siobha9

Hi Scott, Welcome to the grey forums. Sounds like you will be a member of the grey owners club some day, and its good to see you are doing some homework before you get your baby. It will help you with what to expect and make the transition for the grey into your home so much smoother! I hope you find what you are looking for here. Siobhan

Please just post them here:)

I've also been wondering how Loki was getting on. Its sounds like she has made herself right at home. You were obviously born to be a grey parent;) Its great she is eating so many different kinds of vegetables already. Its so much easier to introduce them at that age;) By now you are probably on the table or in recovery, so I hope you are up and about again soon:)

I suppose there has to be an exception to every rule, and this is mine! I have a lot of small birds and this was the only bird that Liath would tolerate. But they werent friends, they just co existed! That little budgie lives in an aviary now so Liath hasnt seen him in a long while. <br><br>Post edited by: siobha9, at: 2008/10/07 09:28

There is no real reason why you should cuddle your grey all over. One of mine loves to be cuddled but the other will just about tolerate a head scratch. However it is a good idea to get them used to being touched. A vet may need to move their wings, examine their back or whatever. And as you already pointed out in order to wear a harness it is necessary to be able to move their wings. With my grey who doesnt like cuddles, I am slowly trying to have him get used to light touches, and my holding his wing etc. I have no urgency so I am completely taking it at his pace. As Ursula is a baby it should be easier for you to do this.

Beautiful pictures. I love the slogan on the first one:P

Hi jlandsiedel, Welcome to the grey forum. I am happy your grey is so well adjusted. You asked for advice, so here it is! Please keep your grey away from your 2 year old daughter. Both a child and a grey can be unpredictable. A grey is after all a wild bird. A bite from their beak could cause serious damage to your childs hand, or God forbid her face! Please consider her your pet, and love and enjoy her, but she is not a suitable pet for a toddler.

No you didnt do anything wrong. They do tend to practise lots of different sounds and they will mutter and mumble until they are sure they have it right! if she has said anything at all, there is a fair chance she will talk eventually, but she may not talk in front of you. Some greys dont like an audience. We call them closet talkers;) Next time she starts making sounds, go out side the room and listen. You might be pleasantly surprised. 10 months is still quite young though, so I wouldnt be worrying if I were you!

That's quite scary isnt it? So they still have no idea what it is?

Wow the same question within a few minutes from 2 different members:laugh: At the risk of repeating myself... I shall tell you what I told the other poster;) There is no guarantees that a grey will talk. Not all do. For those that do it can be anytime from 6 months to 2 or 3 years. The average age does seem to be around their first birthday though. She will start to mumble and mutter before she talks, thats her way of practising! Welcome to the forum by the way

Hi Railchik, Welcome to the grey forums. African Greys vary in when they speak, if they speak at all. It is not guaranteed that all greys are talkers. And those that do, can talk anywere from 6 months to 2 or even 3 years. The average age seems to be around their first birthday, based on some surveys done here. You are doing the right things to encourage her to talk. Just keep talking to her;) My greys prefer to perch on my hand than my finger. I think its because my finger is too narrow a perch. When I offer only my finger they tend to dig in with their talons and it hurts So try offering the back of your hand instead.

Hi Janeth, Welcome to the grey forum! I hope you do enjoy it here and visit lots So how is it going with Echo so far? If you have any questions please ask, and have a look in our Rescue Room for some tips and ideas;) Siobhan

Its a bit far for me Unless anyone is prepared to give me free accomodation for the weekend?? :whistle:

Penny, I'm not sure what you mean by a "Hissy" fit... can you show us a video please??? For educational purposes you understand:laugh: :whistle:

Dan!:ohmy: My secret is out! So if in the attempts to get the best entries for this competition any of your 21st century technology is damaged please check out www.siobhan.ie for replacements:laugh:

It's because my 2 love chewing on old remotes that I thought of this competition. I gave them an old one each, and now I buy remotes and imitation mobile phones from the Eurosaver shops for them

{Feel-good-0002006E} That is hilarious!!! Probably not what you want him to say when the in laws call round though:laugh: Can we see some photos of Sweet Pea?

I think it is time for a new contest! I want to see photos of your greys demonstrating how to use modern technology, remote controls, phones, laptops, that kind of thing. You must use your own picture and you can enter as many times as you like, but the photo must be of a grey;) You well get two karma for entering. First prize is 20 karma, 2nd is 10 karma and 3rd is 5 karma. Closing date is 26th October. Please note that I will not be held responsible for any items damaged during the photographing for this contest:P <br><br>Post edited by: siobha9, at: 2008/10/15 21:06

Wow! Congratulations! Thats brilliant that he is letting you scratch him already isnt it? Stepping up will come when he trusts you I'm sure. As for the mites, i would have him checked over by an avian vet anyways just to make sure there are no underlying problems and ask him about the mites. My 2 love to dig in their feathers and they are perfectly heathly, but its best to be sure;)

Beautiful pictures, but I really hate seeing birds outdoors who arent harnessed. It really scares me:S

On the stepping up on your head question, Judy is right, you are being too soft. If you allow her onto your head even once a day, then she will try it every time she is on you. You wouldnt allow her to land on the stove even once, you need to have to same diligence with your head;) Personally I wouldnt worry about the dominance thing, but you cannot see what she is doing on your head, you dont know if she will reach down and bite your ears or eyes. And making her step up from above is impossible for the most part:unsure: When my guys are out of their cages they do tend to play on their gym, or sit on my shoulder while I work. But in the evening when I am watching tv (r reading the grey forum) they sit on my knee or on the arm of my chair playing with foot toys. Like Baxter, they love leather and rope tied in knots and they sit on my knee playing with them. I will give them a head scratch or a tickle every now and then. I'm not constantly entertaining them but they are close to me all of the time.

Neither do my 2. If I am eating something Liath wants she says Want some? Yeah!:laugh:

:ohmy: You did well to get a grey so cheaply! Pity you can't post them to us:laugh: :laugh:

Hi Amberly, I have a second grey. We got him for us and not for our first grey but I am lucky in that they get on extremely well to the point that now they share a cage. I have become an expert at what I call the double handed head rub. The 2 of them sit one on each knee, heads down while I rub both of them at the same time. Its really cute, because each of them is sneakily watching the other to make sure the cuddles are equal and fair;) I too am fascinated by the cockatoo. They are gorgeous birds, and there are so many different sized cockatoos! My big reason for not having one is their scream:S Their scream is LOUD, and I imagine my greys imitation of it would be even louder:ohmy:

He is lovely! Does look just like a small CAG. But adorable nonetheless;)