Acappella

I do a contact whistle with Dorian, and I'm trying to teach him the first line of "IF I Only had a Brain", but other than that, I talk back to him when he whistles for me. He's a very clear talker, but does it mostly when I'm out of the room, or at least out of his sight. When I'm in the room with him he hardly talks or vocalizes at all because he has what he wants - me. lol

Looking good. He does look a little fed up with the camera in the third picture lol.

I've been wondering how your baby is. Did you take her to the vet, or did it clear up on its own. Please update. We all do really care about each other's birds.

I know how much it means when a bird who has been resistant to physical contact lifts that little grey foot to willingly come with you. It just steals your heart. I know how hard it is to stay calm and steady on the outside when you're doing the dance of joy on the inside. I see lots of quiet dancing in your future!

Welcome to the forum. Glad to hear things are going well so far. A great thing to do on the forum is to go through and read the 'stickies' at the top of each forum room. They contain basic care and instructions for our greys and are full of great information for a newbie. Just jump in reading and participating in threads and you'll see that this forum is full of members who truly care about each other's birds.

Welcome to the forum. Does your new bird have a name? Is he flighted or clipped? Did he have a DNA test so you know for sure he's a boy? (e've had lots of members here surprised by DNA over the years) On the trip home make a few stops. He may feel more comfortable having a drink or a shack if the car isn't moving. Regarding the dogs, I'm glad to see you're taking the potential risk seriously. A tragedy can happen literally in the blink of an eye. Your grey may be afraid of the dogs, or he may want to make friends - it depends on his personality and how timid he is. Either way, it sounds like you've figured out a way to make sure they're kept separated when your grey is out of his cage. Don't rush your bird to be physically with you right away. Set up his cage (if he comes with his own cage, set it up just like it way in his first home) and let him observe your household from the safety of the cage. Sit by him and talk or read to him so he gets used to your voice. The cage is best set up in a spot where at least one wall is against a wall in the room - in a corner is good too. That way he can see what's going on around him but feels protected as well. Once you get him home and settled in his cage, take some pictures to share with us. We love pictures of each other's birds.

I agree with Dan, if you can borrow or rent a vehicle big enough to transport her cage, and then set it up at your place just like it was at her old one, it will do a lot to make her feel safer and more secure. Take a picture befor it's disasembled, and then put it together the same way. What are you going to transport her in? Just talk to her while enroute - tell her where you're going and why, tell her about your home and how much you're looking forward to sharing your home with her. Get her used to your voice and start building trust. Having one of these guys in your life will change it forever. Let us know how the homecoming goes.

Gracie is one of my favourites here, although I love everyone's fids, of course. It's just that you've been able to work with her right from the start and that's resulted in a smart, funny companion. Like raising a child in optimal conditions, you've allowed her to express and explore her full personality. All that, and now she wants physical contact too! You've won the birdy lottery my friend.

Yah Issac. I really do wonder if he was sensing your illness like they've documented some other animals doing, like cancer sniffing dogs etc...

I'm so sorry you've lost Zoey. Our pets bring so much love and life into our lives, but outliving them is often the price. We all know she was surrounded by the love of her family all her life, not just her last few days. If I was there I'd give you a big hug, so imagine you're getting one right now. Love from Marguerite and Dorian.

Your baby is a cutie, but if that abrasion isn't better by now, I'd be vet bound as well. Let us know what's going on.

Hi Konza. Do you have a parrot, or are researching before bringing one home? Either way, welcome to the forum.

It may be a long time before you can touch him. Heck, my Dorian has been with me for 7years, and touching is still very much on his terms. They take a long time to trust, even longer if there was some abuse before papoo came to live with you. The two most important jobs you have right now are 1. to start building trust and 2. to improve his cage (from your picture his cage doesn't look like a proper grey cage). For trust, just let him observe you with TooToo. Have his cage in a spot in your house where he can see what's going on, but where at least one cage wall is against a wall so he doesn't feel overly vulnerable. Talk to him constantly and tell him what you are doing and why. Don't try to push him into the new cage. Assemble it in view of him and them slowly, probably over a course of days, move it closer to his existing cage. If he shows sighs of fear move it back again. When it's close enough, use a perch to connect the two cages and then give him the time to make his own decision to explore the new cage. (Hint: if he has a favourite treat let him see you put some in the new cage food dishes.). As you respect his space and earn his trust you'll start to see his true personality emerge. He may test you with some unwanted behaviour. Many re-homes come with some baggage; emotional damage from prior abuse, even grieving for his old home. Just be patient and come here with any questions or concerns and we'll walk you through.

Trust your gut and your nursing abilities. If anyone can pull her through this by sheer force of will, it's you. <3

She may have been punishing him for disapearing on her, and now his punishment is over. Like Brat Birds said, just keep a close eye on her body language in case she reverts, since she's obviously capable of a bit of moody sulking. lol

Yep, that's a mess. I know what it's like to finally see that kind of mess when you inherit a bird that doesn't know how to play. You go Gil girl.

OMG that's a funny story. It may beat my favourite Dorian story, which I haven't told for a good long while. I was in our garage doing some organizing and my Dad came out and said "There you are. I thought you were in the basement" Turns out he'd been "talking" to me for the last half hour. He'd hit some button on the remote and made the TV snowy. Thinking I was in the basement he'd gone to the top of the stairs and yelled down "Marguerite, could you come up and fix this damn remote" "I" answered "Coming upstairs" He went back to the living room and sat down and waited. When I didn't appear he went back to the stairs and yelled for me again, and again "I' answered "Coming upstairs". The third time he was just at the stairs when he heard a power tool being used in the garage. He realized I was in the garage, and he'd been talking to the bird!!!

I know there are members here who have had their birds shipped to them and have received wonderfully sociallized confidant fids, but darn if I can think of which members they are. As for what is meant by interaction, that can be both physical and verbal. Physical interation may be a bit of a challenge because we're big around these parts on reading your birds' body language. About the only physical cue you can hear is when they're happily grinding their beaks. Having another family member who can read these cues will help you physically bond with your fid. I would make shoulder off limits until you're darn sure of your birds natural disposition. I know my bird, Dorian, loves me, but I will never have him on my shoulder because he is so easily startled. A high-strung bird can inflict some extra body piercing on you even if there was no aggresion intended. Of course, verbal interation is a big deal with these birds. Talk to them, read to them, tell them what you're doing, respond to their contact calls. You'll be amazed at how much communication you can have with one of these guys. You're doing the right thing by doing your research ahead of time. Welcome to the forum.

The way I got Dorian to accept a new cage was 1. I assembled it within his line of sight but not so close that he was afraid of it. 2. I gradually moved it closer and closer to his cage, stopping if he showed any sign of fear or agression. 3. When it was close enough, I connected the two cages with a fabric Booda perch (his favorite type of perch) so that he could travel from the old cage to the new. 4. I put some of his favorite treats in the dishes of the new cage and I made darn sure he saw me doing it. This whole process took at least a couple of weeks, but my re-homed guy, Dorian, is cautious in the extreme, even for a grey. Their natural curiousity will eventually get the best of them, just don't rush your bird. Like others here have said, we know that all you want to do is to improve your birds' life, but your new companion only knows that once again his life has been turned upside down and his reflex as a prey animal is to go on high alert and defend himself. Oh, and as far as the screaming goes, everyone in the house has to ignore it 100% of the time or it will not work. Think about it. If you respond to him after he has screamed for half an hour you've just taught him to scream for half an hour. Any type of response is a no no. Don't yell, don't approach the cage, don't answer etc. If you have to stay within his sight line turn your back to him until he either makes a nicer sound or is quiet for a few seconds. The behaviour can be mostly extiguished pretty quickly if everyone is consistent, but don't be surprised if there are some relapses. This is one of the ways they're so like human children. They will test you to find their limits. Congratulations on your new feathered friend.

If the lip bite was a lunge, I'm betting you missed some body language that might have warned you. She may have been over-excited about being on Daddy's head (which I wouldn't do, but we chose our battles and fight them one at a time). Have you read the sticky in the Training room of the forum on body language? Really paying attention to Dorian's body language has helped us go for a loooong time without a bite. I think the last real bite was when I had to remove him from a place he really wanted to be and couldn't safely be. You may be right about her losing her grip, or maybe she thought you were coming in to take her away from daddy. I rarely go in for a kiss from Dorian unless he's in a beak grindingly good mood, and if there's any doubt I restrict myself to a kiss on a wing. Sorry about your bumps and bruises. How incredulous was your doctor when you admitted how you got them?

I've never had a baby bird, but from reading on here it's not abnormal to be a little clumsy. If you're really worried about her falling, keep her perches rather low for now, and put old towels in the bottom of the cage, or anywhere else she might fall to, to cushing a fall. You can move things up as she gets more sure of herself.

Booo to the store for the evil clip. Hopefully they'll grow out soon and she can be a birdy. Was she allowed to fledge before the clip so that when they grow back she'll know how to fly?

How beautiful is Alexandra! So excited to have someone a close as Toronto on the forum. I'm in Lindsay, so only a little over an hour away. I know about people not "getting" having birds. I've been on the receiving end of some really tactless behaviour from people who don't get how these guys wrap their talons around our hearts. Glad she responded well to the shower. So much of our birds here hate getting wet.

Maybe saying "gentle, no bite" right at the time she bites, and again right as she goes into timeout, it will help her connect everything.

I suspect the " ow ow" after she bites is entertaining to her, especially as she's repeating it to you. Stop doing it, just say " gentle" with a really sad face and sad body language and walk her to her cage. Then ignore her for a few minutes, back turned or leave the room. There has to be no entertaining payoff for her after she bites. She has to lose something she values, if only for a couple of minutes, when her behaviour is out of line, and in this case it's time with, and attention from, her flock. Be 100% consistent when she bites and the behaviour should extinguish. ( Of course, then she'll find another way to test you, that's what a grey toddler does Lol)