Acappella

Could be his contact call. Is he doing it when you're in the room or out of the room?

Just looked at the pictures you posted in your photo album. Jaq'o is a very pretty TAG.

I remember the wait for grades. It's agonizing. My advice. Get to making parrot toys. It'll fill up your time.

It might be even more effective if, when he does try to bite, you don't just back away. Make a sad face, shake your head, say no bite, and then turn your back on the cage for a minute. They're very attuned to our tone of voice and facial expressions. Also, because they're flock animals, they want to be 'with', even if their feeling about you are still unsure, so your presence and attention are a real currency with Jaq'o

That would be an id band put on by his breeder when he was a baby.

Talon, it's hard isn't it when you see a disaster on the horizon and there's nothing you can do. When my parents did their will in 1991 and told me that they'd made Gary and I co-executors I begged them to change it. Same after my mom died, but my dad, like a lot of parents I suspect, didn't want to admit his children didn't get along. Last summer, when it was clear dad wasn't going to last for much longer I again asked dad to change things, then went to the lawyer to see if I had any options. I told him it was like standing on train tracks watching a train bearing down on you and being unable to move. Now, it's actually been worse than I thought it was going to be, and that's really saying something. One of those rare times when being right is no fun at all. As far as understanding someone who commits suicide, I just don't think it's possible if you don't suffer from true, clinical depression. It's not just feeling hopeless or sad, it's a very physical feeling, like your whole body is out of sync, and painfully so. The closest I can come to explaining the feeling is, imagine walking around with your finger stuck in an electric socket, 24/7. Your whole body is vibrating with pain, your mind is racing and looping with thoughts of fear and worthlessness. I didn't start to come out of this cycle until my doctor found a combination of prescriptions that eased the worst of the symptoms, and it took a while to find the right drugs. The key to staying alive with this disease is having connections with the world, like my connection with Dorian. When my mind could find no good reason not to hurt myself, the knowledge that I would be hurting someone else was enough to stay my hand. If someone you know deals with depression, the most important thing you can do is to stay connected to them, and believe them if they really start talking about hurting themselves, especially with kids. I don't know about the U.S., but I believe here in Canada suicide is either the #1, or #2 cause of death amoung teens.

Y'know that saying, 'always leave them wanting more'? Well, it's golden with a grey. You did great, ending the interaction while it was still positive instead of pushing until he had to push you away. That's how you build trust. Now, just hold that little success in your heart and give him some time to mull it over. Because greys are so intelligent, you can bet he's busy in his little head trying to figure you and the rest of his strange new flock out. He may be just as surprised by your interaction as you are. You're doing great.

sigh. My brother was just here, and I need to vent a little. I've been having a very hard time since my fathers death in October. I have dealt with debilitating depression since my teens, and Fibromyalgia for 17 years. I cared for dad in this home for years, and full time for the nine months between when he was sent home as a palliative patient and his death. Three days after my fathers funeral my brother told me he wanted me out and the house on the market in two weeks. I've been fighting him since. I was totally wrung out physically and emotionally, and came very close on a few occasions to ending my own life, turning myself in to the hospital instead to keep from harming myself. If I didn't have Dorian and Jac (kitty) here depending on me I might have made very different decisions. At my lowest points it was Dorian and the relationship I've established with him, and nothing else, that keep me above ground. I know that if I disappeared from his life it would threaten the progress he's made while I've had him here, and I couldn't be selfish enough to do something that would hurt him. People who have never had a pet like a grey can't understand the depth of the relationship that these birds are capable of. I can't treat his presence in my life lightly because his trust and his love was so hard to earn. That's why I enjoy the people on this forum so much, because you understand. Happily, the end is in sight. I have a new home closing on June 14th, and this house is sold for July 15th. Then we just have to pay the bills, close the account, and I can choose not to see the jackass anymore. At this point my doctor is telling me that if I need to give him more than he's entitled to just to get him the *#!@ out of my life, then it's worth it. Money really does bring out the very very ugliest parts of a person, and when you're dealing with someone who treats you like crap on a normal day, well, lets just say having him around is not good for my body or my mind.

I don't know if the other members will agree with me or not, but my instinct is to let him hang in his new cage and keep the door shut for at least a few days. I know this is contrary to the common assertion that a grey needs several hours of out-of-cage time to be happy and healthy, but here's my thinking. If you have to glove/towel him to get him into his cage, then that is the opposite of ending every interaction on a positive note. In addition to being afraid of you, he's probably afraid of all the space in his new cage. To be happy, a grey needs to feel his cage is a safe place. If you have to manhandle him to put him into the new cage he may start to associate negative emotions to the new cage, and to you. I would leave the door closed and let him settle.

This sounds a little new-agey but it worked for me. An animal behariourist I had over early on in Dorian's life with me told me to approach him as if he was already the bird I wanted him to be. I swear it helped. They are so sensitive to our moods, our body language, the tone of our voices. When I started approaching Dorian with a happy spirit and a relaxed body, he responded by being more relaxed and happy with me. This is a case of "train the human, not the bird" lol.

Yeah, you can bet he's sitting there furiously trying to figure out what the heck is happening. One thing I forgot, greys need 10 - 12 hours of dark sleep time every night. It will help his stress and help him be more resilient to the changes going on in his life.

Just let Jaq'O chill and observe. Sit beside his cage and talk to him quietly. It's best if his cage is up against at least one wall so that he doesn't have to be 'on guard' from all directions. Somewhere he can observe the activities of his new flock, but have some security in his new cage. Also, try to limit the things that might startle him. For example, if you are coming into the room let him know. If you are carrying something that might scare him, warn him. Once, when Dorian was still new here, I came into the room carrying a big box and it scared the stuffing out of him, caused him to startle off a perch and break a feather. Now, as long as I warn him, and tell him 'it' won't hurt him, he knows he's safe. That kind of trust takes time to build, especially with a bird who has been abused and neglected. Also, grey time is slooooowwww. With a rescue situation like yours, we could be talking in terms of months, even years, before he is the bird you want him to be. Luckily, we have that time because greys are so long lived. It can be frustrating for us humans, but learn to celebrate every little step forward. We're here to cheer you on. Bless you for rescuing this little grey soul. He doesn't know it yet, but his life is going to get better every day from this day forward. <3

Welcome to the flock.

Welcome. Lots of great info and people here. Happy browsing.

And of course they're counting on finding a lot of soft hearted people on a forum like this. Unfortunately for them, soft hearted does not = stupid.

My first thought was also along the lines of bedtime. Maybe he is over tired. They can be like little kids who get over tired and grumpy. Is he getting a full 10 - 12 hours sleep a night?

Hey Dave, ever had your thread hijacked by a totally adorable colt before? lol I saw in the off-topic room you solved the photobucket problem. What did you have to do?

Our local nursing home had a parrot in residence for almost 25 years (he just passed away last month) widely known as 'Tony the swearing parrot'. He'd been the companion of a patient with Alzeimers and when the man was admitted to the nursing home, so was Tony. The patient died almost 20 years ago, but Tony stayed on entertaining/offending residents and visitors. They're missing him so much they asked me for the contact info for a local parrot rescue so they can fill his empty cage. The next resident probably won't have a potty mouth though.

Thanks guys. I knew I was right to post here because I wouldn't hear 'it's just a cat'. I hold all life precious and I know the members of this forum do as well. Nice to know I'm among kindred spirits.

I was driving home last night in a heavy fog, so I only had my low beams on. Just coming over a small hill an orange cat ran out in front of me. I swerved and tried to miss it but I couldn't. I pulled over and went back and picked the cat up from the middle of the road and it was still barely alive and bleeding from it's ears. I sat with it and pet it until it died and then went to the closest house to see if the cat was theirs (no collar or tag) but it wasn't. There was a feed supply store and another farm close by but no lights on. I phoned the feed supply today and they said they'd talk to the farm and see if the cat belonged to them. My dad's girlfriend's cat was hit by a car and killed and no one came to her home, and I didn't want to do that to someone. I guess I just needed to vent to animal lovers who would understand because I still feel bad. I know we're in the country, and that barn cats roam, but I wish there was a way to contain them the way we do dogs. That awful thud keeps repeating in my mind. I just want to say an 'I'm sorry' to the universe for causing the death of an animal, ya'know?

Sweetie, I'm so sorry that this happened to you and your family.

Listening to Jason Mraz's new CD, and Train's. Looking forward to the new one from Colin James.

Third - ed