Acappella

Thanks for all the kind comments guys. I've actually never liked my voice. I wanted Alannah Myles and got Maureen Forrester (light). However, with Dorian's commentary in the background, it gets harder and harder to take myself toooo seriously lol.

Kopi, you must listen to Spock and take your medicine. He knows all about what it's like not to feel well, and I know you're a fighter like him. No more scares for your mommy, now, y'hear? We all love you here. <3

His bell is a constant, and the only thing left from his life before me. He plays with it, beats the stuffing out of it, swings from it, and uses it to call for his servant (when he's in what I call 'Demando' mode). Every parrot should have one!

"'Cause you can't jump the tracks, we're like cars on a cable, And life's like an hour-glass glued to the table No one can find the re-wind button now So cradle your head in your hands, and, breathe, just breathe, breathe, just breathe, There's a light at the end of this tunnel you shout 'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out And these mistakes you make, you'll just make them again If you only try turning around" "Breathe" by Anna Nalick <3

OK, so this is a normal evening around here. I sit at the piano, and Dorian "accompanies" me. Not sure if he's singing along, or trying to drown me out though! It takes him about halfway through the first song to really get going, but by the end he's in full goofball mode. Enjoy!

OMG, now he's climbed up to the second level of the thing. Who are you, and what have you done with Dorian?!

Success!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry it's sideways. I thought I could turn it, but I haven't figured out how to yet

Giving a needy bird a new home is sooooo worth it. It will be a lot of work, but after you've had her a while and can look back on how far she's come, you'll know it was meant to be. Let us know what the avian vet says.

I find that Dorian looks for cues from me if he hears a scary sound or sees something that startles him. If I reassure him with my words, tone, and body language that everything is ok and safe, he just goes on normally.

I don't have any experience with bonded pairs, so what I'm about to say is based soley on the reading I've done here over the years. It's my understanding that if you have two greys together in the same cage they will bond with each other more than with their parront. If your desire is to have a relationship with them both you should house them in separate cages, kept in the same room, probably side by side. This will incourage more independant play. Hopefully someone here with experience of multiple greys will have more to add.

First, a little pre-story story. One word Dorian hears a lot around here is ooops. I have fibromyalgia, and the fatigue and pain makes me clumsy, the pain in my hands means I drop things often. (Sometimes I say ooop-a-daisy, but Dorian's only said ooops-a so far. I'm sure the 'Daisy isn't far behind.) So yesterday I had Dorian upstairs in the bathroom on his tabletop stand with some water and some pellets while I got ready to take a shower, and I saw D's new game. He picks up a pellet, tosses it to the ground, and says "ooops". Repeat ad nauseum. Oooops indeed! :rolleyes:

Thank you for providing a home for these greys. You provided lots of great information, but I have one question. Are they in the same cage or in separate cages?

I'm nervous about wild-found wood around here becase we're in west-nile virus territory and there's been aerial spraying here in years past. The branches appeared natural. The staff did tell me someone else had bought a branch before for their bird, but I wanted some second, third and fourth opinions. Had to come to my budddies here, y'know?

Hey guys. I was in a furniture store in Toronto and they had these huge branches as decorations for sale. They look like Java wood to me, but the staff didn't know what kind of wood they were. If they are bird safe, I'd be able to buy a big branch for a little over $100 th

I'm glad to hear things are getting better. I always hold Dorian's toes when he's on my hand because he's so easily startled. It took him awhile to get use to it, but now he doesn't seen to mind most times. It's so funny that your stubborn little monkey decided not to step up for you when you started doing it. There's certainly a huge personality in that little body. Keep up the great work.

I would tell Kate to give up on the scratches for a while and instead keep a foot toy that Murphy likes, and a couple treats, with her when she sits down and he flies over. That way her interactions with him will be positive and she'll start to relax. End every interaction while it's going well so everyone is happy. If she does give scratches, only do it for a second or two, before he has a chance to turn, stop, and then praise the heck out of him, give him a treat. That way you build on success, and he'll want more. Also, the advice about watching those eyes is priceless. Teach Kate about pinning and how to read Murphy and most, if not all, of those bites can be avoided.

So glad to hear about an adult bird in need finding a great new home. My Dorian was also a re-home. Your peanut will have some baggage, and it will take time for you to get to know each others' likes and dislikes, but it's soooo worth it. What is the situation with the former owner? I know you said there was an accident. Are you able to communicate with him/her, or anyone else who might know more about Peanuts' routine in his previous home. (Are you even sure he is a he, was there ever a dna test done/) Do you know if the previous owner routinely bathed/sprayed him? If they did, you definately want to keep it up, but if he didn't, you might want to back off and wait until trust is established before you try to introduce new things. It sounds like the cage is placed well, up against a couple of walls so he doesn't feel exposed or vulnerable. You said you work from home. Do you work in the room where the cage is? You want to give Peanut the chance to sit back and observe the household without pressuring him to interact too early. Sit by the cage and read, work, talk on the phone, just let him get used to your presence and your voice. Let him know what you're doing, tell him if you're leaving the room when you'll be back, do a contact call to him when you're out of sight. All this will reassure him that he's landed in a safe place. If you're going to open the cage door and let him out, do it when you know you're going to be home for a few hours. That way there's no pressure or drama to get him back inside on your schedule. Also, don't close the door on him as soon as he goes back in for a snack or he'll learn that going inside means being trapped, and he'll be harder to cage. Let him wander in and out a few times. I wouldn't try to step him up right now, especially from inside the cage. As others have said, that's his safe spot right now, and it's understandable if he's defensive of his home. As for eating, the most effective way to get a grey to try a new food is if he sees you eating it! Like a child, if he thinks you're having something he's not allowed, it suddenly becomes very desirable. Eat your meals by his cage. He's a flock animal, and eating together with the other members of the flock is a natural activity. I often keep a small portion of my meal off to the side of my plate and keep it free of salt and other additives, then offer Dorian a bite while I'm eating. This is the only way I've been successful in getting him to try new things. Enjoy getting to know your new family member.

I think I'd need more information before I made a decision either way about this project. Just because a book has been optioned and a screenplay is in development means very little in the real world. Projects like this can float around 'Hollywood' for years and never get any real traction. A big part of this reality is the search for funding. These film makers may just be using the internet to help get over this hurdle. There's every chance that they are well-intentioned persons looking for innovative ways to tell the educational and inspirational story of Alex's life. Certainly the public support of Dr. Pepperburg would be a step in the right direction, but I'd like to know more than the website currently provides. What will be the focus of the story? If it's going to get the full "Hollywood" romanticizing treatment a film like this could actually be harmful to the welfare of birds in captivity, much like what happened to the numbers of dalmations in rescue after the film '101 Dalmations" hit the silver screen. My msg to the founders of this thread would be: I'm very glad you've discovered the story of Dr. Pepperburg and Alex. Her work is very near and dear to the hearts of parrot lovers in general, and grey lovers specifically. Please, as you're writing your screenplay and shopping it out for funding, try to strike a balance between showing the world how intelligent and delightful these animals are, and showing the hard work and dedication it takes to develop a relationship like the one the Dr. had with Alex. Don't take it personally if your project is being viewed with some trepidation right now. You may be paying for the sins of people before you who have used the internet as a tool to scam, rather than to educate. Some of us will just need more information before we jump on board. Keep us in the loop. If you are everything you say you are it will become obvious in time. I hope your meeting with Dr. Pepperburg goes well.

You're doing great. I know it's hard when you're on your last nerve, and you hear that sound that just drives you nuts. Dorian has picked up a wild bird cry, but at CAG volume, so we're working on some sound extinguishing here as well. I find a deep deeeep breath (or two) is the best coping device I have. I really commend you for doing the work with your baby now that will make him a good companion for years. Too many times a situation like yours ends up in a re-home. Yes there are times when you wonder what you've gotten yourself into, but if you take that deep breath and remind yourself of some of the positives of having Murphy in your life you'll get through it. We're always here to let you vent, and offer our 2 cents worth.

OMG, that video of the baby flapping its wings is so cute. 'Flap flap flap, oops my head is heavy, tipping over now!'

I'm going to guess that Leo is paired with cats?

Oh Well

Spain is relentless with possession, just waiting for the opposition to make a mistake, and the Dutch have been making defensive mistakes, so that's got me worried as well. Going to be a tense afternoon Sunday

LOL. I'm Canadian, but lets face it, we're not getting into the World Cup until they have a 'pity' group. My dad was born in Holland, so I grew up in a house that was soccer obsessed, although my Opa did become a hockey fan. Dad watched the game yesterday with a bunch of other Dutch transplants. He's sooooo happy. The party for the final on Sunday is already planned. Now, gooooo Spain.

We had a couple of beautiful singing canaries in the store for a while, and I was really tempted, but having my cat, Jac, around would have been too stressful for the little guy. Plus, not sure I wanted to hear a canary song at African Grey volumes Please do post when he settles in a starts to sing, it's such a lovely, happy, sound.