siobha9

Well they have only been in it since this morning. But they are chatting away merrily and playing. The toys were their own from their original cages so all their "stuff" is in it.

5 months later, the decision is finally made and the job is done. I am really happy with it, as are Oisin and Liath. The only permanent change is the door is split in two. But I can easily make it back into one cage if I want to. And the best part... he only charged me for materials so it only cost 50 euro!

Ok Berna, Judy, get your paws off.... Beaker is mine!:evil: He is really cute though isnt he?

Don't you wish your grey had a rewind button?

She is very young and probably doesnt quite know how to play yet. You will need to teach her. Does she play with any foot toys? Introduce her to beak ball, or fetch. We play relays around the kitchen table with each of us offering her a treat, so she runs from one to the other of us in turn. Its great fun and great exercise for her. But she is still very young, so give it time. Patience is a word you will hear a lot when we talk about greys! Siobhan

Well done Imme. At least you are trying again. You must be really determined. Laurie and Kat I know what you mean about the relief to be smoking. I got some really really bad news last week, which I am still struggling to come to terms with. And you have no idea how many times in the past week I wished that I still smoked. Even though life has thrown all sorts at me since I quit, here I am wishing I smoke The good news is, I don't and I didnt take one, even though my hubbie still smokes and I could have nicked one of his. This is a major blow, but I will get through it without going back on the cigarettes. But I can understand why people smoke again having been off them for years.

The other aspect of parrot owning is the state of my hair. The last time I went to the hairdresser I got a telling off over split ends. I said nothing and eventually after loads of tutting she said What DID happen to your hair? You can imagine her face when I said that the parrots like to groom it :blush:

Liath combined hello buddy and hello girl to make hello buddy girl. Said with and Irish accent this can sound like something entirely different!

I havent given up, its just I dont have any farm birds, just cows! (Well not mine exactly, just renting my land:))

Here he is pretending to be asleep. See his clipped wing?

Ok here you go. His name has been changed to Beaker by the way. My youngest couldnt say Zorro and had never heard of it.

I think I am going to need LOTS of energy to keep up with him. Last night I sat with the two greys doing the multi head rub. For those of you with one grey let me explain how it goes. One grey on each knee heads facing each other, and exactly the same movement on each grey, top of head, left cheek, back to head, right cheek and so on. So relaxing as they both close their eyes and nod off. So I am doing this and thinking about the antics of the little caique earlier, not a bit relaxing. He is a TOTALLY different kind of bird. But great fun :laugh: Siobhan

Ok I am back having played with him for 3 hours or so.... he is hilarious. I mean I love my greys but this guy is brilliant. So far he has made a rope out of my hair and swung himself in it. Helped himself to my daughters pasta. Ran up and down the kitchen table at 90 miles an hour cross legged. Stopped along the way to investigate everyone. Ran up arms, across shoulders, down the other arm and back onto the table. He just never stops. The last owner butchered one of his wings so he can't fly, I am not sure if he has ever flown, only time will tell when the feathers grow back in. (I say butchered because it is the worst clip I have ever seen, he has no feathers uncut on his wing). Judy you really need to look these guys up, they are brilliant! Siobhan

I know I am stone mad, but this morning I fell in love with a black headed caique with a sad story. He is one year old and his first owners returned him to the breeder because he was noisy! Apparently he had been demoted to the garden shed. Doesnt sound like he was much loved as the name they gave him was Freak. That definitely wont be staying! His new name is Zorro. I will post photos later... I have to go play with him. Amazingly he is still hand tame, really cuddly and really really playful. Gorgeous!

A macaw - I would really love one. What is your dream holiday?

I have one of their CD's which I borrowed from a friend. The tricks that they teach certainly do work. But they take lots of patience, don't let the 10 minutes on the DVD fool ya! And it definitely isnt as easy as they make it out to be. For example I tried to teach one of my greys the fetch routine. The first part of which is where she is supposed to pick something up from the table and drop it in my hand in exchange for a treat. Yeah right! She picks it up and chews quite happily on it and no amounts of treats will entice her to give it to me. (Maybe she is just too well fed ??) But she has mastered a couple of them. Their taming techniques are VERY questionable however. They talk about taming a biting bird in 20 minutes or so. This I do not recommend. I believe in taking everything slow slow and still slower or the poor bird will be scared of you. Also they talk about weighing how much your grey eats, and then feeding them less in their dish and the rest during trick training. Well that assumes that your bird is eating only pellets or seed. What about fruit, veggies and other human food that my greys love? So my advice is have fun with it but take everything with a grain of salt! Siobhan

That's brilliant news. It sounds like you are well on the road with her. Amazing progress. Siobhan

Mr. Right Rejection Form Letter Dear (____rejectee's name here____ ), I regret to inform you that you have been eliminated from further contention as my Mr. Right. As you are probably aware, the competition was exceedingly tough and dozens of well-qualified candidates such as yourself also failed to make the final cut. I will, however, keep your name on file should an opening become available. So that you may find better success in your future romantic endeavors, please allow me to offer the following reason(s) you were disqualified from the competition: [Check all those that apply] ___ Your breasts are bigger than mine. ___ Your last name is objectionable. I can't imagine taking it, hyphenating it, or subjecting my children to it. ___ The fact that our finest dining experience to date has been at McDonald's reveals a thriftiness that I find unappealing. ___ You failed the 20 Question Rule, i.e., I asked you 20 questions about yourself before you asked me one. ___ Your "Putting on a few, aren't you babe?" comment, given the 9 months pregnant size of Your Own beer gut, was inappropriate. ___ You failed the credit check. ___ I find your inability to fix my car extraordinarily unappealing. ___ The fact that your apartment has been condemned reveals an inherent slovenliness that I fear is unbreakable. ___ The phrase "My Mother" has popped up far too often in conversation. ___ You still live with your parents, and attending night classes to get your High School diploma, are slight negatives. ___ You mention your ex-wife's name more than you mention mine

That is lovely isnt it? I love the way she says its a life not a bird!

With 3 kids, I sincerely doubt any cruise will be in my budget until they have flown the nest Oh well, I guess we can always dream!

Lisa have you tried to handle her in the shower? I can do whatever I like to Oisin in the shower, but normally he will only let me scratch his head. I can lift his wings, rub his belly, anything at all, while I hold a shower nozzle on him. It might be worth a try? Siobhan

Ok obviously I am a bit slow :unsure:

I didnt know that. I have been using it because it is "natural". Thank you for the tip! Siobhan

Ok maybe I am a bit slow but I just noticed your message Ronda, Think twice before you speak, especially if you intend to say what you think... Shouldn't that be especially if you speak in front of your grey??? :laugh:

And here is another brilliant one for home made toys. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/23317-toys.html#60013 Congrats on your new baby by the way. Siobhan