JackieL

You are lucky, Tari. I never Shyla hadn't ever drawn my blood...I'm often curious to see whether or not the new hole in my earlobe will work for a cute earring once it heals.

You are lucky, Tari. I never Shyla hadn't ever drawn my blood...I'm often curious to see whether or not the new hole in my earlobe will work for a cute earring once it heals.

In honor of Alex, I thought a fitting tribute would be for us all to share a story about our fabulous Greys- one that particularly illustrates just how dang clever these guys are. I've taught one of my Greys, Shyla, (3 y.o.) to speak just as I imagine most people teach their parrots, by holding objects and indicating people, then repeating their names. That is how Shyla learned that cats are "kitty" and how to address each family member by name. I also made it a habit, early on, of going up to her and saying "bye-bye!" with a little wave when I was leaving the house, so she would know what was going on. A little while ago, I was working on my computer with Shyla on my shoulder, busy trying to dismantle a pen, which is her favorite thing to do. One of our Siamese cat rescues jumped into my lap and kneaded my legs, trying to get comfortable for a snooze. Shyla dropped the pen and turned to her next favorite activity- trying to bite the cat's tail as it swished near her. Each time she missed she would say, "OW!" really loud, as if she actually gotten in a good bite. Finally, the cat sat down and gave Shyla that baleful cat stare that felines do so well. Shyla leaned over to meet his stare and said, very clearly and deliberately, "Kitty bye-bye". I was in awe. She had independently put the name and the action together, and appropriately told the cat to get lost.<br><br>Post edited by: JackieL, at: 2007/09/11 22:27

Actually, what I've found in the years I've done rescue of different species of parrot and dogs, cats, horses, etc- that once the initial settling in period is over, they seem to fit into the family circle and dynamic in such a way that while they maintain their personalities, they do mirror the general mood of the unit. Does this make sense? When we're tense, our animals are edgy. When we're happy & content, harmony reigns supreme. Are we fearful? Then we'll see it in our feathered family members in particular. I could write pages about different rehab techniques...LOL. With Alfie, who would scream bloody murder at the sight of a human being, I just basically ignored him for a year. Just fed him, cleaned his cage, took care of his surroundings without making eye contact, just humming quietly as I worked. Gradually, he would stop screaming the whole time I was near him, and then it softened to a low growl, which eventually stopped entirely. But it did take awhile for that very important first step! Sorry- I didn't mean to ignite an issue with my original post. I assumed this was an adjustment period that everyone went through. And if my belief/theory of the family dynamic holds true, within a year, they'll be one happy family. I'll let you know. :cheer:

Thanks for all the replies. My first pair in 1986 was a wild-caught breeding pair that failed to breed. They were sold for big $ to a family that had no idea what to do with them. They abused them so badly Alfie (Gaia's mate) would scream in terror at the sight of a human being. That rehab was slow going. But by the time Alfie died a few years ago, he was a "normal" domesticated bird with only a few minor quirks, mostly male stranger oriented. With Quimby et al, I've been moving their perches/gyms/cages closer together, each day an inch or so. I'm just going to take it slow and see what I can do. As long as they don't share the same exact real estate, they are coexisting fine. I just wondered if there was a general timeline for birds to get used to each other. I had no idea many don't. Maybe the wild caught mentality is different to the home grown variety. ;-) Or who knows, maybe I just got lucky. Thanks again for your replies. See you around!

I've have one CAG "gaia" since 1986 as part of a rescued pair. When his buddy died 4 years ago, I bought "shyla" a plucker from the bird shop with serious emotional issues to keep Gaia company. Shyla is now beautiful and feathered, and my little pal. Now that Gaia is getting old and spends 23 hours a day hiding out in his nesting box, I decided Shyla was lonely because she kept calling for me "I want my mama!" and the guilt factor was a nightmare as I have a few other pets/kid/etc. So I got "Quimby" a 3 month old (I think) who's still weaning off the exact handfeeding. Q. is quite a lover and very sweet, lets us all touch him all over (I think he's a he). The problem: Shyla and Gaia HATE Quimbly. I had visions of three greys romping and climbing on the junglegym togehter (no one is caged) they're all in my home office. If Q. gets too close, they come after him, beaks open, ready to spar and fence him until he flies off. Especially Shyla, who was very jealous when we first brought Q. home. Any ideas? Is this a normal adjustment, and if so, how long does is it going to take for us all to get along???