed.

A parrots cage should be at least the width of one and a half of it's wingspand. Macaws should be in at least a 40'w cage...with bigger being better. The cage you posted from ebay is smaller than my CAGs cage. Her cage is I believe 36'w without the seedguards.

I do not like these type of cages because it only takes one bite to cause horrible injury. The divider does not protect the birds from eachother and toes/legs could be bitten off through them. I would keep the cage your grey is in now and use the larger cage without the divider for the macaw.

Bettyboop's story time is also something that will really help build a relationship. I have used methods like this to get almost wild birds to come around and love human interactions.

He's getting older and thus more pushy about what he wants. Elmo also will do something similar. If I take something away from her she will do a little lunge and head but me...but then says "Stoooop ittttt!" because she knows thats not allowed. When Elmo trys the "intimidation" tactics I do not give her what she wants and point my finger at her with the stink eye...she knows she's pushing her luck at that point and normally chills out. After she has behaved for a few minutes I reward her with what she wanted.

Like Judy and Erika have said, yes, they can be "one person" birds. If you have other people handle Pepper regularly and take him on outings to get used to strangers they will not be as bad about being as attached to one person. My CAG Elmo will step up for just about everyone and does enjoy the company of others...but she loves me most.

1) If she was forced into them before then she isn't going to asociate the carrier with something good. Is there anyway to take her upstairs without the carrier? It will take time for her to enjoy the carrier again. 2) The best foods are dark green veggies...like Broccoli and spinich. Yellow Squash is a good one too. Be sure when you feed fruit like apples and cherries to remove the seeds...they are toxic. Water it the only thing that should be in the cage for her to drink, but you can offer juices when your dinking them. You mention feeding sesamie seeds...do you mean Sunflower seeds? If that is what you are feeding you need to wean her off of them once she has settled in. I feed my CAG a base diet of Sawflower Gold seed mix (no sunflowers) and pellets. 3) Greys normally start to talk around a year old give or take but she will probably not talk till she is comfortable in the new home. That is if she will talk at all...not all greys talk and some will only talk when they are alone in the room. 4) If she is being aggressive about the food bowl then it's probably due to being a bit cage bound and possesive of "Her" things. 5) She is doing this because she does not trust you. You need to work on building a relationship with her and let her know you mean no harm. The eye game...although it seems dumb to people...works wonders with parrots. Give that a try and when she blinks back and acts comfortable then try taking her out of the cage, 6) Greys screech for a number of reasons...they screech when they are scared or playing. What the screech means is all about what they are doing at the time. 7) Many cage bound birds do this "round n' round" thing in their cages...it's kind of a frustration thing. 8) it sounds like she is too hot. Birds do not sweat so they pant like dogs do and hold their wings out. This could also be a scared posture but it sounds more like being too hot to me. 9) At this point I would not try to bath her...it sounds like she isn't your biggest fan right now and you don't want to damage that right from the start. Once she is more comfortable with you I would say once or twice a week is good. 10) Normally you want to take a grey to the vet once a year for a well bird check Once a week the cage should be cleaned and the paper at the bottom should be changed every day. I got one of Chet's DVDs and I really liked it. It's mostly trick training, but that does help to build a relationship. The first video of his also goes into taming parrots which I have used some of the advise on the DVD with good results as well. there are a number of posts on body language, so you should search the forums and read through them. Also, on the wing clipping...parrots that are full flight are MUCH harder to train and if they do not have a good relationship with you a full flighted bird can really hurt himself trying to get away from you. I would have to say I am for clipping a bird that has behavior problems as a way to help train them, and then if you want allow them to grow back when they are trained and enjoy your company.

:laugh: Because he wants to bite the bottle and you moved it...so he bites the next best thing. You.

1) If she was forced into them before then she isn't going to asociate the carrier with something good. Is there anyway to take her upstairs without the carrier? It will take time for her to enjoy the carrier again. 2) The best foods are dark green veggies...like Broccoli and spinich. Yellow Squash is a good one too. Be sure when you feed fruit like apples and cherries to remove the seeds...they are toxic. Water it the only thing that should be in the cage for her to drink, but you can offer juices when your dinking them. You mention feeding sesamie seeds...do you mean Sunflower seeds? If that is what you are feeding you need to wean her off of them once she has settled in. I feed my CAG a base diet of Sawflower Gold seed mix (no sunflowers) and pellets. 3) Greys normally start to talk around a year old give or take but she will probably not talk till she is comfortable in the new home. That is if she will talk at all...not all greys talk and some will only talk when they are alone in the room. 4) If she is being aggressive about the food bowl then it's probably due to being a bit cage bound and possesive of "Her" things. 5) She is doing this because she does not trust you. You need to work on building a relationship with her and let her know you mean no harm. The eye game...although it seems dumb to people...works wonders with parrots. Give that a try and when she blinks back and acts comfortable then try taking her out of the cage, 6) Greys screech for a number of reasons...they screech when they are scared or playing. What the screech means is all about what they are doing at the time. 7) Many cage bound birds do this "round n' round" thing in their cages...it's kind of a frustration thing. 8) it sounds like she is too hot. Birds do not sweat so they pant like dogs do and hold their wings out. This could also be a scared posture but it sounds more like being too hot to me. 9) At this point I would not try to bath her...it sounds like she isn't your biggest fan right now and you don't want to damage that right from the start. Once she is more comfortable with you I would say once or twice a week is good. 10) Normally you want to take a grey to the vet once a year for a well bird check Once a week the cage should be cleaned and the paper at the bottom should be changed every day. I got one of Chet's DVDs and I really liked it. It's mostly trick training, but that does help to build a relationship. The first video of his also goes into taming parrots which I have used some of the advise on the DVD with good results as well. there are a number of posts on body language, so you should search the forums and read through them.

She is such a beautiful girl! I hope one day I'll be about to get one! I love the arm wrap idea. Is that to give her a better grip or save your arm from scratches? Ether way its a great idea.

All is forgiven.B) I do know and have seen some pet stores that are not up to par with their info and care on birds...or any animal...and I too would not buy from a store like that. If you walk into a pet store and see unhealthy animals everywhere and the staff seem like morons then I would not buy from them, but if the overall condition is good and the staff is helpful then it's probably an OK place. Being in a pet store I would say if you walk in and the place is packed...like my store can get...if there is a dirty waterbowl here and there don't hold that against them. We have a few birds at my store that not 5 minutes after we change the water it looks like soup. Go in a couple times and try to see how the place looks when it's busy and when it's slow and get a feel for how the people there treat the animals. You come in my store on a Sunday afternoon it's like a petting zoo and I'm focused on the animals safty with the customers and helping people with questions...the floor being swept is the least on my worries! :laugh: But on a slow Monday the floor will be clean, every water bowl spotless and I'll be cuddling one of the birds for sure.

OK...lets see if I can get them all in. 1) Many parrots can get cage possesive and not want to come out on your terms. I would have to say that you need to let him know that you are the boss before it becomes a problem. Go to step him up and if he doesn't want to step up get eye contact and give the stink eye. 2) Greys are not cuddle bug birds like many parrots are. Most greys only like the head and neck scratched so don't be disapointed...it's normal. Plus touching parrots on the body can lead to sexual frustration so it's best you don't touch the back and under the wings. 3) It is very normal for birds to be very vocal at certain parts of the day...normally at sunrise and sunset...so this is not a problem behavior it just a parrot being a parrot. 4) A little yogurt now and then is fine for your grey. 5) Many greys HATE water but baths still need to be done. Go through our many posts about bathing and Im sure you will find a method that will work for yours. 6) Yes, some greys will flip on their back and play with you like that but not all will. My grey Elmo loves to flip on his back when we are playing but there are many greys that will freak out if this is done to them. You kinda need to feel out your grey to see if this is something that he will learn to do and enjoy. Hope that helps.B)