Acappella

You're doing great. I can guarantee that eating something infront of your bird and then offering it to him works, maybe not the first time, but sometimes the second. Here's how it works with my Dorian. I eat something and make yummy happy noises, then offer him a bite of it. If he declines I say OK and let him see me pop it into my mouth, making yummy noises again. He'll almost always at least take the food from me the second time I offer it, even if he only flings it. Sometimes while he's flinging he tastes it by accident and that's how you get new food into them. And since they can't have any overly processed foods, it forces me to eat healthier.

We won't hate you, we love seeing new members asking questions because it means they are searching out the best for their birds. As for stepping up, is there a reason you have to do the check up right away? I share your worries about breaking your fragile trust. I don't think you're doing anything wrong, I think you just have a bird who is slow to warm up to people. My Dorian was the same way. As a matter of fact it took over a year before he would step up onto my hand. Does Gizmo wander around on the outside of his cage? If you HAVE to get him to the vet, try mounting a perch onto the outside of the cage. Hopefully he won't be too frightened by it and will come out to investigate. Then you can scoop him off the end of the perch and into the travel cage. Expect to get bit though with this tactic.

OK, so I'm kind of famous for jury-rigging or MacGyvering things together, so I was thinking, what if you built a plywood box around the cage and then made windows out of the polycarbonate. YOu could make a door as well. Just make hinges out of rope so that in the spring the whole thing just collapses and stacks together. You could drill holes so that you can hear and respond to each other. btw, I could never live in those conditions because I hate being cold, and because my heart would hurt for those animals I see living in conditions less than I feel they should be.

Mehrosh, that isn't a very good diet for a grey. Lots of people here share fresh veggies from our plates with our birds. We end up eating more healthy food because we are sharing our food with our birds. Lol Lots of our members have their bird on a pelleted diet, supplemented with fresh food, if that's available to you. Where do you live?

Welcome to you and Koku. I wouldn't stress him out by making him perch on your hand right now. Certainly if you have to move him from place to place, but otherwise leave him in his cage and sit close by, as close as you can before he starts to growl. Talk to him, eat in front of him and offer him a treat. It's ok to just put it in his dish right now. Don't pressure him to take it from your fingers. Take a look here in the training room. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?109373-Body-language-most-frequently-seen. The best thing you can do is to learn to read the signals he is sending you. Respecting them will help him to trust that he is safe with you, and the faster he feels safe with you the faster and deeper he can bond with you. A bird that feels safe, respected, and bonded to his flock (you and anyone else in the family) will be more vocal and interactive.

Settling down with my DVR to watch some recorded episodes of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.

I can't listen to "The Circle of Life" or "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from The Lion King. Takes me right back to the funeral of an 11 year old girl I loved that was murdered. We played those songs at the funeral because she loved The Lion King.

I think this was posted years ago, but we have so many new members I thought it was worth posting again.

I'm starting to see what you mean. There is a real cultural difference in the care provided for these birds and I commend you for trying to provide the best possible life for your bird. You're essentially trying to build a small room around your bird and heating the inside of the room. How did you keep the heater from making physical contact with the blankets you used last winter?

Lol. Oh yes they are. They are very fast observers of cause and effect.

Welcome back to the forum, glad to see you again.

Thank you for giving this older grey a new home. Take your time and let her observe his new home and kind of get the lay of the land. Don't be surprised if she regresses a little after being in your home for a little while. We call it the honeymoon period and it's very common. Enjoy your new buddy.

It's hard to visualize what you mean. Are you basically building a shell around the cage and putting a heater inside the shell, because that's how I understand what you're saying. I'd be concerned about the pvc heating up and emitting fumes that might be toxic.

Poor Rio, he's like Dorian. Not at all convinced that outside is a good place to be. Hopefully some sunshine and fresh air, plus momma being around, will change his opinion.

I'm glad Bongo is ok. Maybe he figured he hadn't had his fair share of vet visits lately and he wanted to visit the ladies there!

He may just be sleepy and fighting going to sleep. That's past Dorian's bedtime and he'd be fighting the sleepies by nine thirty. Maybe baby needs an earlier bedtime?

I agree, try a gentle mist to relieve some itching and just watch the feather loss for a few days. If Smokey hasn't had a molt yet he's overdue so that's my first instinct as to what is causing the feather loss. When they are moulting they can lose an amazing number of feathers quickly. Look at the feathers. Is there any sign of blood on the tips of the shafts? If not, they were probably dead and ready to molt out.

Dorian very clearly looks to me when something frightens him. If I'm calm and tell him it's ok, then every quickly settles back down and ignores the noise. When there was still construction going on around my house and they were landscaping the yards with heavy equipment I told him "big truck, you're ok" so now "big truck" is a shorthand reassurance. As you build a trusting relationship with Gizmo he wil be more likely to look to you for cues.

She's being cage aggressive like everyone else said. Her cage is her home, and sometimes, like us, she just doesn't feel like having people in her home. Respect it when you can and wait to do the cage cleaning and toy filling until she is engaged in something outside her cage.

I can touch Dorian pretty much anywhere, but forget about spreading his wings, he's drawn a very clear line there. It's why I've never even considered harness training for him. He's happy and safe enough going outside in his travel cage. You're right about family members, they'd have to commit to training and very likely taking some bites to change their relationship. If everyone's content with the way things are then leave well enough alone for now. Lol at "growing into her feet"

So I'm in the kitchen doing the dishes listening to Dorian happily chewing away on cardboard, as he does most afternoons. Then I have the distinct thought, "Um, I haven't given him his cardboard box yet today". I look over to his play stand and see that I pushed it a little too close to my DVD's. Grrrrr p.s. I can't get my picture of the DVD case to upload from my iPad, so just imagine Angel Season 1 box spine with the area all around David's pretty little head chewed off.

Hey, if antique dealers can convince people that rust is patina, we should be able to convince them that bites in the wood is 'character'.

Something is up around here guys. Mom's got the box with wheels out and she's putting clothes into it. I heard her on the phone thingy talking about that Toronto guy, and some birdy called Jason Mraz. Is now she seeing two birdies behind my butt feathers?

Nancy, just tell the Real Estate Agent that damaged trim will be replaced after a deal is signed. Do it any sooner and you're bailing water out of the Titanic!

Lol. You've been had by Stealth Gilbert!