Acappella

Yay Rishi. Keep getting stronger little one. Your mom and dad, and all of us here, love you:)

I know what you mean. Dorian taught me something I never knew about blueberries - the skins are very aerodynamic and, when dry, their adhesion to a variety of surfaces rivels many so-called super glues:blink:

Dorian absolutely becomes hyper and agitated at his bedtime, and it happens very fast, like a switch is flipped. One moment he's calm and preening, the next moment I hear his 'tired birdy' chirp, he begins pacing about, and there's nothing to do but turn off the lights and say g'night, so Shanti isn't alone:)

I wish I'd known that not everyone in my life would be as fascinated by Dorian's every antic as I am. That's why I'm glad I found this place and youl lot:laugh:

When will a grey be loudest? In the morning, before bedtime and Any Time You Try To Talk On The Phone:evil: :angry: And when the person on the phone asks you how old the child in the background is, and you tell them it's a parrot, forget whatever you were talking about; you are now talking about the bird:laugh:

I'm so sorry that you lost your friend. You did everything you could and I'm sure your baby felt loved and cherised. I hope the hole in your life and your heart heals as quickly as it can.

Welcome to the group. There are a lot of great people here with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Looking forward to hearing more about you and Bailey.

Yay, Macy's coming home. I'm so glad you got good news. Please let us know what the vet thinks the problem was once you get your baby settled at home again.

This happened to Dorian during a night terror a while back. He dealt with it himself, trying to preen it back into place like Dave said. A few days later it was on the cage bottom. No worries.

Teaka, only our greys know why they do the things they do, and sometimes I swear I see Dorian himself thinking "why'd I do that?!":P As for Mr.D and baths, he has to be the one to decide it's time for one, or it doesn't go over well at all. When I know it's about time he should be craving one, I make sure I change the water in his dish a few times in the afternoon. Since he likes fresh, cold water to bathe in, he'll eventually take the hint, though sometimes not on the first day I start doing this. Once he's started himself off in the dish, then he'll let me help him out with the spray bottle, lifting his wings for me to get all the itchy spots. However, if I try to spray him before he's started his bath on his own he locks down his wings and glares at me!:angry:<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/09/13 20:30

Substituting less aggresive words when I might have previously sworn has become such a habit with me, even when there are no birds or young children around, that it's given my friends some laughs. I guess it does sound funny when I say "fudge" or "shoot" or "sugar" with the same voice and vehemence I would have used with other words.

So sorry your baby is sick. I hope there is good news from the vet soon.

Sadly, there is no off button. You can hit 'pause' with the presentation of a favourite treat;) You wanted a talker, here he is. Another case proving the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for"{Feel-good-000200A2}

Hello and welcome. Zooz is beautiful. If he is lifting up his wings when you are spraying him then he is enjoying it and wants you to get him wet under the wings and everywhere else. Many people here have birds that clamp their wings down tight and sulk through the whole bath so you're lucky Zooz knows a bath is a good thing! I am able to get aloe vera juice at health food stores here in Canada. I hope you're able to find it. Dorian doesn't like his fruits and veggies cold, and he'll often fling them out of his dish if I haven't let them warm up to at least room temperature before I give them to him. Except blueberries. He loves them so much he'll eat them any time!

Just remember these days a year from now when Yoshi has decided that the best sound in the world to mimic is the tea kettle boiling, or a truck backing up, or your alarm clock. You'll long for these quiet days:P

Maybe you could do something to make the travel cage different when it's being used for a time out than when it's is used for trips. When it's a time out strip it of toys and treats and put it in a place where there's no fun, away from her flock. When your travelling put her toys and fav things back in so it's a fun place to be.

wildiesel, I admire your desire to have Modus with you for more hours of the day, and I believe you are honestly trying to figure out the safest way to do this. Leaving the issue of wing clipping aside for now, my concern, having some second-hand experience in car customizing shops, has to do with the fumes and air-borne particles that Dan mentioned. I know these shops are extremely well ventilated, but you can still smell the chemicals in the air. Even if you plan to keep Modus in the front room where no car work is done, the system is only going to be as strong as the weakest link in it. Can you honestly trust every co-worker and customer in the shop to be as vigilant about keeping doors closed as you know you will be? Have you considered getting a large cage, as large as the space will allow, and letting Modus hang out with you all day safely inside it. If you fill it with special treats and toys he could have a grand old time all day watching the activity in and out of the office. You also wouldn't have the worry of having somebody who doesn't speak parrot body language getting too close to him and losing a fingertip;) You could bring him out for a while when it is quiet and calm, but when you have to step out you would know he was safe. Just another option.

I personally made the no shoulder rule because greys are easily startled and will grab the first thing they see to steady themselves. Not out of meanness, it's just their instinct. That beak can do serious damage to an earlobe or a cheek. Also, what if you need your bird to step-off your shoulder and he doesn't want to. Awkward position to force a step-up, with too much delicate skin too close. I know it's more convenient sometimes to have both hands free, but having a perch in each room where you spend time can free up your hands and keep your skin in tact! It's a personal choice, and you have to take your birds personality into consideration. One thing is for sure, if you allow it now it will be very difficult to change later.

Welcome to the family. There is so much information here, and alot of members that have taken on older, rehomed, birds. Your poor baby is only 3 years old and already on her third home. Take things very slowly. Her instinct will be to defend her cage because it's her safe place in a life that has been very chaotic. Is her cage in a spot where she can see the activity in a home, but still feel safe, like in a corner or against at least one wall so she feels less exposed? The fact that she's talked a little bit is a great sign, but take things slowly. Sit by her cage and talk softly to her, let her get used to your presence and your voice. If there are other people in your household, encourage them to do the same. Greys often choose one person as their favourite, but you can socialize her to accepts other flock members. For example, let the less-favoured people be the ones to give her a treat (just put it in a bowl at first if there's the danger of a bite). Tell new people who approach her cage to talk in a soothing voice, not to make sudden movements, and don't invade her space. Expecially not with their hands, unless they like bleeding:P You can avoid most, if not all, bites, if you learn to read her body language. Just do a forum search at the top of the page. I'd also advise doing some reading aside from this site. 'The Second-hand Parrot' put out by Barron's is a good one to start with. Look around the forum for other book recommendations. Trust your instincts about the person you had trim your birds talons. It sounds to me like she was trying to modify your birds behaviour with dominance behaviour, and this isn't the best way to train a grey. It works with dogs because they're wired to obey the dominant member of a pack. Birds are part of a flock and want the attention and approval of their flock members. Ignoring bad behaviour, and rewarding good behavoiur, works best. Check out Barbara Heidenreich at Good Bird Inc. for a good explanation of positive reinforcement training, (plus, of course, do a search here for lots of info) When you are working with a grey you have to think in terms of weeks and months, and sometimes, years, because you are dealing with a companion animal that is long-lived. That's whey I'd bet that one of the most-used words on this forum is . . . Patience;) Good luck with your new family member. We're alway here to help.

You're doing a great job with Jim, letting him take things at his own pace. It sounds like he's figuring out that his new home is a safe place, and you won the lottery. I mean, a grey who 'asks' for a bath, instead of locking down his feathers, running away from the water bottle, and looking at you with eyes that scream "how could you do this terrible thing to me, you bad bad parront!". :angry:

Happy belated h-day Ana Grey.

Dan, you need to send this video to "The Planet's Funniest Animals" and get Dayo some international screen time. They need more bird time, and this video is a shoe in, IMHOB)

Looks like a good deal to me. If it's used, just make sure you clean & disinfect it well. I like your idea of augmenting it with some rope perches and toys. If you expand it you'll probably have to put paper or something under the whole thing to catch poops the metal tray won't:ohmy:

You forgot ear plugs:P

So glad that Indy is ok. I gues you have to know you bird and what he/she are likely to do, and then keep a good eye on their toys anyway. Dorian doesn't pick at his toys where they hang, but if one is hanging from one of these links I'll make sure I tighten it every day. I agree, Chris sounds like a great parront. A man who stays cool in a crisis, and knows his way around a tool box is a keeper;)