Hannah_Rae

Awesome post guys. Vaya, do you have a friend who is a carpenter type person? I have a young friend who is building a play tree for my baby, and it won't cost me nearly as much as if I were to buy it at a store. What would you think of painting a tropical scene? That might be fun for you and the birds. LMG, I love your setup. The ropes are awesome! - Hannah

900-1200 seems pretty typical. I'd be leary of people asking less, just because they might not know what they are doing...and people asking more are probably just trying to milk out more money. I'm getting mine for a very reputable breeder for 900. countdown: 14 days

YEA!!! First words are so exciting, and once they get that confidence it all starts to flow. Congrats! Way to go Klaus!!! -Hannah

Hilary, it's funny you mention the jumping, as my britany mix is CONSTANTLY jumping and got mud all over my face the other day. She is so smart, but very exciteable. Congrats on your baby grey. I am so excited for Juji to come home...and helping him/her reach its full potential. -Hannah

Keep trying with the treats. Bonding is a process. Stay calm, and show her that you are interested without being over bearing. If you keep trying it will happen. -Hannah

Karma for you, Tracy. Good post.

I've used clicker training with all of my dogs, starting when they were 4-6 weeks old (I hand raised 3 litters), and had awesome success. I love showing people what my dogs can do. I am excited to do the same with my grey. Countdown...16 days -Hannah

As far as paper towels are concerned, why not use microfiber rags that can be washed in hot water? Some are super absorbent, and would definitely cut down on waste and cost.

I read that the only bird that has a penis is the swan.

Question: If you know nothing about parrots, how did the idea of breeding them come about? How did you get interested in it?

Good thread guys. :)All awesome suggestions. ScubaJ and SunDarg,congrats on your new babies...mine is coming home in 3 weeks. YAY!!!

Newer cell phones are definitely safer than the old beasts, but I doubt we will know any effects fully for many years yet. Interesting question...I often think of all of the "waves" we have flowing through us at any given moment. Fascinating.

Even if they were, teflon isn't a problem unless it is overheated...above 500 degrees, a warm mist humidifier coil shouldn't get that hot unless it's broken.

This was a gr8 post for me because my baby will be coming home in 4 weeks and will be going through many of the same things.

Wow, that's amazing. What a beautiful sight. -Hannah

www.windcityparrot.com has excellent prices on "make your own toy" parts. I definitely think it's a good way to go...and recycling old toys is a great idea. YAY!!! -Hannah

I am so encouraged to hear about his vocab. That's wonderful.It will be so neat to see his little personality develop. Keep up the good work. I get my baby in 24 days...so I will be following your story. -Hannah

Welcome, Ian. Glad to have you with us. Read up and don't be afraid to ask questions. -Hannah

It's hard for me to remember sometimes that not all people love and respect animals the same way I do. My husband is a farm boy, so we have very different ideas about the purpose of animals, but he is coming around and is very excited about our new CAG (who will be here in 24 days...YAY!!!) Learning how to educate people about how to handle him/her will be a challenge, but all of your tips have helped.

object permanence is a fancy phrase we use in child psychology. Basically, it means that they realize objects are there even when they can't see them. It's why babies develop separation anxiety at about 9 months, because they realize that mom is gone, instead of just thinking she has ceased to exist. Parrots need to have a sense of object permanence before they can search for food, because they realize that it exists even though they can't see it. There, your parrot psych for the day. -Hannah

I am having an awesome foraging tree built for my CAG. It is six feet tall and will have multiple branches and two platforms. I am excited to get some foraging toys...but will start off with more simple methods...according to a Piaget study, CAGs develop object permanence at about 16 weeks... so some toys would be too advanced for really young birds. I will post a picture of the tree when it's done. -Hannah

This thread discusses the Content article: african grey at 9 weeks??? Nine weeks is young, but not unsafe. Is the baby eating solids? Even if not fully weaned? Hope all is well. -Hannah

Bye Joe, Be blessed, and return to us when you can.

YAY!!! Now I have an excuse to go in the baby section. Hahaha. My sister asked if there were some little things I wanted for Christmas, and I told her to get me toys for my new baby bird (who is still not born yet as far as I know). Have fun Christmas shopping for your feathered family members!!! Hannah

You guys are off to a great start. I love seeing the pictures. -Hannah