Acappella

. They really do don't they?

My Dorian has virtually stopped learning new words, although a new sound will emerge once in a while. I still talk to him all the time but whatever his motivation for learning new words is, it seems to have faded. I still love hearing his vocalizations.

Hello and welcome Maash and Rio. It's life changing when we bring one of these wonderful birds into our lives. Read around the site and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Um, not so much!

Dorian has carved out the cutest bedtime routine. At about 8:15 - 8:30 he'll start his tired birdy beeping, which is my cue to put him to bed. It melts my heart every time he lifts his little foot for me to pick him up when I think about the scared little cage bound birdy I brought to my home so many years ago. So we go to his cage and he steps down and immediately starts cooing and regurging for me. I close his door and walk around to his sleep perch. He follows me over there and then sometimes he steps right down onto his sleep perch. Other times he's not quite ready to get tucked in and he wanders around the cage a little bit. That's my cue to sit down at the desk and turn my back to him and pretend to work at the computer. Eventually I'll hear the bell that hangs near his sleep perch ring and when I look around he'll be on it ready for bed. Then I go to the door, turn out the hall light which puts him in the dark, and tell him goodnight. This is after years of bedtime being a real struggle and battle of wills, of me chasing him around his play stand and being driven almost to tears by a birdy that just wouldn't go to bed. So for those of you that struggle at bed time, there is hope. I think the key is - he never won those battles! I never gave up, or lost my temper, I just patiently chased him around until he gave up and gave in and went to bed. Now he really seems to enjoy bedtime. I wish I could video this little routine but we do it in the near dark. Gosh I love this little guy. <3

What a cute little whistle. Love it.

Sounds like Scout was in a very similar position to the one I found my Dorian in. He was also terrified of hands because of people putting their hands in his cage and poking things into his cage. So, on behalf of all bird store birdies who just aren't meant to be there, thank you! I'm torn. My heart says build trust, but my head says the faster you get a vet check done and over with the better. If his nails and beak need attention then I think you should get it done. Just talk calmly and sweetly through the whole ordeal. It may very well set you back a bit but he/she will forgive you.

Love it. Lol.

My worry would be what if they don't get along and you have to restrict Issac's out of cage time in order for the new one to get some one on one time with you. Could you handle any guilt feelings you may feel if this happens? I think a test run would be an excellent idea. The thought of this poor grey needing a new home would pull at my heart too.

Aw sweetie, I don't have any useful suggestions, just wanted to send you a hug. ((())). This too shall pass.

Dorian sometimes slips when he's napping on my computer. I think it's because he can't get as good a grip there, but considering he's only 2" off the surface of the desk I don't worry about it. I'm just happy he's so happy and relaxed when so near me that he Can nap. I echo what the others said. Get some vet wrap and wrap it around the perch. Try to get a colour that matches the perch natural colour so that it doesn't scare him away from the perch.

I don't know about a physical cause for eating only sunflower seeds. I do know that sunflower seeds are like McDonalds French fries for birds, yummy but with virtually no nutritional value. The situation you're describing is very close to the one that I rescued Dorian from. He was also in a store, but his response to customers coming too close to his cage was to freeze like a statue instead of being aggressive. It hurt my heart to see him in this situation and I joined here to learn more about African Greys. The more I learned the more I realized how bad his situation was. I finally made an agreement to buy him after it became clear to his owners that Dorian and I had connected. (He would always come to me when I came in the store and began to coo to me and regurgitate for me). Do you think there's any chance that your birds current owners would ever agree to turn him over to a new home?

Welcome to the forums to you and Jara. She's a beautiful baby. Lots of reading to do here, and if you have a question that you don't find here start a new thread in the appropriate room and we'll do our best to answer you.

As for attaching the plexiglass to the wall, I would drill holes in the corners of the sheets, then attach them to the wall with screws. You will probably have to use drywall anchors if your walls are drywall. Depending on the size of the sheets of plexiglass you may have to add a screw in between the corner screws to keep them on the wall, but you shouldn't need more than 8 screws total. Like I said, the advantage of the plexiglass is that if you ever move you just take the screws out, fill the holes, sand them down and paint and voila, damage to the walls is gone and you get to take the plexiglass with you to your next home.

That's too cute.

Dorian has always used his bell to beat up when he's in a snit. My fingers are very grateful that he prefers to beat up his bell, although I would never put my hand near him during one of these temper tantrums, just in case he has a moment of confusion. lol.

I've seen people hang sheets of plexiglass on their walls. It's pricey but the good thing is if you ever have to take it down, like if you move, you just have to take out the screws holding it up and fill the holes.

She is very sweet. At the end she kind of looks disappointed that trick/treat time is over. lol

So, over the years I've been worried that Dorian's main play habit is me. On days when I'm away from the house for the day I've been concerned that he just sits and waits for me to get home. Of course I always provide his favourite toys, but I don't usually see signs that he's been at them when I'm away. Well, I'm taking care of a friend's store for a week while they're in Cuba. I made up a version of Dorian's favourite toy before I left on the first day and low and behold, when I got home there were signs that he'd been chewing, and even more tonight when I got home. I'm so happy that he's learning to entertain himself while I'm away from home. Yay Dorian!!!!

I saw that tip over happen from a mile away! lol Cute video, cute fids, as usual.

Yep, it probably will get worse before it gets better. They are trying to figure out why what worked before isn't working now. Stay strong. You can come on here to vent while they're re-learning how to get your attention.

That's great that you got a refund. It's good to hear about good customer service these days.

Dorian definitely prefers his bath water to be cold. He is most likely to start to try to bathe in his water dish when the water is fresh from the fridge.

What a sweetheart.

Like the others said, the only way to extinguish the sound is to ignore it 100% of the time. Only go to them and praise them when they're quiet for a moment. If you go to them after an hour of screetching you've just taught them they need to screetch for an hour! I also recommend ear plugs to take the edge off while they're learning this is not the way to get your attention. Good luck. You can always come here to vent while they're learning.