Acappella

I wish everyone who brings a bird, or any other animal, into their life would give it the thought and do the research like you have. Your future fid (or fids, they're kind of addictive) will be very lucky to have you.

I'm so happy for you that you found out the problem and got help for Sherlock in time. Now all you have to do is be more stubborn than a grey and get her highness to improve her diet.B)

OMG, that was funny. Glad you said in advance that he wasn't hurt, 'cause that thud sounded loud. If you replace the rope you'll have to put a some foam underneah it in case he hasn't learned his lesson. :laugh: You have to send that to Planets Funniest Animals! Make Misty a star.

Just like kids, our fids do things like speak when they want to, not when we want them to. Holding them up to compare with other birds is only going to make their parronts nutty In my experience, the only guaranteed way to get your bird to speak is to have someone say a word you'd rather not ever hear repeated:P

As Dorain likes to say, "WhoooHooooo" Hugs to you and Sherlock.

Hey Jeanie. I just read your profile. Sounds like fate wanted you to have this specific bird! Pogi is beatiful. The only way to tell gender, other than the bird laying an egg, is to have a dna test done. Maybe it's something to think about at your next vet visit. The vet might be able to estimate an age as well. Some birds pick up new things faster when they're younger. As for talking, each bird has such an individual personality it's hard to generalize, but I think the best way to encourage talking is to talk alot to the bird. Some members read to their bird from childrens' books. The more fun and animated your voice the more it might intrigue Pogi. Dorian and I 'converse' all day, enough to make me grateful no one else is around most of the time to hear me:lol: Even so, his babble is more than half playing with sound effects, or mixing random words with sounds. Make a big deal when Pogi does speak a word. They love praise. Then again, who doesn't. Love and patience go a long way with a grey so keep us posted on your progress.

Sorry about the multiple post. Dorian went walkabout on my keyboard:silly:

Another perfect example of why it's important to trust your instincts. Your concern about the leg band is completely valid, and your wanting her to get a microchip just means you and your boyfriend are loving and responsible parronts. You don't substitute someone else's judgement for your own just because they're "experts". Ash is lucky to have you.

Another perfect example of why it's important to trust your instincts. Your concern about the leg band is completely valid, and your wanting her to get a microchip just means you and your boyfriend are loving and responsible parronts. You don't substitute someone else's judgement for your own just because they're "experts". Ash is lucky to have you.

<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/04/06 20:50

I hope the news at the vet today was good. Love to you both from me and Dorian.

Ranz, I subscribe to Barbara Heidenreichs' e-mail list and I just received a link for a free video on how to train your bird to accept nail trimming. It's the first of three videos, and the way it's worded it does sound like all three videos will be free. I can't post the link here because their system comfirms your e-mail address before they send you the link, but if you subscribe you should have access to it. She's well respected and I've liked her dvds in the past, but I haven't had time to download this video yet. Her web site is www.goodbirdinc.com

Bless you for taking Topal out of an environment that was no longer optimal for him. The trust will come. Dorian is 5, and I've had him almost 1 1/2 years. I'm already scoping out my cousins' kids for his future caregiver. Got my eye on one that wants to be a vet. I just have to convince her she can treat birds AND horses (her current obsession-she's 7)

So glad to meet another person who has done the research and really thought about the decision to bring a grey into your life. They are a lot of work, but soooo much fun. Dorian makes me laugh out loud at least once every day, and that's worth a lot. There is plenty here to keep you reading and make time pass a little faster. Welcome

Glad to hear things are going so smoothly. Chimay will be running your home and your life in no time (if he isn't already:laugh: )

Ace is such a doll. Please don't take him outside without a harness. I understand you're holding his toes but what if something startles you both at the same time and you reflexively move your fingers. Or what if he digs in his talons? Again, your reflex to let go of the thing hurting you would kick in before your brain could over-ride it. I can tell you love him so much. Please don't take anything for granted.

Happy happy happy happy happy happy hatch day. Guys, we need to write a hatch day song!

Dorian has rope perches and a boing. Just keep loose threads trimmed and you"ll be fine. Just look at store toys critically. Even then you can still get caught. Dorian's boing had a bell hanging from the bottom. Now, this is a toy made for a bird, and people know bells can be dangerous, so therefore bell on bottom of boing should be bird safe, right? Wrong. Dorian got the clanger out of it anyway:evil: Now I've attached a heavy-duty bird bell to the bottom! I've started to make most of my toys, and save my toy $ for heavy duty acrylic toys I can't make. Being a worry wart, I have stainless steel bells, links, dowel screws . . . here and I swap out anything that I'm not 100% sure of. An ounce of prevention!

You don't have to make deep cuts, just a light scoring does the trick. I've tried the sisal rope and, of course, the boss around here doesn't like the stuff:angry:

One of Dorian's favourite things is a rope swing. It's a circular wire wrapped with cotton rope suspended by three cotton ropes tied together at the top. One day when he was still in thepet store and I was working I heard the worst sound in the world. He had a talon caught in some of the frayed rope, and he was screaming. (This was before I'd started to research grays and realized there was a lot wrong in the way he was being cared for.) I managed to get him untangled and calmed down, mostly because he'd already started to transfer his affection to me and chosen me as a trusted person. Because I wasn't his owner and didn't really have any power to make changes for him, I carefully trimmed Every stray and frayed rope in the whole cage. When he came home with me I took the rope swing out and re-made it with some Supreme rope. It's a safer rope that pulls apart more like a cotton ball than a frayed rope. I always have extra on hand so I can do repairs on his swing when ever I think it needs it, and I'm getting ready to move it outside his cage in the near future since he's started perching on it less, and beating the #$!* out of it instead:evil: You also have to watch the type of chains that come on store bought toys. I was surprised to see how many things come with chain that isn't made of welded closed links, because they can get their talons caught in them as well. They're like kids. You can make everything as safe as possible and they can still find a way to hurt themselves. It's all part of becoming an educated parront!

I give Dorian a bath with a spray bottle about once a week. He only enjoys them if it was his idea, when I catch him trying to bathe in his water dish. I've been taking him upstairs when I shower and letting him see it doesn't hurt, let him investigate with the water on low, splashing him from the tap. Hopefully I'll convince him the shower won't kill him soon! Being an optimist, I'm ordering a shower perch tomorrow:unsure:

Glad to hear there's progress! Patience really pays off with these guys. Ollie's a cutie, and worth every moment you work with him.

Sounds like you've got a clever bird with attitude to spare! Dorian's not a chewer, but I had a pet rabbit in the past and they can compete with birds when it comes to chewing up wires and everything else they come across. I see you are in Malaysia, so I'm not sure what kind of materials you can buy easily, but here are some suggestions I used to keep Charlie, the rabbit, away from my wires. Put a piece of untreated pine 1/4" round trim over the wire and attach it to the wall and floor in spots with some stick on velcro pieces. Cheap, and easy to replace when the wood gets chewed! Buy some pvc, run the wires through it, and, again, use velcro to hold it against the wall. Paint it out with bird-safe paint to match the floor or wall. I have no idea if you have access to IKEA stuff, so this may be more for others members here, but they sell a wire hider. It comes in strip about a metre long and has self stick tape on one side and a rubber 1/2" round tube with a slit on the other. (kind of hard to explain, but I hope you get the idea) You press the wires through the slit into the tube, then stick the strip to the wall (or desk, counter, anywhere you have wires or cords you want to hide). This will get the wires up past the point where your critter can reach them. The rubber is chewable, though, if they figure out a way to get to it! (voice of experience here:angry: ) I like this stuff because you can paint it out and it isn't noticeable. Usually sold in the office furniture section. Hope this helps your wife and your 'vengence from the sky' birdie!

I went straight to the source and got a couple of aloe vera plants. They're not too hard to keep alive, and handy for birds and humans.

Ok, I get seasonal, cluster, migraines in the spring, I have since I was about 10. So, of course, Dorian has chosen a new favourite sound effect and it's his most obnoxious sound ever. Even the cat has stopped hanging out downstairs! I'm doing all the stuff I know to do to extinguish this new obsession, I just needed some sympathy from others who know just how loud these little monkeys can be. Send some soothing thoughts my way:S