Acappella

Sorry I missed it on the day, I've got to get into the habit of checking the birthday room every day. Happy belated Bailey. Hope you were suitably spoiled.

Miss Gilbert, Dorian here again. You may not know this but your Hooman took a picture of you on the stairs. Obviously, you need to be more stealthy. How are we supposed to explore new things they think we shouldn't when they're following us around with those camera things?

Aww, hi Scooty.

Oh, your stories make me wish I'd known Dorian when he was a little collection of feathered baby mush.

Welcome to you and your greyby.

I can't get it outside, so I use a Shark handheld steamer to do deep cleans, a spray bottle of water and vinegar for in between deep cleans. The biggest mistake I made was putting the perch for the food dishes above a burl in the Java wood which is difficult to get clean.

As others have said, don't forget to pad the bottom of the cage with old towels. You'll have extra laundry for awhile but it will cushion any falls baby has while exploring.

I hope the right companion crosses your path that can fold into your life and Sophie's.

Miss Gilbert, Dorian here. Don't tell your mom, but I think it's smart to let her show you around the house more. You never know when you might see someone or something that is yours and you didn't know it.

Those parronts are hard to train. My mom is doing this thing where she is making me step up onto a stick when I'm on the desk which is wrong. How can I bite her to tell her it's not time to leave the desk if I'm on a stick? She says I'm being a thug on the desk and this is a result of my own bad manners but I, of course, don't agree. Doesn't she know the decision to leave the desk is mine, not hers.

I think so long as the perch base is heavy enough that it doesn't tip or roll over it sounds good. You do want something just an inch or two off the bottom for a baby that young. Please don't take offence at people noting how young your bird is. A baby that young is a lot of work, as I know you know.

It does look like plucking to me, be don't automatically assume the reason is mental. There are physical reasons a bird may start plucking. I would start with a visit to an avian vet for a full exam to rule them out first. In th meantime is there a change to the flock? Have schedules or people changed? Has the cage or something around the cage moved?

Just keep on picturing yourself and happy fids out there enjoying it all this summer and repeat repeat repeat "It's all gonna be worth it, it's all gonna be worth it". What a lot of work.

So sorry you're going through this. Sometimes the only answer is that he's going to pluck, but don't give up yet. Has anything changed in or around his cage, or in the family dynamic like someone moving in or out, cage placement changed, picture hung close to the cage, anything you can think of? Is he getting too much physical contact from you that might be confusing him sexually, as one of our members here with a plucker just recently figured out. Does he have preening toys in his cage that might divert him from going after his own feathers? How does he react to the aloe spray. Does he preen after it or sit and sulk? Give him lots of happy praise when he tolerates it, or when you see him playing with a toy, and lots of praise for any verbal interaction. Keep up with contact calls when you leave the room so he always knows where you are if you can' that've him with you. Sorry I can't be more help. Maybe others will chime in with things I haven't thought of. (((Hugs))).

We're still a little ways from outdoor weather here so colour Dorian jealous. Nilah looks well in her outdoor room, glad she enjoys it after all your hard work.

Here's a video I did a few years of Dorians playstand. I thought it might be helpful to see how I attached the toys and cups since several years in he still hasn't been able to disassemble any of it lol! http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?195538-Playstand-I-made-for-Dorian&highlight=Playstand+Made+Dorian

Happy Happy Hatchday Nilah. You're a beautiful girl. Ooops , I see I'm a day late. Well, Happy Belated Hatchday pretty one

Like Dave says, that one is fine for your bird. Add some familiar toys and give him some time to observe it and he should love it.

Funny, I get those same markings on my drywall right after I wheel his nibs play stand too close to the wall. Think it's a coincidence?

In my last sleep study I had 72 apneas in an hour. They're parly physical and partly neurological. That is, I've always snored and stopped breathing, then as I gained weight it got markedly worse. Of course apnea feeds weight gain because of the constant exhaustion. Add to that my fibromyalgia and the sleep disturbances that usually come with that and it's a bit of a perfect storm. I'm really trying with the Cpap this time because I have friends who've we had success with it, and I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time. It may not ever go away,but I have to believe it can get better. Can't say I've felt any benefit yet, but at only 4 hours at a time after years of being sleep deprived my therapist says it could be a wile before I do.

You're a wonder, for your cleaning skills and your willingness to put your face so close to a new bird!

May the force be with you. And the swimming pool people.

WTG Bailey. The only flaw in your plan is you made your dad leave the house, unless he's picking up pistacchios on the way home.

SterlingSL, I love the picture with them all sharing so nicely. Did chaos break out shortly after you took the picture? I can't believe you can have nice displays on your mantel with those three hooligans flying around. I would think your ability to have nice things would be severely comprimised Murfchck, if you lived closer I'd send you all the 'firmly rejected' toys I have for Dorian. As it is, I've found a store that will take never played with toys for a store credit. It won't be a lot, but still better than I'd get putting them in a yard sale and hoping a bird person shows up. Besides, I don't think you'll have any problem spending the money you would have spent at the bird mart elsewhere.

Well fellow grey friends, my world is expanding and as it does I find things that simply shouldn't exist. You know how it is. I get up on 'desk' every morning and begin my cleansing program. My first victory - my mom's tea mug. It made a most satisfying crash when it landed on the floor in many pieces, even though it was empty. I had to do it. It had written on the side of it "It's All About Me" and we all know it isn't all about moms, it's all about us, us, us!!! My next target is the phone which she uses to talk to people that aren't me. Unacceptable, I think we can agree on that. It's proving much hardier than the mug though. It has already taken several trips off the desk and it's still working. I may have to change my strategy to button chewing for it and the TV remote, which she uses to watch something that is not me. Again, unacceptable! I'll keep you updated. What items do you have to get rid of in your parronts lives?